FluidHead diy?

J

james d

Member
So I'd kinda like to save $11000 on a top of the line fluid head...but wouldn't know where to begin because I don't think anyone has ever attempted a diy option..., I can't get access to a high end one feasibly...

Now to try and make one I'm not talking parts sourced from your off the shelf hardware store... I've got access to a cnc machine, I'm just wondering if there is a really good reason why this has not been done yet by a keen diy'er trying to save.. These things are overly expensive to buy and even to hire..

My thoughts on it.. decent tripod legs shouldn't be hard to make but the head remains a mystery, the mechanics of how it works.
 
I agree by myself is a small feat maybe... Maybe we can all bash our heads together and come up with a desgin. Apart from motion capture it's one of the tools I have yet to see much info on the the DIY front. I'm looking to replicate one of the high end heads... I think the money saved if it could be done could be worth it... I might need a head which is capable of holding 2x camera rigs.. and renting is the only option and I hate wasting money especially since I will be owning one of the cameras.
 
James, I am curious what's inside a top-flight fluid head as well. I took apart my Cartoni C-15, but the actual fluid damper looked to be a sealed unit. So I learned nothing about what's inside nor how it might be fabricated.
 
****. why stop with a head, why not a diy camera too...? at some point DIY becomes "boutique manufacturing."
 
I think some people have a diy camera proejct started and it's looking quite good but the sad news ab out that now is that they probably won't make it in time before the bmc revolution which is coming maybe... I think if you can DIY it for what might appear to be mineral or OVERPRICE tools then I say fair play... I can understand the price for mo cap or similar being so expensive... but something which tilts smoothly and just supports upto around 60kg for around $11000 is stupid amounts to paying... but it's just the way the industry is.
 
Have you thought of DIYing a geared head instead of a fluid head. Since they use simple mechanical parts instead of hydraulic damping, which seems to me to take a great amount of R&D to get right, it might be easier to build on your own.
 
if you really want to look into building a diy fluid head, do a google on "adjustable rotary dampers", or something similar. i guess you'll find something to work with.. i like the thought of building one, and if you have the machines to do it, it's really worth a try if you have the time...

i can imagine that the general concept behind such a fluid dampening is that the fluid gets more or less room to flow in, depending on the dampening setting of course (hope this is english enough for you to understand it lol)
 
David G. Smith said:
Have you thought of DIYing a geared head instead of a fluid head. Since they use simple mechanical parts instead of hydraulic damping, which seems to me to take a great amount of R&D to get right, it might be easier to build on your own.
Click to expand...

I did start a project on a geared head. i made up some drawings in CAD and then lost interest. I don't have the tooling to cut the big radial gear. It would be a fun project though.
 
stefanhuberfilms said:
if you really want to look into building a diy fluid head, do a google on "adjustable rotary dampers", or something similar. i guess you'll find something to work with.. i like the thought of building one, and if you have the machines to do it, it's really worth a try if you have the time...
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Click to expand...


Good lead. That led to this: http://www.enidine.com/Industrial/RVDmain.html "Each RVD contains a solid, rotating element called a “rotor”. This rotor is surrounded by a thin film of silicone fluid and sealed inside a stationary housing. The RVD’s rotor provides resistance by shearing the silicone fluid, controlling the desired motion. "

It looks very much like what is in my Cartoni, but this one is not adjustable.
 
If you want to make a head yourself, then why not use a post head. Much easier to construct because the physics of spinning a camera on it's CoG are simpler than designing in the method of keeping a heavy camera in one place, when the centre of gravity shifts as you tilt. Bill Vinten's original designs used parallelograms, cams and clever tricks, and the weight made smooth movement easier. Looking at the exploded diagrams in the vinten service manual makes me wonder at the complexity. Milling with a fancy machine is the end part, the design, prototypes and other stages will probably mean yours will cost more than an off the shelf one, and be less good. Well, at least the first ten versions.
 
Magnetorheological Fluid, it changes apparent viscosity based on the strength of an applied magnetic field. Not to be confused with Ferrofluid, which has different properties.

Here is a video showing it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=toPsSqwxOG4

I have a design in my head which uses MR Fluid, and 2 adjustable magnets to adjust viscosity of the fluid for pan/tilt. I wish I was good at 3d modeling, lol.

A DIY prototype version could be built using PVC plumbing parts, some unthreaded rod, tap & die set, nuts, bolts, washer, some bearings, mineral oil, fine iron filings, citric acid, some other odds and ends. Maybe I will try it this summer.
 
Great ideas here guys,
Over the course of this thread though I have changed my thinking..$11k for something which is potentially keeping up to maybe 500k's worth of equipment safe and accurately moving is comparatively understandable but, I still think it's overpriced just a little.

I would think if going down the geared route is the best option as this stage unless..

I would offer my skills as a cad user if i can to help get the project off the ground.

I'd also be interested at previous users designs.
 
The market for heads with a 60 kg capacity is quite limited, hence the high prices. Most of us would not want to lug around a tripod big and heavy enough to support that much weight; no recent camera rig I've used in the last ten years or so has exceeded 15 kg ready to fly (and more often half of that). So even if you can DIY one for your own use, I don't see it as a product a lot of other people would be interested in owning. The big manufacturers have a lead of many decades on you developing and testing their designs and production techniques, and are probably delivering their products at as close to the lowest price possible considering the materials and processes used and the size of the market.

But the good news is that the same limited market sometimes makes it possible to pick up a used unit at a bargain price from a studio that is upgrading or going out of business -- watching websites and auction listings, and getting to know the people in your area who may have leads on surplus equipment may be a better investment of your time than putting it into R&D on the mechanics. These things last a lifetime if well maintained and even an older model Vinten, Sachtler, Mitchell, O'Connor, etc. will almost certainly perform better than what you could create on your first try in the machine shop.

- Greg
 
as fun as this would be and as impressed as i am with some of you guys' technical knowledge. i agree with greg in that you get into a situation of demand vs effort.

anyone who can justify the NEED for an $11,000 head or has $500,000 of gear to put on a head, PROBABLY has no problem with a head costing $11,000
 
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