Top MF Cameras Stereo Mounting MF Viewer Rolleidoscop Digital Twins Stereo Help Stereo Methods TDC Stereo Vivid NSA 2004
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Mounting the twins
My first mount was nothing more than a scrap of wood with a pair
of 1/4" holes bored through it. Using it was problematic. The
cameras would tend to pitch forward on their lenses, the trigger and spirit
level were two additional things to hold, and it couldn't be tripod mounted.
It was quick and dirty, but it was never a very usable camera arrangement.
T he
second version was built around a section of extruded aluminum. I picked
the aluminum out of a trash can somewhere, and I have no idea what its original purpose
in life was. I trimmed it to length, drilled it to receive tripod mounting
screws. Then the stereo jacks and switches were installed. The
result is a bar that is stiff and light. The handle is secure and tall
enough to enable me to hold it in one hand and prevent the whole thing
pitching forward The toggle switches have been separated to the left and
right hands, and it can be tripod mounted.
Switch selection and mounting
I set out to find a DPST (double pole, single throw) toggle switch, and a
DPST (double pole, single throw) momentary push button switch. This turned
out to be much harder than I expected. In Juneau, there are two sources of
small parts. Neither had the switches I wanted. Mail order sources
were going to require a $20 minimum and $25 shipping. I decided to make do
with what I could obtain locally. I selected a DPDT toggle switch to drive
the "half-press" circuit and a DPDT momentary toggle switch to drive
the "full-press" circuit. I didn't need double throw (DT) for
either circuit, but I can safely ignore the second set of contacts and treat
them both as single throw (ST).
F or version one, used
a 1" PVC angle fitting. I mounted the "half press" switch
on the side, and put the "full press" switch on the top. The
1" PVC was too small to accept the only DPDT momentary switch I could find,
so (as you can see) I had to do some cutting to make it fit. The wires hanging
from the bottom of the fitting terminated in 1/8" stereo plugs which
connected to the jacks hanging on the backs of the cameras.
This functioned, but not very well. The half-press switch location
looked good at first, but turned out to be unusable. I could never get my
hand in the right position to trip it with my fourth finger, was forced to use
my teeth to flip it instead. The upper toggle switch wasn't glued in and
sometimes came loose, and holding the thing in one hand left me insufficient
hands to stabilize the pair of cameras on their strip of wood.
Version two saw several
improvements:
- The full and half press switches were separated
- The PVC diameter was increased to 1 1/4" (large enough to accept the
switch body)
- The PVC handle was glued to the aluminum bar
- The stereo jacks are mounted in the aluminum bar
- The wires to the switches are routed inside the aluminum bar
- The bar now has a tripod thread
It means that the whole assembly can now be held and aimed with only my right
hand, the wire connections are much better protected and supported, and the
entire thing can be transported in its assembled condition.
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