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2025From a Facebook group: The Steadicam Group

LC-1 (Lens Control-1) follow focus system: wired architecture, motors, and early operational experience (1990s).

What the thread found

  • The LC-1 was a hard-wired system: a control box with rotary dial connected by cable to a dual-socket interface box mounted on the back of the vest; from there a cable ran over the back, across the shoulder, down the arm to a junction box on the sled, which transmitted motor data.
  • Motors came from Cinema Products (CP); used packages also included Heden M26P motors; Model I/II vests and Steadicam®-35 rigs featured visible metal clips on the shoulder sections to accommodate this wiring.
  • Early follow focus systems are recalled as imprecise and prone to drift.
  • One operator reported that a rented Seitz follow focus system was destroyed by a cable with reversed polarity; checking polarity of power cables before connection is essential.
  • NiCd batteries were standard in the 1990s; community support—loan equipment and technical advice—was already common practice in troubleshooting these systems.

Depends on

  • Dependent on correct polarity and cable integrity for motor function.
  • Performance varied with battery age and charge state (NiCd chemistry).

Parts

Follow Focus

Same gear or parts

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Original thread on Facebook (group members only)Ask about this threadThe answer cites the archive