Peter Hoare

Hi Everyone,

Archer battery plates are available from here:

http://www.hocusproducts.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=2&products_id=4

Pete.

Plates are now available. Contact me at pete@hocusproducts.com for details.

Thanks,

Pete.

Photos of 15mm version:

Note how the radius on the edge of the plate lines up perfectly with the rod. The ground shoulder on the screw keeps it absolutely dead straight in the channel so there is little chance of one rod being higher than the other.

Pete.

All done.

Very pleased with the outcome, the rods and the shoulder screws work perfectly together and very accurately space themselves with no need for any adjustment.

Very light weight, very solid. Really happy with the setup.

15mm at studio spacing bracket is also done and ready.

Just need to work out some numbers and we can start to make them up.

Let me or Rick know if you are still interested....

Pete.

I just found an App called Sleep Cycle. You stick it on the corner of your mattress, and it uses the phones accelerometer to detect you moving in bed, and it plots a graph which shows your sleep patterns. Not sure how accurate it is, but for 99p, its quite interesting to look at the stats the next morning.

Also they make Wheres Wally/Waldo for iPhone now. Childish, but good fun, and surprisingly difficult. Good way to pass time.

Hi Everyone,

Sorry for the delay, the machine shop have been very busy for the last few weeks. Once the first race of the season has been and gone, I am told it will all calm down a bit, and they will have some lathe time to stick the turned parts up and get them done. Once they get onto it, its only gonna take afew hours to make so it shouldn't be too long.

Thanks,

Pete.

Just submitted another good one showing a guy with a steadicam up a ladder, whilst on the phone....

I submitted the gearnex picture :-)

I just booked for NAB, will be there from the 11th. Im staying at the MGM Grand (this is my first time in Vegas so I wanted the full tacky vegas experience)

I booked through Expedia in the UK, and flights/hotel package was pretty cheap all in.

I will hopefully have a prototype upgraded focus motor to show you lot... I have high hopes for it, would love your feedback.

Pete.

Yep, Hocus Focus is defiantly nothing to do with Benz.

Pete.

Hocus Focus.

Back from BVE now, was a busy show. Back on XCS plate making now, should have the turned bits done tomorrow.

Hi Everyone,

Have got the bridge plates made and with me now, and will hopefully have some of the turned bits ready by Tuesday. If your at the show, come and see me (C11, opposite the adobe theatre) and you can have a look.

Pete.

Hi Charles,

Strange you should mention this, I have been thinking about making something like this for a while. I planned on using Tungsten carbide, which is 40% heavier than lead for volume, and apparently its the second hardest thing on the planet, next to diamond.

Can cut it like butter with the wire though, so it would be easy to make some weights.

How big do you want, can do them pretty easily and send them over....

Pete.

If I can find somewhere secure to park the van with all my stuff in it, il be there.

All that being said I think titanium is a great material for a lot of what we do if used properly. The limiting factor is normally the material cost and the increased machining costs.

We use an EDM wire machine, which cuts with a spark, not using an abrasive cutter, so machine time is not significantly more than aluminium.

Plates are done,

Sorry Eric, have re-read your post and saw the bit about aluminium vs titanium for weight. Even if the titanium one is a little bit heavier, I still think its a nice thing to do, since we can. My guys at the machine shop who are 30 year experienced machinists recommended titanium for durability, and I have to listen to them. The cost is minimal, and they know what they are talking about. I have a very good relationship with them and they are not saying this so they can charge me more!

If you want your one made from aluminium, I am sure we can do you a special, if titanium isn't good enough for you!

Photos of the plates will come tomorrow.

Pete.

Well Im just saying that titanium is stiff and durable, lighter and in our case, abundant.

We use blocks of titanium the size of house bricks to hold the doors open, why not use it for something? All the F1 parts have to be made from logged and coded materials, so they usually end up ordering in new material for every job, which means loads of off cuts. Might as well do something with it, and if it means the end product is lighter than one made from aluminium, then so much the better.

Well aluminium has a tendancy to wear away over time, it requires anodising, which scratches off, and its not as light as titanium.

My machine shop mostly make F1 parts, and we have loads of 6mm titanium sheet. It dosn't add much to the cost, and its much lighter and more durable.

The Tournament is a good pub, they have an upstairs thats usually closed off, maybe if there is enough of us, we can go upstairs.

I sold a remote follow focus to a drunk guy in the tournament last year!

Pete.

Good news -

The big green wire eroding machine is busy cutting the XCS adaptors out from 6mm titanium plate as we speak.

Should be done today, photos to follow.

Felix Forrest has one of those, we stuck it on our Red last time we flew it. Its nice, requires a bit of unscrewing, but its worth it. Means you can get rid of the dodgy red rod plate thing and bolt straight to the bottom of the camera body.

Hi Everyone,

The Archer V-lock plate is done, anodised and finally finished.

Just gotta take some proper photos of it and it will be on our website, so if anyone wants one, let me know and I can make one for you.

Pete.

The Tournament is good, just round the corner from EC2. Theres also one called the isambard but it gets quite busy right after the show....

I find when shooting on a beach, the sand is much more of a concern. I bag up the whole system, which would stop sea spray as well.

Sea water is quite corrosive so wash it out quick. Maybe dunk it in fresh water to try and wash all the salty stuff out before you attempt to clean it....