DIY IndieSlider...

ZazaCast said:
I don't think anyone has joined two pieces of track together yet. I don't know if that would work & still allow a smooth slide.

....guys? Ideas, thoughts...comments???
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man, i don't know...the thought crossed my mind. but to illustrate the downside of that idea....when i received my rail, there was the slightest flaw on the very end where the factory cut was made, and i didn't notice it until i slid the carriage on for the first time. all was well, but then i slid the carriage off the affected end to make adjustments, and it nicked the drylin a bit...kind of shaved off a sliver of it. it doesn't affect performance whatsoever afterwards, but it freaked me out when it happened. so unless the rail's cuts are 100% perfect, and you join them with absolute precision, then it shouldn't be an issue. but the drylin material is soft and rather easy to cut into if things arent perfect. i guess that's my 2 cents...

but it could be done i suppose.

Chris
 
Ah! Yes. You must champfer the rail ends. I use a Dremel grinder followed by polishing.
There's not much point in extending the rail in the same axis as the point of the 'short' Igus solution is portability and in any case, what use would a straight 6' rail be anyway to a shot?
 
Zephyrnoid said:
Ah! Yes. You must champfer the rail ends. I use a Dremel grinder followed by polishing.
There's not much point in extending the rail in the same axis as the point of the 'short' Igus solution is portability and in any case, what use would a straight 6' rail be anyway to a shot?
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Yes, looking at the ends of my rail, you would have to make it fit together perfectly. With the 16mm rail, because the ends are hollow, you could join it together just like you would PVC with a 7mm piece of rod or something. I would still question how smooth the Drylin would float over it though...:huh:

skinny! said:
beats lugging 10' of pvc and a dolly?....not sure...
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True.... but then you'd have to lug around the support.....
 
Thanks all of you.
I think i order 1m in two half pieces (50-50%) factory cutted, and when i cannot connect it perfectly, with smooth motion, i sell the one half... As i see the 10mm version isn't hollowed at the ends.

WHKA-10 manual clamp? anybody work with it? maybe i order one.
 
I have an idea. can you please cite the exact Igus catalog number for your rail or upload a CU Pic of the end? I think I have a way to help you if the ends are hollow and you want to butt-join sections.
ZazaCast said:
Yes, looking at the ends of my rail, you would have to make it fit together perfectly. With the 16mm rail, because the ends are hollow, you could join it together just like you would PVC with a 7mm piece of rod or something. I would still question how smooth the Drylin would float over it though...:huh:



True.... but then you'd have to lug around the support.....
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Lucasberg said:
Hey Zaza,
If I intend on only using mine for a HF-S100(HV20 sized cam) and possibly a 5Dmk2 do you think I could get away with the 10mm x 40mm ? I don't want to waste money and buy an over kill rig since I would be using a bare cam at about 3-4lbs max.
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Hi Lucasberg, did you have any luck with the 10mm? Anyone else tried this combo? I am thinking of getting this for my HF100 (like the HV20) and mounting the rail on the head of my Velbon 607 tripod (with no extra head on the carriage/sliding part). I may also add a 6 inch block of wood under the camcorder to get some extra height (so I can slide forward/backward without getting the rail in view of the camera). Will this be light and stable enough? Thanks.
 
One thing I have found is that under significant weight (18lb camera and 8lb head) the carriage can bind when tilting up or down perpendicular to the track. I ordered the largest drylin w-20 bearings with the 80mm wide rail and mounted it up with a gitzo head and an ancient betacam. When the weight is centered over the rail is moves smoothly with little effort but when the camera tilts and the weight shifts the bearings "bind" and the dolly move requires much more effort. I talked with the folks at igus and they recommended 3-in1 oil to lube the rail which helped. I'm not too worried since I'm waiting for my JVC Gy-Hm700 to arrive which will shed many pounds from the overall load. Has anyone else experienced this?
BTW- mega props to ZaZa! great find. I think Igus should send you a commission. They told me they have had a lot of small orders directly from this thread!
 
kevin gallagher said:
One thing I have found is that under significant weight (18lb camera and 8lb head) the carriage can bind when tilting up or down perpendicular to the track.
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I just got the slider all connected together today, and took it for test spin. I have A 9 lb JVC HD110 and 3 lb head mounted. I screwed my tripod legs right onto the track. I also have a little binding with this weight, and an unsteady track as the camera goes to one end of the track or the other. Over center it works fine. I will have to add a couple of cheap monpods to each end for better stability. The give is coming from the center post on the tripod. Either I invest in a sturdier more expensive tripod or just go with 2 monopods.

I used a big industrial size rubber band to pull the head, and it works great. It keeps a constant tension and speed on the carriage. Really works well for very long and slow slides. Give it a try.

Thanks ZaZa!
 
Tommy K said:
I just got the slider all connected together today, and took it for test spin. I have A 9 lb JVC HD110 and 3 lb head mounted. I screwed my tripod legs right onto the track. I also have a little binding with this weight, and an unsteady track as the camera goes to one end of the track or the other. Over center it works fine. I will have to add a couple of cheap monpods to each end for better stability. The give is coming from the center post on the tripod. Either I invest in a sturdier more expensive tripod or just go with 2 monopods.

I used a big industrial size rubber band to pull the head, and it works great. It keeps a constant tension and speed on the carriage. Really works well for very long and slow slides. Give it a try.

Thanks ZaZa!
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Hey Tommy, I'm curious how you used the rubber band. That's a whole concept I hadn't considered.
 
kittty said:
http://www.igus.ie/wpck/default.aspx?PageNr=2003

you can see here the rail.
but hurry sharing your idea, because i want to order quickly, and dont know what to order :)
the WS-16-60 hollowed version or the WS-10-40 without hollow?

thx
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Yup! Just as I thought. Piece of cake.
The connection solution is:
- use two sets of split connector pins like the type used to connect Manfrotto boom pole sections together, in order to mate two rail sections. I'm kinda sleepy so please request a detailed explanation tomorrow.
- when preparing the hollow rail ends, use fine dremel grinder to take the sharp edge off and then buff it down. You should end up with a very slight champfer. The champfer actually creates more of a gap BUT it's the right kind of gap where the transition from one end to the next is a champfered rather than sharp. As you've discovered, sharp causes the edge to dig into the bearing liners. not nice.

To the person that remarked on binding. It is the weak point of the DryLin carriage for critical video applications, and I'm working on a modification of the bearings that will reduce binding by around 15%.
The causes of the binding are:
- imbalance across the carriage. There tends to be more 'forward' weight on the lens side, so I usually counter-balance with a small shot bag ( not shown in my pics).
- More critical is the fact that because part of the bearing (15%) is south of the 'equator' on each rail, the slightest change in lateral torque actually causes a 'braking' effect between the bearing and the underside of the rails. I spoke with Igus about this and they like my solution. SPLIT the bearings lengthwise so very little of them is South of the equator. Indeed, a spit AT the equator would be ideal. There's a 'Gotcha' however.
With bearings that ride completely North of the equator on the cylindrical rails, there is less binding but that also means that there's nothing from keeping the carriage from falling off.
The Camera operator would have to be sure to keep hands on the camera/head to prevent accidents. The other advantage other than smoother moves is that you could just place the carriage platform on rails - a sweet alternative to the constant hassle of sliding the assembly off and on the rail ends!
Of course, perfect balance would still be needed for a super smooth run.
No time for me to do the bearing mods but if anyone out there has a high speed bandsaw, that should not be too difficult.
Bonne Nuit ... as they say here in CH.
:beer:
 
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Just a quick follow up. By mounting a quick release plate to the rail and using it on my Sachtler DV 4 head and sticks with the 701hdv on top I definitely get 3 uses from the igus -

Traditional horizontal slider.
Short dolly
Short jib arm

The ability to tilt the rail with the Sachtler head and then then level the camera with the 701 enables a 3' dolly in and out without seeing the track.

By doing the same but with an increased pitch and fully tiliting 701 axis you can also get a great short jib move up and down and like the dolly move you can use the momentum of the camera weight to get a smooth dolly in and jib down. Dollying away and jibbing up work fine too (I'm using a Canon 5d MKII)
 
jimagine said:
Hey Tommy, I'm curious how you used the rubber band. That's a whole concept I hadn't considered.
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I just put the rubber band around the tripod handle itself. The bands I have are 8" long and sturdy. It really makes for a really smooth transition across the rail.
 
Tommy K said:
I just put the rubber band around the tripod handle itself. The bands I have are 8" long and sturdy. It really makes for a really smooth transition across the rail.
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How do you pan the head with this technique? Seems it's for a fixed camera position and you just slide it along the rail. Can you please post a clip to demo your rubber band technique ?
 
Zeph, you are correct. I used it for fixed travel shots oly so far. I think it would take lots of practice work for sliding and panning shots. You'd have to work with 2 bands at a time. 1 around the tripod base and the other on the head handle to do the pan. Maybe with some practice it is possible.
 
i just ordered WK-16-60-10-01-1060 (basically the same specs but an extra 60mm longer)

That way i should be able to drill my own 1/4" hole in the centre. It came to £128.19 with tax. A little more than i had hoped :(

Oh well, i can't wait to get this thing!
 
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