Required fitting to mount something on a tripod

[atferrari]

To test a cardboard made directional microphone I will use a universal tripod for cameras.

What fitting should I ask for, fitted to the horn for mounting it on the tripod? Honestly I have no idea where to look for.

For the moment I found just a nut with the right thread.

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

I THINK I know what your looking for: https://www.amazon.com/

Look for "tripod gimbal mount"

Pretty sure the camera screws are 1/4-20. Also look for camera or tripod screws.

Another possibility is to make what you need. To make it out of wood, you could use a 1/4-20 T-nut.

You could use a self-clinching nut if the material is sheet metal: **broken link removed**

or you can tap a 1/4-20 hole into an aluminum plate and fasten as you see fit. Easy enough to do.

 

[atferrari]

Gracias KISS.

Not too much into the mechanical side of things myself, I have to control elevation plus direction and then how to fasten the horn/s (I expect to be more than one) to the fitting.

Thanks

 

[large_ghostman]

Be careful! there are 2 sizes, one for standard 35mm DSLR's and one that fits Video cams, I forget which is which now! but look it up. I know this because I have a new one still in its packet

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

Yea, I think I noticed that there might be two sizes.

But in any event. Drills come in lettered, numbered, fractional and mm sizes. In order to tap a hole, a specific bit size is used. For 1/4-20 a #7 drill is used.

Taps come in plug (tapered), bottoming, and starter taps. Taps are held by "T-handles" or tap handles. The end of a tap is square.

You can use just a plug tap for a thru hole, but the "kit" of usually 3 makes it easier. The bottoming tap is used for a hole that does not go completely through the metal.

Lubrication is the key, especially for aluminum. Tapping fluid is usually used. In manual tapping there is a lot of turn a little bit and reverse to break off the material. Then possibly remove the tap, clean it and back to the same old grind again. Try to make sure that for the initial turn, the tap handle is straight.

Then clean out the hole. Compressed air works if you have it and try a bolt.

The tap is hard and thus brittle and they will break. 1/4-20 is relatively easy than a 6-32 tapped blind in 304 stainless and the part your tapping is worth in excess of $1000.00 USD.

Then there are drills designed to be "clearance drills" These let a bolt bass without restriction. An "F" drill would be used for this.

See: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_drill_and_tap_sizes

It looks like the typical camera screw has a close cut shoulder. Don't know how long it is, but the fastening body is usually less than that because, you don't want the screw to fall out when nothing is attached. So, the "other side" not the camera side is threaded too, but when the screw is all the way into the "other side" it will become loose and it can't fall out of the hole.

 

[large_ghostman]

Ahhh sorry KISS, there has been a misunderstanding on my part, I didnt look at the link, Mum has a manfroto tripod, and for my camera I had to get a screw fitting for the camera that fit the tripod, this is how I got it wrong. But he is doing it the other way around he already has the tripod side of it.
I kind of jumped in eyes shut and half cocked! sorry about that.
LG

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

I had a hard time understanding the question too, I don't own a tripod, but would like too. I don't know if the tripod comes with the gimbal, hence both a couple of different views.

e.g. What we are mounting to, The cardboard mock up made from another material?

 

[alec_t]

Google 'camera ball joint' to see images of the sort of mount you might find useful.

 

[large_ghostman]

Some tripods come with a mount, generally the professional ones like manfrotto dont, according to my mum who is a professional photographer, manfroto is the best. It has a quick release system for the camera (hers does anyway, but they do different ones). If getting a tripod with quick release you want one with safety lock, or expensive camera mishaps are the norm apparently! Before mum met dad she was a camera lady and wildlife tog for the BBC in the uk, actually she was one the first for the BBC. She dosnt do it much now, mainly for fun.

 

[MrAl]

Hi,

All the camera's i ever had where always 1/4-20 thread. Even the most modern one i have also has this thread, and the older ones from 30 years ago also have this thread.

"1/4-20 stands for 1/4 (0.25) inch diameter and 20 threads per inch thread pitch. If you go to a hardware store and ask for "a quarter twenty" bolt or nut you'll get the right one most likely.

 

[atferrari]

e.g. What we are mounting to, The cardboard mock up made from another material?

No. No mock-ups. Just the horn in the picture.

I need to keep it stable on the bench properly aimed to a sound source (in a fixed direction and elevation). Nothing fancy.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

"1/4-20 stands for 1/4 (0.25) inch diameter and 20 threads per inch thread pitch. If you go to a hardware store and ask for "a quarter twenty" bolt or nut you'll get the right one most likely.

As long as you live in the USA

I must admit I didn't have a clue what you meant by 1/4-20, and was pleased to see the explanation.

Is that what's called an 'AF' thread?

 

[Mickster]

AF stands for "Across Flats" and is used for sizing spanners (wrenches).

 

[3v0]

I have a number of cheap tripods and they all use 1/4 20 thread and all have the gimbals. You need to identify the thread on your tripod stud. If nothing else take it to a hardware store and try a few nuts on it. Epoxy a normal or long nut to your horn. I would cut a wood block to fit the horn. Then I would drill a hole for the nut and epoxy it in.

I forget the correct name for the long nuts. Might be coupler nuts.

Now some tripods have shoes. You can make a block of wood with a shoe bottom and attach it to the horn. I made this DIY adapter to hold my Ipod Touch.
**broken link removed**

https://zombieengines.blogspot.com/2014/01/diy-ipod-tripod-mount.html

 

[MrAl]

As long as you live in the USA

I must admit I didn't have a clue what you meant by 1/4-20, and was pleased to see the explanation.

Is that what's called an 'AF' thread?

Hi Nigel,

Oh yeah gee, sorry, i forgot that not everyone lives in the same country ha ha

Here AF may have at one time referred to "American Fine" but is now "National Fine" or "Unified National Fine" and refers of course to the thread pitch being either fine or course. A bolt that is "1/4-20" or in words "a quarter twenty" is considered course, while "1/4-28" or in words, "a quarter twenty-eight" is consider fine pitch thread. (for those bolt diameters that is).
The 1/4-20 is a quarter inch diameter with 20 threads (or turns) per inch, while 1/4-28 is a quarter inch diameter with 28 threads (or turns) per inch hence it is considered a fine pitch thread. There are others, but these are the more common ones and it is rare to see anything else. I believe what they call the 'lead' is the same as the pitch for these screws because there is only one continuous thread around the bolt not two or more.
We see metric bolts and threads too though, in cars and other places. I have an assortment i bought at a dollar store one day with bolts and nuts that are all metric. Some of them fit the back mounting holes of my TV and PC monitors which is nice

 

[KeepItSimpleStupid]

There was a time when you would have no idea what kind of fasteners to use in automobiles. At one time the chassis was English and the the stuff on the body was metric. Some may remember when disk drive mounting screws contained both english and metric threads.

FWIW, pitch and lead and other stuff is defined here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Thread_Standard

Another parameter of threads is "class of fit"

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Here AF may have at one time referred to "American Fine"

That's what I thought - the original screw threads were Whitworth, actually invented by a local guy.

 

[MrAl]

There was a time when you would have no idea what kind of fasteners to use in automobiles. At one time the chassis was English and the the stuff on the body was metric. Some may remember when disk drive mounting screws contained both english and metric threads.

FWIW, pitch and lead and other stuff is defined here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unified_Thread_Standard

Another parameter of threads is "class of fit"

Hi again,

KISS:
Yeah there's a lot to it. I used to have a machinist's handbook 2 or 3 inches thick with a ton of information just about screw threads and related.
There's like a science to it. The angled walls create friction that helps keep the bolt and nut tight. Many lead screws are made with a 90 degree angle though so there is less friction for creating lateral movement from rotational movement. I have used regular threads for this (cheap) but they dont work as well as a real lead screw.

Nigel:
Wow i havent heard that name in years now. Cant remember much about that guy either now, but i think we might have had those screws here in the USA at one point too. We are lucky we have these standards or it would be very hard to fix some things.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Nigel:
Wow i havent heard that name in years now. Cant remember much about that guy either now, but i think we might have had those screws here in the USA at one point too. We are lucky we have these standards or it would be very hard to fix some things.

Previous to him all screws were non-compatible, coming up with a standard allowed interchangeable nuts and bolts.

Incidentally, I have a small Whitworth spanner in my pocket at work, I found it in the garage here 30+ years ago, and cleaned it up. It's open-ended, 3/8" and 7/16", and fits almost anything

Here's a Wikipedia page about him:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Whitworth

I'm actually sat typing this about 3 miles from his grave

My wife even went to primary school right next to the church he's buried at.