VariZoom VZCINEMAPRO-JR-K2 User Manual

Cinema Pro JR

Operations Manual

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BEFORE YOU START, READ THESE WARNINGS

1) NEVER PLUG POWER DEVICES OTHER THAN THOSE SUPPLIED BY

VARIZOOM INTO THE SYSTEM. ONLY USE VARIZOOM POWER
SOURCES AND CABLES. USING DIFFERENT POWER COMPONENTS
CAN LEAD TO SEVERE DAMAGE TO THE HEAD AND EVEN THE
CAMERA. THIS TYPE OF DAMAGE IS NOT COVERED UNDER
WARRANTY.

2) DO NOT MODIFY THE SUPPLIED CABLES OR ATTEMPT TO

DISASSEMBLE THE HEAD.

3) LENS CONTROL CABLES MUST ONLY BE PLUGGED INTO THE

SPECIFIED INPUT JACK ON THE LENS ITSELF – NEVER PLUG A
12-PIN CONNECTOR ON A VARIZOOM LENS CONTROL CABLE
INTO THE 12PIN JACK ON THE CAMERA BODY. WHEN IN DOUBT,
CONSULT VARIZOOM OR YOUR LENS MANUAL.

4) THE ADVANCED CONTROLLER DOES NOT REQUIRE SEPARATE

POWER, IT RECEIVES POWER THROUGH THE GREEN-CODED
CONTROL CABLE THAT CONNECTS TO THE HEAD. THE “AUX”
POWER JACK ON THE ADVANCED CONTROLLER IS ONLY
UTILIZED IN WIRELESS CONFIGURATIONS AND SHOULD ONLY BE
CONNECTED TO A VARIZOOM POWER SUPPLY.

5) DO NOT OPERATE THE HEAD WITH AN UNBALANCED LOAD

(i.e., with the camera’s weight extremely off-center either
horizontally or vertically).

6) DO NOT GET THE SYSTEM WET – IT IS NOT WATERPROOF.

7) ALWAYS MAKE SURE YOUR LENS AND POWER CABLES HAVE

ENOUGH SLACK RUNNING THROUGH THE TILT AXIS TO
PREVENT TWISTING AND TEARING OF THE CABLES.

8) MAKE SURE YOUR LENS CLEARS THE BASE OF THE HEAD WHEN

TILTING. IF THE LENS DOES NOT CLEAR THE BASE, SET SOFT
LIMITS (SECTION 7) TO PREVENT THE LENS FROM STRIKING THE
BASE OF THE HEAD WHEN TILTING.

9) WHEN USING THE CP JR’s ONBOARD LENS CONTROLS TO

CONTROL YOUR CAMERA, ALWAYS POWER THE CAMERA UP
LAST. OTHERWISE, THE RECORD START/STOP FEATURE MAY
FALL OUT OF SYNC. TO AVOID THIS ISSUE, JUST MAKE SURE TO
CONNECT XLR POWER TO THE HEAD BEFORE YOU TURN YOUR
CAMERA ON.

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General Description

The CinemaPro JR is a lightweight, two-axis motion control head for film
and video cameras. It has a wide variety of operating modes: manual operation
from joystick, motion control style record and playback, “go to mark” preset
framing. Software upgrade options are also available for additional features
such as intervalometer, camera sync, PC data share, and additional recorded
takes and mark points.

The Cinema Pro JR Advanced Controller gives the user all input and
programming capabilities and has a joystick for pan & tilt control. The
Advanced Controller also works in concert with two optional control input
devices: Pan Bars for broadcast-style operation or Hand Wheels for cinema­style operation.

The Jibstick remote is a simpler, less expensive controller designed for
one-man jib operation. The jibstick only offers joystick pan & tilt with
smoothing and speed control.

The Cinema Pro JR’s lens interface controls zoom and focus. It handles
several control signals: RS-232 for Fujinon digital lenses or Varizoom (TOC)
motor drives, RS-422 for Canon digital lenses or Preston motor drives, position
or speed based analog, pulse width type RC servos, and LANC.

The following is an in-depth description of Cinema Pro JR operation and
a more complete description of each of its features.

Cinema Pro JR Advanced Controller

Front Panel buttons: – The top row of buttons default to act

like a normal record - playback system; record, rewind, stop
and play. The top left button, ‘Q’, is used as a ‘Shift’ key.
The bottom row includes:
The “Menu” button = ‘*’
The “Accept” button = ‘<-‘
The “Cancel” button = ‘x’

The main page may always be enabled by pressing the
“Cancel” button one to three times, depending on which sub-menu you start out from.

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The upper right portion of the LCD screen shows motor status and current positions for
pan, tilt, zoom and focus. A check in the box to the left of the axis name indicates that
that motor is enabled to run. If soft limits are enabled for the axis, the box is filled and
appears white with a blue check mark. The numbers to the right of the axis names are the
motor positions; pan and tilt are shown in degrees, and zoom and focus are shown as an
unscaled number from 0 to 1000.

1. Navigating the menu screens

Use the knob above the joystick to navigate through the menu screen. This knob (called
the setup knob) will also be used to change the value of selected parameters.

Use the “enter” button to select an item.
The “Menu” button is used to enter setup menu.

When pressed while already in the setup menu, the “Menu” button will enter a second
setup menu.

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The “cancel” button is used to cancel the last item changed, or to back out of a sub menu.
Pressing “cancel” twice will always return to the main screen.
The “Q” button is basically a shift key, and is used to change the function of other
buttons.
The “Record” “rev” “stop” and “play” are used for the motion control features. This will
be addressed later on.

The main menu screen will show pan, tilt, zoom, and focus positions. It will also display
which take is enabled, which go to mark is enabled, as well as a few basic functionality
adjustments.

When changing the value of a parameter, the setup knob will increase or decrease the
value in increments of 1. Hold the “Q” button while moving the setup knob, and the
values will move in increments of 10. Hold the “menu” button while moving the setup
knob, and values will move in increments of 100. Hold both the “Q” and “menu” buttons
while moving the setup knob, and the values will change in increments of 1,000.

Display Contrast can be adjusted from the second setup menu.
While in the main screen, press the “menu” button twice.
Select the “contrast” option.
Contrast can be adjusted from 0-100

2. Basic Setup

-Secure the head to crane, tripod, or solid mounting beam

-Plug the FACTORY POWER SUPPLY into AC mains

-Connect XLR cable between head and FACTORY
POWER SUPPLY

-Plug green control cable into the head and the jack
marked “CTRL” on the Advanced Controller (or Jibstick,
if applicable)

-If applicable, connect camera power (red) and lens
control cables (orange) and route the cables through the
tilt axis port hole to connect to your camera

-Make sure to turn camera power on as the LAST step.

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Feeding External Cables through the Head

In some cases, you will need to feed video or other
cables through the head. To do so, simply remove
the cable covers (pictured at right, covers may
differ slightly in appearance). 4 screws secure the
long vertical cable cover, while only 2 screws
secure the short horizontal cover. Run the cables
through the pan base and tilt arm with enough
slack, and reattach the cable covers.

If using the TOC system

Connect the TOC 3A (3 axis lens drive box)
between the orange 16-PIN lens control connector
located on the head, and the grey “control”
connector located on the TOC 3A. Connect the
Lens drive motors to the appropriate connection
according to their function (zoom, focus, iris)

If using a Preston MDR2*

Connect the MDR2 box between the 16-pin LEMO connector on the front of the head,
and the appropriate command connected on the MDR2 box (refer to the manufacturer’s
instruction manual for proper connections). Connect the Preston lens motors according
to their manufacturer’s instruction manual

*** Make sure that the MDR2 is not connected to any power source (including
batteries) prior to connecting to the head. This can result in damages to the control
console. The MDR2 will get all necessary power directly from the head. ***

Balance the Camera – Although the head will hold position very well, it operates best

when the camera is balanced on the mounting platform. With heavier cameras, it is
essential, as an out-of-balance load will cause the servos to constantly fight to hold
position. Make sure that the motor power is turned off before balancing. This will

allow you to move the tilt axis by hand. To balance the camera horizontally, you need

to place the camera’s front-to-back center of mass at the center of the mounting platform
slot. You can do this by trial and error, sliding the camera front-to-back on the mounting
platform until it stays level. The simplest accurate
way to find the camera’s center of mass is to lay a
pencil/pen on a table and try to balance the camera
on it front-to-back. The spot on the camera where it
comes closest to balancing on the pencil is the
center of mass. Place the camera’s center of mass
at the center of the mounting slot and secure the
camera with mounting screws (2 if possible). When
horizontally balanced, the platform should stay
level.

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To get the vertical balance right, raise or lower the platform
to get the camera’s vertical center of mass located on the
center of tilt rotation. To adjust, loosen the platform locking
lever about ½ turn. Turn the brass knob on the underside of
the platform to precisely raise or lower it. Rotate the
platform to various angles and adjust until it holds position at
any angle. If it falls down, you need to adjust the platform
upward. If it drifts upward, you need to lower the platform.
When balance is achieved, tighten the platform locking lever.

After all connections have been made and the camera is
balanced, the head is ready to be powered up.
Connect the power supply to AC power. Switch on the
Advanced Controller’s power in sequence: start with the
switch on the left. Wait for sync to be established - a
spinning diamond will appear in the lower left corner of the
remote. After the diamond stops spinning, sync is established
between the Head and the controller. Now switch on motor
power (the power switch on the right)

Set inputs- You will now need to set the Head to respond to the correct controller

inputs.
Press the “menu” button to bring up the setup menu. Select the “inputs” option. This
will bring up a controller inputs grid.

Here is where you can assign how Pan, Tilt, Zoom, and Focus will be controlled.
Move the cursor box to where you’d like to control each axis.
Note: Make sure you have the correct controller selected. I.E. if you are using the
joystick, check mark all boxes next to “Joystick”; if using wheels, make sure “wheels” is
selected, etc. This will greatly affect the performance of the Head.

Overslung/Underslung- Make sure this selected for the proper configuration. If

this needs to be changed, simply move the cursor box over the selection, and press
“enter”. This will change the Pan response.

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Lens- This only needs to be changed if you are using camera lens controls other than

the VariZoom TOC system. In other words, if you’re connecting directly to a Canon or
Fujinon lens servo, or even a Preston system, you’ll need to go into this menu to set
things up properly.

Press the “menu” button to enter the main setup menu.
Select the “Lens” option.

When the “Current Lens” box is selected, pressing “enter” will change the selection.

Preston
If you are using a Preston MDR2, press the “enter” button until the box reads “Preston.”

Canon or Fujinon Analog Servos
If you are using a Canon or Fujinon lens with an analog zoom motor, press the “enter”
button until “default” appears.

Connect the Lens Control Cable
To set up the lens control, you need to first connect the lens cable to the servo jack(s) on
the lens itself (NEVER connect to the jack on the camera body where the lens plugs in, or
damage may occur). You will plug into the same jack(s) where you would plug in any
external lens control, so consult your owner’s manual if necessary.

Adjust the Voltages
You must then adjust the voltages in the lens menu so the lens servo responds properly –
you may notice the lens zooming on its own when you first connect the cable, but this is
normal. Start by adjusting the middle number until the lens servo stops zooming. If the
lens is all the way at one end of the range, you may have manually zoom the lens in or
out to reset the position in order to see if the servo is still moving. (Some people also flip
the lens servo switch to manual and just listen to hear the servomotor stop running)

Once you’ve set the middle number to the proper rest voltage, you need to make sure the
voltages on the left and right are equally far from the middle “rest” voltage. In other
words, if your rest voltage is 4.00, the left voltage could be 1.50 and the right 6.50.

If the difference is unequal, you’ll notice the lens zooms faster in one direction than the
other. The greater the difference, the faster the lens will zoom in that direction. The left
number should always be lower than the middle number and the right number should
always be higher than the middle number.

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Canon or Fujinon Digital Servos
If you are using a Canon or Fujinon lens with digital servos, press “enter” until the lens
manufacturer’s name appears. Digital servos should automatically work with no setup.

Head Setup – You only need to enter this menu to switch the head between wired

and wireless mode. Press the “menu” button twice to enter the secondary setup menu.
Select the “Head setup” option.

- Using the Head in Wired Mode: The “Communication” setting should be on

“two-way” and the “Select head type” setting should be on “Wired”

- Using the Head in Wireless Mode: The“Communication” setting should be on

“one-way” and the “Select head type” setting should be on “Wireless”

Warning: In the “Head setup” menu, there is also a set of head speed options: “S­Standard,” “HS - High Speed” and “HSX – Ultra Speed” – DO NOT CHANGE THIS

SETTING FROM “S – Standard” – THE CP JR SHOULD ALWAYS BE SET TO
“S - Standard.”

3. Basic operation and adjustments

WARNING: If your lens has an optical image stabilizer (OIS), we recommend that

you disable the OIS. The motion of the CP JR may cause the OIS to exhibit some strange
behavior. In some cases, the OIS may create the illusion that the head is drifting at 90
degrees to the axis of motion (e.g., at the end of a pan move, the image may “tilt” slightly
up or down). Turn off the OIS to prevent optical problems.

The Head can control Pan, Tilt, Zoom, Focus, and record start/stop (when available from
the camera and with optional cables attached) from the advanced controller, and has
programmable parameters for each axis. Iris can also be controlled from an optional FIZ
controller.

Pan, tilt, and zoom can be controlled with the joystick by moving the joystick forward,
backward, left, right, or twist for zoom. Focus is controlled with the knob to the left

Pan and Tilt can also be controlled by using the optional encoded handwheels or with the
optional panbar controller pan and tilt to be controlled as if using a fluid head. This can
also be fitted with optional Pro style zoom and focus controls.
.
Record start/stop is done by holding the “Q” button and pressing the “enter:” button. A
“C” (for camera) will appear next to the “Go To” option when camera record has started.
Note that the record start/stop feature may be thrown out of sync if you connect XLR
power to the head while the camera is powered up – make sure the camera is off when
you plug power into the head.

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