This surplus camera az/el device turned out no where near strong enough to swing a good antenna. Even a tiny UHF made from wood and light hollow aluminum rods barely worked :) Just not enough torque. I have another one with gearmotors and servo feedback that was the final working rotator for a nice big quad uhf beam.
This is the only one thing I'm afraid of - the torque... I use the same nema engines like you and I think I will have to deal with the torue problem too
I've re-done this video by processing in Insta360 Studio with the raw files from the sdcard and resolution is much better - creating a 6GB video which youtube would just decimate again :) It looks much better in a vr headset now.
A few issues. One, I wouldn't use a stepper motor. Its inductive load pulsed by a stepped driver shouldn't interfere with VHF or UhF; it will be problematic for HF signals. Also, a Nema 17 doesn't have the torque required for a small array like a Leo pack. However, using one with a planetary gear set would work. By using a stepper, you now need to home it. You also would have to close loop it to know if you had missed steps. Trinamic drivers would work, but that complicates things. It will also be back drivable, so you are wasting current having the steppers powered on all the time. The conventional DC motor with a potentiometer is a more straightforward system. If you were hell-bent on this type of system, a Nema 23 clear path would work better, but those motors are pretty spendy.
You are correct on all counts :) This camera mount would barely work with the smallest, lightest UHF antenna I could make out of hollow aluminum tubes and lightweight wood ruler. I have a later video of a much better rotator using dc gear motors in a servo arrangement with feedback pots. That one can swing a hefty x-quad UHF array.
Here is the code gist.github.com/cswiger/2580f4975c18c77e7c7917e00f709bf1 that is a hack of this github.com/craigpeacock/CAN-Examples and is pretty low level bit flipping.
Yes, this process works - viewable in Quest 3 (or 2 for that matter) RU-vid app in full glorious stereoscopic vision. Solution is just record in 1920x1080 and DaVinci Resolve on Linux just works :) Was trying 2160x1920 recording and that mostly worked but would end up squashed in RU-vid.
it was - sorry just testing (or "trsting") trying to get an insta360 camera view inside a Meta Quest3 and this is only way I know - the lag is terrible however - would prefer to use a local nginx host with rtmp / rtsp or something - but I cannot find any apps that will stream rtmp in Q3, only DLNA in SkyBox.
Dude just seen exactly the same thing but more than one. Wheeling, looking across the river, above Bridgeport, OH. Ive seen them the last 2 nights in a row. Pretty steady also about every 15 or 20 minutes give or take. But only at night obviously.
D-limonine was purchased from Home Depot , 32 oz. 100% Natural Tech Grade D-Limonene -- they had to ship to store - this is useful for all kinds of cleaning, and is the basis for lots of green citrus cleaners. www.homedepot.com/p/Eco-Clean-32-oz-100-Natural-Tech-Grade-D-Limonene-DL1000-32OZ/306067753
@@ChuckSwigerActually, take this solution, dissolve enough polystyrene in it while also keeping it in a water-like viscosity, and then take an atomiser and spray it
Yes the project is still on the workbench so drew up this swigerco.com/RCStepperCircuit.jpg It is fairly straightforward - whichever channel of the R/C receiver you want to follow, connect to Pin 4 of the Arduino Pro Mini 3.3v 8Mhz board, and tie a ground to them also. Pin 10 of the pro mini connects to the STEP input of the easydriver and Pin 9 to the DIRECTION input, and the motor to the board outputs. This uses the easydriver to regulate the 12v battery down to 5V which powers the raw input of the pro mini and uses the regulator on that to get it's 3v3. Ground is common to all three boards and the 12v battery negative. The easydriver has a pot for setting the motor current - high enough to get good traction without slipping but not so high the motor runs hot. Also see projecthub.arduino.cc/kelvineyeone/113bac48-77c6-419b-99e5-287275e4251a for more detailed instructions.
The camera AZ/EL mount came with stepping motors from the surplus store, it was made for the NEMA size and just use regular metric scriews. It was a surplus broken camera az/el latform from Mendelsons in Dayton which is now closed for business. The idea was to point an antenna at satellites which this turned out to be way too under-powered for even the lightest UHF antenna :)
These are the sources I used : wein bridge osc www.electronics-tutorials.ws/oscillator/wien_bridge.html phase shifter: www.homemade-circuits.com/three-phase-signal-generator-circuit/amp/ One quad LM324 and this for the split power supply tangentsoft.net/elec/vgrounds.html
Measurement of the output angle isn't the problem here, I think, because the controller knows exactly how many steps it has sent, and that precisely determines how many angular steps the motor has taken (as long as the steps aren't sent too quickly). However, you do need a way to reset the motor to a known position. A magnetic encoder would work for that, but it seems like overkill. Limit switches are typically used. However measurement of the PWM signal seems to be what's causing the jitter here. Maybe the raw PWM signal is jittery itself, or the arduino code isn't doing a great job of measuring it.
Please don't freehand cut on a table saw. Get a miter gauge for crosscuts, 3/4 x 3/8 inches is a standard slot. for rips get a fence. Otherwise the saw will happily start removing fingers and possibly worse. The Table Saw Book by Kelley Meyer is a good resource.
@@ChuckSwiger Hi Chuck, I have a similar saw (1988 Jet JTS-10). The motor is not a big problem as long as you have a belt cover for it as you are standing on the opposite side of the saw when using it. an outfeed table or shelf also helps. I got my saw second hand back in 1996 and made a number of improvements over the years. The first thing I did was a clean up and lubrication of the saw. I also tightened up all of the loose connections and linkages. the original owner did no maintenance whatsoever, which is why I got it from him cheap. Installed the PAL Alignment system to help keep the blade in line with the miter slots. At the same time I trued the motor pulley with a file while running the motor and put a link belt on it. I made a zero clearance insert for the blade. Actually I've made several over the years. Replaced the miter gauge with an aftermarket one that is more precise. I also attached a 24 inch extruded aluminum fence with an adjustable stop. I am replacing the original fence (sort of, it's an OEM replacement I got back in 1997, the one the saw came with was seriously out of whack) with a Very Super Cool Tools Rip Fence and I am replacing the original 10 inch stamped steel wings with some old Craftsman 12 x 27 webbed cast iron wings I got toff of e-bay. Some drilling and tapping is involved. To make it safe to use I keep the top polished and waxed and the blade aligned with the miter slots. I also keep a high quality sharp blade in it (currently a Freud 50 tooth 10 inch combination blade). I regularly clean and lubricate the works with a dry lubricant (usually paste wax, never a silicone based lubricant). I always use either the miter gauge or the rip fence for all operations and whenever needed I use sacrificial fences,hold downs and feather boards. I have had only one instance of kick back in the last twenty six years, and that was because the fence was not aligned to the blade (I did not check it after setting it). I had a lovely bruise on my chest for a month, and felt like a first class fool. I will be 62 years old this year and I still have all of my fingers and other appendages. Treat it with respect and a little paranoia, and it should serve you well for all of your years.
This camera az/el mount turned out to be very weak and could barely swing a tiny UHF antenna made to be as light as possible. The Yeasu G-5500 is widely used for ham satellite work.
Originally planned to stream our beach wedding but could not get the camera and video transmitter setup in time (antenna blew over!) - was just experimenting with yt at the time.
