Display Degrees of rotation.

[mark_s]

Bob,

Maybe this would work, uses a hard drive motor as an encoder.

http://www.fleurey.com/franck/pmwiki...ain.HDDEncoder

[Bobw55]

Mark,
I have come across that link a few days ago. I think I may use the CD drive motoronly due to it being mounted on a pcb that would lend to easy mounting to the tail of the rotor drive motor, plus it would only require 3 wires to run it. Will try to post pictures of what I a working with later then maybe all of this will make sense.

Bob

[Bobw55]

Thanks for all the replys.
I ended up using a hall sensor and the magnets from a CD drive motor for the sensor part. I used a 16F1827 PIC, a 2x16 LCD and other hardware. I now have a rotor controller that will allow me to go from -90 of North to 360 rotation plus an additional +90 of north 540 total degrees of rotation. To give me a HOME position I used a IR emitter detector with a reflective strip to light an LED on the controller panel. I can increment/decrement the "GOTO" poition by either 1 or 10 degrees at a time. I am really happy.

Bob

[Archangel]

Thanks for all the replys.
I ended up using a hall sensor and the magnets from a CD drive motor for the sensor part. I used a 16F1827 PIC, a 2x16 LCD and other hardware. I now have a rotor controller that will allow me to go from -90 of North to 360 rotation plus an additional +90 of north 540 total degrees of rotation. To give me a HOME position I used a IR emitter detector with a reflective strip to light an LED on the controller panel. I can increment/decrement the "GOTO" poition by either 1 or 10 degrees at a time. I am really happy.

Bob

Hi Bob,
Lot's of Hams on this forum. Your project looks useful as all getout to me, might make a great article or entry into one of this forums contests. Food for thought. If you do not intend to make a commercial product, perhaps you would write it up with code and submit it.

[Bobw55]

I may have to consider that.
I only have a hand drawn schematic.
Here is a picture of the almost completed project. I still need to finish the labeling.

[Ramius]

Hi Bobw55,
As a ham (WB6NSN) I can appreciate the need to know where the antenna is pointed. One other possible solution is to use a compass module such as the R1655. Here is a link with everything: http://www.robsonco.com/Dinsmore/Untitled_5.html

For me, I slipped the sensor into a plastic tube and sealed it.
The accuracy is 1/10 of 1 degree.

[Darrel Taylor]

Hi Bobw55,
As a ham (WB6NSN) I can appreciate the need to know where the antenna is pointed. One other possible solution is to use a compass module such as the R1655.

What a great idea!