Stabilizer Project

[Simon Höfer]

Ok, as part of my Studio Project I am building a stabilizer similar to the Glidecam 4000. It is actually more complicated than I thought in the beginning, but right now I am already quite far.

The most tricky part is to find all the components, which even fit together nicely. How about a limited selection of aluminum pipes for which no proper bearings exist?

Cutting metal is also not that easy The plates are sadly no aluminum.

I am using no plans to build it. Well I got a plan in my head from looking at other stabilizers. And today I actually made a few crappy drawings on how to plan the top of the stabilizer. Took me some time to figure out how I can make it moveable back and forth and also from left to right.

Tomorrow I am going to buy the big bearing. I must also buy more screws and nuts and some more parts for the gimbal as well as an aluminum part.


Here are some pictures so far:

My drawing from today. Probably uselesse for anybody else than me

 

[Simon Höfer]

Ok, I bought some more parts today. Most expensive one was the big bearing ( about 21$). I already had the small bearings...

Cutting metal with the right equipment would be really nice

 

[Simon Höfer]

By the way, my costs will be around 83$. But I have got some parts double, so I could build a second one cheaper.

 

[alekstef]

Looks cool! Can't wait to see it

 

[Simon Höfer]

I also cant wait to see it But there is still quite a lot to do.

I just finished one side of the slide connection of the camera plate. Really happy with the outcome

 

[Simon Höfer]

Ok, today was quite successful. I nearly finished the camera plate/head.

I just have to cut parts of some screwheads. Right now it is not fully slideable.

 

[waefre]

Liking what I see so far. Keep it up!

 

[Logan LeBlanc]

Man, it reminds me of an Erector set : ) Ahh, the good old days when our toys were cheap.

 

[Simon Höfer]

Today I put the big bearing onto the main post. Man, that is tight You need good arguments to move that thing. Once I know how big the gimal connection will be, I have to move it to the right position.

 

[HorseFilms]

That's looking pretty nice!:thumbsup:

 

[Simon Höfer]

Thanks alot Horse! I am doing my best.

Ok, today I finished the first part of the gimbal connection. It is not the best solution, but it works. I did it like this, because I cant drill a hole with the diameter of the small bearings.

And I have got the clip to connect the main post with the extension post.

I think thats all I need. In the next days I will hopefully finish it.

 

[Simon Höfer]

Well, it is almost finished. I still have to attach the handle.

Including the camera it weighs about 11.9 pounds, so I will build me an arm support.

Right now I think the screws to the big bearing are not exaclty centered. Therefore the camera is not perfectly balanced. So I will take care of that tomorrow.

 

[HorseFilms]

That's pretty impressive, man. I'd love to see some footage when you have everything worked out and get a little time to practice.

 

[Simon Höfer]

Thank you Horse! I really appreciate your comment. I should watch your 3000 Post video again today

I finally got the handle welded to the gimbal. And I put the foam from a bicycle handle on it.

When everything is working and I got a little bit trained, I will definately put up some footage.

 

[Simon Höfer]

Today I put together a really cheap "arm brace". No big effort. Actually it works really nice.

Now its time for training. Made a few tests today, but it is still far away from being really good. Once I get better I will post some footage, so stay tuned.

 

[Simon Höfer]

Just a little follow up. Ted asked about my stabilizer in my Timefest Thread:

Hey Simon, I was checking out DIY steadicams and I saw your contraption. Pretty Cool!

How did that ever turn out? Do you still use it?

.............

That looked like a pretty intense DIY project. How well does it work? What changes would you make to it (if any)?

And that's what I answered:

Hey Ted,
I haven't used it latetly. Actually due to the fact, that I didn't film at all lately. I try to get my ass up with this entry. Even though it doesn't involve the steadicam.

Yeah, it was quite an intense project. Took me much longer to build than expected.

I would say it works quite well, but it definately has some flaws.

1. Main problem is the shell arround the big bearing. The up and down axis is not totally centered. And probably the big bearing is not perfectly aligned horizontally on the main post. That means, I can balance my Stabilizer, but when I pan the camera to the left or right it slightly swings to one direction and is not complete straight anymore.

2. I would build the gimbal connection for the up and down axis different. It was a compromise in the first place, because I was not able to drill big holes into the metal sheets. I used 4 bearings in a way they are not suposed to be used. It works, but is not perfect.

3. Build it as light as possible! It is quite heavy. If possible, try to use aluminum only. I didn't and I see what I've got.

I wanted to improve #1, but didn't follow up. Will probably do that some day.