SMART SPHERE (working title)

This is the Beta version of the SMART SPHERE (working title), I have finished the shell and I am going to send it back to Jon Pandone to finishing the wiring, and then we should be ready to go ahead with field testing. What you see is a ball the size of a baseball with 5 triggers, 3 LED's and 2.5mm LANC plug, on the far side (not pictured) is a Hirose wired as a USB type A. Inside we have a brake out board for the triggers and LANC and a
Arduino Pro Mini board. We have programmed the LANC commands for Blackmagic Cameras, but with the Hirose USB you will be able to load all LANC commands for any LANC camera.
What we have now is Start/Stop under the thumb, autofocus to the right, then down the front, + value, - value and lastly under the ring finger, change mode. The mode trigger with toggle between, focus (blue), aperture (yellow), and zoom uses all three LED's. Slow zoom (green), medium zoom (green & yellow) and fast zoom (all three), and with the ability to program the SMART SPHERE any trigger can be assigned any task.

Lastly inspired by the stitches on a real baseball I notched the wood in front of the triggers so you can get a really good grip.

Quest for a universal interface V 1.0

Jon Pandone and I have been working on a new project which will allow for complete control over any given camera's remote accessible options.   We are starting with a five trigger configuration right hand triggers 1 = Start/Stop 2 = MODE switch between options controlled left hand (exposure, focus (softs stops) and zoom (S, M, & F) & 3 = F4  Menu (digital loop) / auto focus.  Left hand will increase / decrease values within a selected mode, it is very likely that we will replace the triggers with a rheostat.

Handles are connected to a small breakout box (powered by arduino) that interfaces with your cameras lanc port. Blackmagic, Canon, Sony, and other LANC-compatible cameras are currently supported, with plans to add wi-fi support for RED and ARRI cameras in development. 

In addition to controlling electronic lenses via camera, the controls can also be used with stepper or servo motors to drive mechanical lenses. All software is open-source, so the end user can modify commands/ functionality to suit their needs. Ergocine grips are built to last a lifetime, and user-upgradeable firmware ensures that they will remain compatible with future generations of your favorite camera.

I am included a LED mode module for Joe, to indicate the functions of the triggers on the left hand side.  

I am also showing prototype 15mm rods with a channel the size of a XLR cable.