Name: Holiday Special Benjamin Barakat’s Pro Kit Plus & Upgrade Easy Alignment Kit At A Low Price [OhyjDz2A]
Brand: technovaprecision.com
SKU: HBS5490997551
Price: 30.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 3.98 (348 reviews)

Holiday Special Benjamin Barakat’s Pro Kit Plus & Upgrade Easy Alignment Kit At A Low Price [OhyjDz2A]

Option One: Upgrade Easy Alignment Kit by Benjamin Barakat

Included: V mount+ Wedge+Leveling Base

Option Two: Benjamin Barakat's Pro Kit Plus

Included: NOMAD Tracker+ V mount+ Wedge+Leveling Base

Thanks to Benjamin Barakat, MSM is introducing a new kit that allows users to perform polar alignment without the need for a laser, phone mount, or polar scope. Benjamin has developed an innovative new method for polar alignment—details are provided below.

Polar Alignment with Wedge, Leveling Base, and Your Phone

For a rough but effective polar alignment, you'll need two key things:

A Latitude Application: Use an app to determine the correct latitude for your location, as this helps in positioning the tracker accurately.
A Compass: You'll need a compass to point the NOMAD tracker toward True North (for the Northern Hemisphere) or True South (for the Southern Hemisphere).

How to do Polar Alignment?

Set up a Level Base: Attach the leveling base to the tripod and adjust it to make the base level. Do not fully tighten it yet, as further adjustments may be needed.
Attach the Wedge: Screw a 3/8 to 1/4 screw adapter on the bottom of wedege. Then attach wedge on the leveling base and recheck the level to ensure accuracy.
Align to True North or True South: Place your phone on top of the wedge and open the Compass app. Pan the wedge to align it with True North (for the Northern Hemisphere) or True South (for the Southern Hemisphere) as guided by the compass. Once aligned, tighten the leveling base to secure the setup.
Mount the NOMAD: Attach the NOMAD tracker to the wedge.
Set Latitude: Open the latitude application on your phone and place the phone on top of the NOMAD, aligning its edges with those of the tracker.
Adjust the Wedge for Latitude: Find your location's latitude in the app and tilt the wedge until the latitude matches. For instance, as demonstrated by Benjamin in the video, if your latitude is 47° North, tilt the wedge until the app displays 47° North.
Secure the Wedge: Tighten the wedge's handle and panning screws by rotating them inward toward the center to lock the setup in place.

How accurate is this kit?

Benjamin: I've been using this method for the last few years and it has done wonders for me. I've worked with lenses up to 135mm and shot up to 1 or 2 minutes and I have zero issues.

If you do come across any issue about the polar alignment, it could be your phone case is causing some error on the magnetic field, it is recommended to remove the phone case.

Leveling Base

This universal leveling base allows users to tilt ±15° in any direction. Its half-ball design ensures controlled movement and ease of use. Featuring a 360° panning base, it is an effective tool for smooth and precise panning.

Wedge

The wedge is a fine-tuning tool designed for polar alignment. It enables small, precise movements for both panning and tilting. Typically installed at the bottom of a setup to support devices above, the wedge's panning range is limited due to its focus on fine adjustments.

V-Mount

Co-designed with the esteemed Alyn Wallace (RIP), this universal mount offers 360° panning and tilting capabilities. Versatile in application, the V-mount is used in this kit to securely attach a camera to the NOMAD system.