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I turned a 3D printer into a $400, four axis motion controller

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Videographer and Tinkerrer Pedro Callisaya just created what’s probably the cheapest four-axis motion controller (and even the basic ones don’t run cheap). He did this using a scraped 3D printer, which, to be honest, I am surprised never happened before in the modders community. (if the name sounds familiar, it’s because this is a second iteration of an ongoing project)

While the build is relatively easy for what you get, it is not the first project I would go for if I were just starting with electronics. That said, if you played with electronics a bit, this would be a fantastic weekend project to try out. You can download the project files here on a pay-what-you-think-is-fair basis.

Axibo’s motion control robot arm jib costs less than $10,000

As well as showing off the Axibo PT4 motion control pan-tilt head and slider, the company was also exhibiting their upcoming E-Jib Mini. Well, technically, they were exhibiting a prototype, hoping to get feedback from visitors at the show to finalise some details and get it prepared for final readiness to go on sale. The E-Jib Mini is a low-cost alternative to the massively expensive motion control robot systems on the market.

It works in conjunction with the PT4 in order to provide a full six axes of movement for your camera when working with virtual productions. But it also allows all of the usual motion control capabilities, too, such as repeat movements and timelapse. There is a page with some basic info on the Axibo website, but we had a chat with Axibo CEO Anoop Gadhrri at NAB 2023 to learn more.

Axibo’s camera robot costs less than $3,000

Robots have fascinated mankind for decades. For those of us that grew up in the 80s and 90s, our introduction to robots was probably Johnny 5 and we’ve been obsessed with them ever since. Growing up to become a photographer or filmmaker, robots we can attach cameras to are the ultimate tool and toy. One camera robot in particular on the Axibo stand at NAB 2023 stood out to us.

So, we stopped by to have a chat with Axibo CEO Anoop Gadhrri to learn more about it and the company itself. Founded about a year and a half ago, the company’s goal is to democratise cinema robotics. They want to give advanced robot capabilities, including virtual production, to filmmakers on much lower budgets than the typical Hollywood solutions.

The OS-ARM is a 3D printed open source multi-axis robot arm designed for use with cameras

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Putting cameras on robot arms is not a new idea. We’ve seen it done plenty of times by folks like Steve Giralt and the Slow Mo Guys. But it’s not exactly a cheap venture. Even very basic robot arms can cost a few grand and when you’re looking at the Bolt arms used by Steve and the Slow Mo Guys, you’re getting up into the tens of thousands. But this open source project from Andrew Degonge at 3DprintedLife plans to change that.

he’s been working on a project called OS-ARM. It’s a 3D printable low cost, high performance motion control robot arm. At least, that’s the plan when it’s finished. Its project goals are to have 6 axes (it currently has 5), smooth, repeatable motion, support a 1kg payload, be easy to produce and cost less than $500 in materials. It’s still in development, but as you can see in the video above, it’s already come a long way.

MIOPS launches the new Capsule Pro motorised pan and tilt motion control head for video and timelapse

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MIOPS has today announced the new Capsule Pro motorised pan and tilt head for shooting timelapse and motion control video. Released four years after the MIOPS Capsule360, I’m not entirely sure what makes this different/better than its predecessor, except for the increased load capacity and it looks like some highlight features from the Capsule360 (such as subject tracking) aren’t even mentioned with the new Capsule Pro.

Like most of the other MIOPS gear releases, the MIOPS Capsule Pro is being launched through Kickstarter with pledges currently starting at $299. It also talks to and combines with other MIOPS gear, like the MIOPS Slider, giving you multi-axis motion control that you wouldn’t be able to get with just the Capsule Pro alone.

The “Edelclone” is a 4-axis DIY camera slider that used to be a 3D printer and you can make one, too

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Some of you might remember DSLR DIY CNC from last year’s post about those neat 3D printed custom lens caps. This have been pretty quiet from the since, but now they’re back and sticking to the “CNC” part of their name with a new motorised 4-axis camera slider. Four axes because one runs along the slider, two are the pan and tilt with the fourth being focus control, so you can track subjects during your move.

While there isn’t yet a complete YouTube video to go along with the build, dslrdiy (as he’s known on Instructables) has posted a teaser. He’s also posted written instructions, along with downloads for all of the code, Marlin configuration files, STL files, and instructions on how to build and customise it to your liking on Instructables.

The Trexo Slider is a mini motion control camera slider for creatives who like to pack small and light

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Trexo Innovation has announced their new Trexo Slider, a motorised mini slider aimed at content creators who like to pack a small lightweight kit. Designed to handle everything from DSLR and mirrorless cameras to smartphones, it allows for shooting of both video and timelapse, with speeds ranging from a super slow 0.001mm/sec up to a rather nippy 30mm/sec. It’s also strong enough for vertical slides up to a rate of 25mm/sec.

It’s launching via Kickstarter and claims to be “the world’s most compact camera slider”. I’m not entirely sure about that claim, but it is pretty small. Unlike most camera sliders on the market, the Trexo slider uses a leadscrew instead of a belt for camera movement, allowing for smaller movement increments, increased accuracy and better torque for moving heavier cameras.

Joby’s new “Swing” and “Spin” motion control tools for smartphone creators won’t break the bank

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This seemed to slip below the radar the other day when Joby announced a whole new range of Wavo microphones, but Joby has also announced a couple of new tools specifically for smartphone content creators. The two new products are called Joby Spin, which is a motion controlled Bluetooth 360° pan head, and Joby Swing, a Bluetooth mini sort-of-slider. Both of them are designed for smartphones with a focus on size, weight and easy of use.

The new Spin and Swing produts work with both iOS and Android devices with the Joby Motion app, and allow users to create more advanced camera moves with minimal gear at a much lower cost than they might with other brands. Spin, for example, was a collaboration between Joby and Syrp Lab (both of whom are owned by Vitec) but comes in at a much lower cost than any Manfrotto-branded-Syrp product.

This Snoppa Rover is a self driving tripod that wants to replace your camera op

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This is a pretty interesting idea from Snoppa Tech. It’s called the Snoppa Rover and it essentially seems to be a motorised tripod on wheels. According to Snoppa, you can programme it with set paths with full camera control, it can climb up to a 30° slope, it has a 0° turning circle, runs on all terrains and features smart tracking, so you don’t even need a camera op to follow you around. But what’s most impressive is the stabilisation.

Each of the three weeks on the Snoppa Rover has independent suspension and there’s a gyroscopic sensor in each one, along with a hall sensor and accelerometer. These detect any changes in the rover’s body as it moves over terrain and can respond by adjusting the wheel to compensate ensuring as smooth a ride as possible. You don’t even need to mount a gimbal on top!

This 3D printed motion control rig offers pro-level features at a DIY-level price

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I’m a big fan of DIY motion control rigs and we’ve featured quite a few here on DIYP before, including this crazy 6-axis (mostly) 3D printed one. But this one from Andreas Epp – who goes by FuzzyLogic on YouTube – is a really slick design. Not only is it a thing of mechanical beauty, but it also seems to rival many commercially available systems out there, too.

Andreas’ motion control system is 3-axis, including a slider and a pan-tilt head. It’s a setup that you wouldn’t expect to be all that difficult. But having had a go at building some myself, they can be quite complex beasts to nail down – especially when you’re relying on 3D printed parts.

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