Hello all,
I’m trying to make a system that will enable me to operate linear actuators via vehicle steering wheel mounted potentiometers. Any ideas on how to accomplish this?
Thanks for your input Jbrunet.
I did some looking and it appears that the microcontroller needs to be programmed to enable the potentiometer to talk to the linear actuator and enable it to do what I want it to do. Is this correct?
It looks like Radio Shack has a Basic Stamp kit that appears to be a newbie kit with tutorials. Correct me if I’m wrong, it appears that the difficulty in this project is programming the microcontroller. Is this the case?
Thanks again for your wisdom…
My plan is to mount two (2) potentiometers on the steering wheel (not the column). One at the 10 o-clock position and the other at the 2 o-clock position. Each will operate a seperate linear actuator.
Ah now we’re boiling it down. It looks like I’ll need about 80 lbs of force & somewhere in the neighborhood of 18 inches of travel per second. The potentiometers will be mounted on the dash side of the steering wheel with no chance of contact with the the operator.
I wasn’t aware that these (actuators/servos) could be remote controlled (R/C)? That’s an interesting design prospect. Are there any problems with outside sources creating signal interference?
I see. Correct me if I’m wrong, the potentiometer and controller can be matched up to any actuator, no? I’ve seen actuators that have the speed and force I’m seeking so isn’t it a simple process of tieing all three together (mating a more robust actuator with your potentiometer & controller)?
Having uncovered that I need a strong quick actuator does this change the power demands for such an actuator and if so, will that complicate the juice requirements/needs for the potentiometer, controller & actuator?
Here’s the link… copleycontrols.com/motion/pdf/DS-pdf/DS01093.pdf It looks like the XTA38 should work…
lol… I stumbed upon it on youtube then dug up their site. Looked like a fast bastard. Now if I can control it for my application I might have something I can use…
OK. Not the end of the world. I’ve seen other actuators that have the speed and force I’m looking for. I’ll have to do some digging and find them again and get back to you guys.
Incidentally, this is EXACTLY what I’m trying to achieve… youtube.com/watch?v=uva7_zE98vU&playnext_from=TL&videos=YCTa9-px69c I tried to contact the guy that posted the vid but as of yet no response.
I should have qualified that link by reiterating that I need the 80 lbs of force and speed along with the motion control of that type of setup…
Definately. I appreciate all your input thus far as it’s helped me to narrow my focus and given me a better understanding of what I’m trying to do. Thanks for that…
2 sledge hammer: wich device do you use to control actuators?
Hi Sledge Hammer, welcome to the RobotShop Forum!
In order to create a closed-loop system as you describe you could mount a potentiometer to the steering mechanism and read the analog voltage it outputs using a microcontroller’s analog input. This would allow you to convert this voltage to a numerical value. Using this value, the microcontroller would send control signals to the linear actuator or via a motor controller module (depending on the type of actuator). You will necessarily need 5VDC for the electronics and potentiometer to prevent damaging them with your 12VDC source. Some microcontroller modules provide a clean 5VDC to work with. If you have no experience with microcontrollers, Basic Stamp, Arduino, PICAXE and BasicATOM are great for beginners.
Yes microcontrollers generally require programming. Also keep in mind we are a distributor for Parallax products, including Basic Stamps. Nothing to be intimidated by though, it’s a perfect beginner project.
If you want to add RC to the project and don’t want interference, you can use 2.4GHz frequency spectrum systems such as the Futaba 6EX 6-Channel 2.4GHz Radio System (Product code : RB-Fut-11), which is interference-free.
To clarify: would you simply like to mount potentiometers somewhere on your steering column which you would then operate by hand? The other interpretation is that you want to read the steering column’s angular position relative to the dash which would then translate to a linear position. If you only need a “knob” to turn you can easily use something like a manual servo controller. You would need to wire it slightly differently to use one 12V power supply.
The manual servo motor controller coupled with an R/C controlled linear actuator and perhaps a voltage regulator would do the trick. You can always wire the potentiometer farther away from the electronics if you choose the kit version. If the force is not high, you can use an L12 by Firgelli Tech, or if you need ~25 pounds, theServoCity linear actuators are also R/C controlled. If you need even more force, then you’ll need an actuator with position feedback, a microcontroller and a DC motor controller. Ensure the potentiometers stick out away from your body in case of a collision :rolleyes:
The control circuit is now the least of your problems. We don’t offer anything remotely close to 18 inches per second, let alone capable of moving 80 pounds. Most of the actuators we offer travel at less than 2 inches per second. The only product that would suit your needs is a pneumatic actuator powered either with compressed air or a compressor.
Can you provide a company name or link to what you have found? we’ll take a look at the specifications.
Awesome actuator! I want one!
That is the smartest answer I can give to that. 
(We will check out the control system and let you know on how to control it… as soon as we stop drooling)
The Servotube Actuators you are suggesting have a rather complex control mechanism. Their position is controlled according to the phase difference between its three control inputs. They require a specialized controlled (such as the ones sold in their website) in order to be controlled. Unfortunately, we do not carry anything than can generate the required control signals for those actuators.