The Marandola: DIY Kite Photography Rig

This post will cover the process of making the rig. I will add a video of it in flight when I am able to launch it.

I bought this camera a while ago for this purpose. It was $9 from Amazon. I got what I paid for.

Constructing the Main Frame

I started off with an old scrap piece of 1 inch thick PVC (Trex or Azak) and cut it down to 6 by 5 inches. 3/4 inch plywood can also be used.

I marked a 1 inch thick offset on 3 of the sides.

I made a mark in the center of the piece and about 7/8 inches from the bottom. I then made a 1/4 inch hole on the mark deep enough to go past the 1 inch offset.

After drilling holes in the two corners, I cut along the 1 inch offset using a bandsaw. I finished that off with a sanding block to get rid of the blade marks.

To make the top piece, I cut a 4 by 6 inch rectangle of material.

I marked a 1/2 inch over on the right and left sides, 3/8 inches on the top and bottom, and a vertical center line.

I made six holes approximately 1/8 inch.

The tip of my countersink is broken so I had to use a large drill bit. I used the drill top on my drill press so all of the holes would be uniform.

I marked the center on both the horseshoe piece and the top piece.

I made a horizontal center line, made marks a 1/2 inch from the right and left sides, and made a mark on the center of the line. Using a drill bit appropriate for the screws I would be using, I made three holes on the marks and used a big drill bit to counter sink the holes.

I decided to cut some weight by drilling two 1/2 inch holes in locations that wouldn't be under stress.

After aligning the center marks on both pieces, I drove in the screws using a screwdriver.

Constructing the Camera Housing

I marked out the back plate to get a snug fit on a piece of 3/8 inch PVC (Trex or Azak). This can be substituted with plywood or any other light solid wood.

Using a pair of calipers I measured the distance from the bottom of the camera to the center of the d-pad. I then transferred those measurements onto the back plate.

I drilled a hole on the center mark using a forstner bit that was slightly larger than the d-pad.

Using the calipers, I measured the distance from the bottom of the camera to the top two buttons then transferred the measurements to the back plate.

Using a drill bit slightly larger than the buttons, I made holes on the two marks.

I cut out the back plate using the bandsaw and sanded away the blade marks.

Next, I traced the backplate, cut, and sanded it.

I positioned the camera between the back and front plates in order to mark where the back plate will be attached. I marked the top of the front plate and squared it over. I then cut off the bottom to make the piece square, then sanded it.

I squared up the mark that I made at the end of the back plate and made a mark at the center point.

I made a mark 3/4 inches to the right to the center point and made a 1/4 inch hole.

I then made a vertical line 1.25 inches to the right of the original line. After marking the center point of that line, I marked a 1/2 inch above and below that point. I marked lines that connected the original line and the two 1/2 inch points.

I cut along the lines to form a house shape and sanded the blade marks.

I traced the side plate onto the remaining 3/8 inch material. After cutting it along the trace lines, I sanded away the blade marks and aligned the two side plates so I could mark the hole position. I finished off the second side plate by making a hole on the mark using a 1/4 inch drill bit.

I put all of the piece into position so I could make lines where they will be glued later on.

Using PVC cement, I glued the front plate onto the side plate. If wood is being used, wood glue and small screws can be substituted for the PVC cement.

Using very fine grit sandpaper I sanded the edged of the holes in the back plate. I then cemented the back plate to the side plate along the line I made earlier.

I didn't make the front and back plates wide enough so I had to use a rasp to shave some material away to make the camera fit.

After using a small paint brush to put more cement on the joints I cemented the second side plate on the front and back plates.

While the whole assembly was drying, I cut a piece of material to use for a bottom plate and cemented it on.

I didn't feel comfortable with only the glue so I found some small 1/2 inch brass screws. I drew marks by eye and twisted a drill bit by hand so the screws will be countersunk. To complete the camera housing, I used a screwdriver to drive in the small screws.

Hardware

I cut a piece of 1/4-20 threaded rod that would leave only a 1/2 inch on each side.

I measured the distance between both side plates and cut a piece of 1/2 inch PVC pipe to that length. I then made two 1/2 inch spacers using the same 1/2 inch pipe.

I cut a piece of Velcro strap to about four inches and screwed it into place using a small screw and a brass countersunk washer. I repeated this for the other side of the camera housing as well. For aesthetics I cut the corners off both Velcro pieces.

Final Assembly