I have a small DIY project in the works (keep me sane through the winter) and I was hoping to get some guidance of sorts. The basic premise of my project is to make a Linear Belt Drive system to control my camera in a camera movement known as a reveal shot. I have already sourced a rail system, it is manufactured by a company by the name of IGUS.
The part I am worried about, and eagerly waiting to begin is the electronic side. I had some basic experience back in the day with my Dad (Building and Fixing RC Cars) so my knowledge as you can see is limited haha. What I am looking to gain from all of you is the type of motor I should use. Just looking around, the stepper motors seem like they would have enough power to move the carriage up and down the rail. I could be wrong, any help would be great. Is there also a way I could control the speed (RPM) of the motor with a rotary knob?
Welcome to the RobotShop Forum. You have an interesting project. In order to have it motorized, you will either need to add to the track system or modify it. One easy approach would be to use a DC, stepper or servo motor and friction wheel (rubber perhaps) mounted on the traveller. Another approach would be to use a belt drive system where the motor is located at one end of the tracks and rotates a belt. One part of the belt would connect to the traveller. This could also be a DC, stepper or servo motor. A stepper motor is a good choice in both cases and is the #1 choice for CNC machines. DC motors or continuous rotation servo motors are easier to control. Yet another option would be to use a linear actuator. We encourage you to take a look at the following two articles in GoRobotics:
We offer (direct) manual control of DC and servo motors though at this time we do not have any stepper motor controllers which offer manual control. We will take this into consideration when looking for new suppliers.
You will need to devise exactly how you plan to use the stepper motor to move the traveller (string, belt drive, wheel, pulley etc.). From there, you can get an idea of the torque required to move the traveller under load, and use that to get an idea of the motor you will need. The type of motor then allows you to select the stepper motor controller (based on current, voltage and communication method). Once ou have selected the motor controller, you can choose the microcontroller, switches battery etc. We suggest you take a look online to see what other people have devised and come up with a few plans.
