The Black arm is a 3-axis dampening system with a additional vibration mount for stabilizing roll and tilt errors as well as vertical motion and vibrations. The Black arm is a hardmount system made for gimbals that you want to mount on vehicles such as cars, ATVs, boats, snowmobiles etc.
The Rigging Bundle extends the Black Arm Complete Kit to include front and back vehicle mounting options. It gives you robust mounting points both in the front and back of the vehicle, using a standard towing I-bolt in the front or a standard ball hitch in the back.
Complete
The Black arm Complete is for users working with higher loads and carries between 5-32kg (11-70lbs).
The Black Complete ships with four 7.0mm springs and four 7.5mm springs, that takes the entire range of 5-32kg. You can use the springs in single (one spring on each side) or dual (two springs on each side) configuration, to precisely achieve the lift needed.
The damping action of all axes, vertical, tilt and roll is created by custom made actuator hydraulic dampers that are fully adjustable. You adjust the damping with a knob that has 22 steps, to precisely dial in the exact amount of damping you need for your shot. The Black Complete ships with a total of six dampers, allowing for dual dampers on each axis if needed, or as spares.
Wire AVM weight ranges:
The Wire AVMs are available in five different weight ranges. Pick the one that best match your rigs total weight.
- No.01 - 7-10 kg (15-22 lbs)
- No.02 - 10-14 kg (22-31 lbs)
- No.03 - 14-19 kg (31-42 lbs)
- No.04 - 19-26 kg (42-57 lbs)
- No.05 - 26-34 kg (57-75 lbs)
Mounting Options
Mounting the Black arm is as simple as clamping it on to a standard 48-52mm speed rail. You build a rig onto your vehicle, using standard grip components like speed rail and dual clamps, possibly using Flowcines Universal rack or Stub mount. Then you simply clamp the Black on there, with the two single clamps at the back of the arm.
There are several ways to attach your gimbal to the Black arm. The included base plate has hole patterns to match the Freefly Toad in a hole and Cinemilled Universal Ronin mount for easy attachment of the MoVI and Ronin gimbals. A Mitchell female mount is also available for gimbals that uses the Mitchell connector.
On each side of the Blacks head, there are also cheese plates suitable to mount batteries or Kenyon gyros on.
Anti-vibration mount
Each Black arm ships with one anti-vibration mount (AVM). The main purpose of the AVM is to reduce high frequency vibrations, such as noise from a cars engine. In order to maximise the efficiency of the AVM, you should use the version that matches your load and conditions.
There are two types of AVMs, the original Wire AVM and the new Tranquilizer.
The Wire AVMs comes in five different weight ranges, and is very easy to use. You just put the correct one on and go.
The Tranquilizer has many adjustments to fine tune it's performance, and may give better results if you have the time and skills to configure it properly.
Pick the one that matches the total weight of everything (gimbal, camera and accessories) you will hang on to the Black arm.
Tranquilizer weight ranges:
The Tranquilizer ships with two sets of polymers, the shore 30 and shore 40. The rest of the packs are sold separately.
- Shore 20 weight range: up to 5.40 - 10.75kg
- Shore 30 weight range: up to 6.70 - 13.25kg
- Shore 40 weight range up to 11.25 - 22.50kg
- Shore 50 weight range up to 13.75 - 27.50kg
- Shore 60 weight range up to 19.00 - 34.50kg
Flight case
The Black arm ships in the Pro case. It's made in all-black, to perfectly match the Black arm. It features powder coated black metal corners, heavy duty recessed handles and butterfly catches. It also has wheels, so you can roll the case just like a cabin bag. To match the clean exterior, the foam in the Pro case is all black.