If you have previously used equipment provided through the DMC Equipment Checkout service, the NCTC offers an expanded offering of devices and kits through a collaboration of LSA Technology Services, COE’s CAEN, and the DMC staff of the Duderstadt Center.
The North Campus Technology Checkout (NCTC) service provides laptops, tablets, cameras, video and audio recording kits, XR devices, and more, that can be reserved by faculty, students, and staff.
See NCTC FAQ’s for more information
Equipment and Kits still available via NCTC at Groundworks, Rm 1315 in the Duderstadt Center
Online equipment catalog and reservations
See our Equipment Catalog to view more than 90 available device types and kits currently available. You’ll also find links to important information about checkout policies, loan terms, and help.
Use the Equipment Reservation Form to reserve items:
Note that some equipment may be restricted to specific departments or groups and/or may require the user to complete orientation prior to the loan.
Visit us for personalized advice and checkout
Come visit us! We offer personalized support to help you select the right equipment for your project. The NCTC is located in the Groundworks lab in the Duderstadt Center, Rm 1315 (on the first floor, adjacent to the Central Collaboration Area). See Map
In-person support and checkout hours:
Monday-Friday 9 am to 6 pm; Sunday 12 noon to 6 pm
Help line: 734-615-0100
Email us: LSATechnologyServices@umich.edu
Other Campus Checkout locations on the U-M Ann Arbor Campus
You can pick up and return equipment at several campus locations. For locations, hours and more info, see:
Equipment Loans & Reservations
Ready-to-go Equipment Kits that continue to be available
These ready-to-go Equipment Kits are still offered. For more information, see us in Groundworks, Rm 1315 in the Duderstadt Center.
Video/Still Camera/Microphone Kit
Mobile Phone Production Kit
Gimbal Kit
LED Light Kit
Drawing Tablet
Audio Recording Kit
XR Kits
Hand Tools Kit
Camera Kits (for still and video capture, with audio microphones)
Our new Sony mirrorless camera kits are the best of both worlds. The Sony a7C functions as both a 24 MP still camera and UHD 4K30p Video camera. The low light and focus capabilities of this camera are truly spectacular. The kits also come with 2 wireless lavalier microphones, and accessories to connect the equipment. The mic system also comes with cables to connect it right to your smart phone or laptop for a quick simple audio recording.
The camera kit comes with the following:
- Sony a7C Mirrorless Camera
- 128GB SD card
- 3x Rechargeable Battery
- 56mm f/1.4 Lens
- 18-135mm f/3.5-5.6 Lens
- Dual battery Charger
- USB 3.0 Memory Stick / SDHC / microSD Memory Card Reader
- Rode Wireless GO II 2-Person Compact Digital Wireless Microphone System/Recorder
- 2x Omnidirectional Lavalier Microphone
- Rode SC15 Lightning USB Type-C to Lightning Accessory Cable (11.8″)
- Dual Cold Shoe Mount
- Dual USB Wall Charger
- Kopul CMX-RC30 Right-Angle Coiled Stereo Mini Cable (Black, 8 to 24″)
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Mobile Phone Production Kit
Are you comfortable using your mobile phone for general media production? How about making it a little bit better. The mobile phone kit has a variety of accessories to make your camera into a production bundle.
The mobile phone kit comes with the following:
- Smartphone Handheld Video Rig Kit
- Tabletop Mini Tripod
- Mobile Phone 5-in-1 Camera Lens Kit
- Lume Cube Panel Mini Light
- Multi-Port Power Bank
- Camera-Mount Shotgun Microphone
Gimbal Kit
Shaky camera is great for introducing chaos in your shoot, but if you are looking for a more stable image, try our Gimbal Kit. This kit works for both smartphones, as well as cameras.
The gimbal kit comes with the following:
- Three-Axis Motorized Gimbal Stabilizer
- Designed for Mirrorless Cameras
- One-Handed Operation, 4.4 lb Max. Load
- Force Mobile Smartphone Control
- ActiveTrack 3.0 Subject Tracking
- 360° Panorama & Time-Lapse Control
- Battery Grip Lasts up to 11 Hours
- USB Type-C & Bluetooth Control
- Motor Protection, Quick Release Slider
- Control & Configure via Android/iOS App
LED Lights
NCTC Equipment Checkout has new LED lights available. These lights are dimmable from 0-100%, and the color temperature can be adjusted from 3200k-6500k. These kits also come with a telescoping stand.
XP-Pen Drawing Tablets
Looking for a substitute to the Wacom drawing tablets located in Groundworks? Our 15.6″ XP-Pen tablet can be connected to your laptop and used as a drawing tablet with applications like Photoshop, Illustrator, etc.
XP-Pen Drawing Tablets come with the following pieces:
- Pen Display
- Stylus
- Replacement Nibs
- Pen Holder
- 3-in-1 Cable
- Cleaning Cloth
Audio Recording Kit
- Zoom H5n Digital Audio Recorder
- Shotgun attachment
- Stereo XY attachment
- Dual XLR attachment
- 32GB flash memory card
XR/VR gear available beginning Fall 2023
XR/VR equipment has previously been available for checkout through the Visualization Studio. Checkout for the following items will begin again in Fall 2023 via the NCTC in DMC Groundworks.
Microsoft HoloLens 2
Microsoft HoloLens 2 is a mixed reality head-mounted display developed and manufactured by Microsoft. It displays a layer of digital information on top of your real world by rendering high-definition holograms that stay where you put them and respond like physical objects when you interact with them.
The device is a suitable piece of equipment for indoor procedures, due to sensitivity to factors like humidity and bright lighting. HoloLens 2 is the right option for carrying out hands-on training in controlled environments. The device can be used for displaying tutorials and instructions right before users’ eyes, making them a suitable option for on-the-job training and simulation studies.
HoloLens 2 is dustproof, as confirmed by the IP 50 rating. Built-in spatial sound adds life to holographic models displayed before users’ eyes. The audio system mimics the way the human brain processes sounds, offering an immersive experience of the 3D virtual space. Users equipped with HoloLens 2 can pinch to grab 3D assets and use the Air Tap function to manipulate objects in the distance. Digital content can be launched with voice commands expressed in 7 languages.
Specifications:
- 2k 3:2 light engines display
- Optical holographic display FOV: 43° horizontal; 29° vertical
- 566g weight
- Windows Holographic OS
- Built-in voice commands, 7 languages
- Brightness, volume, power buttons
Kit includes the following:
- Microsoft HoloLens 2 Headset
- USB-C charging cable
- Power Adapter
Meta Quest 2
The Meta Quest 2 is a virtual reality headset that can be used as a standalone device or connected to a computer via USB-C, enabling use with PC VR. Operating as a standalone device, it has a similar graphics limitation as a mobile phone. It features two six-degrees-of-freedom controllers that require AA batteries.
Specifications:
- Standalone VR without Cables or a PC
- 128GB Storage Capacity
- 1832 x 1920 Resolution Per Eye
- Qualcomm Snapdragon XR2 Platform
- Built-In IPD Adjustment with 3 Settings
- Cinematic 3D Positional Audio
- Headset Casting
Kit includes the following:
- Meta Quest 2
- Touch controllers
- USB-C QuestLink cable
- Power adapter
- Glasses spacer
Ricoh Theta Z1 360 Camera
The Ricoh Theta Z1 records 360° images using approx. 23MP (6720 x 3360, 7K) still image shooting and spherical video at 4K (3840 x 1920, 29.97 fps) quality. It also supports 360° live streaming in 4K resolution.
The Ricoh Theta Z1 uses a newly developed lens unit which reduces ghosting, flare and purple fringe. The aperture mechanism is newly adopted with the selection of F2.1, F3.5 and F5.6. By closing down the aperture, a clear image is achieved by deepening the depth of field.
The Z1 demonstrates superior noise reduction performance even when shooting at night or indoors with low light due to the equipped 1.0-inch back illuminated CMOS image sensor. It is also equipped with a variety of shooting modes and a 4-channel microphone to independently record sound from 4 different directions when shooting video.
Specifications:
- 23MP(6720 x 3360, 7K) Still Images
- 4K (3840 x 1920, 29.97fps) Video
- Supports 360° live streaming in 4K
- 4-channel microphone
- Automatically stitches footage
- 51GB Storage
- Still image: RAW+ Approx. 900 photos, JPEG Approx. 6350 photos
- Video (time per recording): Max. 5 minutes/25 minutes*3*4
- Video (total recording time): (4K, H.264) approx. 110 minutes
- (2K, H.264) approx. 360 minutes
Kit includes the following:
- Ricoh Theta Z1 360 camera
- Lens Cap
- USB-C:USB-3 charging cable
- Monopod (optional)
Azure Kinect
Azure Kinect is a cutting-edge spatial computing developer kit with sophisticated computer vision and speech models, advanced AI sensors, and a range of powerful SDKs that connect to Azure AI Services.
Specifications:
- 1-MP depth sensor with wide and narrow FOV
- 7-microphone array
- 12-MP RGB video camera
- Accelerometer and gyroscope (IMU)
- External sync pins for synchronizing multiple Kinect devices
Kit includes the following:
- Microsoft Azure Kinect
- USB-C charging cable
- Power Adapter
Apple iPad Pro and Apple Pencil 2
The iPad Pro tablet computer runs iPadOS, a tablet-optimized version of the iOS operating system.
Advanced cameras, a high resolution display, motion sensors, and a powerful graphics processor combine with custom machine learning and developer tools to enable AR development with this device. The Apple Pencil can pair with the iPad Pro to enable note-taking or drawing capabilities.Sensitive to pressure and tilt, the pencil allows for varied line weight, subtle shading and a wide range of artistic effects.
Specifications (iPad):
- 4th Generation
- 128GB
- 11-inch Liquid Retina display¹ with ProMotion, True Tone, and P3 wide color
- M2 chip with 8-core CPU and 10-core GPU
- 12MP Wide camera, 10MP Ultra Wide back camera, and LiDAR Scanner for immersive AR
- 12MP Ultra Wide front camera with Center Stage
- Wi-Fi 6E² Support
- USB-C connector with support for Thunderbolt / USB 4
- Face ID
- Supports Apple Pencil 2nd Generation
Specifications (Apple Pencil 2):
- 2nd Generation
- Wireless pairing and charging
- Attaches magnetically
- Tilt and pressure sensitivity
Kit includes the following:
- Apple iPad Pro 11”
- USB-C charging cable
- 20W Power adapter
- Apple Pencil
Hand Tools Kit
A basic kit of common hand tools that can be used for many projects.
Kit Components:
- Safety Glasses
- Hammer
- Wire Strippers (2)
- Pliers (Needle nose, Adjustable, Side cutter)
- Allen Wrench Sets – SAE and metric
- Adjustable Wrenches (3 sizes)
- Multi-Head Ratcheting Screwdriver
- 25′ Tape Measure
- 6 inch Hack Saw
- Combination Square with level
- Mini Philips Head Screwdriver
- Mini Flat Head Screwdriver
- Kit Bag