Preston Cinema Systems MDR-3 4-Channel Motor Driver

The MDR-3 accepts commands from Preston Hand Units connected via the rugged G4 wireless link or Command cable, and controls up to four digital motors and camera run/stop functions for film and video cameras. Compatible with the full range of Preston digital motors, the MDR-3 automatically finds the span of the lens once each motor is plugged in, and each channel has its own three-level torque adjustment and direction switch to drive virtually any lens, no matter the conditions.

The dual Serial ports allow connection to the Light Ranger 2 and other distance measurement systems such as the CineTape and Sniper. The MDR-3 transmits that distance information wirelessly to the HU3, where it is displayed in large, clear numbers. Firmware updates can be loaded through either Serial port or the mini USB port.

The Analog port lets you plug a Micro Force or broadcast-style control directly into the MDR-3, controlling the motor of your choice as configured in the HU3 Mode menu.

The Serial and USB ports also enable real-time lens metadata retrieval, outputting either mapped lens positions or raw digital motor encoder counts. You can jam the internal clock of the MDR-3 through the T/C port, and this timestamp will appear in the metadata stream as well, making it easy to extract and utilize lens position information for post-production.