What sort of motor/servo to stabilize a custom made aircraft?

Projects General Guidance
1

anybody know anything about stabilization systems? I posted the question "Servo vs. Stepper motor for stabilization" before, and I eventually learned that stepper motor draw power while holding position, which servos do not, so I was fixated on servos for a while.

Then I started realizing how rare and expensive 360° servos were, 180 degree rotation is very limiting, then there's the gear backlash, and not so outstanding precision, you can literally see the steps the motor takes in it's quantized movement.

So recently I learned about gimbal motors. Does anybody know if they are used to stabilize say helicopters or anything similar?

I'm thinking because of their high precicion and fast response time they'd be perfect for making a really smooth and natural stabilization, but as far as I know they are only used for camera gimbals.

what are the any sort of motors or systems that are used specifically for robotic/aircraft stabilization? this seems to be really intangible wisdom to find out about. Infuriating even.

2

what are the any sort of motors or systems that are used specifically for robotic/aircraft stabilization?

The ones that actuate the control surfaces or control the lift motors.

3

Jarfi:
Then I started realizing how rare and expensive 360° servos were, 180 degree rotation is very limiting, then there's the gear backlash, and not so outstanding precision, you can literally see the steps the motor takes in it's quantized movement.

Continuously rotating servos are fairly cheap. Although, they would't be the best for your application. You don't need a large range of motion to move control surfaces on a plane.

4

G3t_M3ssy:
Continuously rotating servos are fairly cheap. Although, they would't be the best for your application. You don't need a large range of motion to move control surfaces on a plane.

Ah yes well the thing is it is NOT a control surface on a wing. It is a movement of a motor, using a motor.

also another question. Do gimbal motors draw power when the are holding position?

This is crucial, because sometimes the control will not be moving and this is the reason I didn't go for a stepper motor, because it draws power continuously, which the servo does not, a servo as far as I'm concerned draws no power in hold mode.

Do camera gimbal motors and camera gimbals in general waste a lot of power?

5

What kind of "aircraft" and what do you mean by "stabilize"?!?!

6

johnwasser:
What kind of "aircraft" and what do you mean by "stabilize"?!?!

It's hard to say the exact type, It's made for racing and fast response times.

What I mean by stabilize is recieving input from a GY-85 IMU sensor and telling the motor or servo to move a certain amount of degrees in response.

I am meaning IMU output every 15milliseconds, which is why I need something with a fast and SMOOTH response time.

So far the gimbal motors look promising because they have no internal gears and I hear they are accurate/fast.

My only worry that remains is the possibility of holding position and power draw during hold position.

7

If you want to control an actual aircraft.... you should use aircraft control servos which are 180 degree ones....

There was a circuit published in the 1990s with a PIC, some servos and some pendulums to make a glider fly as straight and level as possible.

Then someone did something similar to get an RC plane to fly the Atlantic. It got most of the way but got lost, probably in a big wave.

That said, if RC servos are not your thing, feel free to find something really exotic and expensive.

8

Weight, or rather the absence of it, is probably the most important thing for an airplane. Even more valuable in a helicopter.

...R

9

Excess thrust is always a big help.

Private pilot joke: What makes airplanes fly? Excess income...

10

How much experience do you have with model aircraft?
I have flown everything from choppers to pylon racers and found the average servo more than adequate.
Usually if you want increased resolution, you change the way the servo drives the load, i.e. mechanical advantage.