2014-10-14, 10:55
Hello.
I am now announcing my DIY project of an inexpensive but enhanced motion controller for a 3-axis setup (slider+pano head).
Obviously the centre piece of this project is the motion software, the "brains" of the entire system, which I have named roMotion.
Still not clear for me is how I will make the code available to the community – open-source or as a flashable binary.
What it consists of?
Inexpensive, reliable and easy to assemble hardware for ordinary people.
Nowadays microelectronics has evolved and 8-bit microprocessor circuits are available to the public through the Arduino platform.
And that is all you need to drive with precision a couple of electric motors as used in today sliders and panoramic heads.
![[Image: p749274110.jpg]](http://danielsantos-gallery.com/img/s3/v45/p749274110.jpg)
So here is the list of what we will need:
2x optocouplers ($0.25 /each)
4x 220 Ohm resistors ($0.01 /10 units)
1x mini bread board ($3.95)
1x Romeo board ($35.00)
1x LCD shield ($15.00)
Plus some cables and connectors.
The Romeo board holds the chip and the motor drivers (2). It also has a set of buttons for interface.
The LCD shield connects directly to the Romeo and provides access to the software menus and functions.
The mini bread board is used to build a small circuit that will interface with the camera and pano head.
After everything is connected and powered (for instance to a 12V battery or 8x rechargeable AA batteries), it will just need the software to be loaded, and the thing is ready to go!
What does it do?
At this stage the roMotion software is stable and totally functional with some powerful features.
It is able to:
- drive with precision a DC motor by shoot-move-shoot method, continuously or with smooth motion ramping.
(any slider with a DC motor that you can access will be compatible with it)
- Shoot with normal exposure by regular triggering, or bulb control with smooth ramping (day-to-night/night-to-day timelapse) and/or take multiple exposures (for HDR processing).
- control a Skywatcher panoramic head (az synscan goto compatible system) through serial interface.
(tested with Skywatchers Accuter Merlin and Virtuoso panoramic heads, the All-Viewer should also be compatible with it as it works with the same communication protocol)
![[Image: p582438729.jpg]](http://danielsantos-gallery.com/img/s7/v166/p582438729.jpg)
And the best and most important feature of it all: it implements a multi-point motion!
This means you can setup a trajectory up to 5 different points and based on that roMotion will calculate a perfect smooth path.
Where does this leads to?
Who knows!… For me it looks most promising. I have a lot of new features to implement and I will be listening to the community feedback.
For now I’m planning to port roMotion outside the Romeo platform into superior hardware in order to enhance its features.
- MX3 controller from Dynamic Perception.
This controller is a wonderful piece of hardware and connecting a Skywatcher panoramic head is actually easy.
- Arduino Mega board (or a compatible)
It is a superior board, more pins and memory which means more functionality.
Have I got your attention yet?!
Stay put, I will be posting more details and some footage…
Meanwhile you can follow the development of my project at my fb home page here:
https://www.facebook.com/romotion.diy
Cheers!
Daniel Santos @ Lisbon, Portugal.
I am now announcing my DIY project of an inexpensive but enhanced motion controller for a 3-axis setup (slider+pano head).
Obviously the centre piece of this project is the motion software, the "brains" of the entire system, which I have named roMotion.
Still not clear for me is how I will make the code available to the community – open-source or as a flashable binary.
What it consists of?
Inexpensive, reliable and easy to assemble hardware for ordinary people.
Nowadays microelectronics has evolved and 8-bit microprocessor circuits are available to the public through the Arduino platform.
And that is all you need to drive with precision a couple of electric motors as used in today sliders and panoramic heads.
So here is the list of what we will need:
2x optocouplers ($0.25 /each)
4x 220 Ohm resistors ($0.01 /10 units)
1x mini bread board ($3.95)
1x Romeo board ($35.00)
1x LCD shield ($15.00)
Plus some cables and connectors.
The Romeo board holds the chip and the motor drivers (2). It also has a set of buttons for interface.
The LCD shield connects directly to the Romeo and provides access to the software menus and functions.
The mini bread board is used to build a small circuit that will interface with the camera and pano head.
After everything is connected and powered (for instance to a 12V battery or 8x rechargeable AA batteries), it will just need the software to be loaded, and the thing is ready to go!
What does it do?
At this stage the roMotion software is stable and totally functional with some powerful features.
It is able to:
- drive with precision a DC motor by shoot-move-shoot method, continuously or with smooth motion ramping.
(any slider with a DC motor that you can access will be compatible with it)
- Shoot with normal exposure by regular triggering, or bulb control with smooth ramping (day-to-night/night-to-day timelapse) and/or take multiple exposures (for HDR processing).
- control a Skywatcher panoramic head (az synscan goto compatible system) through serial interface.
(tested with Skywatchers Accuter Merlin and Virtuoso panoramic heads, the All-Viewer should also be compatible with it as it works with the same communication protocol)
And the best and most important feature of it all: it implements a multi-point motion!
This means you can setup a trajectory up to 5 different points and based on that roMotion will calculate a perfect smooth path.
Where does this leads to?
Who knows!… For me it looks most promising. I have a lot of new features to implement and I will be listening to the community feedback.
For now I’m planning to port roMotion outside the Romeo platform into superior hardware in order to enhance its features.
- MX3 controller from Dynamic Perception.
This controller is a wonderful piece of hardware and connecting a Skywatcher panoramic head is actually easy.
- Arduino Mega board (or a compatible)
It is a superior board, more pins and memory which means more functionality.
Have I got your attention yet?!
Stay put, I will be posting more details and some footage…
Meanwhile you can follow the development of my project at my fb home page here:
https://www.facebook.com/romotion.diy
Cheers!
Daniel Santos @ Lisbon, Portugal.