Hi.
I’m new to the forum and Maestro coming from a professional animation background. What drew me toward the Maestro was the similarity it has to animation software I use and with just a couple of tiny improvements to the Maestro interface would be an even better tool. (without having to resort to coding)
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To be able to vary the speed of a single servo without coding would be fantastic. This way you could achieve ease in and ease out movements.
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Real time or audio input mapping. We have a similar thing in animation that is based on the sound level of an audio track. You select an audio file and the software outputs a .dat file of numbers are used to wiggle a trigger attached to a mouth in time with an audio track.
Cheers
Bidge
Hi, Bidge.
Thanks for your feedback. We will definitely keep those suggestions in mind as we develop our next-generation versions.
By the way, in case you were not already aware, the Maestro does support separate acceleration limits for each servo channel, which should help with easing into the servo movement.
-Jon
Hey Jon.
Thanks for the tip although I tried playing with acceleration and I couldn’t see much difference in the servo response. Maybe it is like the speed setting. I had to play with those values for quite a bit before I worked out what made a difference.
Can you suggest a couple values I could try?
Thanks
Bidge
The acceleration limit on the Maestro works in the following way:
- When set to 0, the acceleration is not limited.
- 1 is the slowest setting the Maestro can use.
- 255 is the fastest acceleration value that can be used (without being unlimited).
Note that the Maestro has two acceleration settings for each channel. The settings adjusted in the “Channel Settings” tab are non-volatile, so they will persist through power cycles, and they apply automatically when the Maestro is powered on. The other setting (which is set in the “Status” tab) is volatile, so it can be changed on-the-fly and it takes priority over the default acceleration configured in the “Channel Settings” tab. Also note that to change the acceleration configured in the “Channel Settings” tab, you must click the “Apply settings” button.
An acceleration value of around 5-10 should be noticeable compared to when it is unlimited (0). If you still have problems noticing a difference, can you post your settings file? You can save your settings file by selecting the “Save settings file…” option within the “File” drop-down menu of the Maestro Control Center while your Maestro is connected.
Brandon
Hey thanks Brandon.
I will check those settings out as soon as I get the servos connected.
Many thanks
Bidge
Hey Brandon.
Those settings are brilliant. You can really see the difference in acceleration at a setting of 5. in animation we call this ease in and ease out. Knowing that this is a volatile status channel setting that can change on the fly is extremely handy and will make a huge difference to the way a servo acts making for more natural movements.
Cheers
Bidge
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Hi again.
I just received a Pololu continuous rotation micro servo and have it operational but I can’t seem to get it to change speed? like the settings suggested in this thread for the normal servos, are there some recommended settings that will show a difference in the speed of the continuous rotation servo?
EDIT: I discovered the slider can control the speed…duh! I was trying to enter a value in the speed column 
Many thanks
Bidge
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As I mentioned above, the ability to inset an audio track in the sequencer and have it play back along with the servo animation would be absolutely ideal for a future version of the Pololu Maestro Control Centre.
I am almost finished my project and it’s a bit of a let down not being able to play an audio track in sync with the sequencer
Is there a way you could script this possibly?
Thanks
Bidge
A simple checkbox “Link To Audio” and a “Browse” button would transform the Maestro Controller software from a "Servo Mover’ to an even more creative tool.
Bidge
We do not have any plans to add an audio track sequencing feature to the Maestro Control Center. However, you might consider looking into Brookshire’s Visual Show Automation software, which has built-in support for the Maestro controllers.
Brandon
Hi Brandon.
I have looked at that but it adds an extra 90 bucks to what is already starting to become an expensive hobby. I have instead purchased a Picotalk and combined that with the Pololu board. I’m not sure there are any other free software options for syncing audio and servos together?
Anyone?
Bidge
