Custom Designed GoPro Housings

Our housings can be designed for just about any application – off-road vehicles, race cars, hydroplanes or even airplanes – let us know where your Go Pro needs to be mounted and we can design a housing for it!

Currently, the vast majority of situations can be covered with our four “standard” housings:

• Front housing with integrated quick release foot designed to fit the Hero10-13. This will generally be used in a forward-facing application and locates the GoPro with a 7° forward tilt (this can also be modified to any angle desired). This housing will usually be mounted forward-facing on a  cowling or tail of a hydroplane

• Rear housing with integrated quick release foot designed to fit the Hero10-13. This will generally be used in a forward-facing application (on a lid) or rearward-facing (on the cowl) and locates the GoPro with a 10° rear tilt (this can also be modified to any angle desired). This housing will usually be mounted forward-facing on a lid or cowling of a hydroplane

• Mini housing with integrated quick release foot designed to fit the Hero11 Mini. This will generally be used in a forward-facing application (on a lid) or rearward-facing (on the cowl) and locates the GoPro with a 0° tilt (this can also be modified to any angle desired). This housing will usually be mounted forward-facing on a lid or cowling of a hydroplane

• Mini housing with rear through bolt designed to fit the Hero11 Mini. This can be used in almost any configuration and is the strongest mount we make as it is secured with a stainless bolt and nut through the rear mounting tabs of the Hero 11 Mini. Includes cooling air openings to insure the camera does not shut down due to high heat.

All housings can be supplied with flat bottom or curved/concave/convex bottom.

Due to the precise tolerances required to get a good tape bond between the housing and the mounting surface, all curved, concave or convex housings will require you to supply images showing the contour both left-right and front-rear of the surface the housing will be attached to.

This is very easy to do and requires nothing more than a contour gauge that is readily available at a local hardware store or on Amazon. We recommend using a gauge that is at least 10″ long, like this:

MEASURMENT PROCESS:

Unless it is a perfectly flat surface (like a pane of glass), most mounting surfaces will have a curve in one dimension, (like a wing or canard) or two dimensions (canopy lid, cockpit glass, etc.). In order to transfer the contour accurately enough to allow us to model it in our CAD software, the contours need to be measured accurately, and this can be accomplished any number of ways – with a contour gauge, direct trace, hard copy in plastic or metal, etc. The key to a good fit is getting the contour right and measuring it accurately.

USING A CONTOUR GAUGE:

Determine where the housing will mount on the surface, then lay the contour gauge across the surface left-right where the front of the housing will sit. Insure all pins on the contour gauge contact the surface, then lock the fingers to allow you to transfer the contour without changing it:

Next, lay a ruler or tape measure across the contour and take a clear photo – also label “left” and “right”:

If, as is the case on a cockpit lid, we are working on a surface with BOTH left-right AND front-rear curves, they both have to be measured. Do the same contour measurement in the front-rear axis:

Next, lay a ruler or tape measure across the contour and take a clear photo – also label “front” and “rear”:

DIRECT TRACE:

Depending on the application, sometimes it’s extremely simple to generate the contour with a direct trace, such as when you have a wing or canard off the boat and can lay your template material right on the end profile and simply trace onto it:

Although a traced line is good, a better method is to transfer it to a solid plastic or metal sheet so it can be fined tuned by grinding or sanding to be an even more exact representation:

Templates:

In order to get an idea of where the housing will fit on your surface, we have made 1:1 templates of each housing. You can download and print a full-size copy of the base outlines for precisely locating it on your boat/car/plane:

Go Pro Video Preview:

Once you have located the template on the boat/car/plane, we recommend powering up your Go Pro and connecting it to the Go Pro Quik app or record a short clip to insure you are getting the video framing desired at the location chosen.

Painting:

The housings are printed from high-strength ABS plastic in a multitude of colors, but if you want to paint them, they can accept paint or clear with little to no preparation. We have successfully used two-part automotive clear directly on the housings with no issues.

Due to the nature of 3-D printing, the housings will have very small layer lines. In order to get the best finish possible, we recommend sanding the outer surface prior to priming/painting.

Vehicle Surface Prep:

All housings are supplied with 3M VHB RP+160GF adhesive tape pre-applied to the bottom and a spare sheet is supplied.  If for any reason you do NOT want this tape applied before shipping, we will provide two sheets of tape with each housing.

HOWEVER, we strongly recommend that the tape be installed prior to shipment, as we use 3M Primer 94 which is specifically made to enhance adhesion to the housing to insure a proper bond for long-term use.

When mounting the housing to your surface, we recommend following 3M guidance for the substrate you are adhering to. Follow the recommendations on the 3M website.

Installation:

When you install your housing, it is imperative that the surface be clean of all oils, waxes and dust/debris prior to mounting! Make sure that you vigorously clean the surface to be sure it is free of all contaminants – we recommend acetone or isopropyl alcohol in multiple passes to insure the surface is ready.

IMPORTANT: YOU HAVE ONLY ONE SHOT AT LOCATING THE HOUSING – IT WILL NOT COME OFF EASILY ONCE APPLIED!

1. Test fit the housing in your preferred location to insure the bottom surface is a tight fit – we are aiming to have no voids between the tape layer and the mounting surface
2. Draw a line around the circumference of the mount with a Sharpie to aid in final location (ink can be easily removed with isopropyl alcohol)
3. Remove white backing from VHB tape
4. Support the housing over your traced lines to line up correctly
5. Firmly place the housing on the surface and apply pressure to start the bond
6. If at all possible, use a clamp or strap to apply stronger pressure than is possible by hand and leave it clamped for as long as possible. Maximum bond strength is achieved

All housings are 3-D printed from high strength ABS filament, using the following settings:

• Layers are printed vertically, not horizontal – for much more strength
• .20 mm layer height
• 8 walls
• 10 walls on front face
• Gyroid infill – 15%

3M RP+160GF VHB tape is used for adhesion to the bottom of the housings and is EXTREMELY STRONG. After mounting, consider the housing to be a part of the structure to which it is attached, because with a proper bond, the only way to remove it is with a wire or floss to cut the tape – you will not be able to pull or peel it off.

Tape bond strength is calculated using the surface area on the bottom of each housing (values are on aluminum or steel):

• Hero 10-13 Foot Extension Housing
  • Tensile Strength: 1989 lb.
  • Shear Strength: 2187 lb.
• Hero 10-13 No-Foot Extension Housing
  • Tensile Strength: 1959 lb.
  • Shear Strength: 2154 lb.
• Hero Mini 11 Foot Extension Housing
  • Tensile Strength: 1191 lb.
  • Shear Strength: 1310 lb.
• Hero Mini 11 Bolted Housing
  • Tensile Strength: 1268 lb.
  • Shear Strength: 1152 lb.

All housings are shipped with the following:

• VHB RP+160GF adhesive tape pre-applied to the bottom of the housing unless otherwise instructed
• (1) additional sheet of VHB – note that this will be larger than the housing and will need to be trimmed to fit if replacing the existing tape
• (1) 10-32 1/8″ stainless allen bolt – this will replace the bolt supplied by GoPro

NOTE: GoPro camera is not included with any housing

We LOVE custom orders and will work with you to make your housings one of a kind and totally customized to your application! We can embed numbers, text or logos in the sides and top of your housing, in whatever color you require.

Since all housings are designed in CAD before printing, in order to make your custom housing we will need not only the contour images to precisely contour the bottom of the housing, but we will need images of the number/text or logo to be reproduced, and/or the font that was used to generate it.

Please be ready to provide the following for your custom application:

Numbers:

• CAD file
• Font name used to make it (we may want you to send the font file if we don’t have it)
• Graphic file used to make it (PSD/PNG/SVG etc.)
• If neither font or graphic file are not available, then a high-res picture of number

Text:

• CAD file
• Font name used to make it (we may want you to send the font file if we don’t have it)
• Graphic file used to make it (PSD/PNG/SVG etc.)
• If neither font or graphic file are not available, then a high-res picture of text

Logo:

• CAD file
• Graphic file used to make it (PSD/PNG/SVG etc.)
• If the graphic file is not available, then a high-res picture of number

All customization will be converted to CAD format, and minimum charge for design time will be $45 unless a CAD file is provided. Depending on the complexity of the design, additional charges will be quoted on submission of artwork.

Quick Release Usage:

Due to the tight tolerances used in the design to maximize strength, our housings require the use of the standard “modern” Go Pro quick release foot with the flat, integrated round nut:

Also due to the tight tolerances of the design, the rubber insert of the quick release foot must be removed, and you will be using the stainless Allen bolt we provide to tighten the foot onto the camera – the large standard Go Pro screw will no longer be used:

Inserting & Securing the Camera:

The fit of the Go Pro Hero 10-13 is VERY tight in the housing – this is by design. The housing also includes soft padding on the rear wall (against the camera screen), which helps to protect the screen and cradle the camera body tightly. In order to survive in extreme situations such as running into a wall of water at 175 MPH on an Unlimited Hydroplane, we have intentionally minimized the openings that would tend to catch water that would blow the housing apart.

When setting up the camera for insertion into the housing, we suggest only tightening the screw snug, then sliding the camera into the housing multiple times to fine-tune the exact angle that allows the easiest insertion. Generally, the camera will match the angle on the housing exactly, but due to slight variations, sometimes it’s easier to adjust the angle of the camera forward or backwards a very small amount, as well as slightly trimming the upper edge of the opening with a file to increase the size of the opening.

Once the camera is tightened on the quick release and slid into the housing, it will snap in with a very satisfying “click”, adding to feeling of ruggedness.

In addition, there are two round channels on either side of the mount designed to allow the use of a zip-tie (minimum 14″ length) to provide even more insurance that the mount and camera will stay in place in an extreme event – the zip tie will wrap through the release holes, so it will not affect the look of the housing on the vehicle:

Releasing the Camera:

The housing includes holes on either side to allow you to reach the release tabs on the quick release foot – after cutting your zip tie, simply reach in and press on the tabs and push the quick release toward you. Depending on the tolerance of the fit, you may be able to push it all the way out this way, or you may have to grab the camera from the front to help it out of the housing:

Use Tips:

Because of the tight fit and lack of airflow to the camera when stationary, we highly recommend that the camera be OFF until you are ready to record in order to reduce heat buildup and potential shutdown from overheating. Because the housing does not allow manual access to the power button, we recommend the following uses:

• Remove the camera after every run, heat or session, then insert and turn on shortly before you intend to record again
• Set up “Quick Capture” mode in the camera, which will start and stop the camera with a single press on the top button
• Set up remote control of the camera using the Go Pro Quik app
• Turn off or remove the camera as soon as is practical after the recording event

Heat & Chemical Resistance:

Because this is a plastic part, avoid mounting in extreme high heat locations and try to cover the housing with a towel and keep it cool and wet during trailer firing or prolonged extreme heat events. Additionally, prolonged exposure to sunlight and extreme heating from the sun will degrade the part faster – if possible, just throw a rag over the housing during long, hot race weekends :- )

Housings are printed from ABS plastic, which is  highly susceptible to degradation from gasoline, acetone, paint thinner and other strong solvents. Avoid using these around the housing or protect it when necessary.