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The Picavet was designed nearly a century ago. You'll find myriad references and plans on the Internet, if you want more details.

My example at left is deficient in that it uses eye-rings rather than pulleys. (I made little pulleys for the first version, but they jammed too easily.) The line slips reasonably well through the eyes.

The diagram at right shows the components of the radio control camera mount.

1 is the three channel 29MHz radio control receiver.
2 is the servo which trips the shutter release.
3 is the motor-drive Canon 35AF camera.
4 is the tilt servo. This is used to tilt the camera from horizontal all the way through to vertical.
5 is the 4xAA battery pack.
6 is the pan servo and associated gearing. See below.
7 is the Picavet cross - in this case an "L" shaped aluminium extrusion.
8 is the radio aerial, mounted on a fibreglass rod used to assist in aiming the rig.
Part #6 (the pan mechanism) is the source of some aggravation. It simply did not operate during the first flight. It had worked beautifully at ground level. I first assumed that the radio was out of range, but it still fired the camera 25 times.

Eventually I determined that the mechanical disadvantage (1:4) of the pan gearing could not overcome the pressure of the wind on the camera. This theory was borne out later, when the pan mechanism did work in flight in much lighter winds.

This is a complication I am still addressing.

Before you ask - this rig weighs in at around 1.3kg (2.9lbs). Consequently I can only use it during moderate to strong winds, preferably under the larger (30sq ft) flowform. I still use the single-shot clockwork setup most of the time (although now I use a cheap single-shot re-useable camera rather than a disposable.)

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Go to the first shots taken under this Picavet suspension.
Return to the first KAP index page (+ links to all other KAP pages.)
Return to KAP how to page.

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© PHS