Skip to content

Sony Venice / Rialto On Bolt - Cable Management and Body Placement

LIKELY CAMERA RIGGING

Summary

The WhatsApp archive separates Sony Venice/Rialto rigging from Sony Venice sync. For mechanical rigging, operators have used both full-body Venice on the camera plate and Rialto split-body setups. The main Rialto concern is managing the long umbilical and mounting the recorder/body somewhere safe, usually tied to the arm or base with strain relief.

Symptoms

  • You are rigging a Sony Venice or Venice 2 with Rialto on a Bolt or Bolt Classic and need to know where to mount the recording unit and how to route the umbilical.
  • The Rialto data cable is too long and lacks a clear routing path along the robot arm, creating cable-clearance concerns during moves.
  • The camera department is asking whether Rialto can connect without a repeater over a given cable length (e.g. 12 m runs).
  • You need to decide between full Venice body on the camera plate vs Rialto split-body based on payload vs cable risk.
  • You want to see custom plate solutions for mounting Venice bodies or camera batteries on an MRMC rig.

Field Guidance

Decision Notes
Full Venice body on Bolt X / larger Bolt Simpler cabling and fewer umbilical worries, but heavier payload.
Rialto split body Reduces camera-head payload and can help with small spaces, probes, or periscope setups, but introduces a long data cable and body placement problem.
Cable length Chat reports Sony Venice 2 Rialto can connect up to 12m without repeater. Verify with the camera team and current Sony documentation.
Cable routing Tie the cable along the arm with enough slack for all axes and proper strain relief. Do a full-speed dry run and a slow clearance check.
Body placement Mount the Venice body/recording unit somewhere stable, often on or near the robot base, not dangling from the camera head.

Community Solutions

[LIKELY] Tie The Rialto Cable Along The Arm

For Venice 2 Rialto, the field answer was to tie the cable to the arm and tie the recording unit/body somewhere on the robot base.

Confidence: 0.72

[LIKELY] Use Custom Plates For Bodies / Batteries

Operators shared custom plates for camera batteries and Venice bodies. Treat this as practical rigging evidence, not a universal mounting spec.

Confidence: 0.68

[LIKELY] Prefer Full Body If Cable Risk Outweighs Payload Benefit

One operator preferred full Venice directly on the camera plate on Bolt X because the Rialto umbilical creates additional worries. Another operator recommended Rialto for reduced payload in specific setups. Choose based on move envelope, payload, cable clearance, and camera department needs.

Confidence: 0.64

Evidence

Timestamp User Evidence
2021-07-17 Dan Gottesman / Timothy Heys Cerchio / Peter Constan-Tatos Discussed whether full Venice or Rialto is more stable on Bolt X; concerns included long Rialto data cable and mounting the main body.
2021-10-01 Luke Campbell / Peter Constan-Tatos Rialto considered for miniature/probe work to reduce payload.
2025-08-13 Dan Gottesman Reported good experience with 90-degree periscope and Rialto.
2026-05-07 23:46 Michael deAnthony / Niko Asked about Sony Venice 2 Rialto on Bolt Classic on track; answer: up to 12m without repeater, tie cable to arm and recording unit to base.
2026-05-08 00:01 Dig Shared custom plates for camera batteries and Venice bodies.
Image description: custom robot plate for camera batteries / Sony Venice body support. Image description: second view of custom mounting hardware for Venice body, Rialto, battery, or accessory support. Image description: third view of custom body/battery plate used for Sony Venice / Rialto rigging.
  • Media 1: Image description: custom robot plate for camera batteries / Sony Venice body support.
  • Media 2: Image description: second view of custom mounting hardware for Venice body, Rialto, battery, or accessory support.
  • Media 3: Image description: third view of custom body/battery plate used for Sony Venice / Rialto rigging.

Media Text / Description

  • Image description: custom robot/accessory plates for mounting Sony Venice body components, camera batteries, or Rialto recorder/body hardware away from the camera head.
  • Image description: Venice/Rialto rigging photos show practical body/battery support hardware rather than sync wiring; use this page for mechanical cable/body placement searches.

WhatsApp Excerpts

[8/5/2026, 12:01:29 am] ~ Dig: We made these plates for our rigs… perfect for camera batteries and Venice bodies…

[8/5/2026, 12:01:30 am] ~ Dig:

[8/5/2026, 12:01:30 am] ~ Dig:

Additional Community Notes

[FORUM — talk.mrmoco.com] Bolt X specific: Rialto cable is too short — yellow lifting plate solution.

The Venice Rialto umbilical cable (between sensor body and recording body) is not quite long enough for the Bolt X arm envelope. Standard mounting on the camera plate leaves the cable stressed at full extension.

Solution from Simon Wakley: take one of the yellow lifting plates that came with the robot (Bolt X or Bolt Jr+) and mount it on the side of the arm using the lower bolt holes in the upper thread block — this raises the plate by one hole, which lifts the Rialto recording body higher and significantly reduces cable stress. Simon notes a custom plate also works, but the yellow lifting brackets are an easy field solution when raised one hole.

"The cable is not quite long enough for the BoltX. So take one of the yellow lifting plates that came with either robot and put it on one side BUT use the lower bolt holes in the upper thread to raise it up so it clears the back. Then you put the Rialto on that and that makes the cable less stressed." — Simon Wakley, talk.mrmoco.com

Source: Using the Venice Rialto (2022-08-12, Simon Wakley)

Official Documentation

Flair Classic Manual — Ch.5 Setups: External Camera Setup — p.90

Flair 7 Manual — Ch.5 Setups: External Camera Setup — p.52