Slow Roll Cart (360 Degree Video Capture)

Want to have a slow and steady video that pans 360 degrees around your chosen item? Well keep reading! This Instructable will provide the basic design of a camera cart that will, drive on it's own, around your item, while filming 360 degrees!

For an example, I sell things from time to time on ebay, and want a 360 degree video to provide detail of the item I am selling. Other times I want to take a video of a car or motorcycle that I have restored and having a walk around video. We all know that when you take a few photos sometimes you don't see the details or the bigger picture a 360 degree video can provide. I have designed this cheep and easy slow roll video cart that allows an infinite angle for the center pivot that uses a worm gear to 'Lock" the angle in as it drives around your item of your choosing.

Wood, pine, Qty 2: 5 inches by 1 and a half inches by 3/4 inch

Wood, pine, Qty 1: 1 inch by 1 and a half inches by 3/4 inch

3/8 treaded rod approximately 3 inches long

epoxy, two part

wire

switch, on/off (Radio shack)

small DC motor (with gear reduction)

9 volt battery

9 Volt battery clip

screw terminal

solder

solder iron

small wood screws (QTY approximately 40 to 50)

plastic loop, (motor mount) from bicycle reflector holder

mini blinds worm gear mechanical assembly

4 LEGO rubber tires

two LEGO axels

two LEGO pulley wheels

small metal rails with holes

two medium length metal rails with holes

a drill

3/8 drill bit

Small drill bit (1/8 inch) for pilot holes for wood screws

Small screw driver, Philips

wire cutters

wire strippers

needle nose pliers

Rubber bands

Using two small sections of pine wood approximately 5 inches by 1 and a half inches by 3/4 inch, I drilled a hole in each section that will allow an axel to be inserted and free to spin. I used a plastic LEGO axel and rubber tires. Verify that the wheels will rotate freely.

I mixed up a small batch of epoxy to fill the hole I drilled (3/8 inch) into the small section of wood approximately an inch by 1 and a half inches by 3/4 inch. The thread rod will then be pushed into the epoxy. The tread is the same size as the camera mounting hole.

I also used the epoxy to mount the worm gear to the wood base of the rear section.

Using pliers I bent the small metal rails at 90 degrees. Checked and marked the hole locations and drilled pilot holes. using small wood screws I mounted the camera mount to the base of the read section.

I used a small plastic bracket that came off a bicycle reflector to hold the motor. I cut a rubber band to give some extra thickness to grab the metal DC motor. I used a rubber band to run between each LEGO pulley wheel. I used a small wood screw to mount the plastic motor holder to the wood base.

Solder the motor, the switch and the wires that connect back to the screw terminals.

I added a drawing of the electronics so you can see the circuit.

In the video you can see that turning the small pin, you can adjust the worm gear to make any angle on the center pivot, thus make the path big or small circles.

I used the small metal rails to hold the center section to the worm gear mechanics.

Secure the 9 volt battery, hot glue the switch and make sure things are secure before the test run.

Slow Roll Cart in action, LEGO Giant Mini figure, cart in action, video of LEGO Jeep, and out back of my house looking up at the sky.

You can change the speed by changing out the pulley wheels, make it more stable by increasing the length of the axels, make the camera position higher by making the threaded rod longer, or even put bigger tires on the axels, there is endless modifications you can do!

Filming outward in a circle of filming inward at an object is easy using the camera mount to either angle up or down, forward facing or rear facing the cart can make it easy to record videos from a different perspective. Have fun creating your videos and modify your cart to allow you a new tool for recording videos when you don't have an extra hand or a friend to help capture the perfect video angle.