My homemade spherical panoramic head design (w/ pics)

[5teve]

Moderator Update 10/9/2009: It was brought to our attention that this design is from Dr. Sean Parkin http://xray.uky.edu/people_documents/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html. Please give credit where credit is due.:

UPDATE 4/21/09: Added actual build details starting from post #41. http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=679708&page=3

Update 10/9/09: Modified post to indicate that this design is based off a design from Dr. Sean Parkin. http://xray.uky.edu/people_documents/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html

I was interested in desigining my own Panoramic head. Initially I was looking at purchasing the Panosauras, but after much research decided I wanted something a bit sturdier and also something that could I could disassemble easily for travelling. I also looked at the ever popular Nodal Ninja, but did not want to shell out $300-$400 for the NN5 (as the NN3 was too small for my camera). I ended up modifying a design that I came across here http://xray.uky.edu/people_documents/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html. This was a design from Dr. Sean Parkin, and the only modification I made was to remove the use of the Manfrotto plate, and also added the ability for some detents to be placed every 30 degrees or so on the rotator.

I started with the plan of using a Manfrotto quick release plate that would be permanently attached to the head, like how Sean designed his head. The vertical arm is removable by unscrewing the one knob at the bottom. Unscrewing the vertical arm will be the only thing that will need to be done to take apart the head for travel (no tools needed!).

I then created a simple Visio diagram which detailed all the necessary measurements that I would need for my specific camera and nodal point, taking into account the thickness of the material, and the Manfrotto plate.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Panohead%20Original.jpg

I purchased the Manfrotto plates from Amazon, but after receiving them had second thoughts on using them. The plates were rather heavy and bulky (and a bit pricey ~$30), so back they went.

Here is my revised plan without using the Manfrotto plate. In order to keep with my criteria of not needing tools to assemble or use the head, I needed to add a spacer between the vertical arm and the arm that the camera mounts to.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Panohead%20Revised.jpg

To validate how this adapted design would look, I then made a 3D model using Sketchup.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Panoramic%20Head%201.jpg

Model with the arm rotated up 90 degrees.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Panoramic%20Head%202.jpg

And finally, model with the camera mounted and ready for action.

http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Panoramic%20Head%203.jpg

If all goes as planned I should have my head completely finished this weekend :). I will post a build thread once complete.

[czeglin]

How do you guarantee alignment between the horizontal & vertical arms? Seems like an alignment slot/tab would be helpful, but then you're moving from DIY territory into machining.

Are you using the panning base on the ballhead or do you have a separate panning head?

Finally, a shout out to McMaster-Carr. Best website ever for finding "I-don't-know-quite-what-I'm-looking-for".

[5teve]

How do you guarantee alignment between the horizontal & vertical arms? Seems like an alignment slot/tab would be helpful, but then you're moving from DIY territory into machining.


The pan head screws that are used to hold the vertical arm onto the lower plate actually have a bit of adjustment to them. They don't have much adjustment (about 1/32"), but enough to guarantee that the distance is correct.

An alignment slot would have been great! But you're right that is more of a machining task. I actually thought about how to make a slot so that the head could be used for multiple cameras, but without a CNC couldn't really find a good way to make one.


Are you using the panning base on the ballhead or do you have a separate panning head?

Finally, a shout out to McMaster-Carr. Best website ever for finding "I-don't-know-quite-what-I'm-looking-for".

I am not using the panning base on my ballhead, since the panoramic head is designed such that the base rotates. The thin silver color you see in the 3D model is actually a bearing which allows the upper disk to rotate against the lower one. I also modified Sean's original design such that there are detents every 30 degrees and these detents are adjustable by switching out a "detent washer".

Yes, McMaster-Carr is awesome. That is my new favorite site for finding those random parts that I didn't even know existed.

[5teve]

I created a rendering which shows the exploded view of the base of the panoramic head. I wanted to sketch up the head to see if I could find a way for the detent indexing pin to work properly. There is a needle bearing between the upper and lower disks. I drilled out small holes on the inner washer every 30 degrees which allow the ball detent spring to index against. There is another small pin to locate the washer and prevent it from spinning inside.

http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Panohead%20Bearing%20detail.jpg

Here is another view with "see through" enabled on the model, which may or may not make things clearer.

http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Panohead%20Bearing%20detail%202.jpg

[Grentz]

Very impressive work, will be interesting to see how the final piece comes out ;)

[SYS]

Me too. :)

[A_Whelan]

I created a rendering which shows the exploded view of the base of the panoramic head. This piece actually took the longest time to figure out how to make it work :). In any case, there is a needle bearing between the upper and lower disks. I drilled out small holes on the inner washer every 30 degrees which allow the ball detent spring to index against. There is another small pin to locate the washer and prevent it from spinning inside.


Will this act in a way to feel it "click" as you turn every 30 degrees? If so very neat idea!

Also how are you doing to fabricate it? CNC Machine? I was thinking getting some help with doing something similar. It will be interesting to see the final product!
Aaron

[ben_r_]

Looks a little like the RRS solution. How much would something like this run you actually produce?

[5teve]

Will this act in a way to feel it "click" as you turn every 30 degrees? If so very neat idea!


Yes, the detent is so that I will be able to feel it "click" every 30 degrees. I noticed that the commercial heads had this feature, and thought it was a great idea as well.


Also how are you doing to fabricate it? CNC Machine? I was thinking getting some help with doing something similar. It will be interesting to see the final product!
Aaron

I am doing all the fabrication at home with basic handtools and woodworking tools. I've actually finished fabricating the parts and just need to complete the finishing touches tomorrow. The base seems to "click" just like I had planned! I'll test it later with the camera attached and see if I am still able to feel the detents.

[joeseph]

The pan head screws that are used to hold the vertical arm onto the lower plate actually have a bit of adjustment to them.
them pan head screws are likely the most stressed points in the design I think - I'd be inclined to get the best quality ones you can. Only other area I'd suggest might need beefing up is the threaded aluminium for the swing arm doesn't have a lot of threads for the load you'll be putting on (and every time you tighten it up) if needed you can always suppliment this with a captive steel nut.

Great work with the drawings!

[WillOPhotos]

looks like 360 Precision Panno head, I have one that looks similar.

[5teve]

looks like 360 Precision Panno head, I have one that looks similar.

Wow, I just took a look at that head and it looks really nice. Very pricey though. I would estimate that the parts for my head are only around $100. Of course I am not factoring in the "cost" for my time, but since I enjoy doing this type of work I figure that cost as a benefit.

[WillOPhotos]

yeah its the only bit of equipment where I wasnt happy spending the money haha good luck with yours it looks like you know what your doing!

[5teve]

I finished building my panoramic head this weekend! The only part that didn't go as planned was being able to dye my parts black. For some reason the test piece that I anodized did not take the dye well and ended up very splotchy and purplish in color. I decided to just go ahead and anodize without the dye. I will post pictures of the completed head shortly.

[5teve]

I also decided to have an arm detent that clicks at 0, +45, -45, +90, -90. Below is the exploded view of the design for that feature.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Arm%20Detail.jpg

[czeglin]

Looks awesome. I can't wait to see the finished piece.
I especially like the detents.

[5teve]

Here is a picture of the finished head. So far I've only taken a quick 360x180 panoramic shot of my living room, and the head seems to work exactly as expected. No stitching errors :).

http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/IMG_3001.jpg

[stargazer77517]

Very nice.....

[Grentz]

Wow, very impressive! Great work.

Did you create the parts or buy them and if you bought them where from? Any idea on a estimated cost as well? I really love it, looks better than many of the solutions out there.

[5teve]

Wow, very impressive! Great work.

Did you create the parts or buy them and if you bought them where from? Any idea on a estimated cost as well? I really love it, looks better than many of the solutions out there.

Thanks.

I created the aluminum parts myself (base, arms, etc), and bought most of the other parts from McMaster-Carr. I would estimate that the total cost in parts was around $100-$120. This price could be reduced somewhat if making multiple heads, since some of the parts I purchased came in packs of 25 when only one or two were needed (the 1/16" diameter pin for example). I ended up building my head with a friend who built one as well, so we did save some on costs such as those. I added the bubble level as a last minute addition and that part alone cost $15 with shipping, but I figured it was worth it.

[czeglin]

How much does it weigh?

[5teve]

How much does it weigh?

It weighs 1.81 LBS. It could be made lighter if I had a decent way to remove some material from the arms.

[Nathan]

Patent this, ASAP.

[A_Whelan]

Very nice, could you post pictures of your camera mounted on?
Glad it all worked out, looks awesome!
Aaron

[psycorpse]

Also could you post the 360 pano that you took? This is really cool. I wish I was that handy.

[Pekka]

Impressive.

[mai_lin]

Yes please patent it ASAP - this took some serious thought and planning and I'd hate to see someone else rip off your work and make hundreds/thousands off it.

Also - I'd recommend removing the plans you posted in the first part of this thread. If people want them they can pay you some pocket change for them, but don't just give it away!

Great job!


Jen D.

[ryant35]

Can we see pictures with your camera mounted?

[FlyingPhotog]

That's some nice work...

Interesting to follow the process from rough sketch to finished article.

Now, let's see some results!! ;)

[5teve]

Here is a picture with my camera mounted on it.

http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/IMG_3007.jpg

Here is my "test" panoramic picture in equirectangular format. I used PTGui to stitch the image together and really did not need to do any modifications of control points, besides removing the extraneous ones that the optimizer added.

http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/New%20Pano%20Head_cube_equi.jpg

If you want to see the pano in SWF format where you can scroll around, I have it posted here. View panorarmic image in swf format (http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/New%20Pano%20Head.html)

[Grentz]

Very cool, great results. Thanks for your answer on the parts too...more just curious than anything. I am not good with metal craftsmanship at all :p

I would love to get one though maybe if you end up building them ;)

[czeglin]

First, I am not a lawyer.

I think it was great that you took it upon yourself to make a home-brew alternative to commercial heads, but I really don't think this is patentable, and wouldn't be worthwhile to patent even if it was.

However, if you were to patent it, it wouldn't matter if someone had your plans. The idea of a patent is that you make the plans public in exchange for licensing rights. In order to use your idea people have to license it from you. You can charge them a fee for that or simply refuse. But the patent, and thus your invention, becomes available to the public.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patentability

Considering that you basically reverse-engineered existing products, I am thinking it would probably not count as either "novel" or "non-obvious". The word obvious is used as it applies to someone "skilled in the art", not a layman. Basically if most engineers working on this problem could reasonably come up with the same solution, the idea is not patentable.

</buzzkill>

[Nathan]

I'm not a lawyer... but I will have a law degree in a few weeks and I might be an attorney if I pass the bar. However, I've not taken any patent law classes.

That said, I'm pretty sure you can patent anything. There are crazy ideas that people patent all the time... lay people filing new mousetraps and toilet paper holders. Whether or not someone can file a patent infringement claim is a different matter... but it doesn't hurt to file a patent anyway when you have a design as detailed as this.

Consider the Gillette 3-blade Mach3 and the Schwick 4-blade Quatro. What's novel or nonobvious about either? They're both patented.

The idea is patent the product, then if you want sell the license to Really Right Stuff or someone who will mass produce it and market it. If you're not interested in that, at least patent it to protect the designs. It's worth it.

[5teve]

Very cool, great results. Thanks for your answer on the parts too...more just curious than anything. I am not good with metal craftsmanship at all :p

I would love to get one though maybe if you end up building them ;)

I would love to be able to build these and sell them, but unfortunately they would take me too much time. I would need to look into how much it would cost to have the parts made by a CNC, but I am pretty sure that once I did that the price would skyrocket. Also, this design would not work for different camera and lens combinations, as it is fixed at one length.

The way I see it, this market is pretty well covered at the moment. You have the Panasaurus at the low end (less than $100), and companies like the Nodal Ninja covering the middle/high-end market (between $200 and $500), and then a bunch of other companies with really high end solutions. There may be room for another player in between the low and mid market, but I would need to do more market research before making that conclusion.

[5teve]

Here are two more panorama shots that I took.

http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Viewpoint_web.jpg

The second one below looks like there are stitching errors on the bricks, but those errors are actually from me trying to edit out the tripod in photoshop! I need to find a good way to paint over the tripod when the ground has details such as bricks. EDIT: I was able to edit out the tripod much better without introducing what looked like stitching errors.

http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/Courtyard_cube_equi.jpg

[lblaod]

amazing, good work!

[WillOPhotos]

really nice man! how will you adjust it when used with a diff lens? fowards and backwards? or have you designed it to be used with that specific lens?

[René Damkot]

Impressive indeed :)

[jmik26]

Nice work! All you need is some DIY powder coating and your set...Jeff

[5teve]

really nice man! how will you adjust it when used with a diff lens? fowards and backwards? or have you designed it to be used with that specific lens?

I modified the design found here http://xray.uky.edu/people_documents/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html to fit my specific camera and lens combination. In reality, however, I do not ever see myself using a different lens when doing a spherical panorama as there really would be no point in doing so (that I could figure).

For a standard panoramic shot with subjects further from the lens I am sure this head will still work fine even with different lenses as the chance for parallax error would be small at the greater distances. I will need to do another test to confirm though :).

[5teve]

I figured people may be interested in seeing how I constructed the panoramic head, and am including the details below. I was going to start a new thread, but figured it made more sense to keep the build along with the design. I based my assembly/construction off of how it was done here http://xray.uky.edu/people_documents/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html.

The first step I did was to work on getting the disks for the base. I used a hole saw to rough cut the holes and then cleaned up the holes later.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_7851.jpg

Here is a picture of the completed disks (2 sets) after cutting and a bit of sanding.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_7836.jpg

The hole saw did not cut a nice 90 degree edge so I needed to clean up the edge by using a file. I bolted the two disks together and then filed the disks while they rotated on the drill press. This process ensured that the two disks were identical, and also that the edges were perpendicular to the faces.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_7848.jpg

I experimented using various techiniques to cut the aluminum bar and found the best technique was to use an ordinary hacksaw and a jig. Here is a picture of the jig I used. The jig helps cut at a 90 degree angle, and as an added bonus was also used to true up the cut edges.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_7838.jpg

Here I am using the jig and a file to true up the end on what is to be the vertical arm. This edge needed to be exactly at 90 degrees.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_7849.jpg

Once all my parts were cut I used a drill press to cut all the holes and tapped the holes that needed to accept a bolt. A drill press is an absolute must if you are planning on building one yourself.

Here is a shot of all the parts after machining and sanding.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_7853.jpg

[5teve]

Aluminum is actually a relatively soft metal, and I knew that if I didn't protect it that may panoramic head would become all dinged and scratched up easily. In fact by just laying the parts on top of each other for test fitting I was able to see the parts getting scratched! A solution to this problem is to anodize the aluminum. This process actually forms a thin layer that is harder than the raw aluminum and protects it.

Here is a picture of the parts being anodized.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_2979.jpg

After anodizing the parts don't look quite as shiny, but they have a more uniform color throughout. They also appear to be a bit "whiter" than raw aluminum. Most importantly, however, the parts do not seem to get scratched nearly as easily as before.

Here is picture of the arm parts after anodizing.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_2987.jpg

Here is a picture of the disks and associated parts.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_2993.jpg

Here is a closeup of the indexing washer that I created. You can see the one through hole that I use with the locking pin to prevent rotation.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_2991.jpg

Picture of the base assembled without the arm attached. The screw used to hold the assembly together rides on a small bearing to prevent it from tightening or loosening when the base is spun.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG_2995.jpg

Here is the completed head, but with the vertical arm removed. Only one knob holds the arm on so it is easy to break down for travel.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG5D_2174.jpg

Picture of the arm disassembled. Also, note the c-clip holding the camera thumbscrew so that it will not fall out.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG5D_2175.jpg

And one more final shot of the completed head.
http://stuff457.gotdns.com/sjchen/panohead/build/IMG5D_2177.jpg

[ryant35]

Wow, that really is DIY. It looked like something you manufactured in a machine shop.

[SYS]

As in the "Small Flash and Studio Lighting," we really need a DIY sticky in the "Accessories and Storage" section here.

Great job, Steve, on your DIY, and the step by step pictorial! :)

[kndguy]

Damn dude... fantastic work!

[scot079]

Where do I buy one of these :lol:

Great work!

[jreimer19]

You had said that you added a bubble level to it where did you insert it don't see it in pictures.

[5teve]

You had said that you added a bubble level to it where did you insert it don't see it in pictures.

The bubble level is round and looks like a bulls eye (its actually called a bulls eye level). You can see it in the pictures. It is in the middle of the horizontal arm directly over where the arm rotates.

[jreimer19]

Sorry Steve I just found out when lookingat the documents again.

Thanks Again

[[CaliGirl]]

Really impressive. Way to take an idea (even if just improving on another) and see it to the end....

[tomd]

how did you ease the edges so smooth and consistently?

Very nice work!

[5teve]

how did you ease the edges so smooth and consistently?

Very nice work!


I rough cut the edges round corners using a hack saw, and then just used a file to round them over. I placed the file on my jig at a 90 degree angle and then slid my part against the file to round the corner. This setup guaranteed that my edges would be at 90 degrees. I matched the corner radius to be the same as the base. It actually did not turn out to be as difficult as I thought it would be.

[sparkin]

Here is a picture of the finished head. So far I've only taken a quick 360x180 panoramic shot of my living room, and the head seems to work exactly as expected. No stitching errors :).


Nice work 5teve, but this looks a *whole* lot like a copy of a device I made a few years ago, especially the rotator, so your use of the words "my design" is inappropriate - there's not much original work there - but the detents have potential. Excellent craftsmanship aside, well, you know the old saying ? ... Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. Here's a picture of the one I made a few years ago:

http://xray.uky.edu/people/parkin/panohead/IMG_5351.jpg

Just for the record (for everyone else), here's the url of my build (below). The description has been up several years, just Google "homemade panoramic head" and click "I'm feeling lucky".

http://xray.uky.edu/people/parkin/panohead/panohead.html

Cheers, Sean

Dr. Sean Parkin
Director, X-Ray Laboratory
University of Kentucky
Lexington, KY, 40502.

[5teve]

Sean, I've gone through and edited my previous posts to give you credit where due. You definitely have a great deal of information on your site.

[fitzhughsmith]

Great design, I'm going to try to build one using the 8020.net aluuminum tslot stuff. Luckily McMaster Carr is only about 10 miles from me and I use it like my local Home Depot.

[sparkin]

Sean, I did come across your site when I was researching my design and definitely used some of the ideas from your site for my inspiration. Thanks for all the great information on your site as well.

Yes, I could tell ;)

I have since made a second one, smaller and much lighter (about 1 pound - the bulkiest part is the Manfrotto quick release). This new one is fully adjustable for different lenses/cameras, and collapses down easily and reproducibly. It has a rotation mechanism that fits completely within the centre column of my backpacking tripod (a small Manfrotto). This is similar in principle, but very different in design, to Michel Thoby's slim rotator (http://michel.thoby.free.fr/Nadir/Slim/Slim_rotator.html). This means that there is very little at all on the nadir of a full 360° pano.

Here are a few pictures:

http://xray.uky.edu/people/parkin/panohead_mk2/panohead_2_1.jpg http://xray.uky.edu/people/parkin/panohead_mk2/panohead_2_2.jpg http://xray.uky.edu/people/parkin/panohead_mk2/panohead_2_3.jpg

Again, this was largely made with hand tools, apart from a drill press and a small bench sander. Most of it is aluminium, but the stops on the horizontal base and the camera arm are made from delrin plastic cut with a hole saw. I also made some washers and gaskets from oak veneer. A colleague at work black anodized it for me, so it looks pretty. I've since added a graduated collar for reproducible rotations. It also works well on top of a monopod. It looks to be a bit overpowered by the quick release, but the convenience of this fixture can't be overstated, and its mating plate is permanently on my camera anyway.

Here's a few panoramas taken with this Mk2 head:

http://xray.uky.edu/people/parkin/panoramas/Koyasan_Japan/welcome.html

http://xray.uky.edu/people/parkin/panoramas/Ice_storm/welcome.html

Cheers, Sean

[5teve]

Sean, that is an awesome second design! I now have some inspiration to work on a second revision as well :). I tried to anodize mine in black, but didn't have good luck with the color. I think next time I'll purchase some good dyes to use and try that. How thick is the aluminum you used? It looks to be less than 3/8" to me. Do you have any closeup shots of how you secure the adjustable washers? Also, how did you end up cutting the slot?

[sparkin]

Sean, that is an awesome second design! I now have some inspiration to work on a second revision as well :). I tried to anodize mine in black, but didn't have good luck with the color. I think next time I'll purchase some good dyes to use and try that. How thick is the aluminum you used? It looks to be less than 3/8" to me. Do you have any closeup shots of how you secure the adjustable washers? Also, how did you end up cutting the slot?

The aluminium (apologies for the British spelling, but I'm British) is 0.25" thick. This gives it a barely perceptible flex (my original is essentially flex free), but in practice it makes hardly any difference.

To cut the slots I used a scroll saw (so I should have added that to the list of non-hand tools) and files. I made it about 18 months ago, and the slot cutting had slipped my mind. The slot on the camera arm is a little more complicated, as it is not just one piece of 0.25" aluminium. It is two pieces of 0.125" bolted together, and one has a wider slot. I did this to allow the panhead bolt that fastens the quick release base to lie flush with the surface so that it would not get in the way as the elbow joint moves. A proper machinist could easily cut this arm from a single piece of 0.25" thick metal.

The rotation mechanism for this one is beautifully smooth. I found that in order to forgo the normal-style rotation mechanism, which in my original head was 2.5" in diameter, then to achieve truly smooth rotation the mechanism needs to be quite long. This has to do with the maximum allowable angular deviation. That is why I built it into the centre column, as I didn't want it to become unwieldy. It is difficult to describe without pictures, but basically there's a single threaded rotating rod that runs the length of the centre column with a series of bearings, belleville washers and delrin bushings. Actually, it is really half the length of the centre column, because I chopped the centre column in half so that I would also have a half-height centre column with the integrated ball head (that came with the tripod).

I guess it is time to dismantle it, photograph the parts and do a proper write-up for this one. Maybe I'll do this soon now that the semester here is about over.

Cheers, Sean

[Freff]

5teve, great job.

Can you show a close up of the indexing pin and how you constructed it, or was it bought. Also, any info on how you anodized the parts and what's involved. Many thanks.

[5teve]

5teve, great job.

Can you show a close up of the indexing pin and how you constructed it, or was it bought. Also, any info on how you anodized the parts and what's involved. Many thanks.

The indexing pin itself I bought from McMaster-Carr. It is actually a small ball nose spring. Here is a picture from that site:

http://www.mcmaster.com/param/images/springplungers/3408a125.gif

You can find pretty good resources for anodizing aluminum by searching on Google, but the general process is this:

1. Clean aluminum well (use Degreaser, and hot soap and water).
2. De-oxidize by dipping in strong base (sodium hydroxide or trisodium phosphate (TSP).
3. Anodize - attach 12v positive lead to part and negative lead to piece of aluminum foil dipped in a 25% sulfuric acid mix.
4. Dye parts by placing in solution of heated dye (but not too hot)
5. Seal parts by placing in boiling water.

I hope this helps.

[Freff]

Great stuff, many thanks for the info.

[Baker1444]

I'm just wondering where there is no adjustment for fine tuning the nodal point your measurement must have to be very accurate. How do you go about finding the nodal point of a given lens? How about you have different lenses, then what do you do?

[5teve]

I'm just wondering where there is no adjustment for fine tuning the nodal point your measurement must have to be very accurate. How do you go about finding the nodal point of a given lens? How about you have different lenses, then what do you do?

There is a very small adjustment that could be made. I made the holes for the screws that hold the verital arm slightly larger in diameter than the screw, just like how Dr. Sean Parkin did on his original design. Doing this allows a slight adjustment of about 1mm in either direction.

I only use one lens, so was not concerned about making the head adjustable.

Its easy to find the nodal point of a lens. Do a google search on 'find lens nodal point' and some pretty good results come up.

[Baker1444]

5teve,

Did you get my message about the measured drawings? I was wondering if you would send me the Visio diagrams that you done. I really want to give this thing a shot.

Rob

[evilryu530]

i love sketchup. it's an awesome program. first time seeing someone on this forum using sketchup a 3D free and easy to learn program, for photography.

[Freff]

Here is my attempt inspired by 5teve
http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=729461

[Baker1444]

I'm having trouble finding the thick washer needed for inside the needle bearing, used in the base. McMaster-Carr has them but I can't find one that has an outside diameter of 45mm, and a thickness of 5mm. I'm guessing I need 5mm because the needle bearing is 3mm and the two washers are 1mm each. What did you guys use and where did you find it?

Also what kind of thread for the bolts should I get? Do you need something with a course thread to grab the aluminum a little better where it is a soft metal?

[Lowner]

You are an amazingly resourceful fella.

May I ask a couple of questions about your home anodising? I have a machined aluminium part I'd like to black anodise.

1. Is there any particular type of dye I'd need to use

2. How long does it need to sit in your home made anodising plant.

[5teve]

I'm having trouble finding the thick washer needed for inside the needle bearing, used in the base. McMaster-Carr has them but I can't find one that has an outside diameter of 45mm, and a thickness of 5mm. I'm guessing I need 5mm because the needle bearing is 3mm and the two washers are 1mm each. What did you guys use and where did you find it?

Also what kind of thread for the bolts should I get? Do you need something with a course thread to grab the aluminum a little better where it is a soft metal?

i didn't use a washer for the inside the needle bearings. I ended up using a thick piece of plastic and cut it out into the perfect sized circle. I used a router and a circle jig to get the washer to approximately the right size, and then stuck it on a drill and sanded to fine tune the size.

I mostly used 1/4-20 bolts and they work fine. Any sized thread should work though, as I wouldn't worry too much about stripping the threads.

[sparkin]

I'm having trouble finding the thick washer needed for inside the needle bearing, used in the base. McMaster-Carr has them but I can't find one that has an outside diameter of 45mm, and a thickness of 5mm. I'm guessing I need 5mm because the needle bearing is 3mm and the two washers are 1mm each. What did you guys use and where did you find it?

You don't need metal for this part unless you want to use it for a detent-stop mechanism. Any sort of plastic, wood or even stiff cardboard would work just as well because all it does is to prevent the thrust bearing from slipping sideways. The rotator that 5teve made is basically a copy of a rotator I made a few years ago, which itself was my own attempt to make something as sturdy as that on the 360 precision head. It works incredibly well, so I'm glad the design has been picked up by so many fellow panoramists. A fairly detailed description has been on my website for years, here:

http://xray.uky.edu/people/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html

Or you could just Google "homemade panoramic head".

Also what kind of thread for the bolts should I get? Do you need something with a course thread to grab the aluminum a little better where it is a soft metal?

This is as good of a reason as any. I chose 1/4-20 threaded bolts because I had the thread tap handy, but you're right about grabbing the soft aluminium.

Hope this helps, Sean

[sparkin]

May I ask a couple of questions about your home anodising? I have a machined aluminium part I'd like to black anodise.
1. Is there any particular type of dye I'd need to use
2. How long does it need to sit in your home made anodising plant.

There are plenty of useful recipes for home anodizing on the web, here are a couple of examples:

http://www.bryanpryor.com/anodizing.php
http://www.focuser.com/anodize.html

The second of these URLs sells kits with the materials you need. I think the machine shop in Chemistry-Physics where I work uses the same dyes, and there's an example of the results back on post #56 of this thread, here:

http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=679708&page=4

Hope this helps, Sean

http://xray.uky.edu/people/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html

[Baker1444]

Thanks 5teve and Sean for your help.

I have all my parts ordered from McMaster Carr and the should arrive in the next week or two. I post some picks of my progress as I work along.

Everything came to about $75.00 American not including shipping. So I'm expecting that everything shouldn't cost more than $100.00 by the time I'm finished.

[sparkin]

Thanks 5teve and Sean for your help.

I have all my parts ordered from McMaster Carr and the should arrive in the next week or two. I post some picks of my progress as I work along.

Everything came to about $75.00 American not including shipping. So I'm expecting that everything shouldn't cost more than $100.00 by the time I'm finished.

Before you start to build, you should know that it is not difficult at all to make something that works exceedingly well, but it could take a good bit of time to make it look pretty. Having said that, it does not need to look pretty to work well.

For future reference, there are much cheaper sources for stock Al than McMaster-Carr. I don't know what there is in Canada, but here in KY if I can't scrounge some scrap, I use the Metal Supermarket. Here's their URL:

http://www.metalsupermarkets.com/

There's also a much better way to make the connection between the upright piece and the base arm. There's a story behind why my original build was done that way. PM me and I'll fill you in on the details.

Cheers, Sean

http://xray.uky.edu/people/Parkin/panohead/panohead.html

[Baker1444]

Thanks Sean for the info.

Yeh in my design I have modified the connection between the Base Arm and Vertical Support Arm to closely match yours. I don't have access to a CNC machine and found that yours was a much more simple approach that works just as good.

[Baker1444]

This sucks!! I placed an order with McMaster-Carr last week and assumed that it was being processed and shipped and I just got an email that reads

"Thank you for your inquiry. Unfortunately, due to the ever increasing complexity of United States export regulations, McMaster-Carr will only process orders from a few long-established customers in Canada. We sincerely regret any inconvenience this causes you.



Thank you,



David Ulam

McMaster-Carr Supply Co

330-995-5929"

Does anyone know of a similar website that would sell to Canada? Perhaps I could buy the aluminum here but I will pay more and the few other things that I need, but I think finding the Needle Bearing will be hard to find here.

[sparkin]

This sucks!!

Yes, that sucks.

A Google search on "needle thrust bearing" returned a bunch of Amazon pages. The 2.5" bearing in the rotator I designed is like the one here:

http://www.amazon.com/I-D-Cylindrical-Roller-Thrust-Bearings/dp/B002HASXUK/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=industrial&qid=1254937536&sr=1-1

It says it ships from "Reid Supply Company".

Hope this helps, Sean

[Baker1444]

Thanks Sean! I just ordered my parts from Reid Supply Company and this time I phoned them and first asked if they ship to Canada. They should be here in a week or so. They had some good prices too; everything came to $88.62.

I'll keep you updated.

Rob

[sparkin]

Thanks Sean! I just ordered my parts from Reid Supply Company and this time I phoned them and first asked if they ship to Canada. They should be here in a week or so. They had some good prices too; everything came to $88.62.

I'll keep you updated.

Rob

Cool. Be sure to let us know how it turns out.

My next suggestion (if Reid had been a dud) would have been to call the nearest research University machine shop (usually in physics, chemistry or engineering) and ask where they get supplies. This has worked for me in the past.

[sparkin]

Sean, I've gone through and edited my previous posts to give you credit where due. You definitely have a great deal of information on your site.

Thanks, I appreciate this.

[sparkin]

them pan head screws are likely the most stressed points in the design I think - I'd be inclined to get the best quality ones you can.

This is entirely correct. When I made the original (i.e. the one that 5teve copied), I had to deviate from my plans because I boneheadedly cut the upright a little too short. I added the base block to lengthen the upright a little. A better, much stronger way to attach the upright piece to the horizontal arm is with a piece of angled metal, as in my mk2 head, here:

http://xray.uky.edu/people_documents/Parkin/panohead_mk2/panohead_2_4.jpg

Only other area I'd suggest might need beefing up is the threaded aluminium for the swing arm doesn't have a lot of threads for the load you'll be putting on (and every time you tighten it up) if needed you can always suppliment this with a captive steel nut.

This is precisely the reason that I countersank the hole for the camera arm, had the bolt go through the other way, and used a female-threaded knob to tighten it up. If done the way 5teve has it, the threads will likely get stripped with repeated use.

[dbur]

I've been through many patent processes over the years (I have about 15 patents). The comment on obvious is valid, but it depends on the examiner you get. I've seen some really bad patents that should never have been issued, also some good ones that were blocked by examiners for stupid reasons. In any case you probably lost any opportunity to patent by publicly publishing it here. What many people actual get when they say they have a patent is a design patent rather than a utility patent. Design patents are easy as pie to get around. They just prevent someone from making something that looks like your product. By changing anything they are no longer constrained by your patent.

A utility patent on a pano head would probably have to focus on some specific detail, since the rest has been done and published, or obvious. It seems you could get a good utility patent on some innovative rotator, or bracket, or adjustment mechanism, or something like that. Just don't tell us about it before you file your provisional application.

Also, a patent costs $5,000-$10,000 (USD) typically before it's all done, and may take 2-5 years to complete. Make sure you really have something and you will get a return on that investment before making it.

There is a huge amount of work to produce a marketable product. The inventing and prototyping that you (or Dr. Sean) have done probably represents less than 5% of the work you would do to make this a commercial success, and by the time it's all done you may not be able to sell it for much less than similar heads that are already on the market.

I don't mean to be discouraging, but that's the truth. As an engineer and small business owner I often have people come to me with their idea they think is worth a million bucks, while not realizing that having the idea is only 5% of the effort required for commercial success.

David B

[sparkin]

I've been through many patent processes over the years (I have about 15 patents). The comment on obvious is valid, but it depends on the examiner you get. I've seen some really bad patents that should never have been issued, also some good ones that were blocked by examiners for stupid reasons. In any case you probably lost any opportunity to patent by publicly publishing it here. What many people actual get when they say they have a patent is a design patent rather than a utility patent. Design patents are easy as pie to get around. They just prevent someone from making something that looks like your product. By changing anything they are no longer constrained by your patent.

A utility patent on a pano head would probably have to focus on some specific detail, since the rest has been done and published, or obvious. It seems you could get a good utility patent on some innovative rotator, or bracket, or adjustment mechanism, or something like that. Just don't tell us about it before you file your provisional application.

Also, a patent costs $5,000-$10,000 (USD) typically before it's all done, and may take 2-5 years to complete. Make sure you really have something and you will get a return on that investment before making it.

There is a huge amount of work to produce a marketable product. The inventing and prototyping that you (or Dr. Sean) have done probably represents less than 5% of the work you would do to make this a commercial success, and by the time it's all done you may not be able to sell it for much less than similar heads that are already on the market.

I don't mean to be discouraging, but that's the truth. As an engineer and small business owner I often have people come to me with their idea they think is worth a million bucks, while not realizing that having the idea is only 5% of the effort required for commercial success.

David B

I'm sure you're right about all of this David. As for me, I never even thought once about patenting any of this stuff - to me it is just too obvious. The panoheads I have built that are described on my website were my attempts to make something useful to me. I wrote up the description there because I figured it would be useful to others, but I don't think I came up with anything especially novel. I lost count a while back, but several dozen people have contacted me about my website description, and used/adapted it to their own builds. Unfortunately 5teve subsequently used my website description to make a virtually identical device and then tried to pass it off as his own work here on POTN. He clearly did a great job in fabrication, but the concept of prior art pretty much negates any claims of patentability for him, or even for me. I think 5teve just got caught up in his own excitement, which is a shame, but I expect he's a nice enough chap.

[cedricb]

Hi,

Where can I find a 3/8"-16 insert in Europe or online? ...so I can hammer it on the base rotator.
...and a little screw 1/4"-20 for a custom quick release plate? I've got a quick release plate with a little hook on the back of the screw, so something similar will be handy!

In the hardware shop in France, I can only found screw/bolt in millimetres... :rolleyes:


Cheers,
Ced.

[Lowner]

cedricb,

The threads are 3/8" and 1/4" UTC, not metric. ebay is a good source if you cannot track down anything locally. Hardware shops are probably not the right place to look, try a specialist fastening wholesaler.

[sparkin]

Or a decent camera shop - they usually have adapters to take 3/8-16 to 1/4-20 threads.

[ilveromarcolino]

I created a rendering which shows the exploded view of the base of the panoramic head. I wanted to sketch up the head to see if I could find a way for the detent indexing pin to work properly. There is a needle bearing between the upper and lower disks. I drilled out small holes on the inner washer every 30 degrees which allow the ball detent spring to index against. There is another small pin to locate the washer and prevent it from spinning inside.


Hi guys!
I'm Marco from Verona, Italy
I like this DIY project and I have a question:
Instead of build the base with bearing, can I use the pan screw of my Manfrotto 410 junior right?
The only thing that I must check is the offset between the center of Manfrotto pan axle and the center of PH body right?

thx in advance

Marco