Posted by Ron Nielsen on October 14, 2013 at 9:45pm
I am considering using the Ardupilot for a larger prototype vehicle. 1000 lb range. I was wondering if anyone has information on appropriate and compatable servos and actuators.
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The wiper motors I'm familiar with have home position feedback switches which can be bypassed easily leaving you with a continuously rotating arm. They have a great deal of torque and are quite fast. The arm coming from the motor is about 2 or 3 inches long and will have enough power to break your fingers if they get in between the arm and the motor body! I used one for my motorised curtains. It had a stall current of 16 amps at 12v if I recall correctly. YouTube has a few videos if you search " wiper motor servo"
Thanks. Windshield wiper motors is a creative idea and I have a junkyard handy. One Boeing engineer I talked to was intrigued, and thought I could run it with the standard Talon motor controllers we use for the robotics club. He noted that it is designed to tolerate a stronly stalled condition on start up like when the wipers are frozen, which is good, but he also warned that many windshield wiper motors have internal circuitry that returns the motor to a set starting position if they loose power. That might not be the best response in an airplane. Anyone have any experience?
Also, any sugestions for integrating manual mechanical controls with the electronic controls so that it could be flown manually if desired? What kind of mechanical linkage would allow you to overpower the autopilot if needed? I am imagining that a widshield wiper motor would not back drive easily. Comercial planes use complicated hydrolic systems which are totally impractical in this senario.
I was able to remove the control board in the Windshield wiper motor and wire the motor directly. I put springs in the linkage to the motor and made a solid connection to the manual controls so I could override the electronic system.
A windscreen wiper motor is very strong and has the makings of the start of a heavy duty modified servo including rubber bushings and steel ball joints. You would want to test all your systems thoroughly of course. If money is no object then I'm sure commercial motion solutions such as Parker hannefin would have something for you.
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In this case mini actuators would be the best desicision. You search mini here http://www.progressiveautomations.com or here http://www.salim.ninja/items-detail/12v-24v-mini-linear-actuator.html Btw, what voltage you prefer?
Here is a HUUUGE servo but they don't advertise the price. It's POA which typically means over $1K
http://www.tokyo-hobbies.com/tonegawa.html
Also, any sugestions for integrating manual mechanical controls with the electronic controls so that it could be flown manually if desired? What kind of mechanical linkage would allow you to overpower the autopilot if needed? I am imagining that a widshield wiper motor would not back drive easily. Comercial planes use complicated hydrolic systems which are totally impractical in this senario.
I was able to remove the control board in the Windshield wiper motor and wire the motor directly. I put springs in the linkage to the motor and made a solid connection to the manual controls so I could override the electronic system.