Hi loving this project but I have a question or two, can I run this on a Arduino nano or similar? Im building a gimbal to hold a 360rig about 1.2kg max I see high torque digital servos saying 3.2kg cm would this work and would the multiwii or arduino handle it? thanks ill keep you updated with progress.
@simon derwent
The MultiWii project used here can be loaded on most Arduino compatible boards. The Nano is pretty much a ProMini with USB support and yes it will work but you will have to add the sensor as well as populate all the pins needed. It’s often easier to get the MWC board. What will limit you is the choice of servos actuator and mechanical assembly otherwise the controller will be able to send PWM signals to anything.
Here is an old video (sorry for that) that use the MultiWii project on a custom Gimbal for DSLR application:
DiaLFonZo-Copter - DSLR Gimbal - GoPro Miror - 21-11-2012
Thanks Eric yes i was adding a 10dof or similar I have already built a tiny version for a parrot ar drone using a custom script but now Im making a stand alone gimbal for various applications just no rc control just keep things horizontal. The servos ill be using are high torque to pull upto 2 kg + of weight. I will probably just buy a multiwii specific board with sensors. thanks. Im going to power the servos separate and just send signal from board. Do you know if I need to use digital or analogue servos or does it matter?
@simon derwent
The easier would be to use any compatible Gyro + Accelerometer since that’s what you need. We would recommend a MPU6050 since it has both integrated in one chip so it lowers the cost. As for the servos, it’s important to understand that the part between the Microcontroller and the Servo will always be PWM signals for both Analog and Digital. The internal process of the signal will be different and usually you get more torque / speed / accuracy out of a digital model. It’s also nice to get one that can be reprogramed to gain extra travel and/or speed changes.
Hi, I’ve just finished building a servo based gimbal controlled by MWC. But I ran into problems. Several months ago I successfully uploaded the program once (I selected the quad mode instead of the gimbal mode) on my win7 pc. Now I’m using a win10 pc and it doesn’t work anymore. It says timeout communicating with programmer. I tried everything including burning Boot loader (not successfully). Do you have any advice? Thanks.
@Hatter, The first thing would be to make sure you have the correct driver installed on your new Win10 PC. Maybe you can post replies HERE as it’s going to be easier to reply and include pictures etc.