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7. Horizontal and Vertical Trim
Horizontal trim
You have preset vertical balance and camera position on the Stage, but your Merlin is still unlikely to be
in perfect balance. Let’s see how unbalanced it is, and in what direction.
Trim
Grasp the Grip with your right hand and slide up your hand
so you can steady the Guide with your right thumb and
forefinger. Steady the upper spar with your left hand and
tentatively release it. It will probably start to tilt over – either
to the front, back or sideways (or both).
Note the direction of tilt.
Each time you trim, hold the Merlin level before you release it
so you can tell if you are getting close. Repeat as needed until
it hangs level front-to-back.
If the Merlin also goes off-level side-to-side (which is likely),
use your thumb to push up or pull down on the Side-to-Side
Trim Roller under the Stage.
Follow the arrows. If the monitor side of your camera needs to
come up, push up. If the monitor is too high, pull down.
Remember to hold it level each time before you release. Repeat
as necessary.
Alternate trying to trim fore-and-aft and side-to-side. It is
easier if you don’t try to balance one axis entirely all at once.
Go back and forth from one Trim Roller to the other as you
get closer.
Making a large fore-and-aft adjustment
If your camera is way out of balance fore-and-aft, as might happen if you’re balancing from scratch, it
may fall quickly when released. In that case you may slide the camera forward or backward on the Stage
to get closer to rough balance before trying to use the Fore-and-Aft
Trim Roller.
If the Merlin tries to tilt forward, use your thumb to push up
several times on the blue Fore-and-Aft Trim Roller.
If the Merlin tilts backwards, pull down several times, and try
it again.
The adjacent arrows will remind you which direction to adjust
each Trim Roller. Use quick full turns.
Don’t grab the Lower Spar if the Merlin falls off-level. Just
slide your ‘Grip’ hand up and stabilize the Guide Ring with
your thumb and fingers in order to keep the Merlin from tilting
too far in any direction.
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