DIY GoPro Steadicam

March 04, 2013 / by / 34 Comments
REVIEW OVERVIEW
Easy?
Cheap?
Awesome?
9

Smooth

Parts you’ll need to make a DIY GoPro Steadicam:

Tools you’ll need:

  • Power drill
  • Drill bits
  • Needle nose pliers
  • Screw driver
  • Wrenches
  • PVC pipe cutter
  • Hack saw

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

DIYGoPro.com aggregates and awards the best DIY GoPro project tutorials out on the web. We organize and rate tons of videos so that you can easily find the best projects to take your film making to the next level.

34 Responses
  1. Devin Verrette

    what size are the washers? how many? how long is the quarter inch bolt? i need these gopro edition specifics!

    Apr.15.2013 at 1:54 am
    • DIYGoPro.com (Author)

      Hi Devin! We typically leave off specifics like that because nuts and bolts are often found lying around the garage. That was exactly the case for us, so we didn’t have the exact sizes handy. You should be able to estimate what you need by watching the video.

      Apr.16.2013 at 6:35 pm
  2. Jake

    Hi! I just made one, and I’m struggling… when I move it side to side, it wobbles and SHAKES the camera crazily… any tips?

    May.12.2013 at 3:36 am
    • DIYGoPro.com (Author)

      Try adding more weight to the bottom AND top of the rig to get a smoother steady effect.

      Aug.05.2013 at 3:27 am
  3. aaron

    Hi i’m from spain
    Where i can buy the: Two pieces of 90° electrical conduit ?
    help me

    Jun.07.2013 at 11:23 am
  4. Ben

    If anyone is wondering what a better alternative to the pvc handle is, I used a jump rope handle. It was already padded and had a bearing, the gimbal fit right inside.

    Jun.24.2013 at 3:16 pm
  5. Matt

    Around about how much money would we need if we were to go for a big shop and get it all at once?

    Jun.28.2013 at 1:21 pm
  6. nghiaxp

    Is there a reason why you chose to forego the wheel bearing inside the grip for this design?

    Jul.30.2013 at 4:12 am
    • DIYGoPro.com (Author)

      Honestly, we just didn’t have the bearing handy at the time. We’ve got one now and recommend using it.

      Aug.26.2013 at 7:30 pm
      • Jill

        How do you use a bearing in the handle?

        Apr.25.2014 at 8:48 pm
      • jake

        what type of bearing did you use?

        Jul.27.2014 at 11:16 pm
      • jake

        what type of bearing did you use?

        Jul.27.2014 at 11:16 pm
  7. Patrick

    I’m about to attempt to make one of these and I have everything that I need except the mount for the conduit, seen at 0:38 in the video, as they did not have it at my local hardware store. Where can I get one? Thanks

    Aug.11.2013 at 4:37 am
    • JEff

      They sell them on ebay and diy stores too. Goodluck!

      Aug.31.2013 at 6:18 pm
  8. Twert

    What size is that bolt to attach the gimble to the conduit? I ordered the gimble and want to make sure I have the correct parts for when it comes in so I can put it all together.

    Aug.18.2013 at 2:08 am
  9. Charles Hall

    Why does your finished camera rig point downward? Don’t you want to move the camera back so the rig hangs level?

    Sep.05.2013 at 3:05 pm
    • DIYGoPro.com (Author)

      The rig itself can be adjusted with more or less washers for counterweights if you want it to hang perfectly level. However, the rig itself doesn’t have to hang level for the steadicam to work, that is, give you smoother footage. Hope that makes sense!

      Sep.05.2013 at 5:03 pm
  10. Noah Marcotte

    In regards to the wheel bearing inside the grip, can you explain how to add this? Also, I am having trouble finding the 3/4″ Aluminum stock. Any help is much appreciated!

    Sep.14.2013 at 3:38 pm
  11. Kaylin

    I would personally get rid of the piece of flat bar, and try to keep the camera as close to the pivot point as possible for a more stable shot.

    Sep.15.2013 at 8:35 pm
  12. Brandon

    So I attempted to build this twice since the material i bought allowed for 2 full builds.

    No matter what I did to it, i could not get the balance right. The rig sways when i move it at all!

    I have tried distributing the weight both to the bottom and to do the top.

    Any suggestions? Could we see a video of balancing or anything?

    Sep.19.2013 at 2:34 pm
    • Jan

      I haven’t built any of these mounts yet but i have been seeing a lot of these problems. Now I am no expert but just from looking at it… The top part of the gimbal(axle from RC truck) seems too long that makes the axis too low from the top bar/mount plate. Can anyone try to cut it down close enough to the axis but enough to be able to screw on still?

      Dec.23.2013 at 12:06 pm
  13. noah

    I used 3/4″ conduit, mine looks identical but isn’t working.. Same as Brandon in previous post… Did you use 1/2″ or 3/4?

    Sep.20.2013 at 5:28 pm
  14. luuk

    is this also possible that the steel pipes are pvc instead of steel?

    Oct.31.2013 at 5:14 pm
  15. m b

    i really like this one also. instead of using the electrical pipe maybe i can use a bike handle bar off a childrens bike?

    Nov.01.2013 at 6:05 pm
  16. marius andre nilsen

    Hello!

    Just finished building this. I have balansed it so it have the same weight at the top as the button.
    But the buttom moves sideways when i move, so the video looks quite unbalansed.
    What have i done wrong?
    Used almost 100$ on parts her in expensive norway, so would be great to get this to work :S

    Jan.05.2014 at 1:32 pm
  17. Nick

    They really make that drilling through the aluminum look easy. I think I need a better bit. I’ll let you know how this one goes when I finish it. Thanks for the post.

    Jan.10.2014 at 2:26 am
  18. Jurgen Schouten

    I tried the the tutorial and it came out a little bigger. I didn’t make it out of two 90 degrees bend. I bend it at a local hardware store.

    This was the result: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=95AMjK5KO7g

    Mar.19.2014 at 5:00 pm
  19. Connor

    what size conduit mount did you use? do you have the link for one that will fit the design? the mount that fits over the conduit and the flat stock. Thank you!

    Mar.27.2014 at 1:15 am
  20. Mitch

    Can you please share HOW you added the skateboard bearing to this rig? I would really like to add one but I’m not sure how

    Jul.27.2014 at 7:04 am
  21. Matt Morris

    Hey whenever i run with it, it is just as bumpy as running without it. Any suggestions?

    Aug.05.2014 at 3:01 pm
  22. Gustavo

    Can I make it smaller so it’s easier to carry with me? Or it won’t work if it’s much smaller than that?
    Thanks

    Oct.02.2014 at 11:50 pm
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