my attempt to build a Follow Focus

[DavidD]

Hey Puck,

I went out and sourced the Ilsco TA-350 and found something a bit weird.
There is the part where the railing tubing goes through, but on the side with the hole for securing, the bottom part is raised obstructing the full circle. Hard to explain. If you are looking through the hole that you put the rails through, one side of the circular opening is completely open and circular, but as you get to the other side, there is a kind-of raised part that prevents a rail from completely sliding through - the raised part is in red and obstructs the opening enough that you don't get a tight fit.

Now, I was looking at the TA-350i series, maybe you have an older model, the TA-350 and they don't have that problem. Where did you get yours?

Also, what diameter of rails did you end up using? ARe they the standard 15mm?

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

i got mine locally at an electronics supplu store that was definitely way off the beaten bath. it was the Ilsco TA-350 and I took my rails with me to make sure I got the correct fit. Mine definitely do not have a lip on the other side of the hole.

Is there anyway you can sand that bit down or cut it down to size? since its aluminium it shouldn't be too hard...

 

[DavidD]

I was thinking about that - they are about $2.50 a piece, so I am going to try and find another first. What size are your carbon/aluminum rails?

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

mine were the rails from Ikea and they measure in at 16mm. a little off-spec but my entire rail system is DIY including the lens support.

 

[j]

Two solutions, both involve drilling...

First time I drilled thru the 15mm shaft (w/ a 15mm drill bit) to enable the tubes to clear.

The next project I cut off the end to make a cube. I then drilled a hole in the center and counter sunk for new screw location.

 

[DavidD]

Were you running across the same problem of the 'lip' with the TA-350's? If you cut off the end, then there isn't really a way to secure it to the platform.

 

[j]

Not without drilling.

I would cut off the lip and drill a hole down the center for the new screw point.

 

[j]

Sorry for the grainy images, I don't have my camera here but I found some productions stills that show my adapter.

Hopefully this will give you an idea. Don't forget to counter-sink the new hole.

 

[DavidD]

I think I can see, do you have a picture of the cube by itself? Thank, BTW.

 

[lbwoods]

I just filed mine down

I just filed mine down

I had the same problem with the lip but i took care of it with a hand file. I like the look of the cube (with the tongue cut off) but i'm wondering if you lost stability by only attaching with one screw, i have drilled and countersunk down the center hole and was planning on leaving the tongue just for stability. any thoughts.

 

[j]

It fits snug on the rail.

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

I'm back and with pics and stuff.

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gears assembly

try to get one of these sliding rods from a photostore and cut off the end.. it's perfect for allowing the FF to slide back and forth.. dunno what it's called though.

this part wasw from Home Depot... it's the back end of one of those plastic pieces they use to fill holes to allow wires through a wall or piece of wood. has a little lip that pushes the whiteboard piece up... gives it a little space...

fully assembled. the whiteboard piece is actually white vinyl on top of a black disk.. i got lucky and
found one the perfect size at Ikea... I love ikea AS-IS department

on camera

don't it look purty?

 

[DavidD]

Bravo again. I wish I could get that fishing reel that you found! Is that a new one? If it is new, what is the model number?

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

it's the same reel... i like to recycle and not waste parts. don't they still not have the small reels in Canadaland?

 

[DavidD]

ha, not a chance. I do look in the USA every once in a while at Wal-Mart,, but have never seen that type...what is the model again?

 

[j]

that looks great.

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

You know what: I think I'm going to have to go and remake this follow focus unit, this time keeping track of the types of materials i used and list them all, so we can have a true step by step of how to build your own. I'll tackle this project this weekend.

I must stress this though, the importance of having rock solid rail support. without that, any follow focus will be useless.

So I'll be off to Walmart to get the fishing reel, and then to Home Depot to get hardware. Gotta see if I can grab anymore of those Ilsco bits from the electrical store too for the rail support....

 

[DavidD]

Great news. Puck, this has gotten me excited about the project again! Post as soon as you know the parts, please.

 

[fenigirl]

Looking forward to seeing your plans. I NEED a follow focus BAD. Cant wait. BTW, yours looks great.

 

[Rodney V. Smith]

You know, I was looking at my first follow focus going over the parts list and trying to cut down on dedundancy, and I just realized something: with the right sized gear this could also control the DVX Focus.

I'm going to integrate this into my new set-up and see where it takes me. Should be interesting (and useful) to have a follow focus that handles both the 35mm and the DVX. All anyone really needs is the sliding rail and everything else should fall into place but by bit...