DIY IndieSlider...

finedesign said:
You guys are awesome. Thanks so much N635DC and Zaza.

I get the "traintrack" coupling idea, but here's my thought...I'd like to be able to mate ANY of the sides just in case a part of the rail gets dinged. That way I can just rotate ONE of the rails and mate them fine. In addition, I want to design super-light handles (just aluminum bars) extending from the (currently non-tapped) rail ends. This complicates the mating because I don't know yet how I'm going to attach the handles (threaded or not? hmm) to the rails.

Add to that, I'd like to be able to work out an assembly that allows me to attach the whole thing to, say, a staircase railing (with ties, etc) from any of the pre-drilled holes. For everything, I want to have as much of the thread sizes matching so that if I lose a bolt it's ok.

I'm about to try designing the whole plan for the machinist (I'm trying to do as much work myself as possible to lower his time/cost). Does someone have something already setup in Illustrator? If not, I'll just set it all up based on the schematic from Igus.

I'll share what I do here to help the community.
Click to expand...

Handles/feet are all ready for you...drilled for both 16-60mm and 10-40mm rail!
(just drill for your 80mm rail)
ZS0001_sm.jpg

:laugh:
 
finedesign said:
Yes, but they are too bulky. I need just plain aluminum rods. And these don't fit my 10-80 rail.
Click to expand...

They will fit your rail...I designed them so people could customize them easily.
All you have to do is drill two holes, simple.
They aren't bulky, they're sturdy. You wouldn't want something weak and wobbly supporting your rail and camera gear.

Here are the feet on a 10-40mm rail:
ZSShort1_sm.jpg


Makes a nice shooter too!
ZSShoulder2_sm.jpg

:laugh:
 
Those feet look great, but I will agree with the OP that if you are trying to stuff the rail in say a duffle bag or something, it's going to be a pain in the neck, or you'll need to remove the leg portions to get the width down.

This isn't to say your design is flawed, it's just, for compact setups, I have a hard enough time with my tripod, head and slider in a duffle bag now. I imagine the best solution though would be to just change out the bolts on the end so you could attach and detach the leg assembly quickly. In this scenario, I think they'd be VERY easy to use.

Since I leave my head on the slider, I am thinking of building some kind of case to hold it and my tripod as to keep the rail from getting dinged up in my duffle bag.
 
grimepoch said:
Those feet look great, but I will agree with the OP that if you are trying to stuff the rail in say a duffle bag or something, it's going to be a pain in the neck, or you'll need to remove the leg portions to get the width down.

This isn't to say your design is flawed, it's just, for compact setups, I have a hard enough time with my tripod, head and slider in a duffle bag now. I imagine the best solution though would be to just change out the bolts on the end so you could attach and detach the leg assembly quickly. In this scenario, I think they'd be VERY easy to use.

Since I leave my head on the slider, I am thinking of building some kind of case to hold it and my tripod as to keep the rail from getting dinged up in my duffle bag.
Click to expand...

The feet go on and off in seconds...two screws. I have also provided a user in Ireland with knobs, so he can remove the legs even faster. Lots of options.
I don't always use the feet either and when they are off, you put the feet out to the side and they don't take-up any room at all!

(like so...)
ZShandledetail3_sm.jpg


...and they make a great club! :Drogar-BigGrin(DBG)
 
Okay, with knobs on there, that would be perfect for storing quickly. I am bitter towards allen screws at the moment since the universe likes to constantly hide my allen wrenches from me on a daily basis! :)
 
grimepoch said:
Okay, with knobs on there, that would be perfect for storing quickly. I am bitter towards allen screws at the moment since the universe likes to constantly hide my allen wrenches from me on a daily basis! :)
Click to expand...

LOL! I include allen wrenches with each set of legs... really, if it take you more than 10 seconds to remove the 2 screws...you're doing something wrong.

Knobs seem like the answer for you...although, it'd be your luck to lose those too.:laugh:

As I designed these I wanted to make sure they were easy to tweak so the DIYer's could make them their own. I thought the creative minds here would think of some great modifications, but I've actually sold more of these to people outside this community...strange...:huh:
 
Last edited:
I certainly love Zaza's legs (um, not the human ones) but I'm seriously over my target weight (& size) already. I know my option may not be as stable, but I hope it will work.

I am attaching a PDF file showing my proposed plan to accomplish the following:
- Couple two sets of 10-80 rail
- Create super-light legs
- Increase versatility (same threads used for all braces)
- Allow for multiple mounts to the carriage
- Add a brake (same as Zaza's, just illustrated)

This allows me to place the legs anywhere along the rail. Plus, I can use the coupling braces as leg braces if for some reason I need a super-wide reach.

Currently, I think I'll just get threaded aluminum to use for legs, and screw them in. This is the poorest part of the design, but I couldn't find any right-angle adapters like you see in Zacuto's stuff. Any suggestions for this? (It would take forever to adjust!)

A fast reply would be awesome since I see the machinist tomorrow morning!

-paul
 

Attachments

I'd also worry about flexing with those with the weight from the camera as the center of gravity shifts around as you move it since they are solid.

The nice thing about zaza's legs is they can account for uneven ground (up to a point) which is a pretty good thing.

I've built a poor mans ground stabalizer using these 2 foot long pieces of metal I bought from Lowes that have holes all the way down them, which I think are called angle iron. They look like this http://image.made-in-china.com/4f0j00pBeQsMurYTVC/Perforated-Angle-Iron.jpg somewhat. Think they are galvanized, but haven't tried them out just yet. Working on attaching some feet on to them at the moment that I can adjust with the position of two bolts on a straight up and down threaded screw.

I'l probably end up buying a pair of zaza feet though, as they are really nice.
 
These legs would account for uneven ground too, by screwing each leg to desired height. The problem is the time it would take to screw a long length of each rod. Also, the leg braces are very short and the angle of the feet is such that there shouldn't be a problem with flex.

I just think I need a better snapping solution, or something that clamps the feet instead of threading them into the brace.
 
finedesign said:
I just think I need a better snapping solution, or something that clamps the feet instead of threading them into the brace.
Click to expand...

If you could make the hole just wide enough that when the leg is straight up and down there is enough room it could move freely, but once you move it into position, it engages with the threads, if that makes sense. Then you can get it close to position quickly, then screw the rest of the way up or down for minor adjustments.
 
grimepoch said:
If you could make the hole just wide enough that when the leg is straight up and down there is enough room it could move freely, but once you move it into position, it engages with the threads, if that makes sense. Then you can get it close to position quickly, then screw the rest of the way up or down for minor adjustments.
Click to expand...

That's a great idea, actually! But the machinist suggested a set screw for each leg. So basically I don't need the threaded rods...it will just be a smooth rod, and a hole will be drilled into the side of the leg plate to screw in the set screw that will lock the rod. I think it's perfect. I can adjust rapidly in the field, and it's about as light as it gets.

If anyone is interested, I could adjust the pdf after the end result. (It's also a little off because the "actual size" page is not actually actual size.)
 
I can't find anymore the start stop screw at the first page...te white screw sistem there was a few days ago...Where is it? I'm working on the slider today.....
 
I saw 3-4 slider systems at the NAB show that were based on the same Igus Drylin rail and sliders. Not significantly different from the kinds of things people are DIY here, but at 10-20x the price. (!)
 
Richard Crowley said:
I saw 3-4 slider systems at the NAB show that were based on the same Igus Drylin rail and sliders. Not significantly different from the kinds of things people are DIY here, but at 10-20x the price. (!)
Click to expand...

That's what I'm talking about! That's why I started this thread... slide my friends...slide...:thumbsup:
 
Hi guys,
yesterday i went finally to the depot, and he made the holes in the carriage. As i went back home i noticed that the 2 screws that are on the side of the manfrotto 357 quick release plate can't get in the hole...So i gotta bring it back to the guy of the DEPOT tomorrow. Am i doing right to use one of theese screws on the side of the 357 QRPlate to attach the carriage to the Manfrotto Fluid head?

Other question:
i can't find a good price for the Manfrotto 501hdv, if i buy the 701 hdv model would be good anyway?
thx
 
Steve Arenam said:
Hi guys,
yesterday i went finally to the depot, and he made the holes in the carriage. As i went back home i noticed that the 2 screws that are on the side of the manfrotto 357 quick release plate can't get in the hole...So i gotta bring it back to the guy of the DEPOT tomorrow. Am i doing right to use one of theese screws on the side of the 357 QRPlate to attach the carriage to the Manfrotto Fluid head?
Click to expand...

You should be drilling and tapping a 3/8"-16 hole in the carriage. All you need is a 3/8"-16 bolt that's about 3/4" long. This screws up through the bottom of the carriage and into the fluid head. Easy. (see first post)

Other question:
i can't find a good price for the Manfrotto 501hdv, if i buy the 701 hdv model would be good anyway?
thx
Click to expand...
701 works fine.... I use a 701RC2 I found on eBay cheap.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top