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Ceiling-mounted camera gear is nothing new. There have been a ton of commercial solutions available for decades. But most aren’t motorised, and the type of ceiling mounts most of us will be familiar with is likely for lights, not cameras.
But Erik de Poorter of the new YouTube channel Concept Crafted Creations decided to make his own. But it’s not just a regular ceiling mount. It’s a motorized camera robot that opens up a lot of automated filming possibilities.
You’ll have to forgive the AI voiceover in the video. Erik said in a Facebook comment on his post about the project that he doesn’t feel confident in his English speaking ability. At least, not enough that he wants to put his own voice on YouTube for the world to hear, which is fair enough.
But what Erik may feel he lacks in his English skills, he more than makes up for with his engineering abilities. It’s an interesting project with lots of moving parts, many of which are 3D printed – and available to download if you want to print one yourself.
Erik got the idea for this project after seeing the results he got from a curved camera slider he designed. He built that slider to record his workbench activities. And I have to admit, I can relate to the inspiration. Once you build one device with a little motion control capability, you want to add it to everything!
The slider Erik designed and built that inspired this project
Why ceiling mount camera gear?
The great thing about mounting gear from the ceiling is that it doesn’t take up any floor space. It doesn’t take up any workbench space, either. Or, well, any other horizontal surface that allows you the opportunity to stack things on top of it.
Most ceilings are completely uncluttered, making them ideally suited for holding things you want access to al the time. Sure, there may be some lights installed, but they’re easy to work around for a project like this.
The other thing is, Erik’s a maker and builder. This is a workshop. Yes, the camera could be mounted to a tripod and moved around manually as required, but tripods easily get in the way. They can become a dangerous item in a workshop with potentially dangerous tools.
Motorised X & Y axes
The design is motorised in two axes. The X axis runs along the long dimension of the workshop. Two rails mounted to the ceiling allow the Y axis carriage move the entire length of the workshop. The Y axis carriage allows the camera to move along the narrower space of the workshop.
The Z axis isn’t motorised. Instead, Erik unlocks a quick release, moves the camera to the height he wants, and then locks it back down again. Depending on your needs, you might be able to modify this to be motorised, too, but you’ll face some challenges.
The mechanism for moving the motorised axes uses a piece of string loops to pull various things in one direction or another. It seems to work quite well, although Erik’s already noticing some fraying. The system to move the string is based on the principles that a 3D printer’s extruder works to send filament through.
It’s a great and simple design that offers a lot of versatility in a workshop. If you want to download the files and have a go at printing your own, be sure to visit Cults3D. While you’re at it, if you’re a keen maker of DIY camera gear, throw a subscription Erik’s way, too. This is Erik’s first video, and I expect there will be more like this to time!
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