Hello,
I have designed and built a guitar-playing robot (attached pictures) and need some way of sequencing all the servos; the standard hobby type (preferably up to 32 servos). What I’m looking for specifically is a way to easily and quickly program sequences for all of the servos, and I need non-linear high-precision smooth motion, not just point to point at fixed speed. I would like to “draw in” the motion profiles or use spline controls like in CAD software. This would be the Holy Grail for me. I use all digital brushless Futaba servos. Using manual controllers, these servos are very smooth and precise.
I have tried several “off the shelf” solutions, but they just don’t do the job for one reason or another. The products I’ve found that are closest to what I’m looking for are:
- Brookshire VSA - Has been the most promising solution so far, but it’s limited by 30 frames per second. I need a servo refresh rate at least 50/sec (preferably 100/sec for 10ms between positions). At faster speeds the low frame rate looks like crap.
brookshiresoftware.com/vsa_overview.htm
- Gilderfluke SER-DMX with PC-MACs - servos jitter when at idle (not good). The software was also not easy to use, and looks like it was designed in the 90s.
gilderfluke.com/index.php?
main_page=product_info&cPath=1_2&products_id=131&zenid=skpjd7el4fmbt71erjvumth2lg4hqu7p
-
Dragonframe with arc motion control - Designed for use with 16 stepper motors, not servos. The GUI is very nice though. dragonframe.com/moco-3d.php
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ServoCenter MIDI by YEI Technology - Works with music production software to program servos, which is awesome. Unfortunately MIDI channels only carry data in 7 bits, which is way too coarse. I need smooth servo motion!
- 30 servo driver by JVM bots - looks pretty nice, but is no longer available for some reason.
circuit-ed.com/30-Servo-Driver-KIT-by-JVM-Bots-P117.aspx
Another option I’m looking into is recording data from a potentiometer, like a servo record/playback device, but that pretty much eliminates editing capabilities.
Any suggestions??