Looking for advice: 7" LCD monitor?

[Alan Dague-Greene]

I think you're right. I'm using RCA, my monitor is definitely not HD but it's good enough for me.

[Bob Hill]

I'm not sure if anyone is interested in this but here is the Lillput monitor with a breakout box on the back in lieu of the cable that it normaly comes with.  I didn't do anything to the little pigtail that comes off the monitor it is insided the box.  I took a PS2 extension cord and modified the connector a little bit and soldered everything up.  It just seemed to me to be a lot cleaner configuration.  Now I just need to design a sled mount.

Bob

[Mike Mann]

Hi Bob,

       I also purchased the Lilliput monitor.  May I ask where you picked up the breakout box?  I really don't like the connections it came supplied with.  The whole looking like an S-video connection had me confused for a second.  Thanks for the pictures that both you and Wade supplied.  They help out more than just reading for me.

Take Care,

Mike Mann

[Bob Hill]

Everything for the break out box is from Radio Shack.  A small project box, 3 RCA, and a DC power connector.  Also  Jameco has the correct connector so that you wouldn't have to jury rig a PS2 connector just get the correct cabling.  The only reason I used the PS2 cable and connector was becuase it was on hand.  Anyway, I can post some better pics if you like.

Bob

[Mike Mann]

Thanks for the info Bob.  I always like to see more pictures and designs for inspiration.  How far along are you on your rig?  Here is a pic I took last night to show my humble beginnings in the stabilizer world.  Thanks Cody.  Good luck on your sled mount as well.

[Bob Hill]

I attached a couple of pics of where I am at with my rig.  I plan on finishing the arm off sometime in the next couple of weeks and I will post up pics then.  I am guessing that you are like I am and can hardly wait to have something together that you can fly

Bob

[Mike Mann]

More eager than you can imagine.  Fantastic looking rig you've got coming along there.  It kind of looks sexy standing there.  You know what I mean.  Very sleek and elegant.  Ok...  Well then.  I came to this forum by accident.  I was looking for plans on how to build a crane.  Never even knew it would be possible to construct a Steadicam variant.  Now it's all I can think of.  My wife is a little jealous and hopefully she never sees the comments I made about your rig.  Just messing around.  Thanks for the pics and keep moving along.

Mike

[alexandre Lucena]

For those lilliput owners, how does it perform under bright sun light ?

[Alan Dague-Greene]

Not well, I can tell you that from experience. I keep the camera LCD visible so I can refer to it if necessary. Sometimes all I get in the Lilliput is a vague sense of the horizon. It's not terrible, it's still a fine monitor, but you get what you pay for. You should never have a problem using it in less than bright sunlight.

[Mike Mann]

Hate to hear that Alan.  I'm not even close to finishing my rig so I haven't had a chance to use it outside.  I will be making a sunshade for it and hopefully that will help some.  I was in Target today and I saw a Kawasaki monitor of the same size(7") for $79.99.  It comes with a better connection than the Lilliput, but I'm not sure if it had the function of flipping the image in case you want to invert your sled.  I should have waited and saved myself $50.00.  Like Alan said, you get what you pay for.

[Alan Dague-Greene]

But honestly, I'm not really disappointed. It was a good price, and I knew the brightness wasn't very high. It's a great size, so if you can find something similar, it may work out nicely. I have my monitor positioned very flat (horizontal) as well, so that could make a difference.

[Mike Mann]

Alan - I didn't even notice how you had positioned the monitor until you said something.  I reviewed the pics you put up from your "Campus Walk" video.  How did I miss that?  Can you tell me the reason for positioning the monitor in that way?  Going back to watch your video again.  Thanks.

[Alan Dague-Greene]

I had my monitor that way so that the sled could rotate 360° without bumping into the arm. Since I'm using light cameras, the gimbal ends up being relatively low, so the monitor has difficulty clearing the arm. I've since tilted the monitor up a bit (not so flat), but the last shoot I did was at dusk, so I can't tell you how much better it will be in the sun. A substantial sunshade should help a great deal.

[Michael Starks]

So I'm jumping in on this thread a little late, please forgive me. The info so far has been great! I'm considering the Lilliput monitor as an option, just because it's price is just right (I've found it on eBay for about $50 and if I can't get it there, the $130 or $100 still isn't a bad price for me).

Anyway, I'm building Cody's first rig design (also due to budget constraints at this time) and had a few questions about monitors/batteries and everything with it. I'll be using mainly consumer DV cameras for the first little while (so, I'm probably going to end up using their own batteries since I'm not sure if I could even connect them to an Anton Bauer battery or any other pro camera battery. That being said, what would I need in order to power the monitor? I found a fairly cheap AB goldmount  here for about $50. I'm probably going to build a similar breakout box that Bob made just to make my life easier. Since I won't have a junction box I'll end up running video cables through the center post of the sled to the monitor. That being said...I suppose I'm rather long winded when it comes to my posts. Here is what I'm getting at.

I can get the monitor, I can build the breakout box and I can get the AB goldmount (if thats what I need) but here is what I still have questions on:

- What kind of battery would I need (the cheaper the better) to power the monitor (and possibly camera if I can get a hold of a higher-end model than what I think I'll be using right now)?

-What kind of power cables would I need to buy to connect the monitor (again, possibly camera) to the battery or goldmount or whatever it is I would feed the power to?

-Would I need to build my own "mounting frame" or is there someplace I can get that for relatively cheap?

-Since I'll probably be using this alot in the sun, does anyone have a preference for a sun shade design?

Thanks guys!

[Charles King]

Michael for a choice of shade check out hoodman. They usually have a strong choice of shades or you can improvise with a HB version. I think there's one example on the HBS website under tips.