Note that the below instructions are relevant to the iSTAR Pulsar Roof Mount Kit supplied by NCTech only - this is the only solution that has been tested in full by NCTech, and therefore the only mounting method currently supported.
The iSTAR Pulsar Roof Mount Kit is supplied fully assembled, the only user setup required is as follows:
Connect Base Plate to iSTAR Pulsar
Note the 7 mounting holes on the Roof Mount Base Plate, which correspond with the 7 mounting holes bottom of iSTAR Pulsar:
To attach the Roof Mount Base Plate, users should:
- Turn iSTAR Pulsar device on it's side, consider using a towel, cloth or other soft surface to protect the equipment.
- Line up the 7 mounting holes on base plate and iSTAR Pulsar.
- Insert the mounting screws into iSTAR Pulsar via the base plate.
- Tighten the mounting screws using a suitably sized hex key.
Users should connect iSTAR Pulsar with the Base Plate using all 7 mounting screws in order to ensure a secure connection between the two parts.
Attach Roof Mount System to roof of vehicle and level
The top 4 ball joints should be finger tightened to hold position, the bottom 4 ball joints should be tight enough that the feet remain attached, but are able to freely move:
Open the legs out so that they form a rough square with a minimum of 50 cm between the magnetic feet and place onto the car roof with the device control panel facing backwards, opposite the direction of travel. Ensure that the feet are flat on the roof surface:
Level the top of the roof mount by adjusting the legs, which will be held to the roof of the vehicle by the magnetic feet. Focus on ensuring that the left and right sides of the mount are level, as the forwards/backwards tilt can be further adjusted afterwards.
Once level all eight ball joints should be fully tightened using the appropriate Pozi screwdriver.
Users may now loosen the 4 screws on the cradle itself to adjust the forwards/backwards tilt, using the spirit level on either side to confirm once level:
Connect iSTAR Pulsar and Base Plate to Roof Mount System
Place Pulsar and Base plate into the cradle ensuring that the ‘power on’ switch and the lock are at the same side:
Carefully engage the securing clips on the rear of the mount and push down into place:
Finally, engage the lock and ensure that the it latches into the slot on the base plate, then remove the key:
With iSTAR Pulsar now securely mounted to the roof of the vehicle, users should set up an appropriate power supply - please see this article for further details on this.
As mentioned in the above instructions, it is important that the roof mount is:
- Positioned facing the correct way, with the device control panel facing backwards, opposite the direction of travel. This ensures that any imagery captured with iSTAR Pulsar is oriented correctly.
- Placed on the roof with a minimum of 50 cm between the magnetic feet. This ensures the correct balance between stability of the device and roof mount along with minimisation of the vehicle footprint in captured imagery.