DPCFilms CableCam

DCERVENKA

DCERVENKA

Well-known member
Here's my CableCam design that I've been playing around for with a while. It originally started out as a gravity driven CableCam system, but rapidly grew into the one you see below. Here are some of the specs:

CableCam Setup
  • Futaba 2-Channel Radio Controller
  • Motor Driven (originally a Harbor Freight 18v Cordless drill motor until it went up in flames, literaly... now Dewalt 18v motor)
  • Victor 885 Speed Controller
  • The drivetrain is built from std. 32 pitch RC Car parts
  • 2.4 Ghz Wireless video feed (Both the transmitter and receiver run off 12v DC and I can view the action on my VZ-TFT7 16:9 7" monitor)
  • 5.25" aluminum wheels (will be swapped out for 3" now that it's motor-driven)
A few tidbits on my rigging - Safety was a big concern for me so after countless hours of research I decided to go with a synthetic line vs. wire rope (a.k.a. steel cable.) The extra $.25/ft was worth it for me and it's lighter too..
  • AmSteel-12 synthetic rope - Same stuff the 4 wheelers use to replace their winch cables with. (MBS: 8k+ lbs)
  • Sterling 5mm Cord (for Safety line)
  • Omega Pacific 1/2" Steel Carabiners (MBS: 14k+ lbs))
  • Maillon Rapide Delta Quick Links (MBS: 10k+ lbs))
  • Sterling 1" Heavy Duty Webbing (MBS: 9k+lbs)
  • 2-ton come along
VIDEO:
http://www.dpcfilms.com/HowTo/Articles/CableCam/CableCamVideo-JibJam.asp

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That's fricking awesome, you sick sick man!!! :D (just kiddin) Nice work! My cable cam design is totally going to change a bit...
 
freakin cool design.

Footage would have been cool to see that from the side too, with the camera zooming along at almost eye level with the dudes doing.....well....whatever that was.
 
waefre said:
Woah nice, got any clips you can post.
Click to expand...
Yes, there is a VIDEO link in my original post.


erdiaz said:
some other pics or plans, may be?
Click to expand...
I'm still tweaking the design, so I will post up more pics and plans once I get the newest revision finished.


DivotDan said:
freakin cool design.
Footage would have been cool to see that from the side too, with the camera zooming along at almost eye level with the dudes doing.....well....whatever that was.
Click to expand...
I agree. With the new motor/tranny the speed issue will be resolved and more new and exciting angles to come.



alekstef said:
How much did it all cost you? How much did the motor cost you? More pics?
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Too much! :crybaby: - Rigging was around $400, then another $600 and counting for the materials, original motor, batteries, new motor, speed controller, etc..


Once I get the closer to finalizing this design I will release the build page that includes detailed steps where to buy all the materials and how to put it together.
 
Nice job.

How much tension do you put in the rope? Have you determined the maximum angle of climb you can achieve or do you always go downhill?

This is good source for parts/components such as motors: grainger.com
 
Ooo man! That looks amazing! awesome job!

By the way, just to keep you updated. I've been busy ADing features, but I'll try to get you some DVX footage soon; especially with the underwater housing. The camera is in good hands :thumbsup: Thanks again and hopefully the next time we talk I'll have some stuff to show ya.
 
How much is this stuff? Because I love it but I thing that wireless and LCD and those stuff aren't pretty cheap. I'll have this for filming a snowboard movie, and how heavy is that? thanks for answers
Baja

DCERVENKA said:
Here's my CableCam design that I've been playing around for with a while. It originally started out as a gravity driven CableCam system, but rapidly grew into the one you see below. Here are some of the specs:

CableCam Setup
  • Futaba 2-Channel Radio Controller
  • Motor Driven (originally a Harbor Freight 18v Cordless drill motor until it went up in flames, literaly... now Dewalt 18v motor)
  • Victor 885 Speed Controller
  • The drivetrain is built from std. 32 pitch RC Car parts
  • 2.4 Ghz Wireless video feed (Both the transmitter and receiver run off 12v DC and I can view the action on my VZ-TFT7 16:9 7" monitor)
  • 5.25" aluminum wheels (will be swapped out for 3" now that it's motor-driven)
A few tidbits on my rigging - Safety was a big concern for me so after countless hours of research I decided to go with a synthetic line vs. wire rope (a.k.a. steel cable.) The extra $.25/ft was worth it for me and it's lighter too..
  • AmSteel-12 synthetic rope - Same stuff the 4 wheelers use to replace their winch cables with. (MBS: 8k+ lbs)
  • Sterling 5mm Cord (for Safety line)
  • Omega Pacific 1/2" Steel Carabiners (MBS: 14k+ lbs))
  • Maillon Rapide Delta Quick Links (MBS: 10k+ lbs))
  • Sterling 1" Heavy Duty Webbing (MBS: 9k+lbs)
  • 2-ton come along
Click to expand...
 
Hi - I've been working away in the R&D lab (a.k.a. the garage) redesigning the drive system of the cablecam and finally got the latest parts ordered up which should be here in a week. I ordered custom CAD-designed aluminum (6061) wheels made to run on std. skate bearings and mount to a #25 chain sprocket.

Why the change? I was hard pressed to get the exact precision necessary to mate two RC gears together using the die-cast clothing line pulleys. The slightest variances between the gears was causing it to slip and chew up the nylon sprockets.


J Michael said:
How much tension do you put in the rope? Have you determined the maximum angle of climb you can achieve or do you always go downhill? Have you determined the maximum angle of climb you can achieve or do you always go downhill?
Click to expand...

I don't have an exact figure, but based on the Force calculator I found here: http://www.slacklineexpress.com/force.htm It's under 1,000lbs. The weakest point in my system is the 2-ton come-along/winch. The working load on the rigging gear is around 900-1,000 with the MBS at 9,000+ lbs.​
I mainly run it on a level zip line, so I haven'texperimented with angles much. Even on a level zip I found that it requires a lot of battery power just to do a few 300 ft passes. For extreme angles it would probably be best to run an independent pulley system to drive the CableCam.​


J Baja said:
How much is this stuff?
Click to expand...
The VZ-TFT7 16:9 7" monitor was around $600. The Wireless system $300. The RC controller I borrowed from a friend, but they normally run around $80-200. The parts (pulleys, motors, gears, batteries etc..) so far is around $500.​
JTom Films said:
Any update on a remote head or your plans on how you constructed this cablecam?
Click to expand...
I'm still waiting for the remote head to get developed by servocity.com. They keep saying it will be out anyday now.. :huh: I'll post up some plans/pics/etc once I get closer to finalizing the design. I thought I was close, but since then I've redesigned the drive system (originally RC gears.) Once I feel comfortable that it works as planned, I'll post up some more info.​








J FunKy_BudHa said:
I'll try to get you some DVX footage soon; especially with the underwater housing.
Click to expand...
Sweet! I know busy! lol.. Definitely looking forward to checking out some of the U/W footage!​
 
What sort of speed were you able to reach with your current motor? Seems like a common cordless drill motor turns around 1000 rpms. I've been searching on eBay and there are a ton of motors in the 3000-4000rpm range. Wonder what sort of speed would be capable with a motor of that rpm?

So in your opinion there isn't an adequate remote head on the market (affordably) for this setup?
 
I originally went with an 18v drill motor from Harbor Freight (HF) (bought the whole drill for $20 then took it apart - btw: I do NOT recommend this motor!)... With the HF motor and 4" pulleys using an approx 4:1 gear ratio I was able to get it up to a fast sprint speed in about 25 feet and then twice that speed before I ran out of room my 120 ft test-zip-line.. When I went with the 5.25" wheels it took a LOT more time to get it up to speed and it's evident as you see the riders get away from the CableCam in the sample video. For reference the riders were going about 20 mph..


The basic rules:
  • Small wheels = fast acceleration (assuming you can maintain traction) / lower top speed
  • Bigger wheels = slower acceleration / higher top speed / more power to get the rig going.
Do a search on google for Robot Wars and you'll find a ton of information on electric motors. The motor of choice seems to be the Dewalt 18v or the 24v (hammer drill) motor. The 18v dewalt motor ala carte was $50 (yeah 2.5x the WHOLE drill from HF) and is twice the size of the HF. Unfortunately I will not be able to do anymore real world testing until I get the new wheels/gearing later this month.

Another thing to keep in mind if the AMP draw of the electric motor you are looking at. The DEWALT 18v draws 8 Amps at FULL power with NO LOAD.. With the 20-25lbs CableCam rig, I would expect this number to be closer to 12 to 15+ AMPs.. Also, my previous run times with the HF 18v motor was only 4 to 6 passes on a 250' zipline using an el' Cheapo HF 18v NiCad battery ($9.99 - btw - I have 4 of these for sale if your interested.. ;-) A decent 24v 10 MaH battery will run around $200 (check out www.batteryspace.com for more) and I would guestimate only 20 to 30 passes, so you would definitely need more than one battery..

As for the pan/tilt head.. Yes, based on my talks with the tech guys at Servo City they have been testing their new system using a Canon XL2 and claim it will support a camera up to 13lbs. The frame is built out of 6061 aluminum and can be controlled via a RC controller or their custom joy stick (for jib arm applications) and will retail under $500. It sounds like a beefer version of this: http://www.servocity.com/html/ddt550_direct_drive_tilt.html


One thing to note is that all the "pro" designs I've seen are using an idependent pulley system to drive the CabelCam. This has the disadvantage of a longer setup time because you're not only setting up the rigging for the zip-line, but also a parallel pulley system for the drive cables. The advantage is that you can use a bigger motor for more torque/speed and power it from a generator or use a marine (Lead Acid Rechargable) battery with 110+ AMPs for longer run times.
 
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