DIY IndieSlider...

[canadian]

Yes... you're on the wrong page. Again, I recommend calling the order in. You can talk directly to a salesperson...you can even mention "ZazaSlider" and they know the parts.

You might want to order the rail without any pre-drilled holes...if so, just add an "S" to the end of the part number. (WS-16-60S)
1-888-803-1895

This is where you want to be:
http://www.igus.com/show_dw.asp

I did it all through eMail. No issues.

Yesterday I bought the nylon end caps and bolts.

Was a little difficult to find in HD but found em. Only cost me $13..
Had to buy another tapper to tap the holes.

 

[Tommy K]

Yes length matters! (at least that's what I've always been told :embarasse)

The poster said he ordered the parts I listed...meaning the 3' version. You do not need two tripods for the three foot version...and if you do, you are using a light duty tripod...or doing something else wrong.

My 3' slider is on a Bogen 3046 tripod with three 5lb. ankle weights on the spreader. I have a DVX100b with Red Rock M2 hardmount, nikon glass, follow focus and a mattebox. I can slide from one end to the other without any trouble. I even slide the camera all the way to the end and tilt it straight down without any tipping.

I'm just saying, you really don't need two tripods with a the three foot version.

One of the main reasons I love this slider set-up so much, is that, even if I'm not doing a sliding shot, it allows me to reposition the camera fast for the next shot. I can quickly move the camera 1 1/2 feet in either direction (from the center) or a full 3' (if I'm shooting from an end) and crank up or lower the height in a matter of seconds. With just a tripod, you have to move the whole thing and depending on the tripod, adjust the legs to a new height and re-level. The slider advantages are numerous.

Anything more than 3' and I'd use 2 tripods too....then again, I'd probably just use my regular track dolly for those shots.

ZAZA, I should have posted my real and important point for using 2 non spreader tripods. This may benefit some other people as well. There is a disadvantage with using just 1 taller tripod with spreaders like the 3046. They don't allow for the lower camera heights that you can get with (the less sturdy) non spreader legs that I use. I can get much lower than the 3046 will allow with the slider hookup. That is why I chose to use the 2 legs without spreaders. I can get lower shots that taller tripods can't. For sure my tripod legs are not as sturdy as the 3046 and I need 2. My camera with all accessories mounted is close to 20 lbs.

To some people, there may be a little convenience trade off in order to get lower shots using 2 legs, as I do. I personally like my setup better than using just 1 tripod. It is really fast and easy to adjust. So that is not a concern for me. I am giving people my opinion and another option with my real world experience using my setup. I think that the one size fits all doesn't apply here. I am glad that you are happy with your setup and it meets your shooting requirements. That is all that counts.

I also thank you again for turning us all on to Igus and this great tool. I love it and use it all the time!

 

[laherrera5]

Long time reader, first time poster!

Okay, so I spent a couple weeks reading through this thread (thanks to everyone who contributed), and there is a TON of good ideas and information. I finished reading up last week and then order my parts from Igus on Thursday the Dec, 17th. I went with slightly smaller and lighter parts (like member XCM), since I have a Canon HF100, and don’t plan to get anything larger than a DSLR. I ordered 30 inches of the 10-40-S rail, and 10-40-10 carriage. I ordered the rail that has NO holes. I have read many times that the metal is easy to drill, and this will give me more threads and strength.
I went to Home Depot and got the 1 inch hex bolt, and 3/8 thread tap. So I am ready when the parts arrive! A couple questions…
- after reading post #1211, I am a little nervous that I might drill and tap the hole slightly crooked. I have never tapped before. Is it fairly easy to make sure the drill hole and thread tap are perfectly straight? Any special techniques?
- I plan to drill and tap the rails on the side to add a washer and bolt as end-stops. For anyone using the 10-40 rails, what size drill and what size tap did you use?

Igus charged my credit card yesterday (the 21st). So I hope to get the parts soon!

Cost:
10-40-S, 30 inches= $42.56
10-40-10 carriage= $40.35
Shipping to California= $7.72
TOTAL= $90.63

Thanks again to Zaza and everyone for the info.

 

[ZazaCast]

ZAZA, I should have posted my real and important point for using 2 non spreader tripods. This may benefit some other people as well. There is a disadvantage with using just 1 taller tripod with spreaders like the 3046. They don't allow for the lower camera heights that you can get with (the less sturdy) non spreader legs that I use. I can get much lower than the 3046 will allow with the slider hookup. That is why I chose to use the 2 legs without spreaders. I can get lower shots that taller tripods can't. For sure my tripod legs are not as sturdy as the 3046 and I need 2. My camera with all accessories mounted is close to 20 lbs.

To some people, there may be a little convenience trade off in order to get lower shots using 2 legs, as I do. I personally like my setup better than using just 1 tripod. It is really fast and easy to adjust. So that is not a concern for me. I am giving people my opinion and another option with my real world experience using my setup. I think that the one size fits all doesn't apply here. I am glad that you are happy with your setup and it meets your shooting requirements. That is all that counts.

I also thank you again for turning us all on to Igus and this great tool. I love it and use it all the time!

That's cool, whatever works for you. :happy:
I just don't want people to think they HAVE to use 2 tripods for support...that's all. This is rock solid with one.

As far as lower shot than the 3046 allows... I just put the slider on my Manfrotto 190XDB (see first post)...and if I want even lower, I put it on the floor using the end blocks.
I'm covered from 4" to 62".

The new feet I'm developing will offer evern more options.

Thanks for all the input & please, post pictures of your rig and some footage. :thumbsup:

 

[ZazaCast]

Long time reader, first time poster!

Okay, so I spent a couple weeks reading through this thread (thanks to everyone who contributed), and there is a TON of good ideas and information. I finished reading up last week and then order my parts from Igus on Thursday the Dec, 17th. I went with slightly smaller and lighter parts (like member XCM), since I have a Canon HF100, and don’t plan to get anything larger than a DSLR. I ordered 30 inches of the 10-40-S rail, and 10-40-10 carriage. I ordered the rail that has NO holes. I have read many times that the metal is easy to drill, and this will give me more threads and strength.
I went to Home Depot and got the 1 inch hex bolt, and 3/8 thread tap. So I am ready when the parts arrive! A couple questions…
- after reading post #1211, I am a little nervous that I might drill and tap the hole slightly crooked. I have never tapped before. Is it fairly easy to make sure the drill hole and thread tap are perfectly straight? Any special techniques?
- I plan to drill and tap the rails on the side to add a washer and bolt as end-stops. For anyone using the 10-40 rails, what size drill and what size tap did you use?

Igus charged my credit card yesterday (the 21st). So I hope to get the parts soon!

Cost:
10-40-S, 30 inches= $42.56
10-40-10 carriage= $40.35
Shipping to California= $7.72
TOTAL= $90.63

Thanks again to Zaza and everyone for the info.

I'd recommend using a drill press with the no-holes rail to drill the hole. I've never had a problem tapping by hand, the tap follows the hole.
If you're really worried, get in touch with a local machine shop...this would be a no-brainer for them.

Best of luck!

 

[Norm Sanders]

Zaza, I'm sure you've been approached for this by others, but haven't read far enough to see for sure, and your responses. I'm on a budget, so can't afford to buy an IndieSlider from one of normal companies, but also not confident enough in my skills to make one ... or, perhaps just too lazy to try.

You ever take orders for these, with an upcharge for profit for your time?

 

[ZazaCast]

Zaza, I'm sure you've been approached for this by others, but haven't read far enough to see for sure, and your responses. I'm on a budget, so can't afford to buy an IndieSlider from one of normal companies, but also not confident enough in my skills to make one ... or, perhaps just too lazy to try.

You ever take orders for these, with an upcharge for profit for your time?

Norm... PM me and I'll see what I can do for you. I have built these for others.
Plus, I'd love to see what shots a talented person like yourself comes up with!

 

[KSImages]

New guy to this forum and wanted to say this was the most interesting, informative and longest thread I have ever read, and I read all 1200+ posts. Great information and I can't wait to order my parts once the holiday is over. Thanks everyone for the great input, ideas and suggestions.

No. It is W-A-Y too long to be useful anymore. Nobody coming here and looking for info about "indie slider" is going to slog through >>100 pages of messages, a great many of which are not "sticky-worthy".

For example, I gave up after 15 pages trying to discover why the vendor seems to have no way of just ordering something. You apparently have to wait to talk to a salesman to get a "quote".

What this topic needs is a good summary of learnings in a few (<5) posts. THAT would be "sticky-worthy".

That is without a doubt the most worthless excuse for not making something a sticky I have ever heard. This is a great post with the info very well summarized at the top and a TON of great additional info for anyone who wants to take the time to read more details.

I'm a big fan of this:

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produ...n_Imaging_438_438_Compact_Levelling_Head.html

How does that thing work? A general overview would be great.

Shawn... sorry about the delays (family stuff these days). I have been working on it. My biggest problem is finding a reasonable machine shop to do some fabricating.

I'm using single rail and a much wider & longer carriage. I want to have it machined out (the carriage) to allow for a bowl adapter.

I have connections with several machine shops here in low cost midwest. If you have any specs and want to send them to me I would be happy to see what I could do regarding your machining needs. Send me a PM if you like.

 

[j]

> Originally Posted by j View Post
> I'm a big fan of this:
> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ling_Head.html

> How does that thing work? A general overview would be great.


It goes between the tripod and the fluid head. It allows you to level the head, even if the legs are unlevel. It basically turns a regular tripod into a ball-level tripod. It's very compact and doesn't need to have the adjustment knob on the bottom (like on most bowl heads) for those reasons it'd be perfect to put on a slider.

 

[KSImages]

> Originally Posted by j View Post
> I'm a big fan of this:
> http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...ling_Head.html

> How does that thing work? A general overview would be great.


It goes between the tripod and the fluid head. It allows you to level the head, even if the legs are unlevel. It basically turns a regular tripod into a ball-level tripod. It's very compact and doesn't need to have the adjustment knob on the bottom (like on most bowl heads) for those reasons it'd be perfect to put on a slider.

Thanks for the info. I am going to be using this mostly with a 5D MkII and was just planning to use an ArcaSwiss ballhead in the mix but this seems like a very good alternative. I hate trying to level via leg adjustments. Yet another thing I get to send B&H money for. I think they have preprinted shipping labels for me.

Have a good holiday and thanks again for the info.

 

[j]

This is different than a ball head in that it allows you to do ball leveling but still pan and tilt with your fluid head.

 

[KSImages]

This is different than a ball head in that it allows you to do ball leveling but still pan and tilt with your fluid head.

I understand. I was just going to attach the fluid head to the Arca Swiss head, since I already have it, and use it as a combination leveling device and extension to get a bit more height. More about making do with the multitude of gadgets I have for my stills work.

Given the relatively low cost of the item you identified, it seems like a better overall option.

Thanks for taking the time to clarify.

 

[adam j. richman]

Order parts on Monday...

Order parts on Monday...

Hey! Been following the ZazaSlider for the better part of the last few days and have spent hours reading through the material and doing research, CAD measurements, and part specifications on McMaster Carr. First off I'd like to say thanks to everyone for sharing their rigs and findings, this has been a great thread!

I actually went straight to McMaster Carr and picked out most of the same pieces that NickyBee did before I read through and found his postings and photos. Zaza, you mentioned in a recent post you were working on a new design for the feet of the unit, anything come up? I'm currently thinking of modifying McMaster Carr parts: 21685T15 (upside down) to include a felt bottom and a 3/8" bolt/washer that finishes to part #: 2454K31 which I believe will fit underneath the sliding rig (based on my conversions from the Igus CAD drawings' measurements and comparing to McMaster Carr's). I'm actually planning on rigging the bumpers with the same easy-to-turn 4 arm knob. I'll be using the same end bumpers NickyBee used.

The plan is to be able to quickly take off the feet and bumpers so that I can add and remove them at will, potentially to get lower to the ground in an upside down rig that I'm developing as well. I figure by the time I add the Manfrotto half bowl and and video converter to my O'Connor 1030 head I'll be about 16"+ off the ground, so to get really low I'll need to go upside down. I'm using a Canon 7D so it's a small camera and can easily be flipped.

What is it that you're developing for the feet? Would it rival what I'm planning, if so, please share so I can redirect my thoughts. I plan on making my order on Monday and assembling ASAP. Basically my Christmas present to myself

Thanks again! Will post photos as soon as it's ready!

 

[adam j. richman]

NickyBee, you mentioned you ended up going for the 16" long by 2" tall rubber bumper instead. That's the one I've been eying now for a few days. I was wondering if you could tell me how long the interior shaft is where the 3/8" shoulder is. I know it has a counter-bored hole that's over an inch wide, but inside that there should be a washer/shaft in each hole.

The distance of that 3/8" shoulder is a measurement I can't find on the website and was hoping you could provide. If it's not possible to get a ruler in there, maybe you could put a string or pencil inside and mark that with a Sharpie, pull it out and measure?

My plan is to flip the bumper upside down and use a bolt to connect through the bumper, through the rails, and into a easy-off knob that will fit between the rails and the carriage. Knowing that measurement will allow me to purchase the correct size bolts.

Thanks in advance! And thanks for trying out all the McMaster Carr materials and posting your results. Before reading through the whole thread I thought I would be the first to try it out, glad to see it's been done successfully before!

Oh, another question! Do you ever find yourself wishing your end-bumpers were taller? I'm considering purchasing the ones that are 1/2" taller but only come in red. I figure the red would actually help in my peripheral vision to see when the end of the move is coming up (as opposed to black which would otherwise get lost). Perhaps I'm over-thinking this and the size you've already picked out is actually perfect in it's own merits as it clears it just barely, but maybe you've found that you've wanted more of a "bite" for the stopper.

Thanks again!

As per my previous post here is a very easy and cool looking endcap for this drylin slider that we've been talking about.

Oh sorry - forgot to point out you should thread the endholes with the 3/8" 16 tap - the same one you used to thread the middle hole).
in my opinion it looks pretty sweet and like it belongs there.

Coolest part is that the clearance is near perfect with the carriage - see close up photo below

Last but not least the rubber blocks (part numbers for both of these listed in my previous post) - the bricks are heavy (they weigh about 7lbs each) - which is very good for stability - especially for you Red One fanboys).

there is enough clearance for the carriage to slide right over to the rubber stopper even when the rail is sitting on the bricks. The bricks feel stable and robust. I happen to prefer the look of the brick with the squared off side down on the floor. (the other side is also flat - but has slightly rounded edges).

For those paying attention you might notice that I have drilled and tapped an additional hole here - this is for the monopods when in high configuration - and for mounting to the rubber bricks when in low configuration.

I have not yet decided how I will mount this - but will figure something out tomorrow in home depot

I do happen to dislike the fact that aluminum in those predrilled holes is so thin that at 3/8" 16 there is only enough room for 2 or 3 threads. I have a feeling they can easily strip (Especially given that aluminum is a fairly light material). Any new hole you drill is almost three times as thick and will give bolts that much more bite. I may end up drilling a new hole 1cm away from the current middle of the rail (for more secure mounting to a tripod) but it's fine for now.

Hope you enjoy the mods - props to Zaza of course for the original idea.

Nick

 

[SanVa]

First, thank you everybody for the great thread andfor convincing me to put together a zazaslider despite the fact that I barely own a screwdriver.
Two questions.
I was wondering if anybody tried the 10-40 rail with a dsrl (5d/7d). I have the impression that the 40 size should be more than enough for a camera like that but I can't really tell. It would be great to have something lighter and overall more portable.
I noticed also that the dvcity slider has the feet identical to the glidetrack ones,
http://www.dvcity.com/Slider/slider.gif
which makes me think that they should be available somewhere as they are, without much additional work needed. I did not have any luck looking for those but maybe somebody here has more experience and better knowledge to find them.
Thanks for this great collective effort and of course to Zaza for starting all this.

Simone

 

[craigglaspell]

Holy cow, what a thread.
I just submitted a 'rfq' to the igus site for the zazaslider parts, now will they get back to me on how to pay and shipping time frame?
Anyone order recently? what kind of delivery times are we looking at?
Thanks for the thread.
Craig

 

[Richard Crowley]

Holy cow, what a thread.
I just submitted a 'rfq' to the igus site for the zazaslider parts, now will they get back to me on how to pay and shipping time frame?
Anyone order recently? what kind of delivery times are we looking at?
Thanks for the thread.
Craig

I got a quote from Igus on 16-Dec and they quoted slightly over $100 for the rail and $50 for the slider. Delivery time would depend on how much you want to pay for delivery. The quote repeated "Current Lead Time: Stock, subject to prior sales" several times.

They have nice products, but seem pretty clumsy for handling small-scale online sales. Even with the "formal quote" as an attached MS Word document, still no mention of payment methods, etc. The ordering process seems very formal and labor-intensive.

To be honest, this seems like a much better deal (as a DIY version)...
http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?t=193933
I'm going to pursue making a DIY version of this concept vs the Igus rail.
It can be built for lower cost, and has better length and flexibility.

 

[nosys70]

seems for $50 you can get a motor and controller
http://www.hobbyengineering.com/H1742.html

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDrillDownView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&categoryName=cat_3515&subCategoryName=Electromechanical%20%2F%20Motors%20%2F%20DC%20Gearhead&category=351540&refine=1&position=1&history=yop7fj91%7CsubCategoryName~Electromechanical%5Ecategory~35%5EcategoryName~category_root%5EprodPage~15%5Epage~SEARCH%252BNAV%404la7rjc7%7Ccategory~3515%5EcategoryName~cat_35%5Eposition~1%5Erefine~1%5EsubCategoryName~Electromechanical%2B%252F%2BMotors%5EprodPage~15%5Epage~SEARCH%252BNAV

just need to put a nylon wire or steel cable or nylon rope, two wheel at each end of rail. You can add 2 micro switch in the end to break power supply for safety.

would be great if all assembly (pulley, switch, bumper) could be build in one piece, so you vould just need to clip or screw at the end of rail.

Already got all what necessary except the zaza glide....

 

[Martin Koch]

I was wondering if anybody tried the 10-40 rail with a dsrl (5d/7d).

I've used a 5D and a Manfrotto ball head on a 1 meter long 10-80 rail (80 mm wide rail) without problems. But since the 16-60 rail is not that much larger and only about 1 kg/m heavier than the 10-40 one I would still consider it. It's just extra sturdy.

 

[Martin Koch]

seems for $50 you can get a motor and controller
http://www.hobbyengineering.com/H1742.html

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/StoreCatalogDrillDownView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&categoryName=cat_3515&subCategoryName=Electromechanical%20%2F%20Motors%20%2F%20DC%20Gearhead&category=351540&refine=1&position=1&history=yop7fj91%7CsubCategoryName~Electromechanical%5Ecategory~35%5EcategoryName~category_root%5EprodPage~15%5Epage~SEARCH%252BNAV%404la7rjc7%7Ccategory~3515%5EcategoryName~cat_35%5Eposition~1%5Erefine~1%5EsubCategoryName~Electromechanical%2B%252F%2BMotors%5EprodPage~15%5Epage~SEARCH%252BNAV

just need to put a nylon wire or steel cable or nylon rope, two wheel at each end of rail. You can add 2 micro switch in the end to break power supply for safety.

would be great if all assembly (pulley, switch, bumper) could be build in one piece, so you vould just need to clip or screw at the end of rail.

Already got all what necessary except the zaza glide....

This will work well as long as you don't record live audio. Those geared motors are unfortunately noisy as hell. Maybe you can put the motor in a sound isolating box.

I used a tiny stepper motor (mounted with rubber mounting bolts) to get an almost inaudible operation.