Hi! I’m completely new in robotics. I come from the bicycle world and that’s what brought me here.
Bicycles, above all, MTB’s are becoming more and more complex these days, this resulting in the fact that you can have as many controls in your handlebars as in a car’s dashboard.
To name a few: front shifting (2 levers), rear shifting (2 levers), front suspension control (1 lever for lock, 1 more fo travel, sometimes a knob for other adjustments), rear suspension control (this is just one lever).
All this is a mess and a perfect source of mistakes and mechanical failure since all of these controls are purely mechanical.
I think it is possible to get rid of all this mess using servos to move the mechanical systems in place, instead of using a mechanical control connected with the systeme itself by a cable.
So, my idea is to use servos, first of all to make the most complex task, which is also the one that is used more often: gear shifting.
What I think is that attaching a servo to a rear derailleur and transfering motion by a push rod you have something far more realiable and simple than the complex index system we all ride today.
The problem is I’m fairly competent on mechanics but have no idea of robotics. So, the question:
How do I and what do I need to control a servo that is able to stop in 9, 10 o 11 diferent positions (each one for a sprocket)?
I thought using a Futaba servo controlled by a Pololu Micro Serial Servo Controller would do the job… but how do I program the different positions I need the servo to stop in? Any software needed, can the controller be connected to a PC?
As you can see, very basic doubts…
Once I get the rear shifting to work, I would try to control the rest of the stuff using more servos as I understand this controller can handle up to 8 servos and the rest of the task are asier to do, usually implying just 2 stops.
I hope my message is clear. Thank you in advance for your help