Probably the most feature rich DIY Pan Tilt head you will find anywhere on the internet capable of performing tasks you would expect from a heads costing upwards of $2000. This head can perform all the WIFI functions available on the previous Digital Bird heads but brings host of new high end features including:

NEW FEATURES:

• 4 Axis support for Pan, Tilt, Zoom & Focus
• VISCA support for wired connection to applications like OBS and vMix
• 12V & 7.5V POE power through VISCA IP port
• Tally lights front and rear allowing your talent to see which camera is live and coming next.
• HDMI & SDI passthrough for proper PTZ cable management.
• Faster pan & tilt.
• Encoders on all axis for manual positioning of the head in program mode.
• Magnetic sensors on both the pan and tilt axis for accurate start points and homing.
• 16 position memory for OBS unlimited for vMix
• Aux power port to supply 7.5V or 12V of power to your camera (when using POE power).
• Updated user interface to provide more tailored operation
• The ability to mix WIFI and wired IP control simultaneously using the DB PTZ WIFI controller.
• Supports up to 3.5KG payloads

Non plastics parts Kits are available here: https://digital-bird-motion-control.myshopify.com/

Controller options
Note: You will also need to build one of the Digital Bird WIFI controllers. Only one controller is required to control all of the components on the digital bird system. If you are building the VISCA version of the head you will need to build the PTZplus controller rather than the non PTZ compact version.

A WIFI controller is required for initial IP address setup as well as Focus, Zoom and tilt limits setup which will change whenever you switch lenses or camera systems on the head. Even while you are driving the head using VISCA commands the WIFI controller can still be used as a useful backup. All the motion control features on the head require a WIFI controller for programming your moves.

If you have already built the PTZplus controller you will need to update both the Nextion display and the ESP32 with the most up to date release of the software before you can use it with this head.

New Pro version
Parts have been added allowing you to build the Pro version of the head. The pro model is for those who wish to mount larger Camera systems to the head and primarily need more height to the Tilt axis.These parts add another 40mm to the height of the Tilt allowing for larger cameras to be balanced. Only 3 parts need to be swapped out to build the pro model 003_40 should be replaced with 003_40_Pro, 004_30 should be replaced with 004_30_Pro, and 005_90_Orange should be replaced with 005_90_Orange_Pro.

Please note you will also require a larger 440mm closed loop tilt Timing belt. Other than these changes the build for the pro version is the same as the standard model and all other features are the same. New kits also feature a larger swiss ‘L’ bracket made up from two Haoge HQR-160 160mm Multi-Purpose Long Quick Release Extender Rail Sliding Plate for Camera Tripod Ball Head Clamp fit Arca Swiss.

Links:

• Full printable Instructions can be found here: https://www.instructables.com/PTZ-PAN-TILT-HEAD-DB3-DB3-VISCA/

• Non Plastics parts kits: https://digital-bird-motion-control.myshopify.com/

• *Credits:** This project makes particular use of two main open source arduino libraries for which I am very grateful

• gin66/FastAccelStepper A great resource for controlling multiple stepper motors with acceleration control on all steppers
• Seithan/EasyNextion Library An easy to use method of setting up and actioning commands from the Nextion displays.

Latest Parts Updates

13th Aug 2024
Parts 001, 002,007 have been updated to allow for better pan motor fixing through new slots in the base of 001 The kits now also have three additional M3 25mm cap head bolts for this purpose.

Update: 24th May 2024
Part 012_100 the Tilt wheel has been replaced with part 012_100_Haoge_CP-58. I am now supplying the kits with the Haoge_CP-58 Swiss clamp and have updated the tilt wheel to accommodate this. The new clamp is less obtrusive on the focus/zoom motors and the new part provides a much stronger support. This has been updated because of the growing number of people wishing to mount heavier camera systems.

So why build this system, and not just go out and purchase a cheap $800 PTZ head?

1) Camera quality.
A cheap PTZ head will probably come with a cheap camera which can only be used for one purpose. With the Digital Bird system I can mount a vastly superior camera system with any glass I choose.

2) Flexibility:
The next day I can use the same camera system for a completely different task. Nothing is restricting my choices and I am investing in systems which can multitask.
The Digital Bird system is just as much at home making product videos as it is filming on a live set or outside shooting timelapse. The same cannot be said for most stock PTZ cameras.

3) Expandability:
The ability to build the Digital Bird head into larger more dynamic motion control systems using the mini Jib or slider and have them all work together as a much larger system offers so much more flexibility and is a feature many systems costing more than $3000 cannot match.