DIY Fix for the Trident Kraken AMS Tripod Mount for the Samsung Galaxy S3 or Note

Chase September 28, 2014

DIY Fix for the Trident Kraken AMS Tripod Mount for the Samsung Galaxy S3 or Note

The Trident Kraken AMS Case and Tripod Mount combo for the Samsung Galaxy S3, the Samsung Note and possibly others, has a pretty serious design flaw, as far as design goes, in that it will not mount to "all Standard Tripods" as claimed by Trident and is quite clearly stated on the package as you can see...

As a matter of fact, it won't mount to any "standard" tripod or head or monopod. It can't it's physically impossible as it has been designed and manufactured. To be sure I assembled it correctly I even re-watched the demo video that shows how to mount the tripod mount to the case. As seen below.

To further illustrate the gap shown below with the tripod head.

So, I called Trident and sure enough, once they took a look at the demo video they made, they agreed with my findings as you can clearly see, there was a design flaw. The gap which is a quarter inch between the case edge and the mount once the tripod mount has been slide to the edge fo the case makes it impossible to mount it to a tripod, monopod, etc.

Btw, from what I have seen, they have corrected this flaw for the S4 case. but that doesn't help me having just bought the S3 Kraken or anyone else that might have bought or will buy it. Especially since I have less than 72 hrs to go before I head out on a road trip.

Since I know better and you should get into the habit of doing, is be smart and do a complete set up of all gear you plan on bringing with you on any shoot, vacation, road trip or what have you. That way, you won't forget anything or can fix any issues you may run into before leaving. That said, as long as the Kraken AMS case has been on the market for the S3, this is something that they (Trident) should have caught, and fixed for this case and the note case a long time ago. Obviously they didn't correct it, claiming I'm the first to call about it and are continuing to sell gear with this design issue.

Now sure, they are very nice on the phone and yes, they will offer to give you your money back... heck, they'll even parrot your words back to you in an email, but that's not going to help me. I'm leaving in less than 72hrs and I need this to work! I didn't buy it to fix it out of the box nor did anyone else I'm sure. Be that disappointment of a discovery as it may...

Don't panic if you discovered this as well, the fix is an easy one if you decide to keep yours or your in a pinch for time like I was and need a solution. Hence this post. As for solutions, I have a few.

There are three DIY ways I can think of right off the bat on how to fix this. As well, there are some out of the box manufactured solutions you can buy, if not locally, then online. I tried that first and unfortunately, all Pro Photography places around here have gone out of business and I didn't have time to order online.
I'll go over a couple of the out of the box solutions first before getting into the diy solutions.

Out of the Box Solutions:

Manfrotto 015 1/4-Inch-20 Male 20mm Long to 3/8-Inch Female Adapter

If your tripod has a 1/4 inch rather than 3/8 you can then add a 3/8 to 1/4 adapter to the above. Looks like this...

If it has both 1/4 and 3/8 inch as many Pro tripod heads do. Then the above should do fine and give you the clearance needed with out the need to add the above adapter.

Note: Make sure the length of the stand off is what you want. You don't need it to be too long, remember there is only a 1/4" gap from the case edge to the Trident Tripod Mount you need to extend past.

Hex Standoffs (Male / Female)

These come in brass, aluminum, steel, nylon, etc and usually you can find them at a fastener store. Grainger or the Fastener Super Store for instance.

DIY Solutions

DIY Solution 1

First up is to build something like the the Hex Stand offs. And if you're in a rush and only have Home Depot close by, this will work.
I didn't take pictures of this solution, but I did make it and test it and it works just fine.
1 - 1/4-20 x 7/8 inch Coupler Nut - usually HD only has them in a 7/8 length. So... get it.
1 - 1/4-20 x 7/8 Socket Set Screw.

You'll need to get..

1 - 1/4 inch Steel / Neoprene bonded washer.

Super glue if you have it but not nessasary.

Assembly is real easy. Little super glue on the one end of the Set screw. Screw it in the Coupler nut til it's half way in. Put the washer neoprene side up, on the portion of the set screw (about 3/8 inch) that is left sticking out of the coupler nut. Your done. Mount one end to the Kraken Tripod mount ( after the glue dries if you used some) and the other to your tripod. Go take pictures.

DIY Solution 2

Similar to the above only better..

I have a thing about photography where I believe in the word "Stout" when it comes to holding my camera steady. I want it rock solid and the first diy solution will work to give you that. But I also have this thing about stess points and spreading the load when it comes to joining pieces up. Hence this may be a little over built, but I don't care, it satisfies me mentally for the stated reasons. And it too is very easy to build. Keep in mind, all my tools are packed away. So the only tool you'll need is a screw driver, and a knif or razor. heck, I even took pictures. So la dee dah. I built half of it in the car. And this is what it looks like finished.

Materials

1 - Caster Socket (pictured far right.) True Value Hardware for .79ea

1 - 1/4-20 x 20mm insert (pictured far left) Home Depot

1 - 1/4-20 x 12.5 Insert (pictured second to left) Home Depot for the bottom. If you would like to have a 3/8" female thread on the bottome. This will work as well, in brass no less. Maker sure that the screw edge has a countersink to it like the one below if your 3/8 to 1/4 adapter also has a countersink edge. They will marry nicely. Some adapters do, and some don't. Also make sure you do not exceed the 12.5mm length or it will stick out too far. They are made for wood, it will screw in nicely if you get a "cut edge" on the outside threads. I would have used this, but that meant I would have to go digging through my stuff looking for my adapters.

1 - 1/4-20 - 1 1/4in Screw (pictured second to right) Check that the head will fit snuggly in the caster socket, but not too tight, it has to go inside.

Epoxy Glue if you have time - if not Super Glue.

2 rubber washers - I'll discuss size and thickness when we get to that point in the assembly.

You'll understand better then...

Assembly Step 1

Turn the Caster Socket so the small side is up. Install the 1/4-20x20mm insert in this end. Make sure it is flush... Hit it on the ground if you have to... not in the dirt dingle berry, on the pavement or a rock or something.

Assembly Step 2

Two ways to do this next step, with epooxy or with out.

With 2 Part Epoxy or JB Weld 2 Part... Screw the 1/4 screw in to the top till you can look through the bottom and see it is just flush with the bottom of the insert inside the caster socket. Mix up some epoxy, carefully drip just enough around the edges of the inside, to fill some of the gaps you see around and between the outside of the insert and wall of the caster socket. Do not go over the the end of the insert. A litte is okay but your going to be removing the screw now... So remove it aready...

With-Out Epoxy or After you used Epoxy... Turn it over bottom side up, screw the screw into the insert from inside like so. If you used epoxy - move quickly. Get it in there.

Screw it all the way in till it's flush inside with the bottom of the insert and can't go any further. Don't twist out your insert - if if starts to come out, hit it back in till it's flush again and the end of the screw sticks out of the top like so... If you used epoxy wipe off any epoxy that is now on the threads. All of it!

Assembly Step 3... Turn it back over, if you didn't use epoxy, put the 12.5mm insert into the bottom. Hit it flush. If you are using the 3/8" wood scew in type, just screw it in till it's flush.

If you did use epoxy then take a second 1/4 scew and put it in the 12.5 mm insert till it is flush at the bottom. Put a little epoxy around the outside of the insert. Hit it into the bottom of the caster socket till it is fush like so...

Remove the screw from the bottom insert. If there is any Epoxy on it clean it off and keep putting it inside till all the epoxy is cleaned out of the inside of the insert. yeah it's messy but you can do it. I have faith in you.

If you used epoxy and are using the 3/8" screw in type, do a dry fit first, screw it in, then take it out and coat the outside threads with epoxy, then screw it back in till it's flush. Make sure no epoxy is on the inner threads.

Let it dry if you used epoxy or glue at this point. If you didn't use glue, move on to the next step.

Assembly Step 4

This is where we need the rubber washers if you don't have tools, if you have punches etc, you can just use rubber sheets and cut your own easy enough.

The key to the size of the rubber is that you want it to go around the flange or part of the insert that is sticking out of the caster socket - otherwise you'll still have a gap, like so...

And so...

The thickness of the rubber needs to exceed by just a little bit - not too much of the insert flange. Like so...

You want the rubber to be just thicker than the metal, that way when it is mounted and compresses, it is flush and gives some bite to the mount. And then you have no spin, and a stout flush joint with the stress spread over a greater area. Got it...?! That was a rhetorical question..

Okay, you've got your rubber washers - SuperGlue them to the top and bottom like so... make sure if you did not use some epoxy on the inside you at least get some SuperGlue on the flange of the insert to caster socket to help hold it while putting glue on for the rubber.

Once that is done - all the glue is dry. Threads are clean etc. Go to the last step..

Assembly Step 5

Cut the rubber to size... it's not as easy to cut rubber with a razor. I hacked the heck out of the top part, but you can get a clean cut if you stick the screw part through a 1/4 hole on a hard surface like wood and cut it from the bottom. And when you are done it should look like this...

And mounted to the Kraken Tripod case it will now look like this, gapless...

With the clearance you need from the actual case with a "stout" stead fast extension...

And now you can truley mount your Kraken AMS to any and "All Standard Tripod Stands" with a 1/4-20 screw mount. Or a 3/8-16 screw depending on which bottom insert you chose to use...