Besides various tips & tricks, I especially appreciate helping tools to make shooting more easy/interesting/artistic/professional. One of the more important directions is stabilization of the camera during movement, and there are a lot of designs that try to accomplish that.
The design I'm trying to work with is found on a couple of devices (for example the Tiffen Merlin), and has been replicated before very nicely (DIY Steadicam Merlin).
I'm attempting something similar, but building plans for it in the process (both 2D and 3D)...
# design log
# build log
# 3D model
design log
2011.02.10 - Started the design, and talked to a fabricator about the possibility to build one.
2011.02.11 - Design has changed for the adjustment plate: Making one part of the slides slide over the screw will cause play after using it for a while, so I changed the screws from fixed to moveable. Now the screws get rotated with a knurled knob (fixed to the screw) which will move the threaded slides. (version 2)
Couple updates (forgot the exact dates): designed the weights (about 200grams each), rods and various connecting parts.
2011.02.27 - After a couple updates I changed the holes on the adjustment plate: now there are more holes 6mm diameter, countersunk, which will be used to fix a quick-release plate to it. I'll use the same http://www.foto-video.ro/produse_detail.php?id=5416 Giottos MH652 as I used on my fig-rig. The original design used a second plate which would be fixed on top, using the quick-release will make it easier/faster to work with.
2011.03.01 - Attaching the gimbal. Not sure this will be the final version - maybe I can think of an easier way to do it.
2011.03.03 - Finished the design, will try to build one next. (pdf drawings)
build log
2011.03.03 - Build hasn't actually started yet. So far only some materials have been gathered.
2011.04 - a local shop started manufacturing the parts. since it's a favor, there's no rush on it, and no ETA.
2011.05.16 - most of the fabrication is done
2011.05.18 - glued some of the parts together (the aluminium tubes, and the parts where the weights get screwed on).
3D model
You can download the 3D solid model as: ACIS R14 | Step 203 | Step 214 | Alibre step
Steadycam model by Alex Joni is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at juve.ro.