A pendulum is a stiff shaft with a rigid attachment to the camera rig. It hangs from the kite or balloon line with a flexible joint so the mass of the camera rig tends to keep the pendulum vertical. The flexible joint is attached to the flying line with a stiff wire around which the line is wrapped. The pendulum is simple and lightweight and there is nothing to get tangled. It works better than a Picavet on balloon lines, which are often close to vertical, because the flexible joint holds the camera away from the line.
The flying line should be wrapped several times around each end of the top wire. Don’t wrap so that the line makes a continuous spiral, but wrap one side in the opposite direction.
This pendulum is based on a design by Christian Becot. The shaft is a 38 cm long wrapped carbon fiber tube with reinforced ends. It attaches quickly to either the Redstone or Titan 2 rig. There are no 3D printed parts in this kit.
Parts list
Assembly
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