Hi there,
Absolute beginner indeed! lol
I am building up a CCTV on legs, kind of robotic version. The legs won't move on their own (just mechanically) but I would like to make a motion with the head part (cctv) and I am looking for something which could replicate, more or less, the movements of an human neck, then : left & right ( or better 360 degree) /up & down.All that controlled by radio!
Is that too much to ask or too expensive too concretise ?
Is there something, like an old object or cheap that I could use in transforming from its primary function ( yes I love recycling!)
Please, I would appreciate hints to begin my researches.
Good luck everyone in yor projects!
:-)
Pierre
Welcome!
Hi Pierre and welcome :=)
If you just want the left/right panning you could use a servo, which does the job. It usually has a range of 180° and i doubt you’ll be able to find it in some old object.
…or you could achieve 360° rotation with a so-called stepper motor. These may be simpler to find since they are used in printers and scanners (connected to belts, to move the light sensor up/down left/right). Or you could use a simple motor and “hack” it this way: https://www.robotshop.com/letsmakerobots/node/1524 .
The radio part shouldn’t be too hard, assuming you know some basic electronics and know how to program a microcontroller (if you don’t know how to, that’s not a problem, but maybe you should start simpler and then move onto this project. Just check “start here” at the top of the page if this is your case). As for the servo i doubt you’ll find one of these in old appliances, but no big deal since they’re cheap (10$ or so, as long as you do not want to control it from faaar away).
reply 360 move
Thanks a lot captain, for your time and advices>, and to bring me into the electronic world!
I m going to oprate my old scanner and see what I can find, or simply by a servo, cheap indeed…
The radio part might be a bit too complex, but let see…
Thanks again for your precious help 
All the best!
Pierre
Thanks Chris for your
Thanks Chris for your help!
The ‘‘stuff’’ looks great! But I don’t know anything about electronic., unfortunatly,
Let’s say I buy it ( by the way what is the generic name for such device ?)
Is there a lot of work or too complicate for a beginner, to operate it?
Thanks again!
Pierre
Servos
Servos are the little positionable motors that make these things move. They are usally used in RC cars and planes. You can use them the same way with a cheap RC transmitter and the servos will plug directly into the receiver. Move the stick and the thing tilts and pans. -Or- You could use one of the micro controllers we use around here to make our robots go. I would recomend a picaxe controller. The picaxe chips are very easy to use and have a “servo” command built in. They are programmed in Basic which looks and reads like English. I.e. servo 1,150 will simply tell the servo plugged into pin #1 to goto to it’s center position. Servo 1,225 will make servo 1 to goto the far side of its “sweep” etc. etc. You can also wire in a potentiometer to this picaxe chip and with a code about 6 lines long, can have the servo goto the position of the knob attached to the potentiomter. -Or- you could even program in a predetermined “routine” for your servo or servos to do over and over. Anything you want to do.
Not to mention, the pan/tilt kits (above) are very cool and work very well however, you could save yourself some money by making your own. Look for servos on the web or at the hobby shop. Any brand of servo will work with just about any micro controller. Standard size servos are around $10-$20 bucks a pop.
Also remember that basic
Also remember that basic servo commands are also covered in the “Start Here” guide at the top.
No really, it’s not. Once
No really, it’s not. Once you get into the “job” of handling electronics you’ll find out that radio transmission is quite easy. In case you need help with it in the future don’t forget we’re here to help!
As for the stepper, i’ve never used them, but there are lots of people who have already used them. The net will surely have lots of tutorials on how to operate them. It shouldn’t be too hard also.
