2019General Discussion forum
Balance issues on Tiffen gimbals after gimbal tuning
What the thread found
- A gimbal that loses balance during drop time testing may have the main bearing misaligned with the bearing housing and central post, requiring factory realignment or professional technical expertise to resolve.
- Multiple small sources of play in different components can combine to cause balance problems, including the monitor mount tube, the top stage fore-aft adjustment mechanism, and cable movement inside the post.
- On older Tiffen rigs, play in the top stage fore-aft adjustment screw area may require replacement of the adjustment part or sending the equipment to the factory.
- Testing for play in gimbal components should be done by visual inspection, listening for clicking sounds during torsion application, and feeling for vibrations to detect movement.
- Gimbal concentricity and calibration should be verified using a slow drop time test of 5 to 7 seconds rather than neutral balance.
Depends on
- The original poster had already sent the gimbal for tuning but the issue persisted, suggesting the problem may not have been correctly identified or addressed.
- One respondent mentioned experiencing the same issue on their equipment but did not investigate thoroughly, so their observations are based on limited testing.
- No confirmation was provided that any proposed solution completely resolved the problem.
- The advice about factory alignment and the specific contact information suggest that professional service may be necessary, but cost and availability are not discussed.
Parts
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