2004Monitors forum
DIY electronic bubble level indicator for video monitors
22 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
Note (as of October 2026)Curt O. Schaller, the developer of Artemis and Trinity, has no longer been with ARRI since the end of 2025. To our knowledge, ARRI currently has no dedicated team and no official contact persons for its stabilizer systems. In our view, the future of this line is uncertain. If you are buying new, get written confirmation from ARRI beforehand on how long service and spare parts are guaranteed. Have used rigs checked by the manufacturer before you buy.
What the thread found
- A simple backlit bubble can be created by extracting the bubble vial from a cheap plastic level, placing it in a small box with an LED, battery, resistor and switch, powered by 1.5 volts, costing around 4-5 dollars.
- An electronic bubble level can be built from an old junction box containing an electronic level component, which has a connector with three wires for ground, 12 volts, and signal output.
- The LM3914 integrated circuit is suitable for creating an LED bar display for an electronic level indicator and can operate in either bar or dot display modes.
- Power transistors are necessary to amplify the output current from the LM3914 chip to achieve adequate LED brightness, as the chip's direct output of 10-15 mA per channel is insufficient.
- An 8-volt regulated power supply is more suitable than 12 volts for the circuit because vehicle battery voltage may drop below 12 volts, affecting measurement accuracy.
- High-brightness LEDs rated 5000 mcd or higher with 20-80 mA current draw can be operated directly from the IC without additional amplification when a regulated 5-volt supply is used.
- The electronic level display can be made portable by using a curled cable to separate the sensor from the LED display, allowing the display to be mounted with velcro on different parts of the camera rig.
Depends on
- The described electronic level circuit is not perfectly linear and may be slightly more sensitive on one side.
- Sourcing old junction boxes with integrated electronic level components may be difficult.
- The LM3914 IC requires careful design and adjustment of resistors and voltage stabilizers to achieve proper calibration.
Gear in this thread
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