I had thought about buying a 3D printer for a long time, but held back because I couldn’t think of what I really needed to print. Then I came across the Ortak line of 3D printable camera support products from Edelkrone and knew I had found the excuse I was looking for, as it was related to my day-to-day work as a video producer here at CNET.
There are tons of different 3D printers out there, so I needed some expert advice to choose the right one for me. Join Joel Telling, self-proclaimed 3D printing nerd and host of the popular YouTube channel of the same name. Joel gave me some great advice on choosing a printer, what to look for, the different options available, the printing materials, and how to stay within my budget.
We discussed different models from Prusa Research, Creality, and other brands, and in the end I settled on those Creality Ender-3 V2. While waiting for delivery, I ordered the Edelkrone Skater 3D Kit for $ 29. The Skater 3D is a small camera support on wheels for use with cell phones or other small cameras. The kit includes plans to print out some parts at home, plus all the screws and other parts to put it all together. This little dolly would revolutionize my home video production techniques, I told myself. I also bought the PocketShot 3D and PhoneGrip 3D kits. I was ready to become a full-fledged camera equipment manufacturer.
Chris Parker / CNET
Then my printer arrived. Getting the Ender-3 V2 up and running wasn’t difficult, but it was definitely more complicated than I thought. Leveling the print bed is an art form in itself, but when I dialed in I was very pleased with the results of my first print, a cute little cat character.
But I didn’t get into this business to do more little tchotchkes to clutter my house, so I moved on to some more functional test prints of calibration models. Through trial and error, I got to a point where I was ready for the main event.
Skater 3D print
If everything went as planned, it would have taken me 22 hours in total to print out all 11 parts needed to build the Skater 3D. I accidentally printed one of the largest parts twice, but lost six hours and had to try some variations on the wheels to get the bearings to fit properly.
Chris Parker / CNET
Once that was done, assembling the dolly was relatively painless. The Edelkrone kits contain all of the metal and rubber parts needed to assemble the 3D printed parts. Some are more complicated than others, but the skater was pretty easy.
Chris Parker / CNET
And there it was! I now had a small camera cart for one of my iPhones (salvaged from earlier) Drop tests) or mine Sony ZV-1 camera. You can see the results in my YouTube video above or on CNET’s How To Do It All channel.
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