Multi-day time lapse of a solar installation - The support rig

Today, I am going to describe the stand and enclosure that used for my time lapse set up. One of the big challenges I faced, was that I needed to mount a camera up high above the roof. The solar array is fairly flat and a high perspective gives the best unobstructed view for the camera. Unfortunately, there was nothing to mount the camera to that got it high enough. After exploring different options like tripods, ladders and light stands, a C-stand proved to be the best solution.

• It could be extended to a height that I needed, 10-15'
• It is heavy duty enough to hold the camera and enclosure
• It could be easily sand bagged 

Next, the camera needed a protective enclosure. The camera was going to stay on the roof for an extended period of time and need protection from rain, bird poop, and other elements. Also, an enclosure on top of a stand wouldn't look as enticing to a thief as a bare camera and lens. 

 

I used a hard plastic case similar to a Pelican case. It was actually kind of tricky to find a case that was the right dimensions to fit the camera into.  I found the Seahorse SE-540 Case at Fuerte Cases. This case was just deep enough to house the 1Ds and 24mm lens with a couple filters stacked on it. It also had enough room to store the AC power inverter and intervalometer next to the camera.

The first step to building the enclosure was to create a window for the camera to shoot through. I cut a square hole that was approx. 6"x6" in the case opposite the lid opening. Then, a piece of 1/4" glass was epoxied into the inside of the opening.

 

 

Next, I drilled holes in the bottom of the case to run a 1/4" 20 screw through for mounting the camera and to run the power cord out the bottom of the case. I drilled a few extra holes in the bottom for ventilation so if the case got hot, it could release the hot air and not become an oven for the camera.

The enclosure was mounted to the C stand with a small ball head.The quick release of the ball head was threaded with 1 1/2" screw that ran through the bottom of the case. The camera mounted onto the 1 1/2" screw.

The stand was raised to its maximum height which was about 13'. Three sand bags weighted down the stand base. While the C stand is fairly heavy duty, the camera still swayed in the wind when everything was fully extended. This required me to tie on some guy lines to the top of the stand right below the camera. By using three lines, spaced equidistantly and tied off with weight bags, the camera could be stabilized in windy conditions. It wasn't perfect, but it did make for a much more solid configuration.

 

In the next post, I'll talk about what worked as planned and what failed and needed improving.