Stand-alone Servo Panning Device...Help

Support Servo controllers and servos
1

Hi All,
I am new to the forum, RC Servos, micro-controllers and their programming; I am not new to electronics or motion control. Most of my experience is with stepper motors and CNC testing platforms. I have some questions regarding a project that I have going and would appreciate some help and a little patience.
I have a small camera (4.75 oz) that I need to pan from 0 degrees to about 270 degrees in a constant mode, I could do it with a stepper, however, it seems that a servo would be lighter, smaller and probably less costly. My questions are as follows:

  1. Other than the servo what components would I need to have the servo move my camera in a standalone mode for about eight hours at a time?
  2. Would a heavy duty RC servo work for eight hours?
  3. Would a Micro Maestro do the trick for a standalone operation and could I use a photo transistor to activate and de-activate the motion?
  4. What programming device and or drivers would I have to use?
    I would appreciate any and all information and help that I can get, and will be happy to contribute on stepper motor questions in return.
    Thank you all,
    Elalto
2

Hello, Elalto.

You could probably use the Micro Maestro as a stand-alone device to move your camera with servos. The Maestro supports internal scripting, so you can write your program directly onto it over USB. You might find the “Getting started with the Maestro Servo Controller” video helpful.

You might also try looking in the Maestro User’s Guide for additional information, like writing scripts and adding additional peripherals.

As for our servos, we do not have their lifetimes characterized. How would they be moving during the eight hours?

- Jeremy