Zheng's GoPro Gubbinses

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A month ago, a shiny new GoPro Hero3+ arrived at Zheng Labs' Shipping and Receiving South entrance courtesy of the gadget stork. The initial plan was to use it for time-lapse photography, but while the dwarves set up tripods and lighting in The Forge, my son strapped the camera to his head and took it down the water slide. We seized this delay (that kid won't get out of the water until his lips turn blue) to craft a few GoPro accessories. First: a tripod plate compatible with the excellent entry-level EXPLORERV Vista Explorer Tripod. This plate features a dovetailed slot, allowing you to swap out either an included GoPro case mounting stub or a mounting stub compatible with 1/2" EMT electrical conduit, as requested by the dwarven foreman at The Forge. Now you can put your GoPro on a tripod and, using the conduit as an extension, get really close to the action. (The creation of 10' conduit selfie sticks is left as an exercise for the adventurous reader.) However, here's the thing: the GoPro is a great little camera, but it only has a 2.5 hour battery life. If you're doing an extended 3D printing timelapse, you'll need to keep it charged via USB. Given the waterproof case, there's no way you can get a mini-USB plug through the side. So we crafted a naked GoPro mounting bracket and included conduit and tripod-plate variations. A thumbscrew and nut combination keeps the conduit in place. You should superglue the nut into the mounting stubs before inserting the conduit.