Hello, My name is Evan. I have much experience with mechanical equipment and building things, but not much hardware/software experience.
I have recently started a project in my garage. It is mainly hydraulic, which i have built, but needs a sensor and computer control system. I want to use a rotary angular sensor, which picks up any slight movement at the joint, and relays the information through a computer and back to the hydraulic controller to move the joint. Sadly because of my lack of experience i have NO idea where to start or what to do.
I would greatly appreciate any help i can get, as i am looking to move this project along. Thank you.
The_Garage_Guy:
I want to use a rotary angular sensor, which picks up any slight movement at the joint,
What is a "slight movement"? Less than a degree?
Will the part be continuously rotating?
Potentiometers are commonly used to measure rotation. Magnetic encoders is another option. Here's a video of an experiment I did with some AS5055 sensors. Optical encoders is yet another option.
Re-reading this i did realize i was very vague on my project. I am building a type of hydraulic Exo skeleton, (only an arm, kind of like the elbow). The part will not be continuously moving , only with movement from a person. And yes half of a degree should be fine.
Do you want to only detect incremental movement or absolute angular position.
If you do not understand the question i suggest you research further.
Its important to know the difference when dealing with robots especially powerful ones.
Boardburner2:
Do you want to only detect incremental movement or absolute angular position.
Absolute, i need it to allow a user to move it with ease. I'm not worried about the suit 'harming' the wearer, as i have mechanically designed it to prevent injury. The computer/circuit board and sensor are just for controlling the suit, but as i said i do not know where to start.
A potentiometer would be a start point for experimentation depending on the resolution required and could have safety implications for your application.
It should be the cheapest option.
For exoskeleton use i would suggest that an optical grey scale encoder would be appropriate choice.
Unfortunately they are not cheap.
Boardburner2:
For exoskeleton use i would suggest that an optical grey scale encoder would be appropriate choice.Unfortunately they are not cheap.
thank you for the help. Now that i have a start how would i go about building the control system. And also does anyone know any type of company i could hire to make a sensor and computer system for me?