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Mounting Hardware

Cameras can be mounted using any mounting hardware compatible with 1/4" threads common for mounting small cameras. Here are several tested ways to mount the hardware, with Pros/Cons.

Mechanism

Relevant qualities:

  • Flexibility to accommodate to any viewing angle
    • especially switching aspect ratio (rotating by 90° on the roll axis)
  • Wide availability on many stores, and price
  • Ease of use during mounting

GoPro mounting system

Readily available and very flexible in theory. However, switching aspect ratio requires adding new parts, so to really achieve its full flexibility, you will have to overbuy on parts. And while cheap individually, these parts often have to be bought in sets that leave you with parts you don't need.
Ease of use is lacking. While a simple setup only has one screw to secure, for full flexibility two are required, and the yaw axis cannot be properly secured in most mounts as you use a fixing ring to tighten the camera, but to orient the camera properly you have to rely on the tightness of the fixing ring, which in practice means the yaw axis is loose.

Ball Joint Mount with single fixing screw

A ball joint of this design allows for full flexibility in orienting the camera thanks to the notch allowing full 90° angles, and is super cheap (<2€). When combined with a 3D-printed 1/4" compatible adhesive mounting plate, this seems to promise a good all-around mounting options.
Sadly, it can be extremely annoying to use during setup as the mounting screw, due to relying on metal-on-metal friction between screw and ball joint, is pretty much a binary lock. That means, you have to constrain the full range of motion while securing the screw, which in practice is quite challenging.
Anecdotally, it is easy to overtighten the screw and accidentally damage the threads of the CNC shell.

Ball Joint Mount with encompassing tightening ring

This design of securing the ball joint has many advantages to the previous one, as it applies force on the ball joint through separate plastic grips. This means, the force increases gradually as the screw is tightened, allowing for easy adjustments of the camera orientation during the mounting process. By keeping the turning knob separated from the ball joint, accidental changes while tightening can be mostly avoided.
Additionally, as the only mounting system, it can be bought for super cheap and in one part.
The only major disadvantage is that it does not offer full flexibility in regards to orientation. Given the other advantages of this option, we are considering adding a mounting thread on the long side of the camera to make this option fully viable.

Securing

There are several ways to secure the mounting hardware to the room. The requirements for this are rather lax, as the cameras are rather lightweight and have no moving parts that cause vibrations.

Metal Trusses

Used in professional setups for optimal rigidity, these do not rely on attachment to the room directly, but provide their own mounting options.

Screws

While technically the most secure for attaching directly to a wall or ceiling, it is generally unnecessary unless it is straight-forward and largely non-destructive for the construction of your room.
Sadly, some all-in-one mounting mechanisms do not directly provide screw holes to mount with.

Magnetic

Some mounting hardware have magnetic bases, and may be used in some scnearios, though their security is generally inferior, especially rotationally. Do make sure the surface you intend to use is actually magnetic and not e.g. made of aluminium.

The recommended and most common method for GoPro mounts and all-in-one mounting options is adhesives. While technically destructive and potentially problematic for rented rooms, the resulting surface damage can often be easily patched.
Do make sure the surface of the room provides sufficient stability before relying on it though!