2012Arms forum
Broken safety cable in Steadicam 3A arm spring requires professional repair
14 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
DisputedParticipants disagreed and reached no conclusion. Read the findings as positions, not as an answer.
What the thread found
- A steel safety cable running inside the spring mechanism of a Steadicam 3A arm can break over time.
- A broken or frayed safety cable in the arm spring should be inspected under load to assess damage severity.
- Loose steel cables rubbing against titanium springs can cause the springs to shatter, which may drop the rig and produce a loud noise.
- A broken safety cable inside the spring mechanism requires professional servicing and should not be ignored or left in operation.
- Safety cables between springs are designed to protect against spring failure but require proper maintenance to function.
Depends on
- Disagreement exists among participants about whether the cable carries the full weight of the rig or serves only as a safety backup in case of spring failure.
- One participant reported having a similar stuck cable for seven years without incident, suggesting severity may vary.
- The specific spring material and construction details of the 3A arm were not definitively established in this thread.
- No definitive guidance was provided on which service centers can perform the repair.