If you ever wanted to build a pinball tripod camera so that you could take over head video of you playing, this is how I built my setup that I use at the Launch Parties and tournaments.
I started with a concrete block base
I attached a piece of conduit pipe to the base to add stability as I found the pipe would try and lean forward when inserted into the hole. The concrete block is a decking stone, I think, it is meant for holding 4x4 pieces of wood for deck posts that are above ground. The hole in the middle is perfect for conduit pipe.
The pipe is secured to the block with concrete screws
At home depot you can find I think it is 12 ft Conduit pipe, it is a hollow pipe that is used for running wires through. I cut mine down to about 10 feet and then used the spare bit for the anchor piece you see attached.
The U clamp is how I attach the anchor.
This is what provides the stability and prevents the tripod from tipping over
Next in the plumbing section you will find iron pipe, it is used for old plumbing drains and what not. It’s also the same type of pipe you use when you want to use pipe clamps. Make sure you get threaded pipe, it will be threaded on both ends, but I cut one side off to size.
The pipe clamps on one side are how you attach it to the vertical pole sticking out of the concrete block. But don’t forget about the threaded end as that is important.
That was unfortunately one thing I couldn't get a picture of, I seemed to have misplaced the tripod mount somewhere in my house, I have to go look for it, once I find it I will take a picture. But in the same section that you get the steel pipe from there is a threaded cap that you need. You take that threaded cap and you drill a hole in the middle of it. Then I used a small screw and that is how I mounted the tripod portion for the video camera onto the pipe.
End of the day you should have something like this with the camera mounted
And that is how I built my tripod setup. Everything to build the tripod can be picked up at home depot, other than obviously the video camera and tripod mount.
I started with a concrete block base
I attached a piece of conduit pipe to the base to add stability as I found the pipe would try and lean forward when inserted into the hole. The concrete block is a decking stone, I think, it is meant for holding 4x4 pieces of wood for deck posts that are above ground. The hole in the middle is perfect for conduit pipe.
The pipe is secured to the block with concrete screws
At home depot you can find I think it is 12 ft Conduit pipe, it is a hollow pipe that is used for running wires through. I cut mine down to about 10 feet and then used the spare bit for the anchor piece you see attached.
The U clamp is how I attach the anchor.
This is what provides the stability and prevents the tripod from tipping over
Next in the plumbing section you will find iron pipe, it is used for old plumbing drains and what not. It’s also the same type of pipe you use when you want to use pipe clamps. Make sure you get threaded pipe, it will be threaded on both ends, but I cut one side off to size.
The pipe clamps on one side are how you attach it to the vertical pole sticking out of the concrete block. But don’t forget about the threaded end as that is important.
That was unfortunately one thing I couldn't get a picture of, I seemed to have misplaced the tripod mount somewhere in my house, I have to go look for it, once I find it I will take a picture. But in the same section that you get the steel pipe from there is a threaded cap that you need. You take that threaded cap and you drill a hole in the middle of it. Then I used a small screw and that is how I mounted the tripod portion for the video camera onto the pipe.
End of the day you should have something like this with the camera mounted
And that is how I built my tripod setup. Everything to build the tripod can be picked up at home depot, other than obviously the video camera and tripod mount.
It's just the perspective of the picture since the tripod is closer.