Newbie build questions

Submitted by Storytellers on Sun, 09/26/2010 - 19:48

Posted in

Hardware

Ok guys,

Let me start by saying thank you to everyone that contributes to this forum, and makes it possible for someone like me to believe I can do this. I have gone from zero understanding to thinking I can actually do this. I have built several pieces for my camera, but have never messed with micro controllers.

I Am working on a new build. I am in way over my head. I have been reading old physics books, just to remember what an ounce inch is.

Here is what I have.

Dana dolly
Arduino
Protoshield

Here is what I think I need:
Stepper motor (how much torque? Gearbox?)
Stepper driver (suggestions?)
Some sorta pulley ( Cable drive... Not winched)
Power source (suggestions)
Cable and other various basic hardware ( I'll figure something out)

Here is where I am totally lost:
What do I need for the arduino to fire the camera? (canon 7d)

Any advice?

Thanks,
Victor Albright

Victor, I have been building

Submitted by bdodds on Mon, 09/27/2010 - 01:43.

Victor, I have been building a dolly as well and after trying a multitude of motor sizes, I ended up getting the same motor listed in the "Dolly prototype v1 details" in the hardware section. "Anaheim Automation 17YPG302-LW4-R19" It has a 19:1 planetary gearbox and lots of torque and is not all that expensive ($75) when you compare with other options for gearboxes alone that can be $400 plus!!! The problem however is that it could take a long time to get a motor from them... It took 13 weeks to get mine and I live just down the street from them!!! The power and torque specs listed for it on the Anaheim Automation site however may help you find something with similar capabilities that will work. :)

I think the model numbers are decoded like this: 17Y = NEMA size, PG = integrated planetary gearbox, 3 = the stack size (torque and the vertical size of the motor changes with stack size), 02 = the current rating (I discovered the current and voltage ratings are not so important when using a chopping driver like the EasyDriver), LW4 = 4 wire connection, R19 = gear ratio of the gear box. I also have a 17YPG101-LW4-R14 that is 1/2" shorter and has less torque, but it also seams to be a good choice for the load I'm carrying. I'm using the EasyDriver chopper driver from SparkFun to drive my motor.

I have been testing with a 1A 12vdc transformer, but plan on using a 12v battery when I get around to it. :)

I made my own pulley system that looks kind of like a sailboat winch that runs with masons string, but the jury is still out on this as a drive mechanism. I'm getting some slippage at times... (It is very cheap though!)

As for the arduino triggering the camera. I recommend building the optoisolator circuit on a proto shield of some kind (sparkfun proto shield is the one I used) and a cheap camera remote cable off ebay to hack up. In the How_To-Articals section is a link on "Arduino Intervalometer Basics" for more info on the circuit.

Thanks for the info. This has

Submitted by Storytellers on Tue, 10/05/2010 - 13:37.

Thanks for the info. This has cleared some things up for me.

If only there were a place to get a motor with enough torque in a short amount of time.

Ok, Following the Arduino

Submitted by Storytellers on Tue, 10/05/2010 - 14:49.

Ok,

Following the Arduino Intervalometer Basics has proven to be difficult.

First. I cant find 540 Ohm resistors... 536... 549... How close do I have to be? What about power and voltage rating on these? And I assume I need Metal Film through hole?

Also,

finding a motor and driver that is available or ships reasonably soon has been impossible.

Any further help would be greatly appreciated.

Victor, The rule of thumb for

Submitted by shutterdrone on Tue, 10/05/2010 - 16:28.

Victor,

The rule of thumb for non-essential regulation (i.e. where lives are not on the line, and you're not doing high frequency circuits), is pick the nearest resistor you can find that has a higher R rating. So, in this case, go with the 549.

Any through-hole resistor will work (can't put SMDs on a breadboard =), just pick any cheap 1/4 watt resistor that gets close enough. Almost always, resistors will be marked "mathematically perfect" and not "actually available".

There are lots of option for drivers and steppers, you'll almost always need a gear chain though. Check out pololu.com and sparkfun.com

!chris

Ok. I think I have all the

Submitted by Storytellers on Tue, 10/26/2010 - 23:29.

Ok.

I think I have all the parts now. I got a driver from Pololu. I also got a motor rather quickly from Applied Motion Products.

I am going to try to hooks this all up.

I am going to put the camera control on the protoshield along with the driver... any problems with this?

Also, any handy guide on how to do this? I am going to try by using various threads from this forum. Either way I am recording the whole process, and will post a video how-to after its all done.