Building your own stabilizer

[northernlanes]

click here for enlarged view of montage

.. based on the Hague Mini Motion-Cam, the parts I used were purchased from local (UK) shops but are available anywhere:

1. Mini Tripod (with built in gimbal) £5 (Tesco's supermarket)
2. Steel bar (4mm x 20mm approx 1 metre long (£3+ B&Q DIY)
3. 38mm (1.5") washers (x15)
4. pair of rubberised bike handlebar grips (£3 Asda supermarket)
5. couple of bolts + wingnuts
6. black spray paint (£3)
7. knurled tripod/camera knob (from old tripod)
8. piece of rubber

Here is my UK source for my mini tripod .. http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7242.aspx

or in the US .. http://cgi.ebay.com/Flexible-Mini-Tr...QQcmdZViewItem

or Worldwide .. http://cgi.ebay.com/Mini-travel-TRIP...QQcmdZViewItem

See also .. http://photography.search.ebay.com/m...Z1QQsofocusZbs

The bike handlebar grips should be available from any bike shop.

Tools required:
Vice, hammer, angle grinder, drill, 2-pack glue, scissors/knife (to cut rubber).

Basic method:
Bend the steel bar to shape (see photo), I didn't use a template but guessed the approximate shape, cut off the excess length of bar, also cut small (3") length for the counter weight (to offset lcd's weight). Drill holes for tripod to attach and for pivot point below (which should line up vertically with the gimbal). Drill holes in the counter weight bar. Slide handlebar grip over tripod legs and glue. Bolt washers/counter weight bar in place. Use an angle grinder to cut a slot in the top of the bar (this is for the knurled knob to allow the camcorder to slide backwards and forwards). Glue a shaped piece of rubber in place along the top of the bar (to cushion camcorder).

Points to note:
Because it is made of steel it is heavier than originals alluminium (I couldn't find a suitable piece of aluminium!) - but it doesn't matter, its the balance that counts. I use my HV20 with and without a DM-50 microphone, it is pretty well balanced (the mike) so I do not need to slide the camcorder back or forward - I just add 5 washers to the pivot point ( I pre-glued the washers together), without the mike I used 3 washers. Obviously yours may vary depending on the gauge, type, length of bar used and how you bend it, hence it is pointless me giving any dimensions. I also marked the position of the knurled knob so I can easily re find its position and I glued the bolts in place to stop them dropping out/turning when adjusting the weights.

The whole thing cost less than £15 to make (less if you can find the parts lying around at home) and took approximately 3 hours to do. Once correctly balanced with weights it works perfectly.

I don't think the meaurements are hyper critical but the end product doesn't want to be too bottom heavy, if its top heavy you can always add weight (washers) to the bottom.

The HV20 is currently attached near the back of the slot but still leaves a bit of leeway for balancing if a wide angle lens is fitted. It is a very simplistic design and once the weights are balanced correctly and the gimbal is of a good quality there is no reason why any home made stabilizer shouldn't work the same as a similarly designed professionally manufactured one.

One mod I have added is a quick release which needed to have the same fitting as the one I use with my Velbon tripod. These can be purchased for around £16 (UK) but I decided to build my own by riveting together two pieces of steel that I shaped to grip the quick release plate, it is locked in place by a third sliding piece of steel that is locked in place with a wingnut ..



click here for enlarged view

.. the whole assembly is held onto the stabilizer using a second bolt/wingnut. I painted the quick release and added some felt pads, again I glued the bolts in place to stop them rotating.

To counterbalance the extra weight up top I added approximately 6 extra washers to the bottom of the stabilizer. Now it is just a case of releasing the HV20 from the tripod and quickly relocating it onto the stabilizer - which is already pre-balanced with counterweights (washers).

[Worley]

Neat. I might try that if I get some spare time...

[Awid]

Video clips?

[_gl]

Cheap flat alluminium bars from a UK Ebay seller.

Seller recommends 5mm thickness as being rigid but still bendable. Will try some next week.


Incredibly cheap mini tripods (price includes international shipping):

** But I recommend northernlanes' Tesco one, it's metal and has the best movement range **

1 - This one is everywhere, looks metal but is plastic: $1.85.



Notes: I have this one but I'd prefer metal.


2 - Metal ball/socket version: $4.48 shipped



Notes: head looks like it has almost no movement (due to thicker stem).

Other similar tripods from same seller (DealExtreme).


Notes on DealExtreme: reliable shipping to UK (~2weeks), but lousy quality control. Take Paypal.

[northernlanes]

1 - Northern Lane's original (plastic ball/socket): $1.85.

No, mine is metal .. it never crossed my mind that some may be plastic, but Tesco's is all metal - legs, ball and socket.

Video clips ?

Sorry - I haven't any .. but its works ok, to be honest it all depends how well you make it and whether your gimbal is good quality, results shouldn't be any different to a purchased Hague stabilizer if you also balance it correctly.

[_gl]

No, mine was metal !

Are you sure? It looks like the plastic one in the pictures (thinner stem). The plastic one looks like metal, but it's not - you can see the join on the ball.

[_gl]

No, mine is metal .. it never crossed my mind that some may be plastic, but Tesco's is all metal - legs, ball and socket.

I'll have to pop in Tescos and check it out then - it seems to be the best of both worlds, as it has the thin stem = wider travel.

Is it smooth & loose? Did you oil it?

[northernlanes]

Definitely metal (bought it a couple of months ago and (at the time) it was cheaper than the current internet price), if you fully loosen the knob on the side the ball is slack in its cup (about 1mm vertical movement), but the base of the cup seems to be spring loaded. Fully tighten the knob and the ball won't move at all, so I just slaken it off till its loose but with no slack movement. The knob has a bit of friction to it so it tends to stay where its set. I don't oil it but I might put a drop of WD40 in it. PS: the nut is something I two-packed onto the stem at the bottom the threads so there was something to tighten it up against - it restricts movement to about 30 degrees from the vertical but for me this doesn't matter. PPS: When you loosen the knob the section that holds the ball (the cup bit) will spin independently of the legs - I think the plastic ones are solid here.

[_gl]

Definitely metal (bought it a couple of months ago and (at the time) it was cheaper than the current internet price)

Great, it's definitely not one of the ones DealExtreme carry. This is the plastic one, note the 'sparkly' painted plastic ('it's metal, honestly, look how shiny I am') and the seam on the ball & pin:



These are all over Ebay, so watch out.

PPS: When you loosen the knob the section that holds the ball (the cup bit) will spin independently of the legs - I think the plastic ones are solid here.

That's right. Does yours have a name or model no?

[nzo]

Brilliant! Thank you for all your hard work, design nfo etc. Greatly appreciated.

[JustinT]

Very nice. I'll probably build one after i get a WA lens + Lens hood. Approximately how long was the steel bar before you bent it into shape?

[northernlanes]

This is the exact steel bar I used ..
http://www.diy.com/diy/jsp/bq/nav/na...isSearch=false

.. 1000mm long and I used 3/4's of it.

The link for the tripod I used is here ..

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7242.aspx .. if you're UK based check it out instore.

[1]

or the infamous $14 one

SEARCH function is your friend:
http://www.hv20.com/showthread.php?t=3124
http://www.hv20.com/showthread.php?t=7151

and a ton more...
(I searched for "$14")

[K1N3T1C5]

Sorry, I will delete the post.

[phanatik]

we need vids. Evidence in action, please.

[herrflick]

This seems like a good thread to add my contraption to - I had bits and pieces to make it with that meant I didn't have to do anything more handy than use a drill and a hacksaw. I purchased a tripod ball joint for a gimbal and a sliding plate for left-right balancing. It worked out a lot better than I expected. It's bigger and heavier than the above design, but it has a lot of adjustability - I was able to mount another camera on it some additional weight on the counter balance arm - and folds up and fits in my backpack.

Here's a quicktime video of a test I did (26Mb);
http://www.harlands.com/video/paddysmedium.mov

Need more practice operating it - I am using it with 2 hands here, one on the handle and one guiding the base.

[_gl]

Here's a quicktime video of a test I did (26Mb);
http://www.harlands.com/video/paddysmedium.mov

Looking real nice. There is the occasional slight sway, but I bet that's just practice. Where was that shot btw?

The sliding plate is nice, I did notice those in my research but they were expensive. Do you have a closeup of it?

How much does it weigh (balanced with weights)? How long can you hold it without a break? When I experimented with the parts I had lying around I noticed how much strength you need, although that was a crude effort & I'm hoping the mini design with my aluminium bar will bring the weight down a little.

[northernlanes]

Quick tip for using HV20 and stabilizer:
Hold stabilizer in right hand and hold HV20 remote control in left hand to control start/stop and zoom .. saves you touching the HV20 directly and upsetting its balance, the remote control works surprisingly well even when not aimed at the reciever from the front.

[herrflick]

I have a attached a close up of the sliding plate. It was expensive but still a lot less than a modosteady, and very good quality.

Don't know the exact weight - the plate and camera on their own are about .7kg so the whole thing might be as much as 2kg (4 1/2 pounds). In the video I posted I just walked around for about 5 minutes, so the weight wasn't that much of an issue. Operating with both hands helps. I suspect that less weight will improve the mechanism - more weight means more weight on the gimbal and more friction.

It was shot at Paddy's Markets in Sydney.

[_gl]

Quick tip for using HV20 and stabilizer:
Hold stabilizer in right hand and hold HV20 remote control in left hand to control start/stop and zoom .. saves you touching the HV20 directly and upsetting its balance, the remote control works surprisingly well even when not aimed at the reciever from the front.

Good tip, but have you tried it outdoors? It might work better indoors as the IR signal can bounce back from nearby walls. I've seen someone tape a mirror (paper should work just as well) in front of the IR sensor, angled so the remote beam reflects into it.

I hadn't thought about zooming, I would miss the variable zoom speed ...

[northernlanes]

It might work better indoors as the IR signal can bounce back from nearby walls

Yes I was indoors when trying this, I'll see how receptive it is outdoors later, I suppose you can point the remote more towards the reciever by stretching forwards.

[_gl]

http://direct.tesco.com/q/R.200-7242.aspx .. if you're UK based check it out instore.

Managed to grab one from a large Tesco. £5.97 instore unfort., but perfect - smooth, solid and wider movement range than my plastic one even (and a little bigger). You hit the jackpot on the first try northern .



Also got the aluminium bar today, looks promising. 750mm x 30mm x 5mm, strong but hopefully bendable, weighs 300g. I've marked & drilled it, but haven't tried bending it yet (need to get an angle grinder first).

Never used a grinder before - what width disc did you use to cut the slot northern? It needs to be approx 6.4mm wide, the common metal cutting discs seem to be 3mm, although I think I saw a 6mm somewhere. Can you keep chopping with a 3mm and still get a smooth cut? Or do you cut, then grind?

[_gl]

Yes I was indoors when trying this, I'll see how receptive it is outdoors later, I suppose you can point the remote more towards the reciever by stretching forwards.

Try the paper trick, taped to one side of the sensor, angled so wherever you're holding the remote will bounce off it into the sensor. Kinda like an IR funnel.

[northernlanes]

Never used a grinder before - what width disc did you use to cut the slot northern? It needs to be approx 6.4mm wide, the common metal cutting discs seem to be 3mm, although I think I saw a 6mm somewhere. Can you keep chopping with a 3mm and still get a smooth cut? Or do you cut, then grind?

Yes my discs are 3mm metal cutting discs and I used these to build the slot larger and larger - sort of using the cutting disc as a grinding disc, I also have thicker metal grinding discs which are better for shaping (ie rounding the bar ends for a neater look) but I initially used this to get the bulk of the slot created then fine tuned the slot with the 3mm disc as they're more controllable in a tight(ish) slot, also make sure you don't accidently buy 'stone' grinding disks. Handy tools to have grinders, to me most useful after electric drills but be careful - keep a firm grip, they are vicious if they fly out of your hand!

Managed to grab one from a large Tesco. £5.97 instore unfort., but perfect - smooth, solid and wider movement range than my plastic one even (and a little bigger). You hit the jackpot on the first try northern

They are very good quality for the money, when I spotted them I bought one even though I already have one of the bendy legs Nikon mini tripods - I knew this would come in handy one day. You can even affix the HV20 directly onto it and it'll sit on it no problem.

[northernlanes]

Also got the aluminium bar today, looks promising. 750mm x 30mm x 5mm, strong but hopefully bendable, weighs 300g

You may have to make it so it is longer at the bottom, with Aluminium not being as heavy as Steel (though your bar is thicker gauge than mine), or compensate by having more counterweights at the bottom, a little trial and error may be required. I think the key in the design is to have the bottom pivot point somewhere inline with the handle. Might be an idea not to cut the bottom to length until you're nearly finished so you have a little leeway on balancing it. You could experiment by taping weights on before cutting to length. I'll be interested how you get on.