D.I.Y Arriflex/Doiflex motor

[Gareth Blackstock]

So I recently acquired a Doiflex 16 and dismantled it, cleaned and lubricated etc, and got it running very nicely, see earlier post: 

 

However, the motor that came with the camera was running backwards.  The other motor I had acquired was custom built for the Doiflex, running on 24v and running at 15fps.  Possibly a traffic or security camera.  Anyway, until I gather the courage to disassemble the Doiflex motor running backwards, I looked through my parts cache and decided to make a motor.

The original Doiflex motor is longer and skinnier than the Arriflex 16 motor.  However, the steel ball that fits into the rubber coupling in the camera body is the same.  So using a small 12v electric motor, an end of one of my son's ball point pens, some neoprene from his scooter handle bar grip, and super glue, I fashioned a motor that has variable speeds from 5fps to 35fps, sits snuggly in the camera body motor cavity, and requires no alteration to the camera.  The same approach will fit an Arriflex 16, just needing to shorten the 'pen', and use thicker neoprene so it fits snuggly in the Arriflex motor cavity.

The link to the video clip is below the picture...

While the D.I.Y motor is not the best replacement for an original motor, it is a great substitute as Doiflex and Arriflex motors are hardly easy to pickup, and if they come up at auction, the cost can be prohibitive.  My D.I.Y motor cost around $12 and annoyed my son.

 

 

Here is a video of the Doiflex at various speeds:https://youtu.be/57JRrTUlMNc

Edited December 21, 2025 by Gareth Blackstock

[Gareth Blackstock]

[Steve Switaj]

As per the sage teachings of one of my nations wisest philosophers, Larry the Cable Guy,  "If it works, it ain't stupid"