DIY Helicopter Camera Mount

[phil007]

I completed my first attempt at building a camera mount for my helicopter this weekend. For the test flight I had the camera in movie mode and there was very little vibration. I should be able to get most of it out with a few adjustments.

My radio is a JR 9303 and I'm using the slider to control the tilt and the gear switch on the shutter servo. The shutter servo isn't working well and I'll have to come up with a better solution this week.

The gear drive tilt system is from servocity.com and the rc car shock is from a LHS. All other parts were bought at Lowes or Home Depot.

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/239/526987594_0e83de61f3_d.jpg


The camera is a Panasonic LX1 with a DIY lens adapter allowing me to use a wide angle lens.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1235/526945184_ee6e206820_d.jpg


Thomas at acceleratedrc.com (http://www.acceleratedrc.com) used his cnc machine to put the three grooves in the aluminum plate below. I glad I didn't attempt carve it up with my Dremel.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1227/526801206_e7cee86c21_d.jpg

I'll have a few aerial pictures once I find a good way to secure the shutter servo.

Phil

[AZ ChopperCam]

not bad at all for a DIY mount. Very clean and simple.

a few suggestions:

loosen the bungee cords that strap the mount to the heli. You only need a single loop and not several lashed as you have. You'll want the mount to hang below the skids by 1/4" or so. This should eliminate all vibration if your Maxi is balanced.

keep an eye on the holes that go through the aluminum tubes where you have the hardware. If you did not insert something solid into those areas the aluminum will eventually fatigue and crack... unless the wall thickness is pretty hefty.

How sturdy is the camera plate? seems like having it supported on one end only may allow some flexing which will show up as roll "bobble" in video.

lastly, consider installing two support tubes on both sides that act as tension rods to keep the legs from "racking" like a parallelogram if you were to land with any forward speed. Two smaller carbon rods with ball joint ends (like a TR pushrod) would work nicely if mounted near the top of the front legs and went down to the bottom of the rear legs. It'll box up the structure and add tremendous rigidity with little weight penalty.

Nice though! I like the camera safety/wrist strap looped around the tilt axle.

[phil007]

loosen the bungee cords that strap the mount to the heli. You only need a single loop and not several lashed as you have. You'll want the mount to hang below the skids by 1/4" or so. This should eliminate all vibration if your Maxi is balanced.
That's an easy adjustment.


keep an eye on the holes that go through the aluminum tubes where you have the hardware. If you did not insert something solid into those areas the aluminum will eventually fatigue and crack... unless the wall thickness is pretty hefty.
I'll only be using my system for hobby level AP and it won't be getting heavy use but I'll keep an eye out for any signs of stress.


How sturdy is the camera plate? seems like having it supported on one end only may allow some flexing which will show up as roll "bobble" in video.
It's solid and I didn't see any flexing but my camera & lens isn't very heavy. The plate might act differently with a DSLR & lens.


consider installing two support tubes on both sides that act as tension rods to keep the legs from "racking" like a parallelogram if you were to land with any forward speed.
Great tip and that could save me the cost of a new set of blades.

DJ...Thanks for the advice and I hope to have some pictures to share in the next few weeks.

Phil

[lovespicyfood]

Wow, that is PURTY! I just built a T-Rex 450SEv2 and I have another 450S CF that I'm seriously considering to build as an AP ship. I've been looking at the askman mounts, but the pics of your creation kind of lean me towards the "do it yourself" route.

Pete

[phil007]

Thanks Pete...it would be hard to beat an Askman mount for the Trex 450 when it comes to weight and price. Weight is an issue when setting the Trex 450 up for AP.

I think I've got the shutter servo worked out. Friday I'll test it out.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1351/532629356_8336fe1608.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1339/533177302_eb116e6427.jpg

Phil