Q: How do I know which gyro stabilizer will work for my camera(s)?
A: Any of our units can easily stabilize approximately twice their personal weight. The KS-2 at 1.5 lbs will handle most light weight binoculars. The KS-4 at 2.13 lbs will handle most 35 mm cameras not going over 400 mm lens and the heavier binoculars, those around 4 lbs. The KS-6 at 3.25 lbs is the usual gyro of choice for medium format cameras and steadicam operators ( who often use 2 KS-6 gyros). The KS-8 at 5.13 lbs is more for the movie cameras weighing up to 11-12 lbs. It has heavier spring which permits a faster panning rate. If one has more than one camera, one may want to use the stronger of the choices of gyros, as there is nothing wrong with overkill.

Q: What is the difference between the KS-2 and KS-4, KS-6 and KS-8?
A: The KS-2 and the KS-4 are both the same size, run off the same inverter and have the same run time off the same battery. The difference is that the KS-2 has LIGHTER wheels than the KS-4. Thus though the wheels are both spinning at the same speed ( aprox. 20 thousand RPM) the difference in weight makes the KS-4 a stronger unit for resisting the forces against it, than the KS-2. ( For this reason we build the KS-2 only on order). The KS-6 is similarly different from the KS-8, both are the same size, same run time off the battery, and use the same inverter. The KS-6 is the usual choice for aerial photographers. The KS-8 is for the really serious photographer who can handle an extra 5 lbs of equipment and is often shooting in extreme conditions.

Q: Can I run the gyros off 12 or 24 volt power straight from the plane or boat ?
A: The gyros are 400 cycle AC. We build 12 volt inverters to access either our 12 volt batterypack power or alternative 12 volt power. We also build 24 volt power to access helicopter or other 24 volt power.

Q: How long will the gyro's run on the standard battery packs?
A: The KS-2 and KS-4 will run for 5.5 to 6 hours off our 7.2 amp hour battery- start up and straight run time. The KS-6 and KS-8 will run for 2.5 to 3 hours of start up and straight
run time. One can get a longer run time off the battery if one 'cycles' the gyro. This is running the gyro up to speed, getting the shot one needs and if there is a down time between shots, one can shut the inverter off (no need to disconnect anything) and the gyro will freewheel, (with sound stabilization-for half of the time it takes for the gyro wheels to come to a stop-) and when approaching the next target simply turn the inverter back on. The gyro will take 1/2 to 1/3 the time to come back up to speed, and take the next shot. By cycling one can get even an extra 1/2 to whole hour of run time before the battery must be recharged.

Q: How do I know that it is time to recharge the batteries?
A: We now have an LED on the inverter, one can look at this as a fuel gauge for the battery. The LED will be GREEN when the battery is fully charged. The same LED will then turn yellow as the battery is down to 1/3 of it's strength for running the gyro. It will then turn ORANGE as the battery
is now down to 1/4 and finally RED upon which time the battery is down to 10.5 volts and it is time to recharge the battery. The gyro will continue to run once the battery 's LED has turned RED, but one is beginning to exhaust the cells in the battery. If done too often, the battery will not take a full charge.

Q: Do you have chargers that can be used both overseas and in the states?
A: Yes, we now have 115-230 switches on all our chargers, so they can be used overseas as well as in the states. One needs only to remember to switch to the correct current when about to use the charger.

Q: How do I know when the battery is fully charged or that the charger is receiving current?
A: All our chargers have LED's on them. The RED indicates "current in"-that the charger is receiving current. When the charger's GREEN light comes on, the battery is fully charged and ready for use.

Q: What happens if I leave the charger on for longer than the time it takes for the GREEN Led to come on ?
A: All our chargers are fully regulated, so one cannot overcharge the battery. The charger will go into a "trickle charge" mode when the GREEN Led comes on, thus saving the cells from overcharge damage.

Q: What sort of " tune up" do the gyros require?
A: No, the gyros are built using brushless motors. They are hermetically sealed and run in Helium. They require no special care unless they are dropped- especially if running when dropped. They will provide thousands of hours of carefree use needing no fine tuning whatsoever. When used a great deal, or if they take a hit, the bearing will become a bit less round- and the gyro will get a bit noisy. But this does not effect the gyros usefulness. After many years of use they may require new bearings. Rebuilding the gyros can only be done here, as the wheels have to be
rebalanced after the unit is taken apart. A total rebuild, repairing everything the unit needs, costs $ 400.00 US. One then has essentially a new gyro on one's hands.

Q: Are the gyros used only for optics, binoculars and cameras?
A: No, the gyros have been used for tank sites, guns, remote gimbal mounts, steadicams, helicopter mounts , rifles, hand guns, telescopes, even by NASA .

Q: Are the KS-2, KS-4, KS-6 and KS-8 all you build?
A: No, we also build a rather hefty 15+ pound KS-12 gyro that is NOT for handholding, but remote mounts- for Tyler Mounts and the like.We also build Compass Adjusting Gyros for adjusting the compass aboard boats.

Q: Does anyone else build such gyro stabilizers?
A: No, not like ours. Most gyros, either unhoused or housed, contain a single wheel and thus only one axis is covered, the only relative similarity is the image stabilized lens- here the physics are the same but the IS lens uses tiny gyros to act on a prism to change the line of light in the lens. We use larger wheels, such mass in our gyros will stabilize the whole camera or binoculars, not just the line of light
into the optics.

Q: Can one use the IS lens with the gyro stabilizers?
A: Yes, they work well with each other.

Q: Can one use digital cameras with the gyro stabilizers?
A: Yes.

Q: Have the gyros ever been used in the movies?
A: Yes, First is the "air motorcycle" shoot in the first Star Wars, then very successfully (so much so as to win an award) in "Das Boot" where a steadicam was needed but would not fit. There have been many more- too long to list, but one of the more recent is "The Lord of the Rings". The standard Tyler mounts are equipped with 3 of our KS-8's or two KS-8's and one KS-12.