Welcome to our community

Be a part of something great, join today!

Log in
  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

HELP: O'Connor 515 compatibility with 1030 Tap-n-Go dovetail?

I just spoke with the machinist who let me know that the parts are currently drying at the finishers. They plan to pick them up and ship them to me tomorrow, so with any luck I'll be able to send them out to everyone by Monday the 17th.

If there is any delay in getting them to me, I may not be able to ship them out until Monday the 24th due to a project I've committed to that week.

Thanks,
Sean
 
Sorry to post off topic everyone, but we're on the hunt for a clean 515 if anyone is selling one or knows of one…thank you!


PCG
 
The sliders have been shipped and I should receive them this coming Monday. Assuming all goes well with UPS, I will do everything I can to get them in the mail to everyone who ordered one Tuesday morning. If that doesn't work out, I won't be able to send them out until the following Monday the 24th because I'll be on a project. Sorry for the delay in machining, and thanks for your patience!

Sean
 
Received the slider and it looks great! That said, I had some issues getting it in initially into the tripod slot. I've posted some pics below for those who have the same problem in an attempt to avoid doing what I did... which was almost stripping a screw! O.O Please ignore this if you guys already know how to do this adjustment. This is directed more at those who haven't tried doing adjustments.

You will need a flathead screwdriver, preferably smaller but I managed with a larger one, a 3/32nd and 1/16th allen wrench for this plus whatever size allen wrench you need to take out the safety screw but you have to have one of those anyway to get the original plate off anyway.

1. Remove the original QR plate. That means take out the safety screw and slide the plate TOWARDS the red QR lever on the plate.

2. Try sliding the QR plate in from the side away from the securing lever. If you are having difficulty sliding it at all, just keep at it. The anodizing eventually rubs off a bit for a better sliding motion. If it locks in and the securing lever secures the plate, then YAY! You are done! If it gets caught on the silver tab that the lever is locked to, continue to step 3.

3. Remove the plate completely so you have access to the screw and allen wrenches on the silver plate (circled in pic #1 below).

4. Turn the lever to the unlocked position. Now looking at the side of the lever, you should see a small hole on the lever itself with an allen screw in (circled in pic #2 below). You need to loosen or remove that screw FIRST before you can do any major adjustments. (yes this was where I almost stripped the screw ><). You need to use the 3/32nds allen wrench to do this.

5. Once you loosen/remove the allen screw on the lever, carefully loosen the allen screws on top (circled in pic #3 below). You can remove them but leaving them in will make it easier to find them later. These are 1/16ths allen screws. These determine how far you can move the lever between minimum and max tension. I tend to try to find the correct tension with them very loose first, then tighten them later (I'll point out where you have to do this later). For now, loosen them so the silver plate is almost "floating".

6. Now start turning the flathead screw (circled in pic #4 below) counterclockwise to give yourself more space. I started with quarter turns to minimize the amount of change. Make sure the lever isn't moving while you turn the screw. Once you make your adjustment, use the 3/32nds allen wrench to re tighten the lever to the bolt. Now try sliding the plate on and seeing if it locks in place well. If it does, YAY! If not, repeat steps 4-6 until you find a satisfactory fit.

7. Once you can secure the plate to your liking, make sure you have re tightened the lever screw, at the end of step 6, then remove the plate again and turn the lever to the "lock" position. Then tighten the allen screws on top (1/16th size) until they are turn tight. Do not over tighten! Now test it all out again to make sure nothing has overly shifted. You are done!

If you have questions, feel free to PM me. My response time is kinda slow these days due to my schedule but I'll do my best to help you guys out.

Took me about 30 min of futzing around but it's finally all together. Keep in mind that you may have to make additional adjustments as the plate starts breaking in a bit. Overall, it's nice to have a dovetail on the head like the 1030 guys and gals! =P

Thanks again for making this happen Sean!

Addition: I'm finding it difficult to inline post a pic. I'll read the FAQ when I can but for now, I'm hoping the pics will be attached in order. If not, they are relatively obvious but if you have questions, feel free to post here.
 

Attachments

  • oconnorPlateSilverPlate.jpg
    oconnorPlateSilverPlate.jpg
    29.3 KB · Views: 0
  • oconnorPlateLeverScrew.jpg
    oconnorPlateLeverScrew.jpg
    36.4 KB · Views: 0
  • oconnorPlateSmallAllen.jpg
    oconnorPlateSmallAllen.jpg
    34.9 KB · Views: 0
  • oconnorPlateLargeScrew.jpg
    oconnorPlateLargeScrew.jpg
    34.7 KB · Views: 0
There are a couple of extra sliders available if anyone else is interested but didn't make it in to the original group order. (PM me)

Sean
 
They have all been sold. But from time to time I keep getting people looking for one. If I get a handful of people together I can do another production run. Let me know if you are interested.
 
Thanks Steven and Juan. I will reach out to the shop that did the last run and a get a quote to see what costs will be like. If anybody else is interested, please let me know soon. Larger batch will mean cheaper cost per unit.
 
I’m gonna reach out to Transylvania film out here and see if he wants any. He’s been completely restoring these 515 and 1030’s out here so maybe he’d be interested in the upgrades. Since I know that current top plate if damaged is kinda a deal breaker.
 
I heard back from the machinist. If we can commit to at least 5 pieces, they will go for $300 each. Let me know if you're in and I'll start an order. I'm told they should be done in 3 weeks from the order time.

Sean
 
Thanks for checking in Spencer. I finally received ten new sliders from the machinist on June 8th and out of ten, only one of them fit. They were all different dimensions. I think the CNC people got sent home and someone decided to run them by hand. Still trying to get my money back. Sorry but I still don't have any to distribute yet.

That said, these will not fit on a 1030. Other companies have made them for the 1030 heads, not sure if you can still find one out there.

Spencer Weaver said:
Did this order ever go through? I have a battle-tested O'Connor 1030S and would love a plate like this (if it fits)
Click to expand...
 
In my research I found the "Element Technica Arri/O'Connor 1030 Dovetail"

Which seams to be exactly what I'm looking for. So, if anyone out there has one collecting dust... hit me up :)

Element-Technica-ArriOConnor-1030-Dovetail.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top