Case for the Multicam Remote

I need some help from Makers who know how to do things I know exist at DMS but don’t personally know how to do.

Background: The Remote for the Multicam is a pricey gadget ($1500) that has a long cord that gets caught on objects and just is generally too easy to drop or knock off the cabinet or CNC table. I added a ceiling mounted tool balancer that holds the remote low enough to be convenient to hold and use, but high enough to not swing into the table.

The remote does not have an attachment point for the balancer cable, so I used epoxy to attach a temporary bracket to the back of the remote. A couple of days later, the bracket disappeared. I don’t know if it broke free or was broken off. Whoever knows has not been forthcoming and it’s too small to see on video. Doesn’t matter at this point … it’s gone.

I roughed out a wood case to hold the remote and attached a bracket to it. Workable but temporary solution because it is too heavy. I need a lighter weight case that has a strong loop for cable attachment. Guessing a vacuum formed case, a vacuum formed mold for a resin case, 3D printing, or even a lightweight metal case are all potential routes to a better looking and lighter case.

Around the first of the year Ben Mergen @Ourfilthyhands may have built a model of the case, but I’m waiting word from him on status. We have a second remote that can be used as a model to capture the shape for whatever approach someone can volunteer to make.

Please let me know if this task is something you could take on and complete within a week or so. Thanks in advance.

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I can design and 3D print something suitable. Any chance we have access to a digital model of the EZCam remote to use as a starting point? Didn’t find anything from a Web search or a look through on the Multicam site.

It’ll be Saturday before I am back down to DMS to be able to snag the backup remote for measuring…

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Can I talk you into making a leather case for it @HankCowdog? I know your craftsmanship with leather is beautiful. Even a simple case out of leather would be nice on the hands and likely not too heavy. It would also patina into a beautiful product after years of use hopefully. I’ll throw $40 to you or your charity of choice if you will give me my way on this.

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Could I make one? Yes.

Could I make one in a week? Yes.

Could I make one THIS week? Probably not, since it’ll be several days before I’ll be back at DMS to take measurements/design the parts. If I could bring the spare remote home with me on Saturday, I could probably have something together before the end of the month, though.

I think I could put together a folded leather case with two cutouts on the front (one for the screen and E-stop, one for the control pad, with a strip of leather in between to secure the device in the holder). The leather sides would fold to the back, and the edges sewn would be sewn onto a leather backer piece. The top could extend proud of the device and have two loops (front and back) into which a carabiner could be inserted to both hold the device and prevent its sliding out of the case. Leather lace would be used to close the top for a semi-permanent attachment.

I made something similar to hold my GPS hands-free on the pommel bags I made for horseback riding. I’m thinking something like this but with a loop at the top:

(bad picture of the somewhat worn case attached):

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Sent you an email due to Talk being read only for time.

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Deal, pm your PayPal and I’ll sent it your way. Thanks!

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+1 for old-school Garmin Etrex GPS line.

I took some measurements off the remote and made a drawing in Fusion 360. If you think this would help, we could 3D print it and see how close it is the the real one. My goal was something that could be used to help make the leather case…and improve my Fusion 360 skills.

The .step, .f3d, and .stl files are located in my members directory under CNC_Router\Remote.

Let me know if any modifications need to be made. There are also some camera photos of the remote under the “Photos” directory for reference.

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I printed this overnight last night. I’m using this for wet-forming the leather.

Thanks for doing this: I know you were using it as an exercise for practicing 3D modeling but it will be very useful to me as well.

You can’t have too many clamps:

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Didn’t expect you to wet form the leather. Your awesome, this is turning into a very nice product.

Very cool! Excellent work!

You should market those to other Multicam users… or sell them back to the company for them to resell. :slight_smile:

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It was an oddly shaped back (two different thicknesses). Wet forming seemed the best way to proceed.

Got the back done using @budman’s 3D mock-up, and tested it against an actual remote today. Wet-forming the front now…

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Case is complete. I’ll try to drop it off today - otherwise it’ll be Monday.

@budman’s 3D mock-up was invaluable in getting this done: thanks again.

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…and I used your photo of the finished case to make a faux version with power connection and tool balancer clip attached for a slide to add to the array in rotation.

MultiCam Case MK1.1 - now with extra strapping. The new strap should hold the remote more upright.

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Nice work around!