Canon 7D motorized slider options

J

jondoe

Active member
I know this has been covered before but I still have some questions in regards to a slider option for my needs. I consider myself a handy person so Im not opposed to a diy solution. Basically I need a motorized slider\dolly for a film that Im working on. I definitely would need to work vertically as well. I've built a dolly in the past and it was pretty good but I dont know how to put a motor on it. A friend of mine is giving me the indislidermini. Is it possible to somehow modify it and add a motor to it? Is it also possible to get longer rails for it to make longer?

I found a kit (http://dynamicperception.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_9&products_id=27) but i don't know how to incorporate it (or if its even an option). I believe that these units also let you control the focus as well which seems like an added bonus.

Finally, my questions are:
For around 200 bucks, what are my options for a slider\dolly? Does that price include the motorized part? I saw the Juiced link slider kit as an option. Are they any good? I dont care too much about the sound as I wouldn’t be using the 7D's mic anyway.
 
you can buy any slider and motorize it yourself.
there is only 2 ways, screw or belt.
Depnds the precision and speed range you need.
screw is great for precision, but is heavy and do not allow for great speed nor great lenght.
Belt is cheap, allow fast speed and if correctly built , can even allow very low speed and is easy to setup
both require a motor that is VERY noisy (relative to cinema requirements).
if you need vertical movement, you will need a very big motor to lift the weight of all the assembly..
It could be tricky to find a motot that deliver both speed, power and silence.

I used a standard igus rail (1m or 3 feet) and put a open belt (each end of the belt is fixed on the chariot) , then a simple gear at each end, one mounted on roller bearing, the other one mounted on the axis motor.
You can find 12VDC motor with reduction for as low as $25 , and electronic drive kit (bi-directional) for $25 .
http://www.electronickits.com/kit/complete/motor/k166.htm
http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/st...chanical+/+Motors^prodPage~15^page~SEARCH+NAV
The biggest problem is noise, so the best would be to separate belt gear and motor and rail with a special mount using small vibration absorber
http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-11mm-RC-...Radio_Controlled_Vehicles&hash=item35b1c3f313
http://www.smartclima.com/vibration-dampers.htm
 
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I'm not too concerned about the noise and i was definitely thinking about the Igus rail or the Dual Dolly RS from E Film Gear. How would i find someone to put the motor and controller on my slider (considering I dont know anything about programming? Did you add your motor to your setup)?
 
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