Hot Action by One-5 media
HOT ACTION from one 5 media on Vimeo.
If you liked this, then also check out: Shralpdown
Inshredible Part 1by Tom Sharp
If you liked this then also check out: Part 2 of course!
Giving Birth to Rad Mag by Tom Kirkman
Giving Birth To RAD mag! from Tom Kirkman on Vimeo.
If you liked this then also check out: Any of the ATCproduction videos
The Bull, Board and Bikepimp by Harry Jessop
If you liked this then also check out: Mountainboard Cable Cam
Wednesday, 12 September 2012
Monday, 10 September 2012
Self Timing Systems : The Verdict
I guess you're all wondering just how well the Timing System worked in practice at the recent ATBA-UK Downhill Round 2 event in Mid-Wales? No? Hey ho.
I've still got to do the event write-up at some point but I don't think the following will be too spoiler-ific.
Day 1 - Training Day. It is raining. I hadn't considered whether a kitchen stopwatch would or would not be waterproof. It is not waterproof and the display goes funny. I can read the display however if I rub the screen in the right way. The stopwatch on-off switch appears to work all right though. I manage to time myself down the run although the time is meaningless as we don't quite know where the start or finish line is going to be.
Day 2 - Racing. It is still raining but the stopwatch is still working. As the day gets drier, the track gets dustier and the display gets harder to read. However, the the stopwatch is still working.
Run #1 - I forget to start the stopwatch until halfway down the first straight.
Run #2 - Faster run. In my excitement, I forget to stop the clock as I cross the finishing line.
Run #3 - Success. However, I crash halfway down and finish with a slower time than the training run.
Run #4 - Can't read display. Decide to concentrate on the riding instead. End up with personal fastest time of the day.
Summary
The system worked, and probably would have worked better had a) it not rained and b) I'd remembered to use it. Attaching the clock to the upperside of the deck, whilst a very safe place to put it, is slightly wasted as in no part of the riding did I feel that I was in a position to look down and read the numbers - I could have just of easily dropped it in one of my pockets or somewhere similar. Plus, the actual numbers are almost meaningless anyway - the ATBA have almost got the timings down to a fine art form with overall run times produced very, very quickly.
Epilogue
Couple of days back home and the stopwatch unit dries out. It totally works! I still chopped it off the board though - too much trouble to be worth bothering with. GPS, that's the future.
Day 1 - Training Day. It is raining. I hadn't considered whether a kitchen stopwatch would or would not be waterproof. It is not waterproof and the display goes funny. I can read the display however if I rub the screen in the right way. The stopwatch on-off switch appears to work all right though. I manage to time myself down the run although the time is meaningless as we don't quite know where the start or finish line is going to be.
Day 2 - Racing. It is still raining but the stopwatch is still working. As the day gets drier, the track gets dustier and the display gets harder to read. However, the the stopwatch is still working.
Run #1 - I forget to start the stopwatch until halfway down the first straight.
Run #2 - Faster run. In my excitement, I forget to stop the clock as I cross the finishing line.
Run #3 - Success. However, I crash halfway down and finish with a slower time than the training run.
Run #4 - Can't read display. Decide to concentrate on the riding instead. End up with personal fastest time of the day.
Summary
The system worked, and probably would have worked better had a) it not rained and b) I'd remembered to use it. Attaching the clock to the upperside of the deck, whilst a very safe place to put it, is slightly wasted as in no part of the riding did I feel that I was in a position to look down and read the numbers - I could have just of easily dropped it in one of my pockets or somewhere similar. Plus, the actual numbers are almost meaningless anyway - the ATBA have almost got the timings down to a fine art form with overall run times produced very, very quickly.
Epilogue
Couple of days back home and the stopwatch unit dries out. It totally works! I still chopped it off the board though - too much trouble to be worth bothering with. GPS, that's the future.
Friday, 10 August 2012
Self Timing Systems: Build Notes
I've written previously about my intention to mount a stopwatch onto the deck of my board in order to give me an idea of timings at next Saturdays downhill competition.
Far from being hard to do, I still managed to cock-up a few bits and thought that a few pictures might demonstrate just how easy it should be (in principle) and from this, just what possibilities are, erm, possible.
I started by mounting a push switch onto the end of the brake handle as shown below. As the brake lever won't be required for either the start or finish, I should be able to start and stop the clock without having to do too much all at once. If there is a starting gate to pull out of, this may be a little tricky, but I won't know until the day.
Wires run from the switch, through the brake handle and out through a side hole that also has the hydraulic hose running through it. This is then secured in place with a cable tie with plenty of wire (about double the length of the handle) inside the handle in case I need to pull out the switch or the cable snags.
The wire then runs down the hydraulic hose, secured together with alternating cable ties and electrical tape before running onto the deck and into the stopwatch. Again, excess cable is looped together at the bottom of the hose for possible modification later. If nothing else, a connector to remove the stopwatch from the deck may be useful in future.
The sides of my stopwatch are removable and are large enough that a 2mm hole can be drilled allowing access for the cable push through. From inside, lots of black wires can be seen linking the front-side pushbuttons to the main circuit board. I've stuck to the back of the LCD screen a couple of low profile junction connectors that in theory allow me to snip the start/stop wires and reconnect allowing for hijacking with my new push button.
I say in theory, because this is where I made my cock-up by a) making a huge presumption on which wires to intercept, and b) accidentally chopping through one of the wires making it too short to reach. I now have a stopwatch that can only be started via the brake handle and can only be reset by the front panel. Hey ho. No biggie and I could have simplified all of this by just soldering a couple of points. All very well, but every time I solder, it looks as though I did it wearing boxing gloves - blobs of solder everywhere.
What I have been looking out for are either a slimline version of these cable hijackers (as shown below) that connect one wire onto an existing wire simply by clamping the top shut, or something similar. Any suggestions much appreciated as these are far too fat for this application.
On the back of the stopwatch, I removed the clip/magnet and chopped off a couple of raised sections in order that the back of the unit was relatively flat. From here, the stopwatch can be easily mounted to the deck using my favourite bodging solution - industrial Velcro.
Next up, testing!
Far from being hard to do, I still managed to cock-up a few bits and thought that a few pictures might demonstrate just how easy it should be (in principle) and from this, just what possibilities are, erm, possible.
I started by mounting a push switch onto the end of the brake handle as shown below. As the brake lever won't be required for either the start or finish, I should be able to start and stop the clock without having to do too much all at once. If there is a starting gate to pull out of, this may be a little tricky, but I won't know until the day.
Wires run from the switch, through the brake handle and out through a side hole that also has the hydraulic hose running through it. This is then secured in place with a cable tie with plenty of wire (about double the length of the handle) inside the handle in case I need to pull out the switch or the cable snags.
The wire then runs down the hydraulic hose, secured together with alternating cable ties and electrical tape before running onto the deck and into the stopwatch. Again, excess cable is looped together at the bottom of the hose for possible modification later. If nothing else, a connector to remove the stopwatch from the deck may be useful in future.
The sides of my stopwatch are removable and are large enough that a 2mm hole can be drilled allowing access for the cable push through. From inside, lots of black wires can be seen linking the front-side pushbuttons to the main circuit board. I've stuck to the back of the LCD screen a couple of low profile junction connectors that in theory allow me to snip the start/stop wires and reconnect allowing for hijacking with my new push button.
I say in theory, because this is where I made my cock-up by a) making a huge presumption on which wires to intercept, and b) accidentally chopping through one of the wires making it too short to reach. I now have a stopwatch that can only be started via the brake handle and can only be reset by the front panel. Hey ho. No biggie and I could have simplified all of this by just soldering a couple of points. All very well, but every time I solder, it looks as though I did it wearing boxing gloves - blobs of solder everywhere.
What I have been looking out for are either a slimline version of these cable hijackers (as shown below) that connect one wire onto an existing wire simply by clamping the top shut, or something similar. Any suggestions much appreciated as these are far too fat for this application.
Next up, testing!
Tuesday, 7 August 2012
ATC Mini Action Cam: Pole Mount Footage
Just a short couple of films showcasing the ATC Mini Action Cam pole mounted. Both videos are shot around 8pm in late July/early August so the natural light levels are relatively low. Despite this, and the usual shaking that occurs when boarding, the footage is remarkably good on its default setting. The microphone picks up a lot of wind noise which seems to be the norm for this sort of thing, but certainly adds atmospherics to the video. I suppose I could always add some music if it was really an issue.
As usual, there have been plenty of crashes and its very easy to knock the camera on the ground or whack into the occasional tree as we ride through the woods. Despite this, the camera, though a little mucky, is running 100% fine and continued to film without issue.
However, as much as I enjoy the pole cam shots, a lot of the time I want to keep my hands free in order to concentrate on the ride itself, so I have invested in a helmet mount. Unfortunately, this will involve dismantling the pole mount but this is not a massive job, just not one I'd do out in the field.
As with all these things, there will be a bit of compression when the videos are uploaded to YouTube. By all means, if you want some raw footage to view, just give me a shout!
As usual, there have been plenty of crashes and its very easy to knock the camera on the ground or whack into the occasional tree as we ride through the woods. Despite this, the camera, though a little mucky, is running 100% fine and continued to film without issue.
However, as much as I enjoy the pole cam shots, a lot of the time I want to keep my hands free in order to concentrate on the ride itself, so I have invested in a helmet mount. Unfortunately, this will involve dismantling the pole mount but this is not a massive job, just not one I'd do out in the field.
As with all these things, there will be a bit of compression when the videos are uploaded to YouTube. By all means, if you want some raw footage to view, just give me a shout!
Monday, 6 August 2012
noSno bolt break-down
Diagram showing the order of items normally on a noSNo Bolt:
From inside out:
Storing everything on the axle keeps everything safe whilst the hubs are away doing other things...
From inside out:
- Large Washer
- Split washer
- Hub comprising bearing / spacer / bearing
- Split washer
Storing everything on the axle keeps everything safe whilst the hubs are away doing other things...
'Manhick-a-likes' - any interest?
As replicated on the Surfing Dirt Forums...
Here's the deal. I have a contact, Matt, a precision metal engineer who produces custom motorbike parts for one of the Ducati racing teams and has recently gone part time in order to produce small quantities of parts for private individuals i.e. not bespoke, but not huge numbers that you'd go to china for.
We've sat down with a set of primo trispokes to look into the possibility of producing a two-piece solid aluminium version and have established that it is well within his capability and that of his workshop. Next stage will be establishing the most efficient way to mass produce with a prototype to follow to establish a rough idea of costing.
To make things work, as a rough starting point we estimate that we'd need an order of approximately 30-40 units, or 10 sets of 4. Obviously, more will need to be involved if people only want 2 for the front wheels.
So, questions are:
if we could manufacture solid aluminimum trispokes, would people be interested?
If so, would people be looking for 2, 4 or more hubs, and how much would be too much?
Are there any features that are important, such as keeping weight up/down?
Does anyone remember how much manhicks originally went for? They seem to go on ebay for around £20-30 + p&p.
Matt will be costing this up at his usual business rate. I'm not looking to add a percentage on top; I just want a supply of manhicks and from the way they sell on ebay second hand, I suspect others do too.
For those wondering why we are looking to do this, manhicks are heavy, but allow ABS-type brakes to compress directly on the rim of the hub without the need for disks. In addition, the added weight adds breaking power.
So... any interest folks?
Forgot to mention, what probably wouldn't be possible without quite a lot of work is to include the small indentations as used on the Primo Strikers as just about visible in the right hand image.
I notice however that the manhicks appear to be smooth as per the link below, so... has anyone had an issue with wheel slippage i.e. apply the brakes, hubs stop turning, wheels continue turning?
http://www.mountainboard.ru/2008/05/...t-1-pro-diski/
Naturally, I have asked for the hub sides to be smooth and logo free.
Need a name though. Dirty Hubs?
Here's the deal. I have a contact, Matt, a precision metal engineer who produces custom motorbike parts for one of the Ducati racing teams and has recently gone part time in order to produce small quantities of parts for private individuals i.e. not bespoke, but not huge numbers that you'd go to china for.
We've sat down with a set of primo trispokes to look into the possibility of producing a two-piece solid aluminium version and have established that it is well within his capability and that of his workshop. Next stage will be establishing the most efficient way to mass produce with a prototype to follow to establish a rough idea of costing.
To make things work, as a rough starting point we estimate that we'd need an order of approximately 30-40 units, or 10 sets of 4. Obviously, more will need to be involved if people only want 2 for the front wheels.
So, questions are:
if we could manufacture solid aluminimum trispokes, would people be interested?
If so, would people be looking for 2, 4 or more hubs, and how much would be too much?
Are there any features that are important, such as keeping weight up/down?
Does anyone remember how much manhicks originally went for? They seem to go on ebay for around £20-30 + p&p.
Matt will be costing this up at his usual business rate. I'm not looking to add a percentage on top; I just want a supply of manhicks and from the way they sell on ebay second hand, I suspect others do too.
For those wondering why we are looking to do this, manhicks are heavy, but allow ABS-type brakes to compress directly on the rim of the hub without the need for disks. In addition, the added weight adds breaking power.
So... any interest folks?
Forgot to mention, what probably wouldn't be possible without quite a lot of work is to include the small indentations as used on the Primo Strikers as just about visible in the right hand image.
I notice however that the manhicks appear to be smooth as per the link below, so... has anyone had an issue with wheel slippage i.e. apply the brakes, hubs stop turning, wheels continue turning?
http://www.mountainboard.ru/2008/05/...t-1-pro-diski/
Naturally, I have asked for the hub sides to be smooth and logo free.
Need a name though. Dirty Hubs?
Friday, 27 July 2012
Pole Mounting an ATC Mini Camera
A quick and dirty hack for the ATC Mini Action Cam, but one that works it seems with a minimal amount of effort on my part. A bonus of using this method is that no serious alteration or damage to the original mountings is required - you can convert it back at any time!
I mentioned previously how the ATC Mini cam came as standard with a couple of mountings - a vented helmet mount and tripod mount? In using the section that attaches to the vented mount, much of the parts can be used with a few items found round the house in order to attach to a long pole. This can provide a good range of action shots purely by swinging the pole around whilst riding.
Next up, I've used an old golf club salvaged from the bins from a driving range we visited recently. The head of the club had already been removed and so with its relatively low weight and ergonomic handle, it makes a good pole to use here. It's a nice enough length - long enough to fit me into the 110-degree view of the camera, but not too long to drag along the floor or get caught up on stuff.
A U-shaped bracket will fit around the end of the golf club if I increase the club diameter a little - winding and unwinding sufficient electrical tape around the end gives sub-millimetre accuracy without having to construct anything with any precision.
This bracket will then fit onto the ATC Mini mounting with a couple of washers thrown in to bulk out the thickness a little. The benefit of using as much of the ATC Mini mounting as possible is maximum strength without compromising the accessibility of the button controls.
And there you have it, a pole-mounted ATC Mini action cam with variable shooting angles built entirely from parts that come with the camera and odd bits and pieces stored in the garage. I love my garage!
Pole Mounted ATC Mini Action Cam
I mentioned previously how the ATC Mini cam came as standard with a couple of mountings - a vented helmet mount and tripod mount? In using the section that attaches to the vented mount, much of the parts can be used with a few items found round the house in order to attach to a long pole. This can provide a good range of action shots purely by swinging the pole around whilst riding.
Next up, I've used an old golf club salvaged from the bins from a driving range we visited recently. The head of the club had already been removed and so with its relatively low weight and ergonomic handle, it makes a good pole to use here. It's a nice enough length - long enough to fit me into the 110-degree view of the camera, but not too long to drag along the floor or get caught up on stuff.
U-shaped Bracket
A U-shaped bracket will fit around the end of the golf club if I increase the club diameter a little - winding and unwinding sufficient electrical tape around the end gives sub-millimetre accuracy without having to construct anything with any precision.
This bracket will then fit onto the ATC Mini mounting with a couple of washers thrown in to bulk out the thickness a little. The benefit of using as much of the ATC Mini mounting as possible is maximum strength without compromising the accessibility of the button controls.
Bracket bulked up using washers
And there you have it, a pole-mounted ATC Mini action cam with variable shooting angles built entirely from parts that come with the camera and odd bits and pieces stored in the garage. I love my garage!
Quick test in the garage
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