Articulated Camera Arm on Wheels (no more Tripod!) (Plans available)

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Articulated Camera Arm on Wheels (no more Tripod!) (Plans available)

Рет қаралды 166,124

Күн бұрын

If you're a Maker or have ever tried to film a DIY project you're probably familiar with this problem: Tripods suck.
I was finally fed up with tripods constantly getting in the way of my work, not being able to set up shots the way I want and also having them fall over and risking damage to expensive cameras way too often. So I built a custom camera setup to solve all those problems. With this arm, the camera can be easily moved into almost any position within about a 1-metre radius in front of its base, and the base takes up less floor space than an average tripod while providing a lot more security against tipping over due to the heavy, low base keeping it glued to the ground. It also allows for much more flexible shooting, because you can set up film perspectives like overhead shots, very low shots, filming around/over obstacles and even some moving shots with ease.
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Пікірлер: 336

@scottmartin7717 4 жыл бұрын

"if it's stupid and it works then it's not stupid" Amen

@romoalex 4 жыл бұрын

yes we caught this

@glennreynolds962 Жыл бұрын

I do not know what I am more impressed with. The engineering, the craftmanship or the photography. Excellent work!

@clsadil 4 жыл бұрын

This must be the most overkill dslr tripod ever! Great design, build, editing and story telling. Keep up the great work.

@dennisyoung4631 3 жыл бұрын

Sounds like he wants it to work *good.*

@TheDaniels5s 2 жыл бұрын

what about this one ? :P kzfaq.info/get/bejne/jJ-VbL2Iy9KngYk.html

@GiacoWhatever 4 жыл бұрын

I NEED THIS

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

Can confirm, you need this

@BigLousWorkshop 4 жыл бұрын

Giaco I think we ALL need this!! HAHAH

@BurtonsAttic 4 жыл бұрын

Ditto!

@imdavemtz 3 жыл бұрын

You’re a great builder @giaco hope you build it I also need these is a great solution

@dennisyoung4631 3 жыл бұрын

Me too, and not just “cameras/phones/tablets”

@Lizzzzzzy921 3 ай бұрын

This channel is so underrated it is criminal

@MohsinAliWaheed 4 жыл бұрын

That moment when your tripod is expensive than your Camera.

@Lalaland.001 4 жыл бұрын

I actually think the raw materials excluding your own labor costs would add up to not even $80 total...aluminum/steel square and round stock pipes are really cheap as is raw steel plate and simple aluminum plate stock. I think the castor wheel are the most expensive rolling in at $15-18 each. Just google simple aluminum steel stock pipes and you'll see...You could make this entire build without any welder...Just bolted together...and that would be it. The more you know...

@M_Northstar 3 жыл бұрын

@@Lalaland.001 I think he was talking about the commercial solutions that Phil decided to forego.

@dangoesfast 4 ай бұрын

I think you accidentally a word

@key2010 4 жыл бұрын

my dad would've hated this video... he's a mechanical engineer with 35 years experience, the fact you drilled 4x the number of holes than you actually needed in those aluminum tubes and the fact you machined 100% more parts than needed and didn't use standardized bought parts (saves on man-hour cost) would drive him mad ... i can hear him saying "that thing has been designed by a welder" (translated from my mother language)

@Lizzzzzzy921 3 ай бұрын

Well I don't see any damn-mechanical engineers teaching me how to make cool stuff so unless you make a better video I will consider you a worthless troll

@tonylarose4842 4 жыл бұрын

That's sick! I've seen plenty of people just end up making versions that clamp to different places but that round tripod stand that wont fall is great!

@tomsdreamshopworx 4 жыл бұрын

Really nice stand. I'm so happy you didn't weld the casters on.

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

Haha, I admit I've done that before out of lazyness. But on this floor casters don't last long, so...

@lukehill6395 2 жыл бұрын

you are right, i can't argue with the results, but the chuck in the chuck had my cheeks clenched the entire time.

@ericsander4257 4 жыл бұрын

I just love your monotone commantary and the enthusiasm for over engineering

@c.harris7823 4 жыл бұрын

I definitely enjoy the voiceover commentary. It provides great perspective of what you were thinking during the build... especially with the more technical aspects.

@allenshumaker1903 8 ай бұрын

I really like the tripod great work! Only thing I see that I would add is to make another split ring to mount the battery. All your work is so neat and secure I think that would make an excellent addition. Thanks for your content.

@mikehayes5919 Жыл бұрын

I just love the idea of using cable stays to brace the upright. That's inspired!

@MatthewEncina 2 жыл бұрын

Wow the mechanics of this are great! Thanks for sharing the process.

@barrythompson8813 4 жыл бұрын

Love the humour (and great fabrication techniques), This Old Tony would be proud ;-)

@trigger-happybowman6505 11 ай бұрын

I'm so going to mount this to my creeper to hold a flashlight under the truck...

@BigLousWorkshop 4 жыл бұрын

18:20 hey man... at least you fully acknowledge your own over engineering endeavors!! Great build man!

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

I'm not gonna stop either, the next one will be even worse 😅

@MrExel47 Жыл бұрын

This thing is awesome! I though about the lamp mechanism as well and didn't really find something sturdy enough. And you just made it!

@TSGEnt 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant build!

@lv_woodturner3899 4 жыл бұрын

Very well done. I love the design. I appreciate seeing the process and details which worked or did not work. I also have iterations in my designs. I do not regret over designing something, but I often regret under designing. I do not think the collar and cables are overkill. They allow better adjustment than if you welded on pieces of round bar. Good idea for the 3 wheels so they always have contact if the floor is not even. The cable adjusters would be called turnbuckles in the US. Another good idea to allow adjustment if the cable stretches over time. Dave.

@dr.bijuvarghese6805 2 жыл бұрын

Appreciate the efforts taken by you. You have both skill and will to do something for your own self. Your interest in teaching others the process is a blessing to others. Thanks.

@tsetendorjee9040 Жыл бұрын

Thank you for sharing us !👍

@ddssrr1614 Жыл бұрын

Dude this is so well crafted & though out. Quality is top notch.

@GatoLand 4 жыл бұрын

A really impressive design, I really liked the modification of the base, in fact it is now much more stable and secure. I enjoyed watching the video, very well done. A cordial greeting from Spain.

@fryreartechnology7611 4 жыл бұрын

5:25 a chuck in a chick lmao. I’m a machinist and I have done it too. End a endmill in the tailstock. Know it is wrong but you do what you got to do. Mine was a 6 jaw in 3 jaw. Need more bite and adjustment in a plastic part. Thank you for the video and taking me along on the build

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

Actually I could see myself doing this even if I had the backplate... simply because it's so much faster than changing the whole chuck 😅

@BravoCharleses 4 жыл бұрын

@@PhilVandelay Re: A chuck in a chuck Tom Lipton frequently uses such a setup in his videos and I don't think anyone would accuse him of being anything less than a master machinist. He's been turning handles making spaceships and nuclear reactors since before most of us were born!

@Gottenhimfella 3 жыл бұрын

@@PhilVandelay I have recently upsized (I've always wanted a bigger spindle bore than I had, now I've finally got one I can get my arm into, up to the shoulder) but it's a struggle, when working alone, to get my 310mm 3 jaw off the floor and onto the sled I've built for sliding it along the bed and onto the spindle nose. So I tend to leave it on and chuck a smaller chuck in it for 4 or 6 jaw work, or for small stuff where the big chuck jaws are too cumbersome. I do have to be careful though - on two occasions now a chuck has shifted on me. It would not be fun to have even a 250mm chuck chasing me round the shop....

@pawz007 3 жыл бұрын

Great work. All those techniques you use that some people might say are "wasteful" or "dangerous" or "incorrect" (like the chuck in chuck setup) are outside-the-box thinking and I support it. They are your tools, use them however you want to make whatever you want. If someone tries to knock you for "improper" use, they are just jealous of your good ideas.

@garybrown9719 2 жыл бұрын

You can also use it for a nice light stand

@Starman3539 4 жыл бұрын

This is amazing engineering. I loved watching steel being worked to produce some very interesting designs. These, at the end, integrated to produce what is a very capable but complicated camera support. Some improvising was also necessary. However, this support is attractive and does the job (but it is a large tripod by any other name). It would be interesting to find out how much this tool interferes with your work. My final comment "Well done".

@JJ79_ Жыл бұрын

I hate those cheap aluminium tripods too, but there is serious tripods too like gitzo, i love those.

@barthanes1 4 жыл бұрын

Unnecessary complication is a common engineering tendency. Nice work.

@WrenagadeWorkshop 4 жыл бұрын

That is an awesome stand, thank you so much for sharing :) By the way, one of the best vibration dampening tricks for hollow tube is to fill it with sand. You may need to compensate for the weight of the sand by adding another base plate but that thing would be absolutely solid.

@drhender6943 4 жыл бұрын

You are an amazing engineer. I know the idea isn't new here, but your design and implementation is very nice. Just discovered you channel today-- I'm you newest subscriber. Thanks for taking the time to share your creations with is.

@OlivierVerdier 3 жыл бұрын

Great build thanks

@Kemagic Жыл бұрын

Genius personified.

@dyermker250 Жыл бұрын

Methodical genius.

@carstendieterle1595 4 жыл бұрын

Suuuuper! Hab' gerade Dein Cargo Bike nachgebaut. Scheint nun nicht langweilig zu werden :-) weiter so!

@williamjames1171 2 жыл бұрын

People are so nice in your comment section! Also really enjoy your videos :)

@DavidM2002 Жыл бұрын

Well done. I would have used Nyloc nuts where you need to adjust the friction. Even with the spring washers the nuts may work loose(r).

@ned_mograph5957 Жыл бұрын

top tier humor, amazing video

@theestategalleryllctegauct3901 3 жыл бұрын

Very nice but you are correct the weld joint at the washer cable junction is a weak point. I attach all kinds of eyelets and endings to thick and thin cable with some custom crimp blocks I made for my hydraulic shop press (also homemade) I hoist 750 to about 1500 lbs often and never had one let go yet!

@PhilVandelay 3 жыл бұрын

Yes I definitely wouldn't recommend this method to hang anything off it that has considerable weight, but for just keeping this pole upright it's worked fine so far. Good tip using the press for crimping

@YourOldDog 4 жыл бұрын

Great workmanship both on project and shooting/editing. Thanks for your time to do this.

@Cactusworkshopchannel 4 жыл бұрын

man this was amazing. congrats :D

@bmay8818 4 жыл бұрын

Wow, nice design! I too am surprised that the tensioned wires work that well. I see you also have one of those Makita Battery-to-USB port things. I use one for my phone and took another apart to have a Makita battery connector for a project. Anyway, that's a sweet setup you've got now!

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

Yeah these things are great, they can power a camera for hours and most people have a few drill batteries sitting in their shop unused anyway. And they charge super fast!

@Steve_Just_Steve 4 жыл бұрын

Can't imagine why it wouldn't work considering that's how they hold radio antennas up.

@joell439 4 жыл бұрын

Brilliant!!! (Phil, i haven't seen you do anything 'stupid'.) Thanks for taking us along. 👍😊👍

@Patrick.Richard 2 жыл бұрын

Genius !!! you can definitely make bunch of this and sell it world wide

@ЭтоДрючинский 4 жыл бұрын

With such approach your channel deserves much more subscribers!

@marksadventures3889 Жыл бұрын

I weight the base of the tripod so it doesn't fall over - upstairs for thinking - downstairs for dancing. All-the-same good idea though.

@matthewlee8917 Жыл бұрын

Drop a deep cycle battery on that plate and a converter and you can both charge your cameras and run a light without cords. Added stability from the weight was well.

@repalmore 3 жыл бұрын

Your idea is a great one and think highly of it. One thing that is super simple that can improve tripod stability some (note, some) is hag a weight from it's center. Not as good as this but much easier and quicker. What I would call a field fix, not a permanent solution like this.

@wyohman00 4 жыл бұрын

I love the plans and the over-engineering. Keep it up!

@jenky1044 2 жыл бұрын

Excellent build and design. Great job.

@jt9498 2 жыл бұрын

Brilliant solution! You should patent this idea and sell them!

@DanielH 4 жыл бұрын

I would love to see some cinematic shots made with that arm.

@SianaGearz Жыл бұрын

Have you noticed that tripods have a hook under the post? It's there for a reason, so you can sandbag it. At least they should have a hook, or a provision to drop a flat training weight across the base. Yours... seem not to? That being said any sort of flying articulating arm as long as it's strong enough and you have an attachment point, that's just straight up better, we can all drink to that. So yeah an alternative is to just skip the tripod/rolling base and foresee attachment points in your lab. Other useful things that come to mind are RODE PSA1 and PSA1+. The long Manfrotto Friction Arm maybe? But it's got issues as well. Really the only reason tripods exist is so you can grab one and take it with you.

@PhilVandelay Жыл бұрын

Yeah I put weights on the hook for a while actually but I found the effect is limited, you can still knock them over if you bump into it enough. But the bigger problem is just the floor space tripods take up, after using the camera arm for a few years I can say it's one of the most helpful things I ever built. I can't say it's ever annoyed me, it rarely gets in the way and still works like a charm, definitely has never fallen over either. There are some pro camera stands that could mostly do the same job, but they cost thousands and the shop environment would probably be rough on them. considering the cost and that they're made to be used in clean studios, I don't think it's the best thing to use in a workshop (this goes for any camera equipment really).

@mam1627 3 жыл бұрын

Very nice work!

@wawandharmawan2441 4 жыл бұрын

Very nice, I like it. Can reach far enough but still balanced without falling.

@plunder1956 4 жыл бұрын

Have you considered magnetic mountings, often used on machine tools. You may have one handy. I wish I still had access to a Bridgeport Mill. flimsy crap tripods are hopeless. A substantial, wide dolly mounted tripod helps. I have used a telescopic pole stand with rolling base, for bigger Broadcast video cameras. A pivoting parallel motion arm on dolly is nice, if you have the space. Consider Manfrotto wall mounted arms for lights or a fixed camera (like a Go-Pro) for wide shots. mixed with longer "detail" shots.

@joshualaird5303 Жыл бұрын

That high quality tripod you started with probably had a lot to do with you descision

@brotschuh 4 жыл бұрын

this is awesome. I was thinking about a similar rig that I can mount on my ceiling because I dont have space for a tripod in my shed.

@carlomonsen 4 жыл бұрын

Awesome! You're not the only one overengineering things, but at least you have excellent solutions!

@JulianMakes 4 жыл бұрын

very nice solution, i've resorted to using a rode microphone arm very similar to your lamps. also above my desk and other area in the office i have 40mm pipe runing in the ceiling and i use lighting gantry clamps to hold lights/mics etc. I love the portability of yours. great job thanks

@instructionsandgoforit 2 ай бұрын

I wish they actually made larger longer arms like this one so I could buy it on Amazon... I LITERALLY HATE TRIPOS AS WELL

@ImnotChuck. 9 ай бұрын

Now, you can use the new camera mounting system while re-shooting the video and making a duplicate of the new camera mounting system.

@payzantimagery4924 Жыл бұрын

I need something very similar for inside a vehicle!

@valeriytretyakov880 2 жыл бұрын

Super Nice , now i know, download and order.

@JisunsKitchen 4 жыл бұрын

This is so incredibly inspiring! It looks like it would be a dream to use.

@nobrain5895 4 жыл бұрын

The "overengeneering" makes it kinda exciting as beeing a german myself, it tickles warm inside hahahaha

@Peppe_Bas 4 жыл бұрын

Nice job!

@wh0tube 4 ай бұрын

A vsit to the local gym for some weight plates 😉 they should just slide on to the pole. I like the adjustable spring system so if you use a different camera you can adjust for weight 👍

@carlosarturote 4 жыл бұрын

BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL AND GREAT PROJECT, THOUSAND FRIENDS CONGRATULATIONS

@UdiIsReal 4 жыл бұрын

The "Why? Because i can!" Man is here Great vids man, keep up the good work, you are quite entertaining!

@bitomaxsp 4 жыл бұрын

well known trick with the chuck

@dittilio 3 жыл бұрын

Putting a liquid balance at the top of the shaft would also help reduce resonance from machines/banging etc. Same as tall building damping.

@PhilVandelay 3 жыл бұрын

Interesting, I've never heard about this technique! I might try it

@faynocx5796 3 жыл бұрын

this is good overengineering

@TheKenny86ng 2 жыл бұрын

you just created a mobile articulating mini jib.. better than norma jib, well done!!!

@Totalis1989 4 жыл бұрын

This is brilliant to see, I have been trying to develop something like this for a while and this has given me inspiration to carry on. Thank you

@danielngho 4 жыл бұрын

Great Rig! Just a though... if you have a shop that you don't really move to far. you can do it overhead too

@Stubones999 Жыл бұрын

Good job on the camera arm! The base weight should have been over the wheels, since weight at the center has little effect. As far as the springs go, if you had made a sliding spring hanger for one end of each spring, you could adjust the spring tension based on whatever camera rig you install. Thes spring hanger should clamp on the tube with a peg to hold springs on each side, with a clamping bolt on the top or bottom.

@pnm540 3 жыл бұрын

really nice work - love to watch it

@codxone 3 жыл бұрын

the solution is putting a longer solid tube bolted on base inside the shaking tube, it might be sturdy, i guess

@razborkintechno7866 2 жыл бұрын

Good job!

@TempleGuitars 4 жыл бұрын

I can't wait for the day you turn it into a robot that follows you around, running a cinematographic algorithm to capture all the best shots.

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

Until it becomes sentient and beats me with a camera

@TheNefastor 3 жыл бұрын

I'm thinking of doing something similar using one of those Ergotron monitor arms. I can't believe Manfrotto doesn't already have something like it.

@arnljotseem8794 4 жыл бұрын

Very cool build. I wonder why your channel hasn't shown up in my suggested videos before now. Glad it did. Subscribed!

@arnljotseem8794 4 жыл бұрын

By the way, Have you seen Robin Renzettis (robrenz) carbon fiber tube and steel ball camera arm. Pretty cool, and super light weight.

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

The KZfaq Algorythm doesn't like me much recently, so I almost don't show up in suggested videos at all. Glad you found it anyway!

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

@@arnljotseem8794 Yeah I came across that when doing some research. Beautiful design, I'm not sure how much weight it could support though without the joints slipping (he uses a fairly light camera). DSLR setups get heavy quick when you don't use the cheap plastic lenses. As you saw in the video it's easy to underestimate that ;)

@arnljotseem8794 4 жыл бұрын

@@PhilVandelay Yeah, the bleeding algorithms. They are controlling our lives soon. Just wait for real AI to kick in..... we're doomed

@DmytroLuhanskyi 4 жыл бұрын

Dude, this was very impressive. You are a genius.

@pierdolio 4 жыл бұрын

In the interest of stability, please consider changing the base from 3 arms to 5 arms. In my experience with plant stands the 3 arm base, though seemingly stable on uneven surfaces, was very prone to tipping with any breeze (outdoors). I then tried 4 arms and that did not solve the problem either. I finally tried 5 arms, and though much more difficult to construct, this proved to be very stable in addition to offering the 3 arm advantage of being stable on uneven surfaces. I really like how you solve the problems with maximum complexity. Kind of my style. It gives me great satisfaction.

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

Good point, I hadn't even considered using more than four legs but I now that I think about it, it works pretty well on desk chairs

@jimsvideos7201 3 жыл бұрын

Thank you for both the video and the inspiration; all of this is RTMI.

@handmadeisbetter 4 жыл бұрын

I would love to see another cargo bike build of you! Mich juckts ja immer noch in den Fingern dein diy longjohn nachzubauen! 🥰

@PhilVandelay 4 жыл бұрын

Es sind auf jeden Fall weitere Cargos in Planung! Aber zwischendurch muss immer mal die Werkstatt verbessert werden...

@CraigsWorkshop 4 жыл бұрын

Re: four jaw in a three jaw. You have to dial it in anyway, so really - if you don't need the between-centres distance - it's a good idea and saves having to have/make a backplate. Also quicker than changing chucks on many lathes. Not as rigid, but doesn't matter for that particular job.