HO camera carrier

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cam - 31 May 2004 21:36 GMT

Greetings all,
Imagine a capital H 55" high and 40" wide but with two cross bars. Each bar
of the H carries an HO track with a big loco, probably a Co-Co without
bodyshell. The two locos on the central cross bars (about 8" apart) are
bridged by a cradle that carries a video camera on a pan-tilt head. The
cross bars are supported at their ends on two more locos that run on tracks
on the end bars. The ends of the end bars are fastened rigidly to short
vertical members attached to the ceiling. This arrangement allows the
camera to be moved anywhere in an x-y space, where it can monitor an
industrial process below.

Has anyone heard of this being done before? What locos are best able to
carry the weight, which is likely to be more than the modern lead-filled
locos? What control systems are best adapted to keeping each of the pairs
of locos synchonised?
LocoTorque
Olympic Line imagineer.

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Bob May - 01 Jun 2004 01:27 GMT

Why use such crude equipment when linear bearings carrying the loads and
motors applying the movement power directly to good solid supports?

--
Bob May
Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less.
Works every time it is tried!

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cam - 01 Jun 2004 05:49 GMT

Good question, Bob. My alternative design is to do just that, with either
power screws or toothed belts to provide the drive. It happens that readily
available dcc equipment is a cheap way of providing the control, and I can
build a prototype faster with locos on tracks than with power screws and
linear bearings. My local shop stocks the Atlas Commander dcc system, and
the price looks right.
LocoTorque

> Why use such crude equipment when linear bearings carrying the loads and
> motors applying the movement power directly to good solid supports?
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
> Losing weight is easy! If you ever want to lose weight, eat and drink less.
> Works every time it is tried!

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Steve Caple - 01 Jun 2004 06:31 GMT

wrote:

> Greetings all,
> Imagine a capital H 55" high and 40" wide but with two cross bars. Each bar
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> camera to be moved anywhere in an x-y space, where it can monitor an
> industrial process below.

For sturdiness and accuracy you'd probably be better off with
motors (steppers and controllers), gears, and cogged belts.
Or at least with something bigger than HO.

HO trucks probably aren't up to the weight, and you should
look at something with ball bearings - but flanged wheels
and rail, of some size, are a pretty good idea.

You don't mention the weight of the camera (zoom lens?) and
the pan-tilt head.

Signature

Steve Caple

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Model Forum / General / Railroads / June 2004

HO camera carrier