FORMATIONS AND CAM STABILISER TEST

This clip is comprised of airbourne test footage shot on a Sony DSR PD150 with an experimental compact passive stabiliser attached.

The stabiliser allows free float in pitch and roll moments relative to the camera optical centre axis.

Yaw, or in camera-op terms, pan movements of the camera are more tightly linked to the support due to construction difficulties and the camera can not float free in this axis of movement.

Control inputs are via two tiller loops of light coiled spring material. Despite this dampening, even fine control inputs disturb the camera greatly.

In-built camera optical stablisation can assist but beyond about 40% zoom-in, seems to aggravate unwanted movements when deliberate movements are attempted.

Construction principles are similar to the steadycam post and sled but without the iso-elastic arm.

Adjustable countermass is used on the bottom of the post and furthur trim mass at the camera head.

The camera head does not include travelling adjustment for the camera itself due to weight minimisation being attempted.

Construction materials are aluminium tube, steel cone-pointed screws, locknuts and flowcast bronze for gymbal rings, counter and upper trim masses.

The next development when attempted will be small gyros for dampening only, not hard stability. I will also examine a cage and release system for the gyros.

It is not recommended to attempt to use high speed permanent magnet DC motors from small portable electric appliances such as Makita vacuum cleaners.

At 3ft, two pairs of these motors will deviate an aircraft compass 5 degrees or more and their magnetic behaviour when running is unpredictable.

There is a concern that tubular steel construction within some aircraft types like the Mooney, may become magnetised, which may require a de-gaussing process.

AC motors seem to be the least problematic and are used in the Kenlabs gyros.

Brushless high speed DC scale aircraft electric motors for propeller drive seem to confer less magnetic interference than permanent magnet DC motors.

The rig is intended to be slightly more compact than a pair of Kenlabs KS4s.

It has been flown in Cessna 172, Piper Cherokee 140 and Mooney aircraft types.

The Piper has the deepest safe usable space forward of the pilot and co-pilot/passenger seats and permits good almost three-quarter face-on views of the pilot.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• FORMATIONS
• SONY
• PD150
• STABILISER
• CESSNA
• PIPER
• CHRISTEN
• EAGLE
• RACWA

[BigDTexas]

I'm interested in the camcorder stabiliser. Do you have a web site with more information on it?

[DARANGULAFILM]

I don't have a drawn design and YouTube is the nearest thing I have to a website.

There is a 500 character ration on this reply so I will see if I can send a message instead.

[motokid032]

That is an awesome formation trio you've got going on there..Keep up the good work!