SteadySlider Motion Control precision camera slider


 

The intelligent Motion Control Camera Slider

 

The new ProLine SteadySlider camera slider offers smooth, steady, controllable, awesome sliding action in an easy to use, truly affordable lightweight package. Whether you want to shoot fast live action or slow, dramatic slides and dolly moves, the SteadySlider can help you make better videos.

Precise CNC machining make for smooth and reliable operation

CNC machined aluminum end caps are paired with either aluminum tubes or carbon fiber tubes. An additional small square tube traverses the SteadySlider providing a safe and clean place for the quiet, rubber, steel reinforced timing belt and electrical wires. Both versions still weighs less than 4 lbs and both units provide smooth, vibration free sliding action over virtually any duration. This system is 42" long, supporting approximately 38" of travel and is transported with a Padded Carry BackPack, or if you just want to get it ala carte, we offer it that way also. A variety of slider sizes will be available first quarter 2016.


Real Time Control via Joystick

You can easily control the camera slider with the included joystick. The speed is controlled by you. You can run it quickly or maybe just have it run nice and slow while you shoot a stationary object. If there are certain spots that you want the slider to remember, you simply "Add KeyFrame" and the system remembers that location and allows you to easily go right back and allows you to use that location in any of your subsequent moves.

 

Total Control via SmartPhone App

 

A free mobile app is available for download giving you precise control over every function of your SteadySlider. You can set the slider to run a single move at a given duration, or even running a whole stack of moves, one right after the other at any speed or duration. You can set the time a move starts, where it goes, and how long it takes to get there. With the optional ProLine Intelligent PanTilt system you can also control the pan and tilt at the same time. The controller constantly sends positional feedback to the app so you know where the slider is. You can simply press a desired location on the virtual slider on your smartphone and the camera will go right there, right away.

 

 

Open Source Software and Hardware

 

But that's just the beginning. The real strength lies in it's open source controller, which allows people to communicate with the controller via blue tooth or by changing the programming all together. Whether it be sending simple commands with a bluetooth terminal or by using an App, all the moves are available to anyone wishing to look under the hood and get involved.

Open Source means that anyone can write software, modify the controller, or create an app for just about any reason. Our simple app, available via free download, will allow you to run in real time, create and modify moves, stack them up into a moveStack and run an endless variety of stop actions, repeatable moves, live action, timed moves, loops and an endless variety of timelapses, from just a few seconds to hours to even days.

When you have a move or a group of moves you can save them on your smartphone, to the sd card, or if you like, you can add them to the cloud and have them available to you at anytime. While in the cloud you can easily share them with your producer or your associates and collaborate from the next office or from across the world. This means that the director of Photography in Hollywood can be planning the moves and someone on the beach across the globe can be executing the moves.


We built the system to be affordable and to grow as a platform, protecting your investment and creating a long term tool that will grow and enhance as your needs reflect. Our big picture objective is create a stable platform that people can easily download and share with others. Thats why we made it Open Source and simple to use. Updated firmware is and will stay completely free and apps from us will have no cost.

This is the beginning of a line of integrated systems from CobraCrane in the ProLine area. Each of the systems will interact with others. As of now we are releasing the SteadySlider and the ProLine PanTilt, but have plans and projects in the works for a wide variety of tools and platforms all interchangeable and all able to work together sharing resources and sensors.

Email us if you like text files of the firmware code.

 

ProLine Road Map

ProLine Road Map

2015 ProLine Controller Released
Rev 1 release Nov 15, 2015
Real Time Control
Preset moves
Time-lapse
Individual Moves
Multiple Moves (movestack)
Cloud Storage
Pan Tilt Head Released
SteadySlider Released
Feedback and evaluation
Rev 1.x (fixes and refinements from early adopters)

2016

ProLine Controller Rev 2 (in process now)
Intervalometer support
i2C support, spi support
App sharing
App Rev 2 
Rev 2.x (fixes and refinements)
Cloud Manager: easy sharing / secure storage
Lanc Control

2017
Wifi enabled
synchronized TurnTable 
Additional Sensor triggers
Alternative Joystick Support
Tracking software Update
add support for USB camera Control
ProLine Controller Rev 3
infinite Axis Controller
Updated Motorized Dolly
Infinite Sensors
Wireless comms
9 degrees of Freedom support
Motorized Cranes w/ multiple axis gimbal
AutoCrane multiple Axis Crane system
App Rev 3