OB1 Jib tilt stage addition

I've been working on the next step with the OB1 jib. Now that it's stronger and really easy to use, I've had a think about the parallelogram system that jibs normally use and wondering how I can improve upon that using the Movi Pro's built in stabilisation.

What I came up with was modifying the fantastic Flowcine Black Arm damper to allow the Movi to hang level in a 90˚ range of the jib's tilt. So as the jib moves from level to + & - 45˚ the gimbal stays level, placing less strain on the gimbal's motors 

Here's what I've come up with and here are some renders of the next parts to be made. 

I think I'll call it The Gator, due to it's looking like a cartoon alligator because of the magnet stopper holders looking like it's nose. 

OB1 Jib lessons and redesign

Well, so I built my jib up and learnt a few things. The carbon rod on the top for the tension wire, broke under strain as the wire couldn't slide along it, so it pulled it over. The centre section also bent under use, as it was too thin to deal with the leverage of the jib in it's longest mode. 

Ah well, good lessons learnt in engineering something like this. I can see that the joints and jib have to take a lot of force once a camera weight is reaching out one end and the counterweight on the other. 

 

So I redesigned the jib completely. The old parts are just a piece of expensive art now, but I've had fun with the whole process so c'est la vie!

Here are some renders with the redesigned parts...

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The central section now has a box square on top of the dovetail plate for strength, it attaches to the female part of a dovetail joint that replaces my techy finger design. It's a little more basic, but should provide a very solid lock as the dovetail will be tight and not be able to flex, also having a screw top and bottom to secure it. 

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INTRODUCING THE OB1 JIB

I've been filming for the last year and a half with the fantastic, affordable LiteProGear Feather Crane Plus. This wee jib is amazing in that it packs down to about 70cm long but allows you to get 7 feet out from the pivot using a gimbal. 

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As I shoot mostly drama and like a solid crane move, I was finding the Feather Crane a little whippy. I thought about designing extra out-riggers for it, but then once I started thinking about it I felt that I could design my own jib, more specifically for my needs.

With the Movi Pro on the end of a jib, it's actually not necessary to have a parallelogram to keep the camera stage level. It's ideal, but no longer neccesary as the gimbal doesn't mind if it's not level. I also find that I have great pan & tilt heads on set that frankly are more heavy-duty than the cameras we use these days, so why design a complicated pivot when an Oconnor 5275 Head is always at hand. 

So here's a render or 3 of the OB1 jib, this mark 1 version goes straight on to the Oconnor dovetail. Mark 2 will have a pivot mechaninsm with brakes, friction and the parallelogram. 

Carbon sections are sleeved in a keyed alloy part that locks into place with the central mounting point, camera stage and weight stage using steel aircraft pins. It doesn't matter which length of carbon goes where so I can make it short, long, with a short backswing or long one. I think I'll use this with a 2m reach most of the time but think with the tension of the outriggers it'll make 5m easily.