Technical Details

Record/Playback

The Inertia Wheels new Record and Playback moves features is currently in Beta and we are actively encouraging and inviting feedback.

What you should know about it.

1. The entire record/playback system exists in the Receiver. The Inertia Wheels themselves simply display the interface.

2. You can record a single clip up to 10 minutes.

3. The recorded move is stored in the Receiver’s memory and will persist between reboots.

4. The starting point (“One” position) of the move is not saved between power cycles. You must manually set this if the receiver is rebooted between power cycles.

5. The Inertia Wheels do not have a precision real-time-clock, so timebase repeatability is not a given. However, in our testing the timebase holds very well. Environmental temperature will adjust the timebase’s accuracy.

6. While the Inertia Wheels communicate “absolute” position data, each gimbal can and does reinterpret that signal in it’s own way. Additionally, stabilized gimbals use a variety of methods to hold heading positions, each of these subtly adjusts these “absolute” positions.

How to use it.

First power on the Receiver.

Entering Rec/Play

Navigate to Menu > Record/Playback.

Scroll down to and select Enter Rec/Play.

A notification may pop up to alert you to a change in the Wireless Mode. The Record/Playback system only works in the Range mode. This is for several reasons. First, it ensures a robust connection. Second, it reduces the number of keyframes/data-points necessary to recreate the move.

If no move is in the memory, it will give you the option to Start Recording. If a move is in memory it will give you the playback options.

Recording a move

Before you start recording, ensure you have a solid reference point for your One position. Maybe use a monitor with a screen grab feature, or set your cross-hairs on a recognizable mark.

Select Start Recording to begin.

The move is recording. Pan/Tilt/Roll as desired.

When ready to end the move, press End Recording to end.

Playback Options

Now that a move is recorded, you will now see a few more options appear:

• Go to One - will automatically move the camera to One.

• Mark as One - will set the current position as One.

• Erase Move - If you wish to erase the recorded move to allow re-recording.

• Exit Rec/Play - This will shut down the recording system to allow the system to fully return to normal operations.

Select Go to One to move to One. At this point, the system will take over and remove direct wheel control.

Once the camera has arrived at One, the system State will read “At One/Ready”. The system will continue to lock out wheel control while it holds the One position.

At this point, check your One position using a manual method to confirm it’s accuracy.

When ready, select Play Move.

The move will play.

You can select Stop Playback if you wish to stop early. Or allow the move to play out.

Once it is done, it will give you control and also provide you the options to Go to One or Mark as One again.

Performance Expectations.

In general, the Inertia Wheels attempt to unify a set of features across a range of camera platforms/gimbals. Each platform works in a slightly different way, and thus performance of a feature like this will vary depending on the gimbal.

General Advice

Gimbals are designed for stabilization and are inherently not designed for motion control as they use analog sensors as an unavoidable factor in their position. A deep understanding of the gimbal is necessary if you are looking for frame-accurate repeatability, and even then, some touchup in post will likely be required.

MoVI Pro/XL

For MōVI Pro/XL, as the Freefly API is robust and communicates absolute position data, you can expect the system to work well. Please keep in mind that the Output > Control Mode is a factor in the position. We suggest using an Absolute mode for best options. Also, select an appropriate Heading Assist in the MōVI’s menu. Keep in mind, pausing the gimbal will adjust the heading and remove an accurate One position.

Ronin 2

The Ronin 2 uses S.Bus, which while digital, is rate-based. The Inertia Wheels use powerful software to maintain as much of an “absolute” position as possible even though it has to communicate via rate. We do suggest that once you have your gimbal locked off set, you enter Tripod mode on the Ronin. After this, do not move the gimbal’s position.

We believe the performance will likely be pretty good in Tripod mode.