New DIY Camera Slider

Recent inquiries to PBC,they state you must deal with one of there distributors. There is a 3 week delay.
Update:
I just made contact with a PBC distributor Applied Industrial Technologies. They are located in Jamesburg NJ- 609-4092609 - spoke with Greg Staats. Very easy transaction.
I ordered:
Carriage - PFIC UGA040C $ 36.90
Rail- PFIC UGA040R $47.07

Tax and shipping not included 3 week delay.
email: sco176@applied.com
 
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Just ordered from Motion Industries in Jackson, MS.
100mm carriage with hand brake (UGA040C-0P1G10) $49.62
1000mm rail $52.31

Should be here in a couple weeks. I'll keep you all posted.
 
Just received a 1000mm low profile uni-guide w/ 100mm carriage & brake. I'll do a side by side with the igus.
First impressions; it's only made in a 40mm width (so far), so smaller rigs or DSLR would work.

Out of the box... it slides O.K., but hangs-up a bit on spots. The brake is just a simple screw, which is an easy DIY project.
Best part so far... my ZazaBasic Feet support this nicely.

More soon....
 
I finally got mine in on the 29th. First impression. SOLID I haven't noticed any hanging at all. I bought the 1000mm rail and the 150mm sled. Total cost 97.32 I still have to add a camera head and legs. It is a bit louder than I was hoping it would be but as long as I pull / push real slow it's quite.
 
My order from back in September just came in too! Like other post, extremely solid. I'm guessing that it will "quiet down" after some break-in. Next step is to fabricate pully system for more controlled movement.

Of course, it came in the same day that I sent my 7D in for repair:( what's another month after waiting 2.

Turnaround on the units should be much faster now. They had tooling issues with the first run.
 
Anchor Media Studio said:
I finally got mine in on the 29th. First impression. SOLID I haven't noticed any hanging at all. I bought the 1000mm rail and the 150mm sled. Total cost 97.32 I still have to add a camera head and legs. It is a bit louder than I was hoping it would be but as long as I pull / push real slow it's quite.
Click to expand...

DVXWPB said:
My order from back in September just came in too! Like other post, extremely solid. I'm guessing that it will "quiet down" after some break-in. Next step is to fabricate pully system for more controlled movement.

Of course, it came in the same day that I sent my 7D in for repair:( what's another month after waiting 2.

Turnaround on the units should be much faster now. They had tooling issues with the first run.
Click to expand...


Really? Did we all get the same thing? 1000mm low profile uni-guide?
40mm wide?

I think this would work great for small cameras or smaller-riged DSLR's. It's comparable with the igus 10-40 (square or round), which prices out just about the same.
Once I set it up with support on both ends (for low shots), I found that just 5 lbs. on the carriage caused the rail to flex and prevented it from sliding at all.
I have to try it with my D90, cause there's no way this will work with a DVX or bigger camera.

I also found it a bit louder then the igus (all I have to compare is the 16-60mm igus rail), which makes sense since PBC's rail is square (in this instance), there is more surface area on the rail when sliding.

The carriage is one piece and CNC machined. There are small teflon lining that ride the rail. The brake is just a screw (and costs extra).

I'd be more then glad to dig out a 40mm piece of igus rail and show them side by side if anyone has an interest?

PS- This won't work for my purposes (heavier cameras), so if anyone's interested...I'll be selling it shortly, PM me if interested.
 
Yes, I got the 100mm carriage and the 1000mm of rail. I just popped an old DVX on there and I feel no difference in smoothness with it on or off. My 7D and largest lens, 24-70 2.8 can't weigh but a few more ounces than the DVX. With a little fine tuning and luck, the brake seems to be able to add pretty consistent resistance for s l o w moves.

FWIW, the rail is actually 50mm wide. The 40mm is the flat bottom that would attach to 8020 or table top.

In response to an earlier post, the rail comes with several .25" holes pre-drilled. There is on in the dead center of the rail. I drilled it out using a 5/16" bit and tapped for 3/8" (standard) tripod threading. For the carriage I drilled and tapped same size, placed a 3/8" bolt, standard hex head, threaded on the tripod head, and there was 1/8" clearance between that bolt and the thread coming up from the tripod mast.

From what I can tell, if pushing gently on the carriage itself, there is no flex in the rail. Any flex seems to be coming from the tripod mast itself - and it is only about 1/8" deflection. I'm sure once I attach it to a real video tripod (using lightweight Induro tripod at home) it will be very sturdy.

I must say that I have no prior experience with sliders of any type, short of playing with them on a trade show floor - DP Slider. I personally didn't like the roller bearing configuration, as it was too loose. Hard to make a smooth stop. Yes, I could have bought Cinevate or Kessler, but boy, I like the fact that I only dropped $100 on it. That extra $400 will now be going to getting my camera repaired/replaced. FYI - 7D is weather sealed, not water sealed.
 
DVXWPB said:
Yes, I got the 100mm carriage and the 1000mm of rail. I just popped an old DVX on there and I feel no difference in smoothness with it on or off. My 7D and largest lens, 24-70 2.8 can't weigh but a few more ounces than the DVX. With a little fine tuning and luck, the brake seems to be able to add pretty consistent resistance for s l o w moves.
Click to expand...
Was the rail suspended on END supports? When on feet, it flexed with 5 lbs. on it...try it.
Flat on the floor, I'm sure it will be good and smooth. This also leads me to believe it will flex as you slide to the end (once you have it on the tripod)

FWIW, the rail is actually 50mm wide. The 40mm is the flat bottom that would attach to 8020 or table top.
Click to expand...
Yes, but I'm refering to the rail centers...it's 40mm on center.

FWIW... the igus version of this is only $79.99.
http://www.amazon.com/DryLin®-W1040...UCVG/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1291263490&sr=8-2:happy:
 
No, Zaza, it was not supported on the ends, just the center. I can see how your setup would be different than supporting it from the center. I just did a quick test and, though no visible, it does bind up in the center of the rail if the supports are at the very ends of the rail. I moved the supports in to the 4th hole and there was no flex. Moved very smooth. Based on your setup (using your feet), if you can get a sturdier product for similar price, the low profile uniglide just might be a fail.
 
cubitfox said:
I'd really like to know anyone's final verdict.
Should I get the Igus $80 kit (http://www.amazon.com/DryLin®-W1040-Linear-Motion-Sliders/dp/B0044DUCVG/ref=pd_cp_p_1)
Or should I find a way to get the PBC version? If so, how should I go about it?
Click to expand...

I'd have to say...go igus....BUT, if you'd like the PBC I have one for sale: http://www.dvxuser.com/V6/showthread.php?231109-*NEW*-39-quot-PBC-Low-Profile-Uni-guide-slider-rail!

Here's my take:
I researched linear motion companies for 3 months and realized that igus was the way to go...that's what prompted me to share the ZazaSlider. The original offerings from PBC were too expensive.
I got a piece of this new stuff to check it out. First, for me, 60mm width rail is the minimum for stability and good rigid support (I shoot with an HMC150 w/35mm adapter, FF, Matte box, etc. 8 to 12 lbs.),
this rail is only 40mm in width. So, I compared to the igus 10-40mm rail.

The igus is much more ridgid. With the rail sitting flat between end supports and while applying a little pressure to the carriage, slide....adding more pressure until the rail flexed and the carriage would no
longer slide. The PBC (1000mm length) failed pretty quick. I put a 2 lb. weight on it...and it wouldn't slide at all. The igus rail (again, the 10-40mm rail, not the 16-60mm) was still sliding fine with 15 lbs. on it
(I ran out of weights).

There you have it in a nutshell... IMHO.

If you need instruction, etc... www.zazaslider.com

I still recommend the 16-60mm rail, it will handle DSLR's to bigger rigs and offers
lots of mount/support options. :beer:
 
Hey Ron,

Jimmy Burrell from Brandon, MS. Going to Motion Industries tomorrow to pick mine up. It just came in.
Wondered how you've made out with yours?
 
Hi Everyone,

Not trying to hack the thread here, but I'm keen to know if anyone has tried this out and the thread I started on it just kind of died....

Hey Everyone,

I know this has already been posted in a previous thread, but there hasn't been much discussion on it as of late and I am really curious to see if anyone has tried out this rail and carriage system as a camera slider:

http://www.pbclinear.com/LPRR-Low-Pr...l-Linear-Guide

Seems like it could be a really good option. I think it would be very smooth as it uses a ball bearing system as oppossed to the popular sythetic teflon, etc. linear systems. I was all set to buy the igus and build myself a zazaslider, but now I'm not so sure...Let me know what you guys think...
Click to expand...

I got a quote for it for $130.

Slide on.
 
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