Newb's first portable streaming rig; feedback appreciated

Share Your Rigs
#1

I’m not a streamer, but I subscribe to Caleb Pike’s channel and was intrigued by his ATEM Mini case build a couple of months ago. A lot of people in the comments expressed interest in buying one, but Caleb wasn’t interested in making them and welcomed the community to do so. As a sculptor (kinetic, electromechanical pieces), I had the requisite skills and tools, so I decided to take Caleb’s design as a starting point, make some improvements, and, possibly, offer the result on Kickstarter.

Here’s what I’ve come up with so far. I’d greatly appreciate any comments or criticism:

  • 10.1", 1920 x 1200, IPS screen
  • Integrated universal power supply (110/220VAC, 50/60Hz)
  • Able to operate from internal (user-supplied) D-tap battery
  • Digital voltmeter to provide battery charge status
  • Space for a hard drive (the tray beneath where the Mini goes)
  • The only case penetrations are screw holes, all sealed with rubber washers, preserving case environmental integrity
  • 3.5mm headphone jack
  • Mesh pouch for cables on exterior of the lid (not shown in photos below)
  • Locking power connector for the Mini
  • Cheese plate on bottom for mounting to tripod or light stand (is this really necessary?)
  • No power switch. I’m following Blackmagic’s lead here. The Minis don’t have one, nor do most of their other switchers. As I understand it, this is to eliminate the chance of accidentally switching the thing off during a broadcast. Should I add one?

3-4 - flat ATEM
3-4 - flat ATEM3468×3540 3.12 MB

3-4 - AC - connectioned
3-4 - AC - connectioned3708×3480 3.42 MB

3-4 - battery - connected
3-4 - battery - connected3528×3432 3.43 MB

Overhead - empty
Overhead - empty3816×2876 3.36 MB

6 Likes
ATEM Mini Pro and monitor in a hard case
#2

This looks great! What case is that? It looks a lot deeper than the one Caleb used (which coincidentally is the one I happened to already have and started building out). I’m sure you’d get a lot of takers if you started selling this!

#3

Thanks for the feedback, Aaron. It’s a Harbor Freight Apache 2800, and, yes, it’s a little bigger than Caleb’s original Pelican:

image
image3024×4032 2.85 MB
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One of the improvements I felt was essential was to include a power supply to eliminate an external power brick. Even at 3” x 2” x 1”, however, it wouldn’t fit in the Pelican. The 2800 is the next bigger case I could find (and a lot less expensive than the Pelican equivalent).

I should have the design locked down in the next week or so (unless I get some compelling suggestions from people here). I was then planning on reaching out to relevant bloggers like you, PhotoJoseph, et al. to see if they’d be interested in reviewing it in conjunction with the Kickstarter. Would you be? I’d send you a unit, of course.

Karl

#4

Awesome! I would definitely do a video about this if you launch a kickstarter!

The big thing for me, which might be out of scope for your goals with this, is reducing the number of cables I need to connect when using a portable kit on set. For me it’s usually filming conferences, so I’ve got 2 cameras (closeup and wide shot) and the presenter’s slides, and then streaming/recording the program. I’m trying to pack an LTE router and Hollyland HDMI receiver into my case, since that’ll eliminate a bunch of steps setting it up. I’m not sure it’s all going to actually fit in that small case though so I might give this 2800 one a try if it fails.

I love the integrated battery idea on yours!

#5

I would definitely do a video about this if you launch a kickstarter!

Fantastic! How far in advance of the launch would you need a review unit, and how long would you need it for? Could we coordinate, so you post the review the day after the launch?

I’m trying to pack an LTE router and Hollyland HDMI receiver

I thought of adding a rail to the side of the case, maybe with some 1/4-20 holes in it, so HDMI receivers could be attached, though they wouldn’t be integrated into the case. I scrapped the idea on the principle that better is the enemy of done, and I just had no idea how many people would want that.

There might be space in my setup for the router and/or a receiver, beneath the SSD tray; almost certainly if the tray were removed (it’s just held in with four screws). You’re welcome to poke around inside the case (ideally, after you finish your review :wink: ) to see if they’d fit. You could then make you’re own (though I haven’t decided yet if I’m going to open-source my design), or just buy one of mine and mod it.