Step 5: Slow but steady progress over the holidays

I decided that my handle was too big and bulky, so I built a new one. It consists of two PVC threadless couplers connected to each other by a short length of 1/2" PVC pipe. To give it a good grip, I stretched a narrow-tire bicycle inner tube around it. I attached the panning ring (a fender washer) to the vertical shaft with J-B Weld.

I shortened the camera platform (the top plate) by more than two inches, and I finished making the bend in the arc and attached some counterweights to it. Then I set about trying to balance the whole thing. For the time being, I've simply attached the camera to the platform using duct tape.

I've tested it a little bit and am reasonably pleased with how it works, but it still needs some tweaking. Here are some sample videos. Note that I do some running in both videos.

• without using the stabilizer (hand-held, about as steady as I can get it)
• using my DIY stabilizer
  

Step 4: bending the new arc

I did return to Discount Steel (third trip in a week), and bought a five-foot, 1/8" aluminum pipe. The outside diameter is very close to 3/8".

Now I'm carefully bending this pipe to match my pattern (Stabiliser #2 at diycamera). I'm making a series of very small bends in the pipe, using a bench vise. My workbench is in the garage where it's 12 degrees F, so I'm repeatedly running outside, clamping, bending, unclamping, and running back inside to plan my next bend. Slow progress...

Step 3: resizing

After working with these materials for a bit, it's becoming obvious that I'm making this thing way too big.

Half-inch conduit (the arc) is actually closer to 3/4" outside diameter, and my pipe bender doesn't make bends any sharper than what you see in the photo.

Additionally, after starting to work with the flat bar of aluminum, I realized it's much bigger than I need. I had intended to get a piece 3/16" thick, but finally realized I had brought home a 1/4" bar. And what I really need is probably just 1/8". So I went back to Discount Steel yesterday and found a thinner and narrower bar (1/8" x 2" wide instead of 1/4" x 3") for two and a half bucks.

I think I'll go back tomorrow and look for a 3/8" (outside diameter) aluminum tube or pipe to replace the conduit. That'll be much closer to the design of this stabilizer.

Camera stabilizer, ready for step 3

Ahh, the benefits of living in the big city. I was able to make a quick trip over my lunch hour to Discount Steel, where I found a flat bar of aluminum (3" wide) that I'll use for the camera platform. It was in the "drop" section (scrap metals) of the "aluminum barn", so I got a four-foot piece for just 5 bucks.

Ooh I see Steadicam now makes a "Smoothee" model, for small cameras like the iPhone. It's under $200, which is much more reasonable than the price of the Steadicam Merlin. Time to abandon my DIY project?

And there's also the Manfrotto Modo 585 for under a hundred bucks. It's gotten very mixed reviews on Amazon and at B&H. Hmmm.

DIY stabilizer, step 2

Step 2: Add panning ring and universal joint to the handle.

As described by wsclater, I fixed a ring to the vertical shaft of the gimbal between the bearing and the universal joint. This allows the system to be panned without upsetting the level of the camera. The panning ring is just a big ol' 1.5" fender washer.

My u-joint (Traxxas model 1951) arrived in the mail today, so I set about putting it together. This turned out to be more difficult than I expected, and I had to build a special tool for the job (google search to the rescue!). Attaching the u-joint to the handle turned out to be pretty easy - just screw it on to the 8x35mm bolt which forms the vertical shaft of the gimbal.

I'm rethinking the arc portion of my steadicam... I'm now planning to use a round tube instead of a flat bar. I returned the steel bar to Lowe's and bought a 10-foot section of 1/2" metal conduit (cheap at about $1.75!). It's galvanized steel and seems stiff and strong enough, and is easy to manipulate with my friend Eric's pipe bender. I've already started shaping it but haven't yet achieved the desired contour.

Notes and resources:

• DIY Steadicam by Videopia on vimeo
• pan, tilt and cant (camera terminology) are analogous to yaw, pitch and roll (airplane piloting terminology)
  
• The Homebuilt Stabilizer Group discussion board
  

DIY stabilizer - thoughts before step 2

I've decided to try making the arc out of a flat steel bar, 1" wide and almost 1/8" thick (12GA). And that's mainly because that was the best-looking piece of metal I found at the hardware store.

I really don't have a very good idea how big the arc should be or exactly what shape, or even whether I should be using aluminum instead. I'm also wondering if my handle is too long; I might have to cut off an inch or so. That wouldn't be difficult, since it would just involve cutting aluminum with a hacksaw.

I'm also trying to decide whether I should attach the camera via a tripod mount (1/4-20 bolt), as originally envisioned, or just use one of the GoPro's adhesive mounts.

DIY stabilizer, step 1

I'm basically following this gentleman's design (he's got several videos on youtube under his user name, "wsclater"), plus various other tips I'm picking up here and there.

There's no way I could do this without youtube.

Step 1: The handle.

I drove down to the local indoor skateboard park and purchased a box of eight skateboard bearings ($10). I spent some time wandering around in Lowe's and Home Depot, and bought a 1/2" pvc threadless coupler, and a $5 metal flashlight, from which I removed the lens, bulb/LED, and reflector. I heated the pvc coupler in the oven for 15 minutes or so at ~200 degrees F and then was able to press one of the skateboard bearings inside it. Then I jammed the coupler/bearing combo into the flashlight head. The inner ring of the bearing spins smoothly and freely, which will allow the camera to pan left and right (or conversely, allow the handle to be twisted left and right while the camera points straight ahead.)

So far, so good...

I've ordered the u-joint (for all other directions of motion).

DIY steadicam design

I sketched this out. I ain't no artist, but I did take two years of "Mechanical Drawing" in high school.

It looks very similar to a camera stabilizer that's available in the UK, but I plan to make the gimbal (in the handle) with a universal joint ($5 on ebay) and skateboard bearings, instead of a ball and socket.

I'm thinking I'll need to buy the GoPro tripod mount, to connect this steadicam to my GoPro camera housing.

The arc will be a flat bar of aluminum or steel, or maybe a chain-link fence tension bar - 1/8" thick, 1/2" wide, galvanized steel.

Shaky cyclocross video

After I shot a cyclocross video with my helmetcam-on-a-stick, and was frustrated with how shaky some of it turned out, I started thinking more and more about camera stabilizers. First I looked up the cream-of-the-crop, brand-name Steadicam Merlin. $800! Seems a little much to me, for use with a $230, 6-ounce camera. So then I started googling, reading wiki, and watching youtube videos about do-it-yourself camera stabilizers.

I got a kick out of GoPro's version of a steadicam.

I saw a wide variety of stabilizers, made of everything from PVC pipe to wood to iron pipe. Some really clever ideas, and some really crappy ones. This guy seems to know what he's doing, and it's pleasant to listen to his Scottish accent. Looks like it's doable, even for somebody as inept as me. I've decided to resurrect my blog just to document this project.