Lets Make - A Motorized Camera Slider

[@TheBackyardScientist]

great build! totally making one :)

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+TheBackyardScientist Thank you! I am honoured!

[@MSVSanjok]

@@MaxMakerChannel edu puertas Did you connect the MS1, MS2, MS3 modes to the micro-step?Thank you!

[@reecedarwin7956]

i guess im asking the wrong place but does anybody know a method to log back into an Instagram account? I was stupid lost the password. I would love any assistance you can offer me.

[@valentinochandler5939]

@Reece Darwin Instablaster =)

[@reecedarwin7956]

@Valentino Chandler thanks for your reply. I got to the site through google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff now. Seems to take a while so I will get back to you later with my results.

[@canofanger]

Good ideas in this video. A small tip for those who are new to machining; 1:28 very dangerous to hold a piece of metal when drilling. The bit can catch and spin the piece causing a bad cut. Better to clamp it instead.

[@Bear-nu8xm]

Much smoother than what i can do by hand with my slider. I hooked up a hamster wheel to mine however, he needs practice on speed.

[@kiranshashiny]

The thing I liked about your video is that you showed the failures and also told that it took 3- to 4 times to get it right. Most videos say projects can be done with ease. Yours was practical. Nice and liked it.

[@TheMusicRecordingNetwork]

now this was so amazing. I am cleaning up my garage now to make something like this. But Making the black box that everything set in..... WOW

[@ThisOldTony]

great idea and execution. enjoyed!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+This Old Tony What an honour!!! Ask Jimmy about the Ringmaster if you get the chance!

[@jeremy29tunage]

Super easy. All you need is a motor, a tonne of electronics, hours of time, a 3d printer, resin, a drill, different drill bits, belt, pulley, soldering iron, solder, screws, and even more time to learn how to do it all. Great DIY but this is by no means an efficient/cheap option unless you happen to already have a shop readily available and a lot of patience haha

[@SirSyao]

you can do it cheaper recycling an old printer , it has already a rail an step motor, the band and only need to buy an arduino

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Good idea.

[@Squaredot01]

to his credit, the title does not include "easy".

[@KWHCoaster]

@@SirSyao Hmmm, maybe that Panasonic KXP-1124 in the closet will have a new purpose after all.

[@donepearce]

The idea of these videos is to show you the principles of how such things work. If you want one you can invest the time to learn how to do it. The exact details here are not important, and you should make what suits you. For example, I can see the advantage of using the Arduino's USB port to make the slide fully programmable with a PC app to programme the moves and provide true repeatability of shots. And of course the sort of person who will take this on is exactly the sort of person who has amassed the skills and tools to do it.

[@phalcon23]

Suggestion, change to 4 momentary push buttons one for seconds, one for 10s of seconds +/-, and i2c LCD screen Use that for speed control. Also add micro switches for at the end of travel for safety. OR you could also use 5 buttons, +/-, select, enter, back. and then you can adjust things like speed/distance/repeat (go back and forth non-stop) as well

[@ipadize]

if you can get a TMC2208, go get it because you cannot really hear the motor because it is so quiet and smooth. And you can set parameters via UART

[@mcremona]

Nice! I like the combo switches. Great idea

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thank you! I wanted to use a potentiomer initially, but that is not precise enough to go from seconds to many hours.

[@stephenlanders]

@@MaxMakerChannel hi max thinking of making one of these getting all the gear together regarding the switches did you or anybody else experiment with multiturn pots i have one somewhere and going to experiment with it will update on it ok great video and easy to follow ok regards steve

[@MaxMakerChannel]

@@stephenlanders Of course you can also use a Poti. Changing the code should be easy enough. It is maths after all and you can figure it out. I personally never used those pots. How would you know what setting you are on?

[@stephenlanders]

@@MaxMakerChannel just a matter of trial and error i suppose but will try your method first and play around with the settings

[@albertperry8577]

This is awesome! I have the exact same slider and the exact problem/downside of no motor; alas, I don't have all the tools you have! But some day I 'll be able to motorize my slider! Great content!

[@alfonsotalamantes]

Dear Max! Great video and a smooth way of resolving the operation of the slider by the binary switches! Amazing solution.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thank you very much! Binary switches, I never thought about that name.

[@richclominson4774]

Continue like this! The beginning is difficult, but I am sure you will get thousands of suscribers soon. You are awesome!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Rich Clominson Thank you very much! That would be great! But it is already great to have the ones I do so far.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thanks!

[@sosteve9113]

Nicely made

[@Mike335is]

And now.. Over 300k

[@ignitoracing]

I'm from the future, he has 111k now!

[@mertgunes9854]

Dude you are awesome, seriously this was one of the smoothest videos of this sort that I've ever seen.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Mert Güneş Wow. Your comment is awesome! Thank you!

[@TaliosLintry]

I don't see myself buying all those tools and 3d-printer to build a slider, but it was insightful and fun to watch. Good job!

[@VocalCityProductions]

Only producers with engineering can get this ❤️❤️❤️🙌🙌

[@rigilchrist]

How about coding the Ardino to calculate ramping at each end, so as to create a smooth start and stop? I love your work!

[@thangasaravanan]

CREATORS ARE THE SECOND GOD OF UNIVERSE.

[@rodstartube]

[5:01] I think the last speed "1,2,3,4" should be labeled as "10h" instead of "10s"

[@danbowie2358]

Nice build, well done Max!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Dan Bowie Thank you!!

[@NorthlandDWJ]

Can this hold a DSLR camera. How much weight do you think it can pull?

[@EpicBenjo]

1,2,3,4 = 10s? Or 10h? Wow this is so cool! You can definitely sell this as a kit!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Epic Benjo I would but I don't know electronics haha

[@ZedsTechTips]

I wouldn't have the skill to do this. Great stuff!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

At first I didn’t have either.

[@ZedsTechTips]

@@MaxMakerChannel So true. We all learn

[@MetaZoo22]

Really great video. That turned out way better than I was expecting.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+npsantini Thanks! Why did you have bad expectations though? 🤕

[@MetaZoo22]

This is the first video I've seen from you and I imagined it would be a tough project and something that would be hard to make look good. What you made looks great and seems to work really well.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+npsantini haha. Thanks!

[@nathanameru7654]

should make a flat electric vibration damping machine. 3 copper coils in triangle formation with their ends free, spring in center, a plate with magnets in correlation with coils, clever code that can use the polarity to attract and repel the magnets and place the plate in certain position. add a gyro to counter vibration and boom a flat electric vibration damping machine. gets rid of more vibration than silicon mounts.

[@sergeycrane9384]

After seeing this kind of stuff, i think, people with whom i planin to share this, will start making their own rigs by your design soon. Thanks for your efforts to making this video happen.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thank you very much! Please send pictures when they do!

[@sergeycrane9384]

I hope this will happen as soon as possible. Still. Keep making this kind of videos it's very useful. I'm myself not a man with a hands in the right place for doing all this, but can you tell, will this rig work for DLS Cameras like Canon 5D Mk II/IV or others with same sizes?

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Сергей Владимирович Yes you can use it with heavy cameras if you use a nema 17 motor with a gearbox. You can get them with 1:5 up to 1:51!

[@sergeycrane9384]

Thanks!

[@kntran10]

You know the video is going to be good when you hear a European scientist accent.

[@ricardoabreu4997]

How can somebody deslike this video? It was well done and edited. Good job Max

[@miguelquiroz1550]

Wow ... Perfect.... Thanks for that video!

[@vinzyvisuals6472]

Hello from India, You earned a subscription.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Namaste! Thank you!

[@goldbunny1973]

Good video - love so much about this video. *Drill 1 motor screw hole then recreate a box shape to accurately centre the other 3 holes instead of drilling all 4. There are some excellent woodwork tricks that eradicate errors when doing tasks like this.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+The Mouse Yeah that is a good idea. The holes came out alright. The problem was more that they interfered with the curved rails on the other side.

[@goldbunny1973]

Ok, well I was responding to hearing "drilled 4 holes, only 2 screws fit". Can't help you with curved rail issue, LOL. All yours!

[@dmm8658]

If it’s cold in your workshop, you can use a heat gun on low blow setting to dry the paint faster.

[@matusisaac3425]

Max, you are a genius! Nice work

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thank you!

[@i_g9854]

I love these types of projects

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Ishu Gangwar I am glad you do.

[@engineershexamartin]

Thanx Max, I have enjoyed your splendid staff. Keep it coming. I am currently working on something that needs a camera slider. You have helped,....

[@birseyleryap]

please please continue making brother.. you aRE BIG inspiration:)

[@MaxMakerChannel]

I will! Thanks for your kind words!

[@TheJewellian]

one word...genius!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Julian Davies Ah. Its not that difficult if you put a lot of work into it.

[@craftedworkshop]

Great video Max! This is super cool.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Crafted Workshop Thank you very much!!

[@TECH404]

Nice bit of work really enjoyed it

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+TECH 404 Thank you! More videos coming soon.

[@andysuzierawlins5462]

Looks brilliant, I have no electronics knowledge, wish I knew someone who did

[@digimaks]

Interesting... I like the fact that it has arduino control- in which case- it is open source output - that can be modified with code and software control. I need a motorized slider rig that can 1) read any motion given from software, 2) repeat that motion seamlesly several times, and 3) do same motion but with frame by frame steps (for stop motion camera move)

[@accessradiotherapyltd3668]

This is absolutely epic Max!

[@zulboy01]

i recommend to use knob just to controll all the speed. it pretty less size needed

[@JeremyCook]

Nice attention to details, and great sample footage at the end! I like the drone mount idea too.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Jeremy Cook's Projects Thank you very much! I was lucky with the timing. I got out of bed and saw the solar panels covered in frost and it was the first sunny day in weeks.

[@Vinja_Wolters]

You are really good with the editing of your video’s next to all the stuf you make. And i like that you are German, i feel like a lot of content creators are American (nothing agains Americans, i just find it refreshing since i am Dutch) grtz from the Netherlands!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thanks for watching! Greetings to the Neatherlands!

[@cutestanimalsshorts7014]

Good Luck Man For Future Doing Mind Blowing

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+TECH STUDIO Thanks! New video coming out very soon!

[@Musho]

Beautifully designed for smooth movement

[@aquirion]

Really nice. A nice feature to implement in the code would be speed ramping. That helps a lot for really nice timelapses

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Antoine Quirion Couture That is a good idea. So far I chopped away the start and the end to get rid of the shaking. How would you implement it?

[@aquirion]

Max Maker unfortunately , I have zero experience in arduino programmation . But take a look at what rhino slider does . It's really a amazing motorised slider

[@DrawingTimeLapse]

You can use analog input with variable-resistor for fine tuning control of speed

[@pill3drums]

Huge dude that's lit 🎉🔥

[@ignitoracing]

amazing!! No end switches? Cant this now self-destruct if the motor keeps scrolling itself after the stop?

[@MaxMakerChannel]

The belt would just slip.

[@901D]

진짜 잘만드셨네요 충분히 따라할수도 있게끔 잘 설명해주셔서 감사합니다

[@luxo9300]

4 bit controller is just a great idea!!!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

luxo9300 Thanks!

[@RJMaker]

Great Build!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+RJ_Make Thank you!

[@calebsuggs]

When one video makes you consider majoring in engineering.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thats what I did : )

[@andrewsmall6568]

Just awesome and love the accent.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Andrew Small Thank you! I could live without it.

[@ScottBrownCarpentry]

you're a wizard

[@ANurkholis]

wow great slider. Wanna make this one from my old printer rod. subscribed..

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+A Nurkholis Weocome! Good luck and share your build with me on twitter or Instagram!

[@Dragan_Drazic]

Great idea and well done. Thanks a lot.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Dragan Drazic Thank you! I am glad.

[@CulinaryExploration]

I thought the build was great... then.. you just casually printed a case... Great job, loved the vid

[@computerjantje]

Would there be a reason to not place the motor on the slider and glu the belt to the rail. That way making the length of the slide longer and shorter would become easier. And there need to go wires to the camera anyway or the motor could be on batteries if you really want no wires to the moving platform. Also "no end stops" as a safety stop would make me nervious as also an arduino can sometimes be wrong.

[@stephenlanders]

hi max have now finished builing mine using your code etc and your circuit ,only trouble im getting is when turn the supply on to judders have tried putting a bigger capacitor in also tried a diode across the input but it still judders on start up just wondered did you have idea what it is .great design anyway ok

[@Melkano]

You dont upload the code in your instrucable : ( i'm a frensh maker and il would like to make your slider for impouve my vidéo can you help me ?

[@Arunkumar-raja]

Awesome work...I have doubt, How to control this stepper motor clock wise and anticlockwise ..If any switch is there. Or once reach the slider end automatically come back.. pls explain me ....Thank you

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Look into stepper motor basic tutorials for Arduino. There you will learn how to reverse them. It is easy.

[@ModelMinutes]

Nice! If only i had the confidence to work with metal :P

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Aluminium can be worked just like wood, just that you don’t need to care about grain structure and all that.

[@SubhrantSukumar]

Ohhh , really a great engineering. Such A perfectionist you are Good job

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thanks!

[@peterpreisdinslaken1510]

Klasse gemacht gefällt mir außerordentlich gut LG.Pidi

[@ryanredmond9195]

Could you not make an even simpler one using a traditional DC motor and a rheostat for variable speed control, with two limit switches to stop it at either end?

[@benpress8884]

What prevents the motor from stalling at the end of its run? did you use some kind of limit switch or is that a function of the arduino?

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Ben Press Function of the Arduino. It knows the length of the slider.

[@isagive]

Very cool max.

[@BrasspineappleProductions]

I like this MAX !

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thanks!

[@kirillvoloshin2065]

awesome. I am going to build my own. That's why I have a question: as long as this is a friction slider, is there a possibility to potentially decrease friction between rails and the platform for a camera without buying different slider? I want to add controlled time lapse functionality so the lesser external factors (for example, friction and vibration) there are, the more control I can get. thank you for inspiration and response

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+K V The vibration occours at different speeds. At high speeds the vibration comes from the motor and the whipping belt. At slow speeds the shaking cones from the momentum of the camera that moved the anti vibration mount. Friction does not make a great difference. I belive though that you could use makerslides with bearings and adjustable wheels for about 100$.

[@TheBoomBoomRoomStLouis]

You are a God!

[@manan1352]

Dropped jaw when I saw the 3D printer

[@shamarmilton8626]

Awesomeeeee! Thanks Max

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Shamar Milton You'r welcome.

[@safemode8598]

Thanks Max, you are a good builder, but the cost of setting up a work shop for this project is so high I might as well just buy the slider I need.

[@StamatisKekes]

It's what I need to level up my drum cover videos ...

[@MEGATestberichte]

Do you have the motor running in fullstep mode? Mine is creating lot of vibration making video records totally unusable at the moment

[@MaxMakerChannel]

I reccomend 1/4th microstepping! Big difference. Much smoother.

[@MEGATestberichte]

@@MaxMakerChannel Thank you. Will modify that tomorrow :)

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Good luck!

[@Alessolito]

Really nice project!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thanks!

[@AMGTOUGEX]

wow. so far you have the best build for this application. small profile, easy to build, and best of all.... $50! do you sell the 3d printed box? thanks for the share, max!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thank you very much! I always give my best. Anyone can do average. I don´t sell them, but you can download the files from the instructable. I know that many people in 3D printer groups on Facebook offer their print services.

[@danterusso6354]

Well done! Just subscribed. Thanks for sharing.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thanks and welcome!

[@DavidsMusicChannel]

Hi there. I built one recently and powering it with a 9v battery . It doesn’t pull my DSLR. Any idea if upping the voltage might help ?

[@BushidoPhoto]

Is it possible to use a variable power knob instead of the switches? One with a pot that could be pushed in to activate/deactivate it? I have no idea what to buy if that can be done.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Yes. Instead of using the 4 switches, you can add a potentiometer. You can probably adjust it in 10 increments by eye, although they won´t be discrete. So you could have 10 settings. (if resistance > 0 &&

[@kamel3d]

This is so clever well done

[@copyright24]

Hey, it's exactly what I'm looking for, but I'm a beginner and I've maybe a stupid question but, in the schem at 6:50 , where are the wire for the stepper motor ?

[@SebastiaanMollema]

Hi max, nicely made! Is this setup strong enough to work vertical? For a gopro or smartphone cam. Thanks for sharing!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Sebastiaan Mollema Thank you. Definitely works with a gopro or smartphone. For a DSLR there are steppers with integrated gearboxes available. Look for "Nema 17 gearbox".

[@Graveltongue]

It's a great video, I love a good BYO. Can you include the video of you adding all the gear to your workshop, learning how to use it and how much you charge per hour for your engineering skills! I appreciate your effort but it's not an option for most of us.

[@DylanSaliba]

Solid build! agree working on electronics IS relaxing as long as you have the proper tools! You may have convinced me to try this build. Thanks for sharing!!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Dylan Saliba Thats cool. Please send a picture if you do. What is your background?

[@DylanSaliba]

I'm a commercial cinematographer by trade but I like to make films with my friends on the weekends. I'll be sure to post a pic!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Dylan Saliba Cool. What brands or systems do professionals use?

[@DylanSaliba]

We use anything we can get our hands on! It's the photographer, not the camera! :D

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Haha. I shoot on an iPhone : )

[@naboulsikhalid7763]

great work, very clever with the combination. Can you show how to program the combinations. thank you

[@RehaOzer1962]

very well done. I do not understand what is the problem for these 13 people who do not like this video, maybe a little jealousy or may be your neighbors :)

[@marwan9425]

Sweet no all that's left is to buy a motor, puley, 3d printer, drill, and components. ... It would probably still be more cost effective than buying a brand slider! Not to mention super satisfying and fun

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Marwan Exactly. Like I sad its easy.

[@Imfam]

Hi Max, thank you for your VDO, this awesome. Anyway, could you please give me the detail of the Pulley (eg, diameter, teeth) .... Since the information in the Amazon link already dead. Thank you very much ....

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Hey. The pulley had about 20 teeth and 2cm diameter.

[@Imfam]

MAX ... appreciated for your light speed response !!!!

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thanks for letting me know. And cool that you are building one! I changed the instructable and replaced what is missing. Does this help? Let me know if not.

[@SimonAndersonphotography]

That is sooo cool, what a great product, unfortunately even though you say it's simple it looks outside my comfort and expertise zone, still awesome though so thanks for sharing :-)

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Simon Anderson Thank you. You grow with your projects. I believe in you!

[@SimonAndersonphotography]

Max Maker Thank you :-)

[@computerjantje]

It is always dangerous to say something is simple. For the one who already knows, it always seems simple.

[@paryzfilip]

Hi! I'd love to see this kind of a design made into making a stand up desk. Do you think the motor an belt would be ok to hold the desk with monitors and some thing more? :D Or maybe use a motor with lead screws? :)

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Filip Paryż It wont have enough torque. Thats where you need a lead-screw. .

[@TK42138]

Nice work!

[@IanSRutter]

Very impressively and simple design. You use a mobile, but will the unit take a DSLR. I have a Canon 7D. Will your design need to be beefed up to take on a DSLR? Again, great video.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Ian S. Rutter Thank you very much. I do my very best with the production, but that also means that they take longer. If you keep it horizontal, the weight doesn't matter. You can get the same size motor with an integrated gearbox ranging from 1:5 up to 1:50 reduction. It will move slower but be much stronger.

[@keyfrontpropertiesllc3472]

What kind of upgrades are needed to handle the weight of a mid-sized DSLR, like a Nikon D3200?

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Horizontally none. Vertically you can get a stepper with internal gearing.

[@suryaraju2827]

Seeing that you have a 3Dprinter,you could have printed a belt tensioner like the ones used in a DIY printer,any specific reason why you didn't consider that option?

[@MaxMakerChannel]

+Surya Raju Very true, I could have done that. I guess sitting down, designing and printing one would have taken an hour. This way the tension is enough.

[@tompetroff]

Good job. As a videographer I would want a dampner to slow it down instead of a sudden stop. But, great job none the less. I am no good building electronics.

[@MaxMakerChannel]

Thanks. You could program a de-acceleration.

[@PicBoxCompany]

Hello Max; would we be able to increase the speed? If so how?

[@profesor2009]

This is realy cool!!