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The four channel Motor Driver (MDR3) is responsible for driving the motors, providing
control signals to the camera, and transferring camera operating data to the wireless
network through the transceiver module.
The MDR3 uses a lens calibration sequence to determine the mechanical limits of the zoom,
focus, and iris rings of the lens. This sequence is initiated whenever the Reset button on the
MDR is pressed, or whenever a motor is connected to the Motor Driver. Lens calibration
allows for precise, repeatable settings and also prevents accidental damage to the lens or
Digital Motor. An internal memory stores the positions of a calibrated lens for 12 hours
without external power.
To further protect the lens and driver electronics, the motors are electronically torque
limited and electronic motor stall protection is provided. In addition, self-resetting thermal
fuses protect all four channels. This insures that even in the event of improper calibration,
the motors will remain protected from overheating.
The LED status displays for motor torque and direction are activated by pressing any of
the red buttons. Change the Torque and Direction setting of a motor by pressing the
button adjacent to the corresponding connector. The bottom row of buttons controls the
torque and the upper row controls the direction.
At each press of the torque button, the LED color changes to indicate the
maximum torque level: blue minimum, green mid-level, red maximum.
Pressing the direction button changes the motor direction to correspond with the
Hand unit. The white LED indicates the status.
After approximately 4s from the last button press, the display will turn off.
Camera control signals are provided at the “Camera" receptacle of the MDR3.
The Microwave Transceiver is located in the lid of the MDR3. It provides wireless bi-
directional communication between the MDR3, Hand Unit, Focus/Iris units and other clients
in the wireless network. The lid also contains a voltage booster enabling MDR operation
over an input voltage range from 11 to 30 volts.
The wireless channels are selected by pressing the up/down channel switches located on
both the MDR3 top cover and side. There are 30 channels numbered 0 – 29 and are
backwards compatible with the MDR2 G4 units. Channels 30 – 59 use enhanced data
encoding and eliminate interference between closely spaced units.
The software controlling the MDR3 is updated through the USB receptacle and the USB cable
that connects the MDR to the USB receptacle of a PC or MAC (OS 10.5 or later). Software
updates are available either as a CD or download from our web site:
http://www.prestoncinema.com/downloads.html
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