Just thought i'd string up the 360VM Crank slider with some 30LB Fishing line and see what type of movement I could achieve with a basic battery powered Rotisserie motor. There are some great examples of these rotisserie motors being used on DIY projects like this one here and here.
It might look like things are standing still, but if you look closely the carrier is slowly inching it's way across. These very slow speed rotisserie motors are great for simple motion control on a slider because they can probably pull a full sized turkey. To speed things up I could possibly add a larger spool. The larger diameter will pull the carrier down the rail at a much faster pace. Or if you're up to it, start looking into servos or motors and speed controllers like the one Gordon has used on his Konova.
Rotisserie Battery Powered Grill Motor
Emm
Post author@Derek - Yes it could work with the Konova slider. I used a combination of epoxy putty with a threaded coupler. Once the coupler was securely attached to the motor, I could run a bolt in to hold the spool.
Derek
Emm, what did you use to hold the spool? Do you think this would work on a Konova slider?
Mike
It would be interesting to use this setup and put an additional rotisserie on the baseplate to gain another plane of motion. Something like the egg timer/lazy susan combo effect mounted on a slider.
Dame
Ahhh...Cybotron's "Clear". Being originally from Detroit, I SO appreciate the soundtrack.
Emm
Post author@Rob - The Stage Zero is on a fixed belt. If you remove the belt you would be able to slide it by hand. Otherwise if you're relying on the motor, you'll have to program it into the interface for every move. Not sure what the max speed is, but it might not be sufficient for some.
Rob
Can the Stage Zero slider dolly be used as a "regular" dolly? I know they're in totally different classes, but part of me wants to get an all-in-one package and be done with it.
Otherwise I'm totally confused about what is the best option in the sub-$400 price range.
Emm
Post author@Chris - From end to end with just no spool (just the bolt) to wind up the string, it's 12 minutes on this 28" slider. Just timed it today.
Chris
How long does it take to travel the whole length of the slider with this setup?
Jacob
I've seen it! I just liked the simplicity of this because I'm no genius with servos and stuff...
Emm
Post author@Jacob - I could always just change the type of motor to a variable speed one. Then it wouldn't require any size of spool.
Jacob
Emm, I like the idea of a larger spool for more speed. Do you think it would pull at any sort of speed before you hit a spool the size of a small bike wheel?
Emm
Post author@mike-tee-vee - The crank is designed to work at some level of vertical, It might be awkward to crank straight up and down. Using a motor will always be more consistent than by hand. I'll try to attach a variable speed motor for faster movements.
Emm
Post author@Jacob - It is not jerky, but at this speed it's for Timelapse. I'm looking for my remote, i'll try to put something up.
Jacob
Is the footage jerky at all?
mike_tee_vee
Interesting idea! Is this considerably smoother than cranking it by hand?
Also, can it be cranked vertically?
Tommy RodrÃguez
Super cool, casually yesterday I showed my students in the DSRL workshophow that I am teaching how to do this using the design I used to make this video https://vimeo.com/18331363