I will build an own...

[alter knacker]

Hi community,

after trying out working with (of course one of the first built) the basson 500, i decided not to work on it but build my own one.
thats such a horrible example of craftsmanship, its unbelievable :Y:

and all the other companies are also too expensive, and i know much about the costs of doing such jobs.

so i decided to sell mine again, and build my own one, especially if i have an original steadicam to look at from a friend.

the construction of the gimbal is used in ships since middle age, as you can see at all lamps in old ships ;-) )
the secret is the precision how you work!
the first three prototypes i get for free, and then its cheaper to produce about 50 units then one, so if somebody would be interested, would be nice to know for the financial planning.

just let me know about your opinions,
thx knacki

[alter knacker]

no opinions?
nobody interested or against it?

[Jason]

If you have the advantage of a friend with a Steadicam then you're half way there, as long as they're happy for you to get some measurements etc, then it's just a case of buying the parts you'll need to make you own, but there are serious advantages to making your own ... you can customise it for your own use, plus the arm can be tailored for lightweight or heavy cameras.

The Basson isn't a bad rig, over time they've got better, but I do admit that the 500 was quite awful, and was glad to get new bits which made the rig so much easier to operate, and through some adjustments it worked well, but this all took me 3 years!

Hope this helps, and sorry for not replying sooner, it's been quiet around here!

Jason

[alter knacker]

...... and through some adjustments it worked well, but this all took me 3 years!

hehe, thats really tooo long ;)

first idea was to repair it, but thats more work then to build a new one, especially because i can sell the original again, and thats money i could need.

so, over the weekend i measured it out and drawed it with the autodesk inventor, this days i get the steadicam sk for a few days to measure and compare, after that i will think about the best choice in design or whatever.
your tip with homebuiltstabilizers is a great help, although most of the items dont look better than the basson (the one i own).

as i said, i know a guy working on a 5-axis cnc, (whatever this means ;-) ), and he promised me to make the first three tries for free.
the only fear i have at the moment is the vest, because i dont know how to sew, and i dont know a sewer (sewer <--- is this the right word?).

anyway, ill report the next days.

greets, knacki

[Jason]

Keep us posted, and post plenty of pics!!

Thinking about the vest, I don't know how much they cost, but might it be possible to get this done at a shop, professional sewer (I think that's the right spelling!) as once the vest is made it should be ok for the life of the rig ... but then again, it's easy saying it, something totally different putting it into practice!

HomeBuiltStabilizers is an awesome site and has some damn fine contributors, maybe they could throw you some ideas.

Keep us updated on your progress.

Jason

[optonica]

Hi

Sorry i've not been around for a while i've been visiting family.

Hi Knacki there are a couple of sweet systems on the homebuilt site elliot has one that is a work in progress also franco's is very nice! Don't get too hung up on what the rigs look like though it's the fact they work!!!! cody's rig proves that, it's ugly as hell but works very very well! I would also say to you think about getting charles book it has some great ideas and pics in there. Charles aslso tells you about the mistakes he made instead of hiding them which is great as it will stop you from making the same ones!

With regards to the pads you could always get some real pads from somebody like MK-V as they sell replacement ones for the pro rigs! Not sure on the cost though!

Good luck and send pics to the homebuilt site and post some here too
Ant

[alter knacker]

Hi optonica,

of course i read all i can reach at the moment, and there are very good examples, different ways, good ideas, also very expensive solutions and so on.
the most funny thing was, that my first thoughts was: why not carbon? why not backmounted? why not ratchets to close the vest and so on, and after a little reading i find smart people trying these things since month or years, some of them collecting horrible fees for it :-#

so i will collect as many informations i can get before i start my first prototype, but i promise to post my steps of progress.

mfg knacki

[alter knacker]

so, just as a break between:

dont be bored bout me, i´m just planning the thing.

first deadline is the 21th, because i have to do a job on a music-video...
i will have an SK i think, but i´d like to have the first version of the new post to test.
so its just 18 days left, lets see, what is possible in this little time ;)

greetz, knacki

[Jason]

Good luck and keep us posted!