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SimpleBGC GUI on macOS Big Sur NOT working (Nebula 5100 gimbal)
  • DirkVDB
    Hello from Berlin!

    Since 2016 we successfully used the SimpleBGC GUI to calibrate our cinema gear, namely the Nebula 5100 gimbal. This had worked with both the IOS and the Mac applications.

    Unfortunately, it is not working anymore since the (compulsory, in our case) update to macOS Big Sur. Yes, we have installed the new macOS_VCP_Driver, yes, we have installed the last version of the GUI. But it does not start. Double-clicking on run.sh launches XCode instead of the GUI itself, and double-clicking on SimpleBGC_GUI.jar has no effect whatsoever.

    In a side-note, as some here probably already know, FilmPower, the company that created the Nebula gimbals, does not provide any customer service. I only succeeded to contact them once, back in 2017. Since then, all the links and QR codes in their gimbal manuals have expired. Some here on this form have suggested to contact a female employee at Filmpower called "Yolanda," but she also doesn't respond anymore. What I am saying is - please do not suggest to "contact the original manufacturer", they are basically dead in the water.

    Extremely grateful for you assistance, cheers, Dirk
  • DirkVDB
    Ok, I resolved the issue. For future reference, this is what I did:

    SHORT
    The only JAVA version that works is 8u141, even on big Sur. Look for that at Oracle (or elsewhere, I got it from there) and install that.

    LONG EXPLANATION (from BaseCam, a bit hidden):
    The SimpleBGC GUI requires Java to run (JRE for Windows and JDK for OS X), and occasionally there are issues with Java versions and GUI versions. As of this writing (02/2021), the most recent versions of Java cause the SimpleBGC GUI to crash when trying to connect on a Windows computer for the currently recommended firmware/GUI versions. At this time, we are recommending that users use the iOS app or an OS X computer to connect. If the user does not have an iOS/OSX device, or requires use of the GUI , then it is possible to connect with the GUI by downgrading the version of Java. Not all versions of Java have been tested, but it is clear that JRE version 8u161 and newer have this problem and JRE version 8u141 and older do not.

    BOTTOM LINE:
    I got SimpleBGC to work without any problems on my MBP running BigSur (latest system update). Set up my Nebula 5100 gimbal - working flawlessly now. Am very happy to have it, this thing is stable like a train on tracks.

    Sometimes the older things are the better ones…
    ;-)
    Cheers
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