DIY Zacuto Striker For $75

MagicCat said:
Another contact point I have found interesting, when trying to make stabilizers that inter-act with my body, is the back of my neck. If you take a DSLR, put a strap on it and wrap the strap around the back of your neck, along with bracing it from the front like many of the "Chest-Rest" or front of shoulder type configurations like this one, you end up with a push-and-pull system that becomes surprisingly stable. Not to mention, my neck does not cause rise and fall from breathing, or as much side to side motion as my shoulders induce. I can turn my head, look up or down (for the most part), without much problem. You end up steering the camera with your whole body. Especially pulling from the back of your neck, and bracing it from the front of both of your shoulders or your waist. It has it's obvious limitations, but I have found these points of contact on my body are pretty stable when it comes to keeping the camera still.

Hope this makes sense, it is hard to describe with out pics.

Food for thought
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Thanks for the tip! I've thought of making some sort of shoulder hook to take some of the weight and make things more stable. But now you have me thinking about making something for my neck.
 
Hi everyone.


This is a great project! Really impressed!


How do you mount the ZoomH4N? Could you post a picture please?

Anyone ideas on how to get material in Germany?
 
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hannes550d said:
Hi everyone.


This is a great project! Really impressed!


How do you mount the ZoomH4N? Could you post a picture please?

Anyone ideas on how to get material in Germany?
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Here you are. I just use an extra 90° clamp that I made. I use a short piece of 1/4-20 threaded rod with a large washer and an acorn nut on the end. Just hand tightening it works for me.
With Magic Lantern software I don't really need the h4n now.
IMG_1680.jpgIMG_1673.jpgIMG_1675.jpgIMG_1684.jpg
 
Went to my german "home depot" today... thought about using aluminium pipes - would you consider this to be an option? Thanks for your great support!
 
hannes550d said:
Went to my german "home depot" today... thought about using aluminium pipes - would you consider this to be an option? Thanks for your great support!
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Sure it's an option as long as they are sturdy enough for what you are using them for. You'll have to try different drill sizes to see what works best for the holes in the clamps. The idea is a snug fit but so tight that you have to struggle to get the rods through. Also take into account that painting the rods will make them slightly larger.

One thing you'll want to keep in mind.....If you use my dimensions for the clamps with different drill sizes it will change the amount of material there is around the hole. If there is too much material the clamp will be too stiff and won't grip the rod very well. Also you will run the risk of stripping out the threads of the tightening knobs. The aluminum rods in home depots around here are Ø1/2" so you would have to alter the dimensions accordingly.

Hope you can follow what I'm saying.
 
I will try to use pipes / rods that have almost the same dimension as yours... I am still thinking about away of doing a diy Cross Fire... :D
 
hannes550d said:
I will try to use pipes / rods that have almost the same dimension as yours... I am still thinking about away of doing a diy Cross Fire... :D
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I've always wanted to make a base plate like Zacuto's so I could configure the rig into a cross fire.
I'll draw up what I'm thinking and post it later.
 
Ok here is the first "Crossfire" concept. What ya think.
It's not done yet obviously missing some nuts and bolts ect..

The design is simple. Just a rectangular piece of plastic with a hole in each corner for the rods. The angle bracket is something like this ....http://www.homedepot.com/Building-M...splay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053

The rest are just pieces I would already have from my striker rig.

The trickiest part would be drilling the holes strait so the rods are parallel. You would probably need a drill press.

I also would like to make it so the two bottom holes were clamps so I could adjust the rods or remove them if I desired. Otherwise I was just thinking I would epoxy them in with the top ones.

Let me know about any ideas you have.

Crossfire_view3.JPGCrossfire_view2.JPGCrossfire_view1.JPG
 
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Wohooo! Looks awesome!

I love it! Just ordered POM (basically the same as Delrin I guess...) and am looking forward to trying your ideas out!

Are those CAD drawings?


I admire your talent!
 
hannes550d said:
Wohooo! Looks awesome!

I love it! Just ordered POM (basically the same as Delrin I guess...) and am looking forward to trying your ideas out!

Are those CAD drawings?


I admire your talent!
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Thanks Hannes550d! I think you will be the first to actually try doing this DIY project!

Yes those are photo rendered cad drawings.

Yes POM (Polyoxymethylene) is delrin according to a quick search. I didn't know it also went by that name. It's also called Acetal Homopolymer or Polyacetal for those having trouble finding it.

I am refining the concept. Will post update.
 
Great DIY rig ! Would you mind posting what material you used for the pipes? Also, would you mind telling me the dimensions for each piece of pipe you used ? ^^
 
QuentinB said:
Great DIY rig ! Would you mind posting what material you used for the pipes? Also, would you mind telling me the dimensions for each piece of pipe you used ? ^^
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The pipe material is regular 1/2" copper pipe painted black.

The pipes attached to the handle and quick attach are 6" long. The pipe attached to the gunstock is around 7.5" long and the horizontal one is 8" long.
 
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