Hi all.
I need advice and guidance on what servo's to get to build a Solar Tracking device using Arduino Uno. I have seen a few Pan & Tilt kits, but as usual there descriptions are a bit Vague.
I need something that can control a Solar Panel weighing 1.4 Kgs. and is 380 mm length x 250 mm width x 18 mm thick.
Can anyone help?
Regards
Ray
The weight of the solar panel is not all that significant. If it is mounted in a balanced way a relatively low-torque servo could move it.
If the panel is exposed to wind then strong winds will probably produce the highest force that the servo would have to resist.
It is tempting to say that you should buy the highest torque servo that you can afford but it might make sense to start with a standard sized servo with metal gears and ball bearings and see if that is sufficient. It would not be difficult to replace it with a more powerful servo if necessary. And the standard servo should not be too expensive to abandon.
I would advise you to get or make a very solid mounting and ensure that none of the weight is taken by the servo.
And write your code so that the servo moves as slowly as possible - see the servo-sweep example.
...R
Thanks Robin2, great advice.
Regards
Ray