Pan / Tilt Mount for old Photocamera

Help & Support Robot Parts
1

Hi,

I´m a photography student and I want to built a remote head for an old and heavy large format camera.

My problem is that the Pan / Tilt Heads I found on the market are either to weak for my payload or to expensive for my paycheck…

The camera weights 8kg (18lbs) but as it’s not particularly heavy on any side it can be balanced pretty good. I would like to built a head or mount that can pan minimum 90 degrees and tilt minimum 45 degrees. As I only need it to position the camera I don’t care about how smooth the movement is or how long it takes to get to a position. I would like to use some kind of wireless remote (doesn’t need to be super strong a few meters are enough). The remote would ideally have 4 buttons (Pan Left, Pan Right, Tilt Up and Tilt Down) And the whole system would need to run on a battery…

I´m really new to all this and it would really help me to point me in the right direction.
Which kind of motors are strong enough?
What Wireless Receiver do I need?
How will the receiver be connected to the motors?

I´m grateful for any help!

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2

Hello @Wilhelm and welcome to the RobotShop forum,

Here’s a nice option:

However, if you prefer building one yourself then you’ll need some high torque servos, or some servos with gear down
https://www.robotshop.com/en/servo-motor-power-gearbox.html
https://www.robotshop.com/en/wireless-rc-pwm-servo-controllers.html

You will also need an RC Servo Motor Controller and a Transmitter/Receiver with at least two channels.

I hope that helps!

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3

Hi Geraldine,

thank you so much for your answer. The PT-2100 is unfortunately above my budget and i am also looking more for a flat base to put the camera on than an underslung arm.
I looked into the motors but it´s still hard to figure out which one would make sense for my payload. Is there a rule of thumb?

Thank you so much for your help!

4

The best option would be to calculate how much torque your servos will need.

These guides might help you with that

5

Thank you so much!

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