After seeing a friend use a Drift HD action camera to produce a video documenting a skiing trip, and getting pro-like results, I wanted to do the same on subsequent trips. As my budget didn't extend to a £200 camera which would only likely be used for one week out of the year I decided to investigate the budget camera market. After much research I purchased a small keychain camera.

The camera in question was the 808 #16 keychain camera. There is a huge community which constantly improves and develops the firmware for these keychain type cameras and the sample clips online were impressive. If you'd like to learn more about these highly capable cameras here three excellent sources:

Chucklore
Techmoan
RC Groups

I achieved some good results with this, but the shape of the camera made it difficult to mount, the output resolution was only 720p and the battery life was only around 40 minutes. I decided I needed an upgrade.

This year the same manufacturer released the Mobius Action Cam, after using the camera on a holiday as a hand held video camera I was hooked. 1080p resolution, long battery life, simple operation and a freely provided companion software to tweak every option imaginable. Really it's hard to overstate how good this camera is, and for just £40! Here's a link to a review:

Techmoan review and samples

The only thing missing was a pro like mount to ensure smooth footage when on the slopes. So I designed my own!

Step 1: Idea and History

I already had my skiing helmet, and I had used the peak (visor) part of the helmet to mount my 808 camera the previous year. I decided to design a mount which would bolt to the visor and would allow the camera to be quickly clipped in and out, and most importantly, allow me to do this with ski gloves on.

The design went through three iterations, each time strength and usability was improved.

Step 2: Parts List and 3D Printing

Standard Parts (available from eBay for a few pounds)

M2 x 6mm Bolt/Screw Qty 4
M2 half nut Qty 4
2mm neoprene washer Qty 4

Printing the mount

You may be lucky enough to have access to a 3D printer, alternatively you could use an online service such as shapeways. Grab the .stl file, attached to this step, and get printing!

**Please note that to get the best results you will want to print the model with the large flat surfaces parallel to the printer bed. If the part is printed in other orientations you may get some unsightly steps in these 'flat' surfaces**

**Minor .stl error now corrected 03/12/2013**

mobius_mount_notripod_alt3.stl
Download View in 3D

Step 3: Mark and Drill

The clue is in the title. Use your mount as a template to mark out your holes and drill. The mount makes use of M2 nuts and bolts so you will want to drill your holes at 2mm.

Step 4: Bolt the Mount to Your Helmet

Use the M2 nuts and bolts to bolt the mount to your helmet

Be sure to insert one of the neoprene washers at the interface between the mount and the helmet peak.

Step 5: Operation

The camera will slide and click into place

In order to release the camera the two wings of the mount need to be pushed upwards, this will allow the camera to be pulled out of the mount.