bbrodes 0 #1 October 15, 2014 Hey guys, so I'm sitting here wondering why the hell no one has invented a gopro mount that disconnects the gopro with the pull of a cable. Like a helmet cutaway but just for the camera. Besides my open face camera helmet I jump a phantom x that I prefer. Although I have seen no good cutaway systems for it, it fits too singly on my head to come off easily anyways. So I'm trying to engineer a cutaway mount so I can put my gopro on my phantom. I have a few good ideas but they are not fool proof. I'm just wondering why there is nothing out there, it's not that crazy of a concept. Thanks! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lukasg 0 #2 October 15, 2014 http://www.grellfab.com/ works great. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbrodes 0 #3 October 15, 2014 Not really a fan of these because I know 2 people who had them knocked off their face very easily and no longer use them. If I have to go to that I will. Thank you! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbrodes 0 #4 October 15, 2014 Actually I couldn't use one at all, they don't make a hero 2 mount for a phantom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lyosha 46 #5 October 15, 2014 bbrodesNot really a fan of these because I know 2 people who had them knocked off their face very easily and no longer use them. If I have to go to that I will. Thank you! On my hundredth jump someoone punched mine and it did a full 360. And then went back to a 180 and stuck there in that position. I have a nice video of my feet on landing. It didn't come off. No clue how hard your friends got punched in the face, but all GoPro mounts are capable of getting ripped off? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lukasg 0 #6 October 15, 2014 lyosha ***Not really a fan of these because I know 2 people who had them knocked off their face very easily and no longer use them. If I have to go to that I will. Thank you! On my hundredth jump someoone punched mine and it did a full 360. And then went back to a 180 and stuck there in that position. I have a nice video of my feet on landing. It didn't come off. No clue how hard your friends got punched in the face, but all GoPro mounts are capable of getting ripped off? oh oh. you just admitted you had a camera on you for your 100th. bold move. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NWFlyer 2 #7 October 15, 2014 lukasg ******Not really a fan of these because I know 2 people who had them knocked off their face very easily and no longer use them. If I have to go to that I will. Thank you! On my hundredth jump someoone punched mine and it did a full 360. And then went back to a 180 and stuck there in that position. I have a nice video of my feet on landing. It didn't come off. No clue how hard your friends got punched in the face, but all GoPro mounts are capable of getting ripped off? oh oh. you just admitted you had a camera on you for your 100th. bold move. Not really. The mad skillz are already well-documented. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4678217;#4678217"There is only one basic human right, the right to do as you damn well please. And with it comes the only basic human duty, the duty to take the consequences." -P.J. O'Rourke Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JWest 0 #8 October 16, 2014 The problem with a cut away system is tolerance. You need to have the helmet mount tight to the camera so it moves as little as possible. For a gopro this means the part that bolts the camera to the mount cannot be tampered with. You also want to minimize bulk. From an engineering standpoint this makes it slightly difficult. I'm pretty busy now but this winter I do plan to draft something up and 3D print it. Only problem is If it is successful I would have a really hard time getting it out there. If people were ok with bolting the mount to their helmet it would be much simpler. You also have to consider the safety of just cutting away the camera. If the helmet is cut away chance are it will remain entangled. If you cut the camera away chances are it will fall off then you have a camera rocketing to the ground. It might not kill anyone but it will certainly do some damage. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 369 #9 October 16, 2014 bbrodesHey guys, so I'm sitting here wondering why the hell no one has invented a gopro mount that disconnects the gopro with the pull of a cable. Like a helmet cutaway but just for the camera. Besides my open face camera helmet I jump a phantom x that I prefer. Although I have seen no good cutaway systems for it, it fits too singly on my head to come off easily anyways. So I'm trying to engineer a cutaway mount so I can put my gopro on my phantom. I have a few good ideas but they are not fool proof. I'm just wondering why there is nothing out there, it's not that crazy of a concept. Thanks! I use a cheaper, simpler device - the "remove my helmet" cutaway. After losing a GoPro to the cheapo plastic GoPro mount, I bought an aluminum screw-to-the-helmet version, and did so knowing the camera would become a snag hazard. I jump a Z1 and practiced removing it without unlatching the chin strap. Quite easy. I grab the helmet from the back and pull it upward and forward. Comes right off. With the high cut on the back of most skydiving helmets my guess is most can be removed just as easily.Chuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
lyosha 46 #10 October 16, 2014 NWFlyer *********Not really a fan of these because I know 2 people who had them knocked off their face very easily and no longer use them. If I have to go to that I will. Thank you! On my hundredth jump someoone punched mine and it did a full 360. And then went back to a 180 and stuck there in that position. I have a nice video of my feet on landing. It didn't come off. No clue how hard your friends got punched in the face, but all GoPro mounts are capable of getting ripped off? oh oh. you just admitted you had a camera on you for your 100th. bold move. Not really. The mad skillz are already well-documented. http://www.dropzone.com/cgi-bin/forum/gforum.cgi?post=4678217;#4678217 No mad skillz here, sorry. Some dropzones are more liberal than others with the "camera" issue. Seek the advice of people you trust to help you gauge the amount of risk you take. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #11 October 16, 2014 So, when something is pulling on your head, you may or may not be able to see anything, your camera mount may be wrapped in nylon (as well as your head) your going to take the time to try to figure out whether something is just snagged on your camera or maybe your helmet or both so you can decide which cutaway to use. Then try to find the right one? And if you decide to use the mount cutaway and it's covered up you have to decide whether to keep trying or go to the other one. All still in freefall or spinning under a snagged canopy. Hmmmmm, time for KISS.NOT THE NEW SQUARE ONE HELMET! NOW I KNOW WHY THEY PICKED THAT NAME ,FREE ADVERTISING. Maybe if you really can't get your Phantom off you should choose another camera helmet. But I bet it would come off, with or without your head.This is all the kind of crap you have to consider, no matter good the engineering. I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbrodes 0 #12 October 16, 2014 There would only be one cutaway, just the camera no cutaway for the helmet. The reason being there is no cutaway for a phantom and there are no possible snag hazards besides the gopro anyways. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbrodes 0 #13 October 16, 2014 After a lot of thinking I have come up with a design that may work, I need to build it to find out. The tolerance isn't a huge issue. I have experience manufacturing to tight tolerances, I will use a spring under the part of the mount that will be cut away to keep pressure on it to keep it from moving. The biggest problem I'm dealing with is the possible large amount of force on the pin being pulled to release it, basically the whole reason 3 rings were invented. I'm not designing it with marketing in mind, the first draft will be too hard to sell to people, once I refine the design I'll think about it. You are completely right though, those reasons seem to be why it doesn't exist Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
councilman24 36 #14 October 17, 2014 bbrodes There would only be one cutaway, just the camera no cutaway for the helmet. The reason being there is no cutaway for a phantom and there are no possible snag hazards besides the gopro anyways. " no possible"? Bull Shit. Your mount will be the snag hazard. And if you manage to have a handle, cable, pin and spring that aren't the lower edge of the helmet is. I've seen it happen. But never mind.I'm old for my age. Terry Urban D-8631 FAA DPRE Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbrodes 0 #15 October 17, 2014 Yes, the cutaway handle would be the only snag hazard. With the mount I have designed there is no way it could become a snag hazard. I know the standard gopro mounts are a snag hazard. My mount is pretty different. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yoink 321 #16 October 17, 2014 Unless your camera sits absolutely flush to the helmet (which it won't), there's a snag hazard on the mount. It may be between the mount and the helmet, or it may be between the mount and the camera. I've seen lines get caught under the rim of reasonably well packed pop-top containers, so that gives you an indication of just how small the gap needs to be to remove any snag hazard... The only way to remove the snag hazard is to completely enclose the camera in a smoothed shell than sits exactly snug to the contours of the helmet. I had similar ideas a couple of years ago and the closest I could come without it being a huge addition required a completely new helmet shell... You think skydiving helmets are expensive now? Think about the cost when you're manufacturing the shell with internal cable channels... It wasn't feasible. I'll throw some pics up of my doodles over the weekend for you. As an aside, I'd also start figuring out something other than a spring for stability. Firstly, they're not that stable unless you have a large number of them, and secondly they just add complication. There are definitely ways to achieve the stability without them. Think compressible materials... Other things to consider - anything which adds small points of pressure are a no-no. Screws, even plastic ones, are unacceptable in my opinion. Put pressure in the wrong place in a collision and it'll drive into your skull... I'd be interested to see what you're thinking of, but after looking at the idea for quite a while, I tend to agree with what others above me have posted. In an emergency, just get rid of everything on your head. It keeps the decision chain simple, and that's what you want in that situation. Other than cost, could you give 1 reason why it would be preferable to have a cutaway for your camera, but not for your helmet? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
chuckakers 369 #17 October 17, 2014 yoinkThe only way to remove the snag hazard is to completely enclose the camera in a smoothed shell than sits exactly snug to the contours of the helmet. boomChuck Akers D-10855 Houston, TX Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbrodes 0 #18 October 17, 2014 With the mount I am making, if it doesn't fit completely flush to my helmet I will expoxy the gaps. But thanks for the advice, the design is still in progress. I will try to post a 3d image when I finalize one of the designs so everyone can tear it apart. But the number one reason is simply this: there is no fool proof cutaway system for my helmet. Even if there was, it's too tight of a fit to simply slip off my head. This goes for g3's as well. Brian germins "cutaway" system is far from a cutaway system and far from fool proof, that is the only thing I know of for a g3 and see many people trusting it. So wouldn't it be easier to cutaway the camera? I'm not talking about making the camera snag-less, just everything that is permanently attached to the helmet, which will just be the mount. I'm planning on routing a cable in a housing on the outside of the helmet. I don't care if it looks good for now, I'm just worried about it doing what I need it to do 100% of the time. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yoink 321 #19 October 17, 2014 bbrodes I'm just worried about it doing what I need it to do 100% of the time. And therin lies the problem. What I've found is that as a general rule, is that I never see all of the problems when I'm designing something. I throw an idea out after careful consideration, and all sorts of issues get raised, and I'm left going 'how the hell didn't I think of that?' Every single thing you add needs to sum to add less of a snag hazard than a helmet cutaway. Seriously, I'm interested to see what you're thinking. I produced some basic 3D models of my idea. Next time I dig out my old PC I'll find em and post em. As a general rule in skydiving (or any engineering), the simpler you can make something, the better. My favorite quote from Antoine de Saint-Exupery Quote A designer knows he has achieved perfection not when there is nothing left to add, but when there is nothing left to take away. Have fun thinking though! It will absolutely make you a better skydiver, particularly if you can stand the crucible of feedback that'll come! -Chuck - it's not pretty, but yeah. Simple and works everytime. No moving parts... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bbrodes 0 #20 October 17, 2014 Give me a few days, maybe more and I'll try to post a picture! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrumpot 1 #21 November 7, 2014 Still waiting...coitus non circum - Moab Stone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
skez 0 #22 November 8, 2014 I would rather keep the plastic mounts that way if anything bad happens like risers wrapping it etc it will or should just break off thats why I dont like the alloy mounts that can be screwed on there not going to break...also there has been ppl killed base jumping by getting a pilot chute bridle wrapped around there gopro...maybe a cutaway system would have prevented it...but also a weaker mount may of snapped with the force of a base pilot chuteFTMC Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
yoink 321 #23 November 8, 2014 skezbut also a weaker mount may of snapped with the force of a base pilot chute 'May of' is the stupid bit of this, and most people wearing GoPros are guilty of it. I'm all for designing specific mounts which have known weak points which will fail in very specific ways at very specific loads. That's one solution to the problem. But skydivers don't do this. We stick stuff on our head and go 'yeah. It'll probably break... because, well. I want it to.' What if it doesn't? For a bunch of generally bright people, we can be pretty dumb sometimes. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
base283 0 #24 November 8, 2014 why not jump without? Is Youtube and Vimeo so important to die over? tcs Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scrumpot 1 #25 November 28, 2014 Still waiting...coitus non circum - Moab Stone Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
