Apollo Right Arm

I received two New Right Arms last week and was setting them up today. I have everything working but the home position seems off. When the RA homes with dmx the top of the bracket that the fixture attaches to is setting at 8 o'clock making the fixture point almost straight down. From reading the manual it looks like the bracket should be at 12 o'clock. Is this the normal home for the RA. Both RA's are doing the same thing. Thanks
 
What mode do you have the RightArm set to? If you have it set to full articulation (Mode 6 I believe) then yes, that is the normal homing position as it is the center of it's full swing.
 
I received two New Right Arms last week and was setting them up today. I have everything working but the home position seems off. When the RA homes with dmx the top of the bracket that the fixture attaches to is setting at 8 o'clock making the fixture point almost straight down. From reading the manual it looks like the bracket should be at 12 o'clock. Is this the normal home for the RA. Both RA's are doing the same thing. Thanks

Thanks for choosing the Apollo Right Arm, thirdoctive. Yes, it sounds as though there may be some confusion regarding the position of this Tilt Arm at set up.

Page twelve of the Right Arm manual shows the position of the Tilt Arm, which determines the tilt angle the lighting fixture will assume when at home. -
http://downloads.goapollo.com/RightArm Manual112509.pdf

If this doesn't help you, please call me, Dave Stauss, Gary Kuntz, or Jeff Mateer regarding this set-up and we'll get you squared away!


(800)288-4626


(*edit - Thanks to Sony for his help also!)
 
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Thanks Sony and Kelite for the quick reply. I figured I would find you here Kelite. I am using the RA at FOH and the home position seemed odd for that position. When you look at the big picture I guess that would be home.
Thanks again.
 
A pleasure!

Please let us know if you have any further questions or suggestions as you prepare these two Right Arms for your space. Also- let us know sometime in the future how these have made your life easier, or if they have been a challenge. So many possible solutions exist and the Right Arm is but one of the tools in the creative toolbox!

Thanks again for responding- have a great weekend!
 
I'm having the same issue with mode 6 as well. The home position is positioning the fixture to tilt down towards the stage. We have a Source 4 19 with an Apollo EZ DMX iris attached to the right arm on a 17' grid and half the set is a balcony that encompasses the entire space standing at about 9' tall. The home position is pointing the fixture under the balcony, and I need it to home so it's pointing slightly above the balcony, towards the grid. I also need the same range of motion that mode 6 gives us. The solution I came up with is mounting the fixture basically so that the right arm is upside down, like this:

right arm zero.jpeg

But now the RA homing such that the source 4 ends up upside down when we power on the unit (which is bad because we have an iris in the accessory slot). I don't want the iris to fall out when the fixture runs through its power up procedure (it is safety cabled around the S4 yoke), and I don't want it to home to zero such that it's upside down to start. How do I fix this issue?
 
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I've never actually used a Right Arm, but could you not just change the home position from the console? Most console I'm familiar with allow you to alter the Home position of every unit. Obviously this would only affect the home position when the console was connected, but shouldn't that work just as well if not better?
 
I've never actually used a Right Arm, but could you not just change the home position from the console? Most console I'm familiar with allow you to alter the Home position of every unit. Obviously this would only affect the home position when the console was connected, but shouldn't that work just as well if not better?

Another easy option is simply to create a focus palette or focus point that is the desired home position. Make it the final number your console supports or something unlikely to be used for a show but easy to remember.
 
I have two right arms, and I think that you are possibly having the problem because of confusion on how to place the instrument (Source 4) on the bracket.
The bracket will always home in the same place, however, there are several adjustments as to how the bracket sits on the drive post. The trick is to adjust how the bracket sits on the drive post, and the tilt of the bracket, while also adjusting the tilt of the instrument, until you have the instrument in the position you want it to be at the extreme limit when the console is sending 0%.
It is important to find the center of gravity of the instrument with its's various options, such as scroller and or iris. once you know the center of gravity of the instrument. you want to place that as close to the drive post, by adjusting how the bracket is positioned on that post. (This is a very large nut that allows the bracket to slide up and down in relation to the post.) In conjunction with this adjustment there is a tilt adjustment at the top of the bracket. The tilt of the instrument is also figured into this balance.
It is best to do these adjustments when the right arm is not powered, so that you are not forcing any movements against the stepper motors. Once you have the instrument where you think that is both in the starting or home position, and it is balanced, take your hands off of it and it should not move. Now try manually moving it up and down and again it should stay where you place it, or a very slight position change.
All of this is with the power off. Now apply power and send it some DMX. Depending on if you are sending it regular fader signals, or encoder signals, It should home at one end of the travel, or center in the case of an encoder. Depending on how much travel you want it to do, you can proportion your dimmer in the patch of the board, and give better resolution to travel movement.

The balance and homing position are something that you might have to try several times until it works just as you want it. Once you have one of the units as you like it, measure the bracket and instrument positions and repeat them on any additional right arms of the same setup.

As for the iris staying in the instrument, you can always move the iris cover on the instrument to partially cover the iris and tighten the two screws. If this doesn't work, remove the iris cover, get some longer screws, (8-32x1inch) at Lowes or home depot. Put the longer screws into the holes for the cover and tighten until they touch the iris housing inside the shutter assembly. Tighten only as much as neccesary to keep the iris from moving. Over tightening could possibly damage the iris.

Tom Johnson
 
Hi gang, sorry for being late to the discussion. Been very busy this past week!

Hobbsies, you have several good questions that have been discussed to some extent here.

Dramatech, thank you for sharing your experience with the Right Arm and explaining the importance in finding the center of gravity for the lighting fixture. Yes, this is very important for successful operation and repeatability.

Hobbsies- would you mind calling me at Apollo when you get a chance? It may be easier for both of us to discuss your situation regarding the ETC S4 19* with the Apollo EZ Iris all working harmoniously with the Apollo Right Arm. Safety is my main concern, in that accessories falling out of/off hanging fixtures is greatly frowned upon.

You may reach me at (800)288-4626 aka (800) CUT-GOBO

Thanks Hobbsies!
 
Rather than making a new thread, I'm posting my question here in hopes that someone will see it -

I am using the Apollo Right Arm 2. In the manual, it designates that it can be used in 8 bit or 16 bit. I was wondering if there is a way to switch between the two (or if I'm asking a silly question?).
I am using them via the ETC Element console.
Thanks!
 
...In the manual, it designates that it can be used in 8 bit or 16 bit. I was wondering if there is a way to switch between the two (or if I'm asking a silly question?).
If you mean on the fly or from the console, then no. It's a decision one must make at time of installation. The setting is under the configuration menu.
rightarm2pg13.jpg
 
Rather than making a new thread, I'm posting my question here in hopes that someone will see it -

I am using the Apollo Right Arm 2. In the manual, it designates that it can be used in 8 bit or 16 bit. I was wondering if there is a way to switch between the two (or if I'm asking a silly question?).
I am using them via the ETC Element console.
Thanks!

Unless you are pressed for DMX addresses, no reason not to go 16 bit. 8 bit profiles are a holdover that are just thrown in there "just because".
 

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