Mechanically moving an enclosure....

Pablo Martos

instead of using my hands,i want to move an enclosure(box) mechanically, i am using the basic stamp 2 and a dual axis accelerometer, i want to get measurements, but i dont want to move the accelerometer manually, is there a way i can somehow place the box underneath something that i can control with a joystick?? i just dont know what electrical component/s i need to use.. i just need it to move like similar movements as pitch and roll.... thanks

Mike Green

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How do you want your box to move? Do you just want it to rotate? Through what range of motion? How many axes? How quickly?

For just pitch and roll at modest speed, you could use a couple of servo motors. Normally these have a rotation of 180 to 270 degrees. You'd need some kind of frame to mount and hold everything. Parallax sells a "standard servo" which rotates to a position specified by a periodic control pulse (50/s) from 1ms to 2ms in width with the width of the pulse specifying the motor position. Read Parallax's "Robotics with the BoeBot" tutorial for some discussion of how servos work and how to control them with a Stamp.

Some joysticks use a variable resistor to indicate the position. This can be read with an analog to digital converter or with the RCTIME statement. Start with the RCTIME statement. Read the chapter on it.

ElectricAye

If you're looking for a purely mechanical solution, you might take a look at how antique airplanes used a single stick to provide flight control. Your stick operates a system of cables and pulleys, etc. which could rotate the enclosure located far away from the stick.

hope that helps.