Mini Servoboard / RS232 MicroServoController

Hallo Community
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvOruhafVJI
Habe soeben ein paar Test's gemacht mit dem Mini Servoboard aus dem Hause Pololu (Profiler 2.0!) und es funktioniert einwandfrei.

Bei diesem Controller (27Euro+Versand) kann man bis zu 8 RC Servo's ansteuern. Dies im 180 oder 90 Grad Modus, es können also Problemlos Speed, Rpm, Temp's, Fuel etc angezeigt werden.
Der USO Ausgabestring im Profiler ist für 2 Servos (Servo 0 und 1, beide 180Grad): ~255~~8~~a01~~255~~9~~a02~
Meine Tests habe ich mit einem USB->RS232 Adapter gemacht und eine Pause von 25ms eingefügt.

Produktlink Deutschland: http://www.shop.robotikhardware.de/shop ... cts_id=118 (Lieferung in die CH ging nur 3 Tage!!)
Produktlink USA (Hersteller): http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/207/pictures

:
Martin

Klasse, immer wieder ein Freude, deine Videos zu sehen :

Für zukünftige Releases wäre es toll, wenn du ein wenig an der Ambientbeleuchtung arbeiten könntest.
Eventuell noch Pappzeiger auf die Servoarme geklebt :thbup:

Btw, Thanos hat afaik die Servos gemoddet, sodass höhere Drehwinkel möglich sind.

EDIT:
Welche response time verwendest du? Die standard 33ms? eventuell bewegen sich die Servos smoother, wenn man den Wert verringert?

Gruss
Christian

Die pappzeiger spare ich mir, werde dann lieber das fertige instrument präsentieren. Es ging hier einfach mal drum nen ersten eindruck zu verschaffen...

Welche response Time meinst du? - Wie gesagt die cycle pause habe ich bei 25ms, kürzer klappt nicht mehr wirklich.

Klingt intressant mit dem erweiterten drehbereich - gibts dazu info's in nem tread? oder meinst du einfach die erweiterung über zahnräder?

:
Martin

Hi guys,

I don't know if it matters to you, but on my last video the I used a pause of 10ms / cycle USO refresh rate which is the same as the math module outputs...

And I had, running in the code, 3 servos and two 4digit 7seg displays, with 115k serial speed and three 16-bit variables.

Can this Pololu micro servo controller run with such fast update rates?

Regards, Thanos


@Martin: Always a pleasure to watch your videos! Nice!

Hello Thanos

I think its a good solution for anyone how want (or cant) to create some electronics himself. And with the price of 27Euro (20US$) to handle 8 servos it's not to much, isnt it!?

:
Martin

Yes, its cheap! I ordered one last night, to try it, for 22euro directly from Pololu site... :brows:


Regards, Thanos

Oukay i've done some more testings. It seems that the pause of 25ms / cycle USO result's by the USB to RS232 changer. On a direct RS port it work also with a Pause of 10ms

:
Martin

Sorry, mit Tachoscheibe existiert so noch überhaubt nicht

Hoffe das ist was brauchbares. Vieleicht sollte man dabei erwähnen das die Servo Adressierung 0-7 einen Drehwinkel von 90 Grad und 8-15 nen Winkel von 180 Grad bewirken
(Soweit dies der Servo mitmacht ;D )

;D Hi Martin Just look what the postman delivered LOL more bits for my sim thanks too the work you guys have done : I am collecting all the elements, and just ordered some gears, to get the 360 Degs rotation sorted out. After that i can try to follow the work you have done. Nice video and shows that it is possible without complication. I bought my POLOU interface from a company called technobots here in the UK and the servos were 6 for very reasonable price off EBAY will Get a photo/Bitmap/PDf of a tachometer/RPM dial and try to copy what you and thanos have done initially just to get going then try to do something different once i understand how it all works .. So thanks again for showing us an easier way to get Instruments for our diy race sims. :yippiee: :

Hello wannabeaflyer

Thanx for the flowers
Short Note for the USO String (Profiler2.0):
~255~~Servo Adress~~Axle~

-> Use Adresse's from 0-7 to do 90 degree's and 8-15 to do 180 degree's. i have tesded also some older Servos, they work only in 90 degree mode. Also a thing to remember: Test on how high is Com speed to dont get a failur.

So a possible string could look like this (Servo 1, 90', Axle a01 - Servo 2, 180', Axle a02):

~255~~0~~a01~~255~~9~~a02~

Then happy Testing and i would be luky if you post some pictures or short movie from your finished DashBoard

Hi Martin Will be few days while i wait for the gears to arrive but in the mean time i will play with Profiller 2.00 , Dont have a beta testing key so not sure if i'll get very far will have to ask the crew for one or better still design an info panel for demontration : got a lot to learn about using X-Sim still but getting there :yippiee:

Hello wannabe

Are there some news with your gauge?

Regards

Martin

Hi Martin ..still waiting for the gears from e-bay but in the mean time built a 6DOF Platform to be driven by my second USB Pololu pcb .. had some problems getting the software to work and i thurns out i needed a power supply with more amps than the one i was using to drive all six servos.. as soon the gears arrive i'll update this post : Have Com Port problems wiith this my main PC so am in the process of upgrading to a new higher spec pc .

Any progress on this?

This is not an area that I know alot about, but I'm going to have to learn soon. I have two objectives. I want to add fans (mostly for the rollercoaster simulations) and I want to add gauges to a dash that I am working on.

I do not want to spend the time to make my own circuitry, so I am looking at off the shelf solutions. It seems that there are multiple ways to accomplish these two goals. I am wondering if there is a way to accomplish it with one controller, or at least two controllers from the same manufacturer. That way I would only have to learn one manufacturers programming specification to accomplish both goals.

Is it possible? Any comments / ideas / product recommendations are greatly appreciated.

Hey,

If you want to connect fan's for the rollercoaster you can use the Parallax HB-25 motor controllers that have RC servo input. It means that you can connect them on the pololu RS232 microservocontroller and handle them as simple servos.
<a class=postlink href=http://www.parallax.com/Store/Accessories/MotorServoControllers/tabid/160/ProductID/64/List/1/Default.aspx?SortField=ProductName,ProductName target=_blank>http://www.parallax.com/Store/Accessori ... roductName</a>

I must inform you that they are not true position servo devices as they lack feedback from the motor, so they work as SPEED controllers!!!!

The HB-25 are really heavy duty, as they can handle up to 25A of load @12v. I have already used them to move my simulator along with my old BS2 interface.


Regards, Thanos

That is an excellent, yet low cost combination! Thanks Thanos, you saved me alot of research. I think I'll order these up this week (once I read the manuals and see what cabling & connectors I will need) and give it a go.

Too bad Pololu doesn't have a low cost USB driven option since I'm already planning a USB hub for my project box. Looks like it would be cheaper to buy this one http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/207 and a seperate USB<-->RS485 than it would be to buy their USB model. Its $85 vs $17 for the serial option.

EDIT: Hmm. What do you think of this since I'm already using USB in my project box. http://www.parallax.com/Store/Acces...efault.aspx?SortField=ProductName,ProductName I assume that I cold connect the HB-25 to thieir controller as well. Any advantage to the Pololu over this one?

From a quick look in the manual, it says that needs 16-bit input data for the positions of each servo. I guess that can be done with Profiler2 but its unessasary.., I'd prefer the Pololu microservocontroller solution (that accepts 8-bit data) with a USB2Serial adapter. You know, you can make it more compact and save some money for the connectors, if you use the Sparkfun's Breakout Board for FT232RL: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=718
You could then connect them directly with two cables between them (solder them).

...or this that needs no soldering: http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/product_info.php?products_id=8772



Regards, Thanos

The Board work very well. I have it connected with an cheap USB->RS232 converter... I have now Speed, Rpm, Fuel Wather temp and oil temp on the dash

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lWBQApyfLec

@ sirnoname der Profiler 2.0 speichert die gewählte Com Port Datenrate nicht und Effekt 57 im Race07 plugin wird als Fuel Temperatur angegeben, das verhalten dieses wertes lässt aber eher auf die Öltemp schliessen...

Beautiful!!!!! :thbup:

You should make a little presentation of this project. For example how did you connected the servos to the needles, how connected all electronics together, even how you calibrated the travel of needles to certain points!! :hi:


I wish I had access to real car parts too... It would been so much easier! I'm preparing something about car cockpit that is missing from every car simulator I've seen so far. It would fit perfectly for drifters


Regards, Thanos