MD80 Mini DV Camera Mount Bracket Mark III.

Evolution: It is the nature of prototype designs that as you develop ideas new ones come to mind which means things need to be modified from the original idea. This bracket, (a derivative of the Mark II bracket) utilises a "Vee" clamp method instead of a dedicated diameter to clamp the bracket in different locations. This gives the chosen place to house the bracket more scope as the "Vee" can accommodate a different diameter range from 10mm up to 16mm without loosing clamping ability where as the Mark II bracket could only clamp to diameter 10mm fixing locations. I have also added a 1/4" UNC x 20 thread on either side of the bracket body for standard camera mount fixing for other camera holding devices available, (tripod, ram mount etc). The New Placement: The idea behind this design is to place the bracket and camera in multiple positions without to much bother. Utilising a "Vee" clamp system the bracket along with the camera can be placed anywhere where there is a handy diameter or post to clamp to, (rear racking system tubing for example) this way some rear facing footage can be obtained. The Pivot Bracket: My design for the bracket and clamp are somewhat over engineered like previous designs simply because I have access to the machinery and materials to be able to do the job. The main important dimension is for the slot that the camera sits in, the rest is open to adjustment. Machine a piece of Aluminium or similar material to 45mm x 78mm x 15mm (bracket, figure 5). Mill out a slot 7mm x 21mm x 42mm from one end as shown in figure 5. Drill two diameter 6.2mm holes with a 30mm pitch, 23mm in from the same end as the slot. Scribe a line for the "Vee" center line 18mm in from the opposite end as the slot. Hold the job at 45 degrees and machine the "Vee" 7mm deep on the center line. Drill and tap two M6 x 1.0mm holes 12.5 mm either side of the "Vee" center line 12mm deep. This is the basics for the Pivot Bracket, the other machining, (chamfers etc.) are just for looks. The Pivot Bracket Clamp: This is the component that is going to be used to clamp the pivot bracket to different diameters. Once again the one I have made is a bit over engineered for what it does and can be made much simpler for function. Machine a piece of Aluminium or similar material to 36mm x 36mm x 15mm (clamp, figure 6). Scribe a line for the "Vee" center line 18mm in from the end. Hold the job at 45 degrees and machine the "Vee" 7mm deep as before. Drill two diameter 6.2mm holes with a 25mm pitch on the center line of the block 12.5mm either side of the "Vee". Counter bore the two 6.2mm holes with a diameter 18mm counter boring tool 4mm deep. This is the basics for the Bracket Clamp, the other machining, (chamfers etc.) are just for looks. The Camera Clamp: This is the component that is going to hold the camera in place on the bracket in the machined slot, it is identical to the one found on the Mark II bracket only this time I have painted it black. Machine a piece of Aluminium or similar material to 45mm x 12mm x 12mm (camera clamp, figure 7). Drill and tap two M6 x 1.0mm holes 10mm deep, 30mm apart on the center line of the 45mm dimension. Mill a slot 22mmwide 6mm deep between the two tapped holes, (see figure 9). Screw a piece of M6 x 1.0mm 30mm long studding in to each tapped hole. Cut and stick a piece of 1mm thick rubber, 10mm wide by 22mm long in to the slot, (this is to protect the camera when clamping it to the swivel bracket). This is the basics for the Camera Clamp, the other machining, (chamfers etc.) are just for looks. Use two M6 x 1.0mm Nylock nuts on the studding to secure the camera, don't over tighten the nuts! The Footage: Using the picture link, (figure 12) you can visit You Tube and see some of the video footage captured from this camera. Bear in mind the original video quality has been compressed for uploading and as a result is not as good.	Figure 1: Showing the Mark III bracket and camera in it's mounted position on the homemade Chrome crossbar tube. Front Mounted On Fazer. Figure 1.	Figure 2: Showing the camera and Mark III bracket mounted on a makeshift rear mount on the rear foot peg bracket. Makeshift Rear Mount. Figure 2.
	Figure 3: Another view showing the Mark III bracket and camera mounted rear facing on a tubular racking system on my friends Yamaha XT350. Rear Rack Mount. Figure 3.	Figure 4: Showing yet another alternative mounting point for the Mark III bracket, this time using a Ram Mount on the handlebars of my friends Kawasaki 650 Versys. Ram Mount Fixing. Figure 4.
	Figure 5: Showing four views, (Front, Side, Rear and Top respectively) of the pivot "Vee" bracket component in it's painted finish. Pivot "Vee" Bracket All Views. Figure 5.	Figure 6: Showing four views, (Rear, Side, Top and End respectively) of the "Vee" clamp component in it's black painted finish. Bracket Clamp All Views. Figure 6.
	Figure 7: Showing four views, (Bottom, Side, Top, and End respectively) of the camera clamp component in it's painted finish with protective rubber pad. Camera Clamp All Views. Figure 7.	Figure 8: painted assembly showing the pivot bracket assembly, the camera clamp, the 1/4" UNC x 20 threaded side hole, and the "Vee" clamp that will accommodate diameters ranging from 10mm to 16mm. Painted Bracket Assembly. Figure 8.
	Figure 9: Side view of the painted bracket with the camera housed in position. Showing the 1/4" UNC x 20 side tapped hole and "Vee" clamp structure with M6 x 1.0mm Nylock nuts. Camera & Bracket Side View. Figure 9.	Figure 10: Rear view of the camera and bracket in it's painted black finish. Showing Nylock nuts and rear "Vee" clamp arrangement.. Camera & Bracket Rear View. Figure 10.
	Figure 11: Showing the completed bracket assembly with the MD80 Mini DV camera fitted in position when viewed from above. Camera & Bracket Top View. Figure 11.	You Tube Video Link. Figure 12.