XS-60 PRO
MOTION CONTROL TURNTABLE
XS-60 PRO is a motion control programmable turntable for smaller props, texture reference photoshoots and photogrammetry 3D scanning.
It can be used as a stand alone rotating base for motion control applications like commercials or film.
We have paid special attention to rigging capabilities of the turntable to ensure it's easy to photograph even the trickiest assets.
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XS-60 PRO turntable and XS-60 PRO controller have been made to be as sturdy as possible. The whole body was built using the 6061 anodized aluminium, CNC milled out of a solid block of metal.
All the connectors used in the device are film industry standard with a self locking mechanism, which ensures they won't be disconnected by accident. All of the pinouts are clearly marked if there is a need for customisation.
LEMO connector
XS-60 PRO
TURNTABLE CONTROLLER
XS-60 Pro Turntable Controller is used to control the motion of the turntable. It triggers the camera and synchronizes all movements with external flash lamps.
The controller is built to last in a professional studio environment where it is used everyday.
The XS-60 Pro Turntable Controller is packed with many useful features but it’s very user friendly! All the important functions are in the main screen so they are easy and quick to access.
All of the buttons have short descriptions to help operate the turntable without looking into the manual.
Every parameter it’s stored in the memory to quickly access the last used settings.
To make it even more safe to use, all the camera and flash sync pins are opto-insulated and not connected to the controller ground or controller body.
One of the biggest advantages of a dedicated controller it’s reliability and guaranteed continuity of use There is no need for updates or new software as the time passes.
Another benefit of a wired controller is no issues with connectivity via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, or radio. This feature is also extremely important on movie sets where radio communication has to be limited to minimum to don't interfere with critical camera equipment.
RIGGING
XS-60 Pro Turntable has multiple mounting options on its spinning platform.
3 x 1/4 inch threaded holes for magic arms or various attachments. one in the center of the rotation so it's easy to center the object on the turntable
1 x 1/4 inch threaded hole on the side
1 x 1/4 inch threaded hole at the bottom to mount it on a tripod or camera head
2 x 15mm standard camera rods, (widely available)
RIGGING DEMONSTRATION
The video above demonstrates rigging for the sword using 15mm camera rods and concave cylindrical attachment in the center of the turntable.
99.99% of the weight of the sword is precisely in the center of the turntable and the rigging is just to prevent it from losing the balance.
The function chosen in the controller is "360 spin" to do a quick 360 rotation to check if everything is in frame over the rotation and if it is in focus.
Then we just hit the "Start" button with a setting of 5 degrees and speed of 100% which gives 72 pictures in total.
The camera rods can be easily extended to suit a particular need of the asset.
it could be mounted to one side as it is shown in this example or on both sides for more complex or difficult props.
STABILITY
EXAMPLE
In this example we tried a magic arm attached to the side of the turntable with very soft soldering wire and a pendant hanging from it.
To minimize asset occlusion by gripping attachments, shadowing and to maximize the full visibility of the asset only one point of contact has been used. It also demonstrates the stability of the XS-60 Pro Turntable.
The controller has built in proportional soft acceleration and deceleration to prevent the sudden start from shaking the prop on the turntable.
For this test we used one of the programmable delays to let the pendant settle after each turn for 500 milliseconds before taking the picture.
The end result is a perfectly stable rotation of the very flimsy prop.
This is a good example of how the XS-60 Pro Turntable can be used for shooting necklaces, hanging ropes, anything soft or organic.
HEAVY ASSETS
EXAMPLE
Small but Mighty,
This turntable has been designed purposely to be as small as it is possible yet still functional to minimize shadowing under the asset on the turntable and to maximize exposure for lighting and visibility of the prop.
The XS-60 Pro Turntable it's great for small stuff but what about big and heavy things?
The answer is YES! Although we recommend caution to prevent personal injury when lifting heavy objects. It is also important to stabilize assets correctly to avoid potential damage to the studio equipment.
In this test we went beyond reasonable use of the turntable and we loaded a 20 kg granite block and we ran 360 rotation at full speed.
After achieving a perfect run, we have decided to double the weight and added another 20 kg granite block.
I guess I don't have to mention that loading 40 kg prop on such a small turntable is asking for trouble?
The 40kg load was too much to run at a full speed but when the rotation speed was adjusted to 20%.
The test was successful, we achieved full and stable rotation without missing any steps in the process.
USER INTERFACE
WELCOME SCREEN
when the controller is turned on you can see a welcome screen for split second
MAIN MENU SCREEN
360 SPIN - preview rotation with selected speed
SETTINGS - additional options and save button to remember the settings from this screen
SAVE - saves all the parameters in to memory, so after device is turned off and back on the settings
RIGHT/LEFT - direction of the rotation
SINGLE PICTURE - it will take one picture and trigger strobes, without rotating the turntable.
START - it will run the turntable with selected degrees and speed
ARROW BUTTONS - increase and decrease displayed value in between
DEGREE DISPLAY - when pressed it switches to quick select slider to set degrees quickly
SPEED DISPLAY - when pressed it switches to quick select slider to set speed quickly
PROGRESS SCREEN
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The progress screen turns on automatically as soon as the start button is pressed and it shows the remaining amount of pictures left as well as the direction of the rotation.
In case of 360 degrees spin it will keep displaying 360 through the duration of the rotation.
SETTINGS SCREEN
this screen is mostly responsible for synchronization delays, Order of events in time:
SPIN STOPS > delay > FOCUS > delay > SHUTTER > delay > FLASH > delay > SPIN STARTS
When the turntable stops spinning you can set a delay so the delicate assets have time to settle before taking a picture.
After that delay, half trigger/focus in the camera is triggered to wake the camera up and prepare it for the next stage.
After focus to shutter delay has passed, the camera shutter is being triggered. Then, depending on the camera model, the mirror is raised and shutter is released, this takes time, hence the delay.
Shutter to flash is the delay responsible for firing the flash exactly when the camera shutter is fully open. The flash triggering signal is programmed to be 50 milliseconds, immediately after that time all the outputs as disabled.
The flash to spin start is a delay from the time the picture has been taken to the time when the next rotation starts.
The good start settings to start tuning your camera are:
SPIN STOPS > 500 milliseconds > FOCUS > 350 milliseconds> SHUTTER > 62 milliseconds> FLASH > 200 milliseconds> SPIN STARTS
RETURN - when selected and E-stop button is pressed, the turntable will return to the start position in the shortest path.
DISPLAY - screen brightness and e-stop button led on or off?
BACK - it will take you to the main screen and save all the settings you choose in all screens.
INTERFACE SCREEN
Screen brightness slider
illumination of e-stop button on or off while the turntable is spinning
DEGREE QUICK SELECT
once you hit degree number on the main screen it will take you to the quick degree slider so you can quickly dial degree number per shoot and then dial it precisely with arrows on the both sides of the degree display
SPEED QUICK SELECT
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once you hit speed number on the main screen it will take you to the quick speed slider so you can quickly set the speed of the turntable rotation and then dial it precisely with arrows on the both sides of the speed display
OPTIONAL CUSTOM MADE CASE
We are recommending custom made travel case to go with this kit, as it keeps all the bits and pieces in one place and it is much easier and safer for the equipment to travel with, or to ship.
