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Nodal Ninja Fanotec MECHA User Manual Download Page 49

Fanotec, the manufacturer of Nodal Ninja Branded Products, has over a
decade of experience in building products specifically designed for
panoramic and high-resolu�on photographers. The auto-rotator (

E1

) with

the single axis controller (

C1

) are precision built with quality motors,

components and circuitry.

MECHA Dual Axis Combo ‒ DAC

‒ is a compact and affordable dual-axis pan

�lt head solu�on. We use parts from NN3 MK3, together with 2 MECHA E1
Rotators and 2 C1 Controllers which are wireless linked together.

Use as a single-axis horizontal rotator single row shoo�ng for turntable
object VR, or use as a dual-axis rotator for both horizontal and ver�cal
movements.

The MECHA E1 and C1 being modular in design, will be compa�ble with
future MECHA rotators and controllers paving the way for future low-cost
upgrade paths.

This setup supports a camera/lens up to 1.25kg (2.75 lb) and NPP up to
110mm from the pivot point, making it ideal for mirror-less, compact and
lighter DSLR cameras. Shoot 360° panoramas or even high-resolu�on
gigapixel images.

MECHA Dual Axis Combo ‒ DAC ‒ is preassembled and packed in a carrying
case. If the two MECHA units are not mounted, please see below DAC
installa�on image, or watch the video:

Dual Axis Automated NN3 MK3 with 2 MECHA C1 and E1 Upgrade
Instruc�on

📹

h�ps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvAJoXsX6Kw

49

MECHA User’s Guide

v.05.4

‒

Dual Axis

© 2020 FANOTEC

Summary of Contents for Fanotec MECHA

Page 1: ...USER S GUIDE October 10 2020...

Page 2: ...omatic shooting pattern using only the MECHA s buttons 19 Test using the User Interface 20 Programming a preset using the UI 23 Presets for MECHA Single Axis 24 Downloading the presets from server 24...

Page 3: ...tion 57 DAC test without camera 1321 raised position 57 Panorama with camera mounted 58 Panorama with automatic shooting pattern using only the MECHA s buttons 58 DAC test using the UI 60 How to chang...

Page 4: ...or using MECHA s buttons 18 Panorama with automatic shooting pattern for Single Axis 19 Set the rotator on Configuration page 21 MECHA Dual Axis Combo DAC Check if two MECHAs are paired 52 DAC Test 13...

Page 5: ...use this User s Guide Welcome to the MECHA User s Guide If you have never used MECHA before we recommend that you read the introduc on first to get an overview of how it works and what you can do wit...

Page 6: ...rance is not enough CHECK for clearance with shu er cable a ached ONLY use a coiled cable for dual axis that can be stretched to about 1m Use short cable with extreme cau on The power bu on can be use...

Page 7: ...le its commands can have equivalent simple QR codes At an exhibi on scanning a QR code can rotate the featured object at a certain angle without the need to touch the object or the stand Series of rot...

Page 8: ...by experts or advanced users can make even programming from scratch easy considering a star ng script which can then be extended and made as complex as needed In this user guide we ll focus first on...

Page 9: ...men on that MECHA has an unique set of features zLM which stands for zero Learning MECHA which are specific designed to allow the use of MECHA without learning something new The power bu on is used to...

Page 10: ...simplest and handy really handy will be a smartphone MECHA uses wireless connec on abbreviated Wi Fi It can be set as AP Access Point or STA Sta on or even both AP STA as well as no Wi Fi in which cas...

Page 11: ...r network like this 192 168 1 100 As a note the par cular network can be managed by the smartphone itself if on smartphone a hot spot is enabled and MECHA can connect to it more on that later If for a...

Page 12: ...start sequence ends and MECHA reaches the idle status This me frame will be reduced in the future firmware releases When MECHA is idle some codes can be entered to perform specific tasks and tests wi...

Page 13: ...These codes will shoot a mul row plus nadir and zenith panorama the difference being the start posi on the most used is 1313 These 4 digit codes must be entered on the horizontal MECHA the lower one...

Page 14: ...14 MECHA User s Guide v 05 4 Single Axis 2020 FANOTEC Part 1 MECHA Single Axis...

Page 15: ...wer bu on for 3 to 5 seconds It may take about 40 seconds to start Check the ba ery level If no LED lights up or only a red LED lights up the ba ery may be discharged and it is recommended to use a 5V...

Page 16: ...f the results are as expected it means that they have not been overwri en yet and you can use them to take panoramas from 4 6 and 8 shots around with camera mounted Later in this guide we will see tha...

Page 17: ...nd look how the LEDs will show the entered sequence just to be sure you entered the correct code If there is any mistake short press the power bu on and enter the code again and terminate with by pres...

Page 18: ...ch the rotator is connected However if you are in doubt about the type of rotator you can try each code then launch a 90 rota on press the le arrow bu on then quickly the bu on 2 and if it is indeed 9...

Page 19: ...the live view Instead of the sheet of paper any well defined feature or image on screen or other means can be used A gray sheet of paper will work best for exposure purposes as well The camera and le...

Page 20: ...con nue to full spherical panorama If only cylindrical is needed or no manual lt is possible press the power bu on of MECHA Test using the User Interface Access the User Interface with your smartphone...

Page 21: ...a on page Tap the info bu on at the top of the Row page whenever you want to find out more details about the func ons of the controls available on the User Interface At the same me at the top of the p...

Page 22: ...s to load them or select Bu on 1 or Bu on 2 from the presets list and use Load bu on to load them Note how the se ngs on the Row page change when a preset is loaded In other words the se ngs we see ar...

Page 23: ...e le or RIGHT bu on to execute the sequence to the right Overwrite the preset Bu on 1 If you want to save the above se ngs and overwrite the preset Bu on 1 tap the Save 1 bu on Note that all se ngs di...

Page 24: ...for MECHA any me you start MECHA and press 3 at the spli ng lights MECHA will be accessible both via phone and local network provided that for the local network the Internet is available As a benefit...

Page 25: ...can tap the Save 1 bu on to save this preset to bu on 1 of MECHA then you can launch this preset by simply press the bu on 1 then for clockwise rota on when MECHA is in the idle status or press the bu...

Page 26: ...12 p 2 192 168 8 1 preset b 1 f 30 p 2 The page will ask for creden als which are admin Mecha by default Now if you press the bu ons 1 or 1 MECHA takes 12 shots around s 12 if you entered 192 168 8 1...

Page 27: ...t and confirm the l ng To understand what is displayed on the LEDs please see the Table of Equivalences LEDs Characters If a Single MECHA is running a DAC preset when rota on is needed along the secon...

Page 28: ...can be accessed on the smartphone s browser at 192 168 8 1 which is a sta c IP address Access the UI on your computer Press the power bu on for about 3 to 5 seconds to power up MECHA and wait un l de...

Page 29: ...03 in the browser address bar UI Controls In this sec on we will explain the func ons of the bu ons and the op ons available on the Row page with the men on that Ring and Turn pages are quite similar...

Page 30: ...ing charging The hand symbol toggles gesture mode Tap on screen and drag to see how it works Always make sure there are no objects near the robot especially in gesture mode In the next area the MECHA...

Page 31: ...on is selected Useful when shoo ng filming 360 If the Rewind op on is selected the rota on is 0 no rota on RIGHT bu on shoots a 360 panorama clockwise It is similar to LEFT bu on but the rota on is t...

Page 32: ...as in the last step Carefully adjust to achieve similar alignment End of Live NPP procedure Repeat the process to confirm alignment if needed IMG number of bracketed images for each posi on When using...

Page 33: ...es The values can be entered as 1 100 A A er the delay a er each bracke ng sequence or individual image If the value is nega ve there will be a delay a er each shu er actua on Degrees of rota on the r...

Page 34: ...e regardless of the number of shots specified in the Shots field For example if you want to take 3 shots 45 apart to the le set the degrees of rota on to 45 and the number of posi ons to 3 as in the i...

Page 35: ...y step and which areas depends on events on the field During the pause pressing O on IR Remote or SHOOT on UI MECHA will trigger the number of shoots specified by IMG in presets This can be used for e...

Page 36: ...using the Save 3 bu on Save 0 bu on saves the current preset as default preset which can be loaded with the Load 0 bu on Save 1 bu on saves the current preset and assigns it to MECHA s bu on 1 and ca...

Page 37: ...nates with Go to Row Team bu on ini ates a temporary pairing with a second MECHA which can be controlled if it joins the team To confirm joining enter the code 12 on the second MECHA using its bu ons...

Page 38: ...and cannot access for example the configura on page or the user interface The default passwords are men oned in this user guide The maximum value for Wi Fi Power is 100 In our example see the image b...

Page 39: ...TA Mode Sta c IP Remember that the IP address to which MECHA can be accessed from the computer is dynamic Therefore from me to me it changes and every me you have to find it by accessing the Configura...

Page 40: ...ified in this field tells MECHA to power off if there is no ac vity a number of seconds equal to this value The next Power OFF a er field is the same as the field above but it refers to the period imm...

Page 41: ...xample 33 It is recommended to use the automa c procedure for a be er result if the condi ons to detect the small movements are met Please see the code 12321 Backlash compensa on calibra on for more d...

Page 42: ...equipment that uses a specific protocol With common remotes a half press is detected as 1A a full press is detected as 1A1S These are the possibili es for a half press 045 1A executes a preset whose...

Page 43: ...th in the Shots field via custom for example 56mm Default Focal Length 50 00 used unless otherwise specified MECHA supports a focal length from 10 to 1500mm FF equiv with camera in Portrait or Landsca...

Page 44: ...n angle for the combina on of le right bu on and bu on 3 Safety interval if for some reasons the ver cal unit no longer communicates with the horizontal one the ver cal one stops a er a rota on equal...

Page 45: ...on the computer Backup Data bu on creates an archive for download which contains all the se ngs and files of MECHA except the firmware Restore Data bu on uploads the archive downloaded with the backu...

Page 46: ...1 which is a sta c IP address NOTE We shown how the User Interface can be accessed on a computer This is the New page At the top of the page the current firmware version is displayed Tap the Update bu...

Page 47: ...to be set lt manually For example if a row consists of 12 images a er the 12th image you will no ce the panning to the ini al posi on and then MECHA waits for the manual lt The expected manual angle f...

Page 48: ...48 MECHA User s Guide v 05 4 Dual Axis 2020 FANOTEC Part 2 MECHA Dual Axis Combo DAC...

Page 49: ...R or use as a dual axis rotator for both horizontal and ver cal movements The MECHA E1 and C1 being modular in design will be compa ble with future MECHA rotators and controllers paving the way for fu...

Page 50: ...50 MECHA User s Guide v 05 4 Dual Axis 2020 FANOTEC...

Page 51: ...ring of MECHA units automa c meaning that the units remain paired un l you unpair them 1 zLM 2 pairing using only 2 of MECHA s 6 bu ons a very quick method especially for non technical persons 2 zLM a...

Page 52: ...ECHA V If a red LED is lit on MECHA V as shown above this indicates that it is not the same firmware version in both units and it is recommended to update the firmware Also while the MECHA units are o...

Page 53: ...of horizontal MECHA enter the code 312123 which will update the firmware of both units The MECHA s response displayed on LEDs can be if Internet is not available for MECHA If Internet is availabe for...

Page 54: ...we name it MECHA H 3 Let the horizontal MECHA running then power up the other MECHA using its power bu on and when you see the spli ng lights press the bu on 2 for 3 seconds un l mul ple beeps are he...

Page 55: ...as well as long as SSID starts with MECHA H in the first one So a er the MECHAs are paired and the SSID and name is changed in config of MECHA H say from MECHA H DAC to MECHA H123 with password 87654...

Page 56: ...ns which look like up and down due to the moun ng orienta on to posi on the ver cal rail on parked level or raised posi on You can press then quickly 2 or then quickly 2 to rotate ver cal MECHA by 90...

Page 57: ...e le or to the right made of 12 shots around 3 rows at 0 45 plus zenith and nadir star ng from level posi on DAC test without camera 1321 raised posi on DAC Test 1321 With ver cal rail on raised posi...

Page 58: ...a can be connected to any of them Use the test codes men oned above whenever you want to quickly shoot this type of panorama without using the User Interface Panorama with automa c shoo ng pa ern usin...

Page 59: ...er bu on right a er the sheet of paper is out of the camera s frame Then MECHA will go back to the ini al posi on and will start slowly to lt down and waits again for another press of the power bu on...

Page 60: ...rtphones Here is a generic guide about connec ng to a Wi Fi Network Enter the password 12345678 A er connec ng to the network you can access the web control inter face by typing 192 168 8 1 in the web...

Page 61: ...n the ver cal rail on parked posi on To load the preset tap the Load bu on if visible under Presets list Otherwise it means the UI complexity is S Simple and some bu ons and op ons are not visible and...

Page 62: ...page tap info bu on at the top of the page then tap Config bu on to access the Configura on page The user and default password are On Configura on page scroll to SSID Password field delete the current...

Page 63: ...3 in combina on with le or right bu ons DAC TEST 1312 Parked 12 shots around 3 rows at 0 and 45 plus zenith and nadir star ng from parked posi on DAC TEST 1313 Level 12 shots around 3 rows at 0 and 4...

Page 64: ...emplate seems to be DAC TEST 1312 Parked To find out more about a preset you can choose a higher level for the UI complexity from the drop down list next to info bu on at the top of the page Select A3...

Page 65: ...normal over or 0 7EV for normal under over in which case it will automa cally extend to the number of IMG If the modifier starts with B like B 2EV or B1 or 1 0 5 2 the Bulb mode will be assumed E 0 2...

Page 66: ...ase good me to double check the NPP se ngs le right P 90 45 45 1 90 90 90 is a sequence for doing 12 shots around 3 rows 45 zenith nadir star ng from parked posi on and ending in parked posi on last 9...

Page 67: ...e following 1 Tap Save bu on to save the preset with a different name The preset name can be preceded by a power code of maximum 7 digits This feature also allows you to execute the preset using MECHA...

Page 68: ...on to overwrite the preset with the name Bu on 3 assigned to MECHA s bu on 3 Now the new preset is saved and displayed in the presets list and ready to be used in the future Create a preset power code...

Page 69: ...shoo ng pa ern made with kit lenses at around 29mm FF equiv that consists in 1 one row of 12 posi ons at a lt of 0 horizontally 2 another row of 12 posi ons at a lt of 45 3 another row of 12 posi ons...

Page 70: ...ly added features might not work To have the full benefit of MSS it is recommended to launch an update from horizontal MECHA and that should synchronize the firmware by upda ng both to the latest firm...

Page 71: ...following codes to specify the type of rotator or set the rotator on Configura on page 23131 set E1 as the preferred rotator 23132 set E2 as the preferred rotator 23121 set P1 as the preferred rotato...

Page 72: ...eniths 90 apart we can use 80x2 90 thus we will end with this script SL 0x12 45x12 45x12 N 80x2 90 Suppose that the rows at a lt of 45 and 45 must have 10 posi ons instead of 12 then the script can be...

Page 73: ...al row is scripted by 0x12 for the extra shoot we can add another horizontal row but made from only one posi on like 0x1 with pause or not For example if star ng from Level we may not need a pause as...

Page 74: ...p and to see if the full 360 around can be used in produc on or just simply as a par al panorama 45 degrees wide instead of 360 with the same camera lens combo To achieve that we need to add 45 which...

Page 75: ...hotos The inserts can be full S L like 24_14 in which case the inserted posi ons are as in the S Language with all features available Rewind a er each ROW The RW term in the MSS script indicates rewin...

Page 76: ...ou want to get only certain presets and tap the OK bu on The names of the presets found on server are added to the Presets list The preset name describes what the preset does and over me you will know...

Page 77: ...well but s ll some are possible only a er the preset is saved with Save and loaded with Load bu on MECHA needs to be in Level star ng posi on It will shoot three rows of 10 posi ons each one at a lt...

Page 78: ...4 Dual Axis 2020 FANOTEC And to change the degrees of lt for row for example from 45 to 30 click on P 45 45 1 90 90 0 then click on Dual Click Ok to let the IP of the 2nd MECHA unchanged then edit the...

Page 79: ...ans 1 posi on at a lt of 90 then go back to 0 lt 8 Then you can click on Save 1 to save and assign this preset to bu on 1 of MECHA H DAC From now on you can launch this preset by simply press 1 then f...

Page 80: ...rst row of 14 is made just like for a single MECHA the repeat is called and the list says what changes are for each repeat 10 12 for 1st repeat 10 posi ons from now on 2nd MECHA will lt to 12 8 45 for...

Page 81: ...of 4 posi ons each P10 12 8 45 6 60 4 70 10 12 8 45 6 60 4 70 2 90 90 2 90 90 0 If we want the order of rows to be changed their posi on in the list of angles can be adjusted for exemple with the pos...

Page 82: ...Shots oriented and it can be used for both Single MECHA and MECHA Dual Axis Combo abbreviated MECHA DAC Access Row page of MECHA H using the UI and select Scripted As a result a blank text area is dis...

Page 83: ...n 2 of MECHA V You can use also MECHA H bu ons for rota ng by intervals 1 45 2 90 3 180 The same intervals for but in the opposite direc on These intervals can be changed on Configura on page if neede...

Page 84: ...ase can be SP Z N 0x12 45x12 45x12 In the parked posi on the camera mounted on the upper rail is facing up as in the image above If we want the star ng and ending posi ons to be level the script will...

Page 85: ...E 2 In the Script text area will be automa cally replaced with equal sign to allow more easy input from phones A simlilar case example as before suppose we want to script a panorama star ng again from...

Page 86: ...number 1 and wri ng the equal sign followed by nothing meaning no changes for MECHA V So the script becomes S 90 1 0_0 _30 The movement for the next 10 posi ons or photos as we have only one photo at...

Page 87: ...be omi ed Now our final script is S 90 1 0_0 _30 11 45 12 45 12 90 90_0 which you can see in the above image as well Just a side note The script allows to have some pieces of the code in a loop and mu...

Page 88: ...d difference it is only 130 for MECHA V EXAMPLE 5 Panorama consis ng of 27 frames shot in 3 rows with 9 shots in each row S 90 1 21_0 _14 8 0_0 _ 14 8 21_0 _14 8 90_ 112 90 tells the start and end pos...

Page 89: ...here the rota on for MECHA H becomes 0 _ 3 from then on the rota on is 3 for MECHA H and it will con nue to be 3 un l the end which can be at 200 if you select 200 Shots No Repeat Scripted 119 is the...

Page 90: ...T has to be entered selec ng Dual and let the IP unchanged then enter T50 0 05 100 0 05 000 0 1100 0 It should look like this Then click tap on 2550 x RIGHT bu on EXAMPLE 7 Loop S 90 1 0_0 10 3_30 3...

Page 91: ...t posi on is parked 1 0_0 first shot is at 0 0 no rota on _30 the next shot is at the same lt but 36 apart and will keep going so 11 45 then at the 11th shot from the previous change the lt becomes 45...

Page 92: ...e first shot and will con nue only a er you click the PAUSE bu on in UI or press the bu on of MECHA H This can be also helpful Assign to bu on 1 of MECHA V in Row of MECHA V 1 Shot via custom 0 IMG 90...

Page 93: ...the hot spot is disabled for the moment That hot spot gives 192 168 43 xxx address to its clients 1 Start paired MECHAs MECHA H first 2 Connect to MECHA H config with your device then set it in STA mo...

Page 94: ...uired password 10 Start MECHA PHONE hot spot MECHAs should connect to MECHA PHONE a er a li le while As a result We have the MECHAs connected to a SSID with Internet access provided 3g 4g so on is ava...

Page 95: ...e In the zLM method of pairing the first step is to create a code a power code and the second to use this code to pair the MECHA units Step 1 Create an 8 digit code followed by the greater than sign a...

Page 96: ...unit can pair to me 4 Power up the other MECHA using its power bu on and wait un l spli ng lights end and all LEDs are off The second powered up unit rotates ver cally so we name it MECHA V As an alt...

Page 97: ...er in the field Pairing PIN Then click on Apply bu on at the bo om of the page All MECHA units which have the same PIN will be paired together All pairing methods and requirements presented in this gu...

Page 98: ...ID and password 7 Open 192 168 8 1 config 8 Select Default Mode STA 9 Select Apply 10 Select Connect to Wi Fi enter SSID and password for horizontal MECHA 11 Connect to horizontal MECHA again using ME...

Page 99: ...essed by 192 168 8 1 is in AP mode If you use the hot spot Wi Fi Tethering func on on the same device to provide the Internet access MECHA cannot connect to the Internet and More from Server is not av...

Page 100: ...porarily unpaired access the MECHA H configura on page and select the op on AP from the Default Mode list then tap click Apply bu on at the bo om of the configura on page Re Pairing a er Unpairing Pow...

Page 101: ...ning of this guide Power up the device by pressing the power bu on for a few seconds and enter the code you need using MECHA s bu ons See below the equivalence of bu ons and characters For example to...

Page 102: ...CHA to the le or to the right 6 shots around 132 or 132 Execute a test pano for a single MECHA to the le or to the right 12 shots around 1312 or 1312 Execute a test pano for MECHA DAC to the le or to...

Page 103: ...its own team For example with 5 MECHAs in network 1 can assemble the 1 2 4 team and at the same me 2 can assemble the 2 1 3 4 team provided the other MECHAs confirm the par cipa on For now the contro...

Page 104: ...ce through 192 168 8 1 13 Shows the Ba ery percentage 131313 Reboot MECHA without power cycling it This is useful when you want MECHA to reboot say to enable Wi Fi or change the AP STA mode or re un p...

Page 105: ...forget the device turned on The LEDs will light however if bu ons are pressed for entering a code to show the result of a code or for ba ery check It enhances the performance of MECHA DAC by using les...

Page 106: ...no need to close the right eye If the grip is mounted to the bo om of the camera you can look with the right eye and there is no need to close the le one This will make the process more bearable Both...

Page 107: ...e is a new one 312123 Update the firmware using a hot spot with name MECHA UPDATE and with password 87654321 which needs to be created and ac ve when the code is entered 31212 The code must be entered...

Page 108: ...231231231 Factory reset The code need to be entered twice enter 231231231 then a er LEDs stop ligh ng as one green LED at the top and one red LED at the bo om enter 231231231 again The power LED will...

Page 109: ...nuals h ps www youtube com user Fanotec Fanotec Youtube Channel h ps www youtube com user NodalNinja Nodal Ninja Youtube Channel h ps forum nodalninja com Nodal Ninja s Panoramic Photography Forum h p...

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