Hello, this is my first post here, but I’d like to use it to request some technical assistance in regards to finding the correct components for a camera stabilizer project of mine.
I’ve been doing research into the components I’ll need for this project, and now that I’ve begun, I’ve got a whole bunch of questions.
What would remember its positioning? A servo motor, stepper motor, or a brushless motor? This would allow me to use a belt driven linear controller.
I’ve heard that it’s better to not put the full load directly on the motor. If this is the case, what sort of gearing could I use? This would specifically apply to controlling the pitch, yaw, and roll of the camera platform.
As for the motors controlling the pitch, yaw, and roll of the camera platform, which would be the most quiet configuration? I would prefer to keep the size of this device to a minimum for ease-of-use, so simply setting things far away would still be a concern.
Power requirements. I intend to power the entire device using rechargeable batteries. I would also like to keep the weight of these to a minimum as well so I don’t want ridiculously heavy batteries. I haven’t figured out the specifics of what type of battery I want to use since this is still so early in the development process, so any recommendations based upon the questions above would be greatly appreciated.
If I have further questions about anything, I’ll add them onto this post and ensure this thread remains updated with any progress of this project of mine. And again, thanks for any input!
What is the weight of the payload you plan to mount on the camera platform? This will determine if the actuators you choose can support the weight directly. Take a look at some direct drive pan/tilt and power gearbox pan/tilt for some ideas.
Servos or DC brushless would be best. It’s rare that motors have a decibel (sound) rating.
Can you tell us more about the application? Is this for a UAV / drone?
If I have further questions about anything, I’ll add them onto this post and ensure this thread remains updated with any progress of this project of mine. And again, thanks for any input!
Essentially you want to create a stabilization platform but are unsure of the technology to use. There are quite a few existing on the market, and we hope to bring some in shortly.
Inside a servo, there is a mechanical potentiometer with an absolute zero. Note however that (most) servos only rotate 180 degrees.
If the actuator has to lift the weight from horizontal to vertical, then you need to calculate the torque required (force x distance)
Continuous rotation servos basically remove the potentiometer’s feedback and as such you only control the speed and direction, not the position. Encoders only give you counts (if you somehow know your starting position, it can determine the relative angle, but would lose that angle as soon as it loses power).
Another approach if you are prepared to do some programming would be to use a microcontroller and an accelerometer; this can help you determine the orientation of the camera with respect to the ground (this is how most FPV cameras operate). The smoothest motion is done with brushless motors.
Note that brushless motors need brushless motor controllers. Also, a normal ESC does not work with brushless pan/tilt roll systems; there are only a handful of such controllers available (we don’t offer any yet, but hope to in the near future).
ESC = Electronic Speed Controller. However, these don’t work with brushless pan/tilt systems; you need specific electronics as well as the accelerometer. Most other pan/tilt systems are servo based for ease of control.
In regard to this absolute positioning, how exactly does it work? It would be great to be able to have the stabilizer be able to zero itself out and center everything at the push of a button. In order for everything to center itself out, the micro-controller would have to know where “center” is.
