@milapse 'Sidereal' means 'pertaining to the stars'. Because the Earth orbits the Sun it actually rotates slightly more than 360 degrees in 24 hours (a solar day). A sidereal day is the time it takes for the Earth to rotate once in relation to the stars, which is only about 23h 56m.
Hi!! I'm looking for a little motorized rotating head, I'm an amateur, and i want to travel with this, then I seek the smallest and the least expensive. what you recommand me please? It's not easy to find it...
wow, so this is not panning at all, this is rotating the camera. panning is when the camera moves in a direction perpendicular to the lens. that is the camera moves left or right (with a possible up or down motion as well) while the lens stays in a consistant direction
I was wondering the same thing as Kauzman0. Where can I get one of these telescope motors since the link above says "Unable to find Specified Product in Catalog."?
I was looking for such a device for time lapse photography when I saw your video and realized I have a motorized telescope in my closet. Unfortunately, the Celestron Nexstar 114gt head would be difficult one to modify.
Can you provide the model number of the one in your video?
Can you program the unit to stop moving for each exposure? If you can't and the unit keeps moving during each exposure, the resulting frames will be blurrier than what is possible if the unit can stop moving during each exposure.
I was wanting to learn how to do time lapse, and low & behold I landed at your channel via flickr! I will explore your channel more before I consider the purchase of the kit mentioned. I am hyped now! Thanks for sharing!
Hello :) Love your videos!! I want to make time lapse videos too, with my 5D mkII, but first I need to buy a milapse set up like you've directed us here: shop.telescope-warehouse . com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=119
I've emailed scopehed @frontiernet. net about a month ago, asking them about shipping to Australia... but they never replied. Any advice? Do you know if they'll even ship to Australia?
Hello :) Love your videos!! I want to make time lapse videos too, with my 5D mkII, but first I need to buy a milapse set up like you've directed us here: shop.telescope-warehouse . com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=119
I've emailed scopehed @frontiernet. net about a month ago, asking them about shipping to Australia... but they never replied. Any advice? Do you know if they'll even ship to Australia?
I have a question, i have a meade mount and autostar, i aslo have the usb cable to connect to my laptop, if i were to use OMTLE, with a canon 50D, would i have a complete motion control system, or are they not comaptible?????
HI JAy...jsut wanna say your timelapses are great. Im looking got start the panning timelapse...Honestly what would you reccommend.... this meade? or other ones?
i have the 5dm2. Also i saw your rails systtem is that available and how much?
The meade seema like a really cool low budget way to get started....but how is the quiality? do you still use the meade? Thanks very much for your time...all the best.Ethan
Will this be useful for shooting stars at night? Cause I am wondering if the movement of the motor will induce motion blur to the pictures at long exposures.
@cl191 If you've framed your shot to include no terrestrial objects (trees/plants/etc) and the sun/moon/planes/clouds don't move through your shot, then yes - this would prevent motion blur. You configure it for a known object, and it will slowly track that object on both axes to always be in the same place in the exposure, meaning that nothing in the framed shot will be moving relative to one another.
You can get some very clean shots depending on your settings and what you're shooting.
Meade actually put a larger thread hole on the mount as a safety for their telescopes. Some tend to be heavy and most normal tripods could fall or be bent by the telescope's weight, so the larger hole is to provide a more stable connection and keep people from doing something stupid with their $500 dollar telescope.
keep her moving... I've been told you can disconnect the handbox while holding the button and bypass the clamp tho! Love my community. seriously love you guys! <3
I guess I'm missing something big here. I was under the impression this device was designed to track celestial objects. Why would it be designed so that you have to hold buttons down to keep it functioning properly?
celestial objects move at sidereal. timelapse is best served by it's subject, focus length and interval . 99.9% of the time I run it between 2x-8x sidereal. That's called 'slew-rate' and button controlled =)
Hi folks, Just wanted to tell MY experience with telescope-warehouse...I have been following Milapse for some time and recently purchased a canon 7d and now a Milapse Head from telescope-warehouse for an upcoming shoot. They took my money but havent shipped my item (9 days later)...dont respond to emails...dont answer phone calls...now I'm dealing with credit card company reporting them as a fraudulent transaction. I want the Milapse head but looking elsewhere to purchase. Buyer beware.
Not sure what's up? This is extremely unusual... I'm really sorry you've had this experience. I really really doubt there is any fraud going on here. He may just be traveling or having personal issues.
Thanks for posting this comment akaluv9, I've also got a 7D (and a converted FD 600mm F/4.5 lens for moonshots) and was about to purchase the deluxe setup with the 497 and bracket from telescope-warehouse. I'm now bummed that I just missed out on the ebay auction from seller lipstickonapig with a similar setup.
@fingered yeah I saw that too and was bummed. I went with Telescope-warehouse cuz they included the L-bracket and lipstickonapig didnt. But I'll keep looking. Just wish getting this rig wasn't so difficult...really looking forward to using it with my 7D. Have a friend who is doing TL work for a studio on his 5D and I bragged about the milapse...he was gonna test it out too :( FD 600mm lens! Sounds amazing, can't wait to see some footage!
I just got word. He was on an extended vacation and will be returning this weekend 3/7/10. My apologies you got caught in the middle of it!!! Not like they are in stock anywhere else anyway... ;-)
hi folks, just heard from Bill...he was on vacation...glad he is alive! Should teach him how to send automatic "out of office" email replies :) will post milapse TL's as soon as I can!
hi friend, im looking to do soem panning timelapse. Is this head you are reccomending pan sow enough for a timelapse, also is this th ebest device out there do to a panning timelpase? thanks for your knowledge, cheers
For stepper motors I went to computer repair shops and ask for unrepairable printers and or scanners. The old Epson printers have great stepper motors. You can buy the electronics from online stepper motor driver kits. I built my first one for a 3 axis small router controller. You can also get free software to drive it with. All of my links are old so just Google it, or your favorite search engine.
Hi everyone, The 25 fps means play back speed. for time lapse you have to determine the length of the event you are shooting then determine the length of film you want to make, and the fps, can be 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps depending on your output format. If you have a flower and it takes 3 days to open. If you want the final movie to be 5 minutes long 5 min equals 9000 frames. During the 72 yours for the flower to open to get 9000 frames you take one frame every 28.8 sec.
I saw a comment on a message board where someone said that a one minute time lapse at 25fps eats up about one sixtieth of the rated Canon shutter life. Does this sound plausible. I mean, if it was that would mean if you did an hour worth of time lapse your shutter would be shot. Does seem very believable to me. Anyway, thanks for all the tips. Very cool of you to share your knowledge. I just subscribed!
I have yet to kill a camera or replace a shutter... what you see on my youtube channel is only a fraction of my work... tell the newb on the message board to put that in his pipe!
@ar4216 one minute at 25fps is 1500 frames. most cameras are rated around 250k. that's 1/167th of the rated life.
secondly, an hour at 25fps is 90k frames. if you shot one frame every 3 seconds, that's 75 hours to shoot that timelapse. but who wants to watch an hour long timelapse video anyways?
You changed the ratios to the same factor you wonder why you get different angles (horizontal (150°/h) and vertical (100°/h)). Thats because you change the synchronisationfactor between the horizontal and vertical gears. So the speed of movements of the horizontal and vertical gears are asynchronous after changing the factory default. Thats why you get the different angles.
So you should make a note of the factory defaults! If you want to have synchronic speed/ movement.
The speed of movement is changed by pressing a NUMBER key (9 = fastest, 1 = slowest). To get 180 in an hour: set the speed @ 8x and the az ratio @ 1.8
Today (11/7/09) I bought a DS2090 at Costco for $199. Get this - it comes with the tripod, ds2000 motorized head (a.k.a. milapse) AND the Autostar 497 controller! Yes, that's right. You can save $130 by notbuying the 497 separately. Oh, and you get a telescope too (not a great one but goodenoughfor a little planet gazing...). Costco item number 415461. Available in stores only.
arghhhh just got my meade with a 497, got myself a serial meade usb cable, when i try to update using autostar, my laptop can not find the com port it is on, im running vista and have done everything correct as far as i can see.......................hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllp
I just ordered the setup from telescope-warehouse and was disappointed to find out that the L bracket is drilled in such a way that my 30D with the timer plugged in will not fit unless you mount the camera crooked. Has anyone else had this issue? I'm thinking I will have to get a ball head to make it work.
Yes, it's even farther off in that direction, which is unfortunate because that would give me easy access to the cable release. When it is mounted the other way, it just fits with no cable release attached. I took some pics but I can't post them here. Seems odd too that the L bracket isn't wide enough to support the whole camera like yours is in your video. Thanks
I find this to be a common error - you said 3/8-20 but the standards for tripod and camera mounting threads are 3/8-16 UNC OR 1/4-20 UNC (meaning: unified national coarse).
Since you said the rotator doesn't fit a typical tripod it probably has a 3/8-24 UNF thread (unified national fine).
I made my own from a AC power supply I got off eBay for five bucks, look for a 12v 1000mA output adapter. Then pick up a pack of the 9v battery terminals at RadioShack. Now when you wire it up connect the red to black and black to red, that seems backwards, but trust me it is correct. To test it disconnect your handpad from the tripod head and power up the tripod, if you get the red light you are good - no light - something is wrong.
You are absolutely correct. The polarity of the 9v style connector is 'backwards'! Your solution is fine. I actually have one that is just the 9v connector to cigarette plug so I run it off a big 12v DC supply and waste no power in the conversion! ;-)
Is there anyone out there with specs for a bracket? I've had the head for almost a year, and don't know enough about working with this stuff to figure my own dimensions/plans.
Also, anyone figured out a nice ratio calculator for movement?
In regards to your problem with the thread at the bottom of the panning head -- you can change the thread by using a heli-coil -- you simply go down to your local hardware or automotive parts supplier and request a heli coil thread repair kit for the 3/8-20 thread -- using the supplied drill and tap, drill out the existing thread, retap the hole, and screw in the supplied thread insert-these are generally used to repair stripped threads, but can be used to change the thread.
If you want to change the threading on the base and use a standard coarse thread just buy a Thread Repair Kit 3/8-16 for under $20. The drill and Heli-Coil tap will cut away the old threads. Then follow the instructions to use the insert.
Thanks for the great info! I can't wait to add some movement to my Time Lapse. Please check out "The Making of MOONTRACKS" when you have a chance. ~chris PS: I Subscribed
So let me get this straight. I need a tripod, a mount (motor head), and controller device? I was looking to piece together a kit, since the big man seems to be sold out.
So. On ebay I was looking up:
Meade #497 Controller.
Celestron 114GT (unfortunately comes with the telescope)
And then what Tripo and I supposed to look up? Will any tripod work, or does it have to be specific for the mount/motor head. I work in the film industry so I have a few normal tripods.
I've taken your advise to purchase from Telescope Warehouse the motor head, #494 Controller, and the tripod. After one month of waiting (the check was cashed from them from the very first day!) and after numerous failed attempts to get in contact through the phone, I'm writing to you for a help...What should I do..? Are they out of stock? OK, they could just notify us all this time I guess and not take the money and dissappear. The order is from Angelo Bissias - Houston, TX. Thank you.
Angelo, as far as I understand the availability is 'sporadic' at the moment... He sold out of his on hand supply. I'm sure he'll give you a refund -did you email?
Thanx, I will today! The main problem is that the system needs to be taken to Greece within 3 weeks from today. If I miss that window I'm doomed since I have scheduled part of the filming to be done with an SLR and the P+T head. I hope they will make till then. I'll keep you informed. Thanx again.
Search on craigs list. I did a quick search in my local site, and found a "Meade DS-2114ATS-TC New with 497 Autostar Controller" for $215. This includes the telescope!!
Hello, I'm a little confused as to which products I need to purchase to build this contraption. Does anyone know what the precise part numbers for each item are?
My head just arrived this morning, just have to get around to getting the bracket to be done and I'm away. I think we almost need a forum for timelapses so we can come together to discuss technique and share
My head just arrived this morning, just have to get around to getting the bracket to be done and I'm away. I think we almost need a forum for timelapses so we can come together to discuss technique and share
Never got around to that... It means - four 3/16" diameter holes in a square pattern (::) spaced 1-1/16" on center. You can do a 45d set as well (same pattern) or dig into the head and remove the tab that limits it to 90d of travel.
He's almost out of stock! Unfortunately I have no control over the price... Therefore I'm looking to secure a better source and bundle the hardware with the software I'm developing.
He's almost out of stock! Unfortunately I have no control over the price... Therefore I'm looking to secure a better source and bundle the hardware with the software I'm developing.
That looks like the sigma 10-20mm your using. I'm currently on the market for a wide zoom for my Nikon and am torn between the sigma and the tokina 12-24mm. It's killing me the tokina is faster with a constant f/4 but sigma is wider, ERRRRR. Did you have this same dilemma by any chance?
I looked at and tested all the super wides in this range, Since I'm an architect, I really liked the barrel correction of the Sigma (straight lines at the edges). It's not quite as sharp as the Nikon 10.5 or the Tokina though. For uber sharpness I prefer my Nikon 17-35 (by far my favorite lens in the bag).
This is exactly what I was looking for. I have done tons of DSLR timelapse work in the past but never found a unit that could do this for a reasonable price.
Duck Tape makes this stuff called "Hold It" that is rubbery on one side and is sticky on the other side. I put this on the top of my bracket and it holds my camera really snug.
instead of clamping down the buttons to get it to keep moving on its own... just unplug the controller while you're pressing the buttons and it will move on its own until you turn off the unit at the source to stop/change direction
actually havent put it to use yet... ive been really busy with school, i just finished making the bracket for it, and i might put a video up soon on a couple things such as: my bracket, how to make it work on a standard tripod, how to make the y-axis unlimited, and show off and provide a link to a ratio/time/speed calculator program im making
Thanks I am a photographer and this is one well informed and helpful video for just about anyone wanting to do something even remotely to this.. I wouldnt have thought to do this as I would have thought it would have run about 500 bucks or more to do it. But for a 100 bucks hey its a great idea.
I think that would depend on your latitude and date since the sun travels at very different rates depending on those factors. Look into the Meade controller, maybe there is a 'track sun' setting??
On this model, if you set up your location properly then center it on the sun and hit "astronomical" it will track it in real time. (No holding down buttons required)
To track across the horizon, and have the sun drop through the picture, manually set your location as being the north pole (or south pole for the southern hemisphere).
Yup, Heading back down in a couple of weeks, it will be the first time I have been there in the middle of summer for 5 years. (I have done the last 5 winters in a row down there).
I plan to do a 360 degree track over a couple of days form a few different locations (hopefully including the actual South Pole) as well as a fish-eye looking up.
for all the people wondering about the vertical travel for this unit, i bought the same one and if you open it up and break/saw/cut these certain plastic tabs off, it can have full 360 degree vertical travel
Are the motors direct / cog driven in these mounts, or are there belts involved?
I was looking at getting another more simple mount to complement my other gear, but I would have a problem with belts freezing up for any work I do. Have a look at my clips & you'll see why. Thanks, Antz.
i am not sure on the meade complete head, it sounds like they are gear driven. you could put together a panning head with the meade motors that can be gear driven (worm drive) or belt driven. watch out for auroras tonight and tomorrow night there is a good chance they will be something.
i would also bump up the thickness of the bracket to 3/16th aluminum if you are going to put a lot of weight on there. if the bracket flexes or deflects with the weight you will never get the camera to do level pans and the footage will look bad.
do you know if its possible to slow the head down to do a horozontal pan across 90º over the duration of a month during daylight hours? I have a timer that will turn it on and off during the night.
also to answer a few questions about the weight and durability of these things. I have mounted a canon 1ds with a 70-200 f2.8 IS lens with a 1.4x and 2x teleconverter attached to it. that is a BIG and HEAVY camera setup.
if you load up the head with lots of camera equipment the vertical motor will fail and slip before the horizontal motor will fail. you absolutely have to have the thing perfectly level if you have a lot of weight on it as well or it will have jerky motion or will stall all together. anything more than 10lbs and i would limit it to horizontal pans only. I think it can support 16 lbs +/-
to address the durability of it. mine recently launched out of the back of my pickup truck (it was wrapped in a blanket) and it still works fine. I caught air going to a shooting location and the tailgate dropped down dumping everything out of the back. the head still works fine.
I'm not really sure where the bottom is... You could set it to 2x and set the ratio to .00001. It's an interesting idea nontheless, Software control could do this. I'm thinking about a 'pulse' mode where you can set a pause/move/pause type pattern.
damn if you could do that you would have a multi thousand $ time-lapse replacement
I am ordering a few more next week i think i might have to plug one into the wall and try that out over the span of a few days. i will keep you updated.
one thing to watch out for if you do the pulse thing is, i have noticed that if i start and stop the head it takes a few seconds fo r the head to start to move after power is applied. if the motor has gone in the other direction, it takes even longer to get going. so that might be a problem
yes, I've noticed that too. I think the controller sort of gently 'gets it up to speed'. You can actually hear the motor slowly engaging. The tough part in my mind is keeping the movement and the shutter fire in sync if you know what I mean...
i think there is some play in the gears so when it changes direction there is a bit of slop.. it takes a partial revolution of the gearing to mesh up in the opposite direction. its much more apparent with the side to side panning
To get the horizontal pan over a month, you could use a cheap table-top equatorial mount with the 1x az motor, you could add a 555 timer to pulse the power on and off and slow it right down. Add a second timer to the power supply to turn it off at night. Probably looking at about $150 total.
hey,i have a orion 90mm mak-cass and i want to know if it will be fine on this mount.i don't have a whole lot of money and i want something that will last.and is the motor on the mount good,as in will it just break down a week into me getting it??sturdy when someone touches it does is shake all over the place?thanks JAY!
Hi !
What are the native Alt & Az ratio ?
Why the Azimuth setting circle is not set in degrees (360°) ??
Spkkkkk 2 days ago
Ok.. But how do I set this to this to do 360 pan or 90 degree tilt at a certain speed without the need of a clamp to press the button?
buhce5 3 months ago
Do i need the controller? will it work without the controller? Could you show how it works withouth the controller?
joecoz26 3 months ago
Comment removed
joecoz26 3 months ago
thanks for the video and links!
salaymeh 6 months ago
This has been flagged as spam show
time-lapse rulez!! Do you know you can make time-lpase movies with any camera with this device: (copy address to browser): tempusALL.bymac.org
Works with ANY camera! ckeck it out :P
bymacorg19 6 months ago
time-lapse rulez!! Do you know you can make time-lpase movies with any camera with this device: (copy address to browser): tempusALL.bymac.org
Works with ANY camera! ckeck it out :P
bymacorg14 6 months ago
What does sidereel mean?
tbizzlecu 7 months ago
@tbizzlecu The spelling is: Sidereal check out the Wikipedia entry but it's basically 360 degrees in 24 hours. (rotation of the earth)
milapse 6 months ago
@milapse 'Sidereal' means 'pertaining to the stars'. Because the Earth orbits the Sun it actually rotates slightly more than 360 degrees in 24 hours (a solar day). A sidereal day is the time it takes for the Earth to rotate once in relation to the stars, which is only about 23h 56m.
Anal, I know, but factual. :)
nagualdesign 5 months ago
I have the head and controller already for a telescope I bought. do you have that aluminium bracket that holds the camera for sale?
hemna 7 months ago
Hi!! I'm looking for a little motorized rotating head, I'm an amateur, and i want to travel with this, then I seek the smallest and the least expensive. what you recommand me please? It's not easy to find it...
yolovema 8 months ago
wow, so this is not panning at all, this is rotating the camera. panning is when the camera moves in a direction perpendicular to the lens. that is the camera moves left or right (with a possible up or down motion as well) while the lens stays in a consistant direction
obviologist 8 months ago
@obviologist Sorry dude, he's right when he calls it panning, you should really do some research before criticizing someone...
HighOctanePhotos 8 months ago
@obviologist Panning is the horizontal movement or rotation of a camera. What your describing is tracking.
OatesyX 8 months ago
I was wondering the same thing as Kauzman0. Where can I get one of these telescope motors since the link above says "Unable to find Specified Product in Catalog."?
I was looking for such a device for time lapse photography when I saw your video and realized I have a motorized telescope in my closet. Unfortunately, the Celestron Nexstar 114gt head would be difficult one to modify.
Can you provide the model number of the one in your video?
rico7738 10 months ago
The link is dead. Is this still available at all? I'd like to be able to do these sweet time-lapse.
Kauzman01 1 year ago
@Kauzman01 Go to the site and section Motors and Drives and you will see it called Milapse
blazer0x 8 months ago
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@Kauzman01 Go to the site and section Motors and Drives and you will see it called Milapse.
blazer0x 8 months ago
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JakseUksar34 1 year ago
Can you program the unit to stop moving for each exposure? If you can't and the unit keeps moving during each exposure, the resulting frames will be blurrier than what is possible if the unit can stop moving during each exposure.
bentonpix 1 year ago
Comment removed
myphotogenesis 1 year ago
I was wanting to learn how to do time lapse, and low & behold I landed at your channel via flickr! I will explore your channel more before I consider the purchase of the kit mentioned. I am hyped now! Thanks for sharing!
myphotogenesis 1 year ago
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Hello :) Love your videos!! I want to make time lapse videos too, with my 5D mkII, but first I need to buy a milapse set up like you've directed us here: shop.telescope-warehouse . com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=119
I've emailed scopehed @frontiernet. net about a month ago, asking them about shipping to Australia... but they never replied. Any advice? Do you know if they'll even ship to Australia?
kaiwinbot 1 year ago
Hello :) Love your videos!! I want to make time lapse videos too, with my 5D mkII, but first I need to buy a milapse set up like you've directed us here: shop.telescope-warehouse . com/product.sc?categoryId=1&productId=119
I've emailed scopehed @frontiernet. net about a month ago, asking them about shipping to Australia... but they never replied. Any advice? Do you know if they'll even ship to Australia?
kaiwinbot 1 year ago
I have a question, i have a meade mount and autostar, i aslo have the usb cable to connect to my laptop, if i were to use OMTLE, with a canon 50D, would i have a complete motion control system, or are they not comaptible?????
hope to hear from you, many thanks Pete
nunnster06 1 year ago
HI JAy...jsut wanna say your timelapses are great. Im looking got start the panning timelapse...Honestly what would you reccommend.... this meade? or other ones?
i have the 5dm2. Also i saw your rails systtem is that available and how much?
The meade seema like a really cool low budget way to get started....but how is the quiality? do you still use the meade? Thanks very much for your time...all the best.Ethan
EthanJivana 1 year ago
What music is this please. The african drum beat thing ? Thanks.
camelinthedessert 1 year ago
Will this be useful for shooting stars at night? Cause I am wondering if the movement of the motor will induce motion blur to the pictures at long exposures.
cl191 1 year ago
@cl191 vimeo(dot)com/7536090 - shot with a milapse head.
milapse 1 year ago
@cl191 If you've framed your shot to include no terrestrial objects (trees/plants/etc) and the sun/moon/planes/clouds don't move through your shot, then yes - this would prevent motion blur. You configure it for a known object, and it will slowly track that object on both axes to always be in the same place in the exposure, meaning that nothing in the framed shot will be moving relative to one another.
You can get some very clean shots depending on your settings and what you're shooting.
disord3r 1 year ago
on the website it is more designed for the US, districts etc. how would I get my hands on one being here in the UK?
DavidKenny6 1 year ago
@DavidKenny6 Email Bill to make arrangements for INTERNATIONAL SHIPPING: scopehed(at)frontiernet(dot)net
milapse 1 year ago
I found my new toy Sweet!!!!!
FastestIntegra 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
Hi, i have a 5d mark II. i need a tilt pan head for my camera. This fit with my camera?
I read that i can buy it. Can u tell me how i can do it?
Thanks
markdimark 1 year ago
Hi, i have a 5d mark II. i need a tilt pan head for my camera. This fit with my camera?
I read that i can buy it. Can u tell me how i can do it?
Thanks
markdimark 1 year ago
@markdimark lots of people are using this with a 5d2... Including me! :-)
milapse 1 year ago
Meade actually put a larger thread hole on the mount as a safety for their telescopes. Some tend to be heavy and most normal tripods could fall or be bent by the telescope's weight, so the larger hole is to provide a more stable connection and keep people from doing something stupid with their $500 dollar telescope.
EmiliosProductions 1 year ago
Why do you need to clamp down the buttons?
odinata 1 year ago
keep her moving... I've been told you can disconnect the handbox while holding the button and bypass the clamp tho! Love my community. seriously love you guys! <3
milapse 1 year ago
I thought this controller automatically panned and tilted the scope or camera!?!
odinata 1 year ago
I guess I'm missing something big here. I was under the impression this device was designed to track celestial objects. Why would it be designed so that you have to hold buttons down to keep it functioning properly?
odinata 1 year ago
celestial objects move at sidereal. timelapse is best served by it's subject, focus length and interval . 99.9% of the time I run it between 2x-8x sidereal. That's called 'slew-rate' and button controlled =)
milapse 1 year ago
I have ordered full equipment to Europe last year, everything arrived in best shape and pretty fast. Definitely not fraudulent.
digiteye 1 year ago
Thanks for sharing your positive experience digiteye!
milapse 1 year ago
Hi folks, Just wanted to tell MY experience with telescope-warehouse...I have been following Milapse for some time and recently purchased a canon 7d and now a Milapse Head from telescope-warehouse for an upcoming shoot. They took my money but havent shipped my item (9 days later)...dont respond to emails...dont answer phone calls...now I'm dealing with credit card company reporting them as a fraudulent transaction. I want the Milapse head but looking elsewhere to purchase. Buyer beware.
akaluv9 1 year ago
Not sure what's up? This is extremely unusual... I'm really sorry you've had this experience. I really really doubt there is any fraud going on here. He may just be traveling or having personal issues.
milapse 1 year ago
Thanks for posting this comment akaluv9, I've also got a 7D (and a converted FD 600mm F/4.5 lens for moonshots) and was about to purchase the deluxe setup with the 497 and bracket from telescope-warehouse. I'm now bummed that I just missed out on the ebay auction from seller lipstickonapig with a similar setup.
fingered 1 year ago
@fingered yeah I saw that too and was bummed. I went with Telescope-warehouse cuz they included the L-bracket and lipstickonapig didnt. But I'll keep looking. Just wish getting this rig wasn't so difficult...really looking forward to using it with my 7D. Have a friend who is doing TL work for a studio on his 5D and I bragged about the milapse...he was gonna test it out too :( FD 600mm lens! Sounds amazing, can't wait to see some footage!
akaluv9 1 year ago
I just got word. He was on an extended vacation and will be returning this weekend 3/7/10. My apologies you got caught in the middle of it!!! Not like they are in stock anywhere else anyway... ;-)
milapse 1 year ago
hi folks, just heard from Bill...he was on vacation...glad he is alive! Should teach him how to send automatic "out of office" email replies :) will post milapse TL's as soon as I can!
akaluv9 1 year ago
hi friend, im looking to do soem panning timelapse. Is this head you are reccomending pan sow enough for a timelapse, also is this th ebest device out there do to a panning timelpase? thanks for your knowledge, cheers
EthanJivana 1 year ago
yes.
milapse 1 year ago
@milapse
So please , what the link to buy this?
Wil the head fit on my tripod? or it is one unit. Thanks mate
EthanJivana 1 year ago
link is in the description
the thread is different from standard, you'll have to get creative to mate to a traditional tripod.
milapse 1 year ago
@EthanJivana Hey mate, how can i put this panning head to fit a normal tripod thread? ANY BRIGHT IDEAS?
EthanJivana 1 year ago
For stepper motors I went to computer repair shops and ask for unrepairable printers and or scanners. The old Epson printers have great stepper motors. You can buy the electronics from online stepper motor driver kits. I built my first one for a 3 axis small router controller. You can also get free software to drive it with. All of my links are old so just Google it, or your favorite search engine.
lutherbrowning 1 year ago
you can simply pick up an arduino, easydrivers, load the openmoco engine and you'll be set!
milapse 1 year ago
Hi everyone, The 25 fps means play back speed. for time lapse you have to determine the length of the event you are shooting then determine the length of film you want to make, and the fps, can be 24, 25, 30, or 60 fps depending on your output format. If you have a flower and it takes 3 days to open. If you want the final movie to be 5 minutes long 5 min equals 9000 frames. During the 72 yours for the flower to open to get 9000 frames you take one frame every 28.8 sec.
lutherbrowning 1 year ago
I saw a comment on a message board where someone said that a one minute time lapse at 25fps eats up about one sixtieth of the rated Canon shutter life. Does this sound plausible. I mean, if it was that would mean if you did an hour worth of time lapse your shutter would be shot. Does seem very believable to me. Anyway, thanks for all the tips. Very cool of you to share your knowledge. I just subscribed!
ar4216 1 year ago
I have yet to kill a camera or replace a shutter... what you see on my youtube channel is only a fraction of my work... tell the newb on the message board to put that in his pipe!
milapse 1 year ago
HaHa! Will do.
ar4216 1 year ago
@ar4216 one minute at 25fps is 1500 frames. most cameras are rated around 250k. that's 1/167th of the rated life.
secondly, an hour at 25fps is 90k frames. if you shot one frame every 3 seconds, that's 75 hours to shoot that timelapse. but who wants to watch an hour long timelapse video anyways?
bermie32N64W 1 year ago
Just watched the bit where you cover the tripod mount. DAMN!
cabbagedyams 2 years ago
be creative. ;-)
milapse 2 years ago
I am, I have already started building my own.
Just salvaged two stepper motors out of an old printer and ordered some controller boards.
If I can get the system to work on my tripod I will buy some bigger motors and rig them to my camera crane. :D
cabbagedyams 2 years ago
Hey how does this mount to the tripod?
I want to get one but I don't need any more tripods, so if it has a standard mount that would be great.
Cheers
Steve
cabbagedyams 2 years ago
just bought this unit and it works great for pan tilt time lapse.
shipping was very fast and william was great to work with, fast answers on all questions
yosemitephotos 2 years ago
You changed the ratios to the same factor you wonder why you get different angles (horizontal (150°/h) and vertical (100°/h)). Thats because you change the synchronisationfactor between the horizontal and vertical gears. So the speed of movements of the horizontal and vertical gears are asynchronous after changing the factory default. Thats why you get the different angles.
So you should make a note of the factory defaults! If you want to have synchronic speed/ movement.
Cheers guys.
Duderit 2 years ago
thanks dude, just bought one, this tutorial makes it a lot easier to figure out!!!
sibbo10 2 years ago
any one know how to change x8 speed on #497 Controller
or any ideal 180 degree in hour how to set it i am new on this
nachrycam 2 years ago
The speed of movement is changed by pressing a NUMBER key (9 = fastest, 1 = slowest). To get 180 in an hour: set the speed @ 8x and the az ratio @ 1.8
milapse 2 years ago
thanks you are the best
nachrycam 2 years ago
@milapse hey I just bought the 497 controller, and where do I change the speed to 8x? I got the az ratio to 1.8, but don't see anything for speed?
at 1.00 for both alt and az ratios, it seems like its moving too fast!
thanx and keep up the awesome work!
maanitrules 1 year ago
@milapse hey I just bought the 497 controller, and where do I change the speed to 8x? I got the az ratio to 1.8, but don't see anything for speed?
at 1.00 for both alt and az ratios, it seems like its moving too fast!
thanx and keep up the awesome work!
maanitrules 1 year ago
@maanitrules each number on the pad corresponds to a speed. I think 2 is 8x??
milapse 1 year ago
This has been flagged as spam show
@milapse hey I just bought the 497 controller, and where do I change the speed to 8x? I got the az ratio to 1.8, but don't see anything for speed?
at 1.00 for both alt and az ratios, it seems like its moving too fast!
thanx and keep up the awesome work!
maanitrules 1 year ago
Today (11/7/09) I bought a DS2090 at Costco for $199. Get this - it comes with the tripod, ds2000 motorized head (a.k.a. milapse) AND the Autostar 497 controller! Yes, that's right. You can save $130 by notbuying the 497 separately. Oh, and you get a telescope too (not a great one but goodenoughfor a little planet gazing...). Costco item number 415461. Available in stores only.
keylight00 2 years ago
Same deal on ebay... $199 - you saved shipping ;-)
milapse 2 years ago
Fantastic information - Thanks for posting. I have some really cool plans for this type of thing.
1mvertical 2 years ago
arghhhh just got my meade with a 497, got myself a serial meade usb cable, when i try to update using autostar, my laptop can not find the com port it is on, im running vista and have done everything correct as far as i can see.......................hellllllllllllllllllllllllllllp
nunnster06 2 years ago
With the mount moving the whole time, how long can you go with the shutter speed and still get sharp images?
I like to use slow shutter speeds of upto 30 seconds for landscape timelapses, has anyone tried this with this mount?
watercooledmedia 2 years ago
Nice! Did anybody try this for time lapse with camcorders? Is rotation movement (at slow speed) smooth enough to do continuous video recording?
lovemushroom 2 years ago
I just ordered the setup from telescope-warehouse and was disappointed to find out that the L bracket is drilled in such a way that my 30D with the timer plugged in will not fit unless you mount the camera crooked. Has anyone else had this issue? I'm thinking I will have to get a ball head to make it work.
vork2242 2 years ago
even if you reverse the camera (point it the opposite direction)??
milapse 2 years ago
Yes, it's even farther off in that direction, which is unfortunate because that would give me easy access to the cable release. When it is mounted the other way, it just fits with no cable release attached. I took some pics but I can't post them here. Seems odd too that the L bracket isn't wide enough to support the whole camera like yours is in your video. Thanks
vork2242 2 years ago
I find this to be a common error - you said 3/8-20 but the standards for tripod and camera mounting threads are 3/8-16 UNC OR 1/4-20 UNC (meaning: unified national coarse).
Since you said the rotator doesn't fit a typical tripod it probably has a 3/8-24 UNF thread (unified national fine).
dradef 2 years ago
This has been flagged as spam show
I tried a pull-focus time lapse, check it out on my channel.
KBDProductionsTV 2 years ago
Hi Milapse. Is it possible to power the head off of an AC adapter? Thanks for the info.
TillThenPlease 2 years ago
yes I mention it in the vid! meade #546 or I believe just 12v DC??
milapse 2 years ago
Ha, ha, ha! Oops, sorry about that. It was awhile ago when I watched it fully. Thanks!
TillThenPlease 2 years ago
I made my own from a AC power supply I got off eBay for five bucks, look for a 12v 1000mA output adapter. Then pick up a pack of the 9v battery terminals at RadioShack. Now when you wire it up connect the red to black and black to red, that seems backwards, but trust me it is correct. To test it disconnect your handpad from the tripod head and power up the tripod, if you get the red light you are good - no light - something is wrong.
NightSkyGuy 2 years ago
You are absolutely correct. The polarity of the 9v style connector is 'backwards'! Your solution is fine. I actually have one that is just the 9v connector to cigarette plug so I run it off a big 12v DC supply and waste no power in the conversion! ;-)
milapse 2 years ago
I ordered my yesterday !!! :)
I told Bill you sent me.
goldenboi24k 2 years ago
How tall is it ??
goldenboi24k 3 years ago
Is there anyone out there with specs for a bracket? I've had the head for almost a year, and don't know enough about working with this stuff to figure my own dimensions/plans.
Also, anyone figured out a nice ratio calculator for movement?
syberjedi1999 3 years ago
update the info*
The price is now higher
goldenboi24k 3 years ago
someone drove by playing rap music at 3:38 :)
goldenboi24k 3 years ago
In regards to your problem with the thread at the bottom of the panning head -- you can change the thread by using a heli-coil -- you simply go down to your local hardware or automotive parts supplier and request a heli coil thread repair kit for the 3/8-20 thread -- using the supplied drill and tap, drill out the existing thread, retap the hole, and screw in the supplied thread insert-these are generally used to repair stripped threads, but can be used to change the thread.
drslinky3219 3 years ago
The price was 50 + shipping, now 150.. wow.
JereHakala 3 years ago
Tried to use a astro telescopehead that can track objects in the sky?
ynglin 3 years ago
Great hack
If you want to change the threading on the base and use a standard coarse thread just buy a Thread Repair Kit 3/8-16 for under $20. The drill and Heli-Coil tap will cut away the old threads. Then follow the instructions to use the insert.
DebsStudio 3 years ago
Wow, i actually have this thing laying around my basement. I cant wait to try this out.
Check out some of my time lapse videos if you want.
saexATnex 3 years ago
Great, I have been slacking on getting myself into panning and tilting time lapses for to long and this gives me a good place to start.
OasisDirective 3 years ago
I already bought it, but I need to ask you if the bracket must be on aluminum, or can be other material like iron or steel. Thanks.
soluzo 3 years ago
mate you are awesome. i've been watching your hdr timelapse on vimeo... best EVER and inspirational to boot!
cheeers!
williboi 3 years ago
Thanks for the great info! I can't wait to add some movement to my Time Lapse. Please check out "The Making of MOONTRACKS" when you have a chance. ~chris PS: I Subscribed
petroscans 3 years ago
very helpful thanks
Skifreerider121 3 years ago
So let me get this straight. I need a tripod, a mount (motor head), and controller device? I was looking to piece together a kit, since the big man seems to be sold out.
So. On ebay I was looking up:
Meade #497 Controller.
Celestron 114GT (unfortunately comes with the telescope)
And then what Tripo and I supposed to look up? Will any tripod work, or does it have to be specific for the mount/motor head. I work in the film industry so I have a few normal tripods.
cyphersk8 3 years ago
I've taken your advise to purchase from Telescope Warehouse the motor head, #494 Controller, and the tripod. After one month of waiting (the check was cashed from them from the very first day!) and after numerous failed attempts to get in contact through the phone, I'm writing to you for a help...What should I do..? Are they out of stock? OK, they could just notify us all this time I guess and not take the money and dissappear. The order is from Angelo Bissias - Houston, TX. Thank you.
geo7athens 3 years ago
Angelo, as far as I understand the availability is 'sporadic' at the moment... He sold out of his on hand supply. I'm sure he'll give you a refund -did you email?
milapse 3 years ago
Thanx, I will today! The main problem is that the system needs to be taken to Greece within 3 weeks from today. If I miss that window I'm doomed since I have scheduled part of the filming to be done with an SLR and the P+T head. I hope they will make till then. I'll keep you informed. Thanx again.
geo7athens 3 years ago
It got delivered today as they informed me. Thank you all guys...!
geo7athens 3 years ago
Any word on other suppliers who sell the DS-2000 head?
MisledLab 3 years ago
Search on craigs list. I did a quick search in my local site, and found a "Meade DS-2114ATS-TC New with 497 Autostar Controller" for $215. This includes the telescope!!
timelapseforum 3 years ago
Hello, I'm a little confused as to which products I need to purchase to build this contraption. Does anyone know what the precise part numbers for each item are?
Salvatore4444 3 years ago
unfortunately telescope warehouse are out of stock.. It's the DS-2000 head.
milapse 3 years ago
OK for any company listing there is a market for a time lapse photography head. lol
bcmooney101 3 years ago
FYI, He has increased the price to $148 and no longer offers just the tripod with head.
allmarsh 3 years ago
He's almost out as well. Stay tuned... I'll be updating this video in the near future!
milapse 3 years ago
My head just arrived this morning, just have to get around to getting the bracket to be done and I'm away. I think we almost need a forum for timelapses so we can come together to discuss technique and share
wisie 3 years ago
timescapes (dot) org - please join us!
milapse 3 years ago
My head just arrived this morning, just have to get around to getting the bracket to be done and I'm away. I think we almost need a forum for timelapses so we can come together to discuss technique and share
wisie 3 years ago
ack posted twice, oops.
Thanks again for the video explaining the head mate
wisie 3 years ago
Do you happen to have the pdf of the bracket you had made? I am a little unsure what you mean by the hole pattern is 4 X 1-1/16" O.C. (3/16" dia).
Thanks
MPPhotography 3 years ago
Never got around to that... It means - four 3/16" diameter holes in a square pattern (::) spaced 1-1/16" on center. You can do a 45d set as well (same pattern) or dig into the head and remove the tab that limits it to 90d of travel.
milapse 3 years ago
sorry just want to clarify by 1-1/16" you mean
one and one sixteenth inches right?
1-1/16" is not the screw size correct?
MPPhotography 3 years ago
one and one sixteenth of an inch from center to center of the four (three sixteenth of an inch) holes. (the screws come with the head)
milapse 3 years ago
thanks for the help. Great job you are doing here.
MPPhotography 3 years ago
One of the links in your video notes is broken....fyi.
Looks like prices quoted are a bit higher. Will get around to ordering mine eventually!!
vtutorial 3 years ago
He's almost out of stock! Unfortunately I have no control over the price... Therefore I'm looking to secure a better source and bundle the hardware with the software I'm developing.
milapse 3 years ago
no worries. It's still a good deal at that price.
For future reference, can you give us the model numbers of all the parts, if its not too much trouble? Like the tripod, head etc.
Maybe we can buy the parts individually etc.
Just an f.y.i. for any future project you have. Thanks for the hard work and sharing.
vtutorial 3 years ago
PN#: ds mount, tripod and 494 (or 497) controller. I know of it no other way?
milapse 3 years ago
He's almost out of stock! Unfortunately I have no control over the price... Therefore I'm looking to secure a better source and bundle the hardware with the software I'm developing.
milapse 3 years ago
Thanks! The car TL is awesome!
I gave Bill a shout at Telescope-warehouse and my unit is being shipped out tomorrow! wooooohooo!
DPCFILM 3 years ago
Thanks for the info James! I have a head/tripod on the way!
DivideByeZero 3 years ago
This is exactly what I was looking for. I was going to complement you on the smoothness of you r camera movements :) Thank you
castillonis 4 years ago
That looks like the sigma 10-20mm your using. I'm currently on the market for a wide zoom for my Nikon and am torn between the sigma and the tokina 12-24mm. It's killing me the tokina is faster with a constant f/4 but sigma is wider, ERRRRR. Did you have this same dilemma by any chance?
spencerKblack 4 years ago
I looked at and tested all the super wides in this range, Since I'm an architect, I really liked the barrel correction of the Sigma (straight lines at the edges). It's not quite as sharp as the Nikon 10.5 or the Tokina though. For uber sharpness I prefer my Nikon 17-35 (by far my favorite lens in the bag).
milapse 4 years ago
hahah nice! I have the similar setup d200 and sigma (17-70mm). Thanks for all this! Timelapser sent me here =)
god bless!
dkijc 4 years ago
Thanks - just ordered a unit up - great work!
treborsnave76 4 years ago
This is exactly what I was looking for. I have done tons of DSLR timelapse work in the past but never found a unit that could do this for a reasonable price.
Thanks.
gudjonnet 4 years ago
Duck Tape makes this stuff called "Hold It" that is rubbery on one side and is sticky on the other side. I put this on the top of my bracket and it holds my camera really snug.
spencerKblack 4 years ago
Quick tip for this unit...
instead of clamping down the buttons to get it to keep moving on its own... just unplug the controller while you're pressing the buttons and it will move on its own until you turn off the unit at the source to stop/change direction
mattdolnik 4 years ago
no kidding! your finding out all sorts of little mods man... I bet this would get you a little more life on battery power as well!
Is it working well for you overall?
milapse 4 years ago
actually havent put it to use yet... ive been really busy with school, i just finished making the bracket for it, and i might put a video up soon on a couple things such as: my bracket, how to make it work on a standard tripod, how to make the y-axis unlimited, and show off and provide a link to a ratio/time/speed calculator program im making
mattdolnik 4 years ago
Thanks I am a photographer and this is one well informed and helpful video for just about anyone wanting to do something even remotely to this.. I wouldnt have thought to do this as I would have thought it would have run about 500 bucks or more to do it. But for a 100 bucks hey its a great idea.
rmstudio 4 years ago
It's not flawless but on a budget it does the trick quite well. Your welcome!
milapse 4 years ago
Great Vids and info!
gruzzzz 4 years ago
21st of june, yeah for my birthday!!
macman13 4 years ago
That's really, cool. I'll have to think about buying one.
bmxky 4 years ago
I have been searching for something like this at a reasonable cost for forever. Thank you so much for posting this!
spencerKblack 4 years ago
Hi milaspse, have you tried to film a sunset or sunrise? I'm wondering what speed would keep the sun centered within the frame.
veilleuxfilms 4 years ago
I think that would depend on your latitude and date since the sun travels at very different rates depending on those factors. Look into the Meade controller, maybe there is a 'track sun' setting??
milapse 4 years ago
On this model, if you set up your location properly then center it on the sun and hit "astronomical" it will track it in real time. (No holding down buttons required)
To track across the horizon, and have the sun drop through the picture, manually set your location as being the north pole (or south pole for the southern hemisphere).
Antzarctica 4 years ago
careful lookin at the sun through the camera :)
tmophoto 4 years ago
It's almost always low on the horizion for him... He's in Antarctica!
milapse 4 years ago
Anthony, are you going to track the sunset around the horizon this year? That has to be the highlights of your world...
milapse 4 years ago
Yup, Heading back down in a couple of weeks, it will be the first time I have been there in the middle of summer for 5 years. (I have done the last 5 winters in a row down there).
I plan to do a 360 degree track over a couple of days form a few different locations (hopefully including the actual South Pole) as well as a fish-eye looking up.
Antzarctica 4 years ago
for all the people wondering about the vertical travel for this unit, i bought the same one and if you open it up and break/saw/cut these certain plastic tabs off, it can have full 360 degree vertical travel
mattdolnik 4 years ago
No kidding! thanks for taking the time to do some hacking...
milapse 4 years ago
Are the motors direct / cog driven in these mounts, or are there belts involved?
I was looking at getting another more simple mount to complement my other gear, but I would have a problem with belts freezing up for any work I do. Have a look at my clips & you'll see why. Thanks, Antz.
Antzarctica 4 years ago
i am not sure on the meade complete head, it sounds like they are gear driven. you could put together a panning head with the meade motors that can be gear driven (worm drive) or belt driven. watch out for auroras tonight and tomorrow night there is a good chance they will be something.
tmophoto 4 years ago
i would also bump up the thickness of the bracket to 3/16th aluminum if you are going to put a lot of weight on there. if the bracket flexes or deflects with the weight you will never get the camera to do level pans and the footage will look bad.
tmophoto 4 years ago
hey there, hope all is well
do you know if its possible to slow the head down to do a horozontal pan across 90º over the duration of a month during daylight hours? I have a timer that will turn it on and off during the night.
tmophoto 4 years ago
also to answer a few questions about the weight and durability of these things. I have mounted a canon 1ds with a 70-200 f2.8 IS lens with a 1.4x and 2x teleconverter attached to it. that is a BIG and HEAVY camera setup.
tmophoto 4 years ago
if you load up the head with lots of camera equipment the vertical motor will fail and slip before the horizontal motor will fail. you absolutely have to have the thing perfectly level if you have a lot of weight on it as well or it will have jerky motion or will stall all together. anything more than 10lbs and i would limit it to horizontal pans only. I think it can support 16 lbs +/-
tmophoto 4 years ago
to address the durability of it. mine recently launched out of the back of my pickup truck (it was wrapped in a blanket) and it still works fine. I caught air going to a shooting location and the tailgate dropped down dumping everything out of the back. the head still works fine.
tmophoto 4 years ago
Damn Tim! your really pushing the limits on it... I'm amazed it's standing up to your real world field testing.
milapse 4 years ago
I'm not really sure where the bottom is... You could set it to 2x and set the ratio to .00001. It's an interesting idea nontheless, Software control could do this. I'm thinking about a 'pulse' mode where you can set a pause/move/pause type pattern.
milapse 4 years ago
damn if you could do that you would have a multi thousand $ time-lapse replacement
I am ordering a few more next week i think i might have to plug one into the wall and try that out over the span of a few days. i will keep you updated.
tmophoto 4 years ago
one thing to watch out for if you do the pulse thing is, i have noticed that if i start and stop the head it takes a few seconds fo r the head to start to move after power is applied. if the motor has gone in the other direction, it takes even longer to get going. so that might be a problem
tmophoto 4 years ago
yes, I've noticed that too. I think the controller sort of gently 'gets it up to speed'. You can actually hear the motor slowly engaging. The tough part in my mind is keeping the movement and the shutter fire in sync if you know what I mean...
milapse 4 years ago
i think there is some play in the gears so when it changes direction there is a bit of slop.. it takes a partial revolution of the gearing to mesh up in the opposite direction. its much more apparent with the side to side panning
tmophoto 4 years ago
To get the horizontal pan over a month, you could use a cheap table-top equatorial mount with the 1x az motor, you could add a 555 timer to pulse the power on and off and slow it right down. Add a second timer to the power supply to turn it off at night. Probably looking at about $150 total.
Antzarctica 4 years ago
hey jay!is this mount sturdy??thanks!
cjonesrocks10 4 years ago
sturdy? I'm an architect... so that word can mean a lot of different things, but yes it's sturdy in a 'holds 5-10 lbs' sort of way...
milapse 4 years ago
hey,i have a orion 90mm mak-cass and i want to know if it will be fine on this mount.i don't have a whole lot of money and i want something that will last.and is the motor on the mount good,as in will it just break down a week into me getting it??sturdy when someone touches it does is shake all over the place?thanks JAY!
cjonesrocks10 4 years ago