Pan/Tilt System Overview:
The pan/tilt system consists of two components, the Bescor MP-101 pan/tilt device, and a control unit box labeled "Pan tilt controller". The control unit allows for two modes, Automatic mode, and Manual mode. When the system first boots up it will default to automatic mode and begin moving on its own. For more information on the modes see "Mode Details" below.
System Ranges |
|
Panning Range: |
0-360 degrees |
Tilting Range: |
0-30 degrees |
Delay Range: |
0-60 minutes (automatic mode only) |
Mode Details
Automatic Mode:
In this mode the pan/tilt system will automatically generate instructions for panning left or right, tilting up or down, by a random number of degrees. After the panning and tilting operations have been executed, the system will then delay by a random amount of time before starting over.
Manual Mode:
In this mode the user must specify all movements with the commands listed in the table below. Panning and tilting commands can be consolidated into a single command statement, however, commands to switch between modes must be separate. The control unit must be connected to a computer via USB. The control unit will show up as a COM port in the computer system it is connected to.
NOTE: 'p' Is the number of degrees you want to pan, and 't' is the number of degrees you want to tilt.
Operation: |
Command: |
Example: |
||||
Pan Left |
L p |
L 100 |
Left 100 degrees |
|||
Pan Right |
R p |
R 50 |
Right 50 degrees |
|||
Tilt Down |
D t |
D 10 |
Down 10 degrees |
|||
Tilt Up |
U t |
U 5 |
Up 5 degrees |
|||
Pan Left,Tilt Down |
L p D t |
L 20 D 15 |
Left 20 degrees, Down 15 degrees |
|||
Pan Right,Tilt Down |
R p D t |
R 60 D 2 |
Right 60 degrees, Down 2 degrees |
|||
Pan Left,Tilt Up |
L p U t |
L 200 U 15 |
Left 200 degrees, U 15 degrees |
|||
Pan Right,Tilt Up |
R p U t |
R 360 U 7 |
Right 360 degrees, Up 7 degrees |
|||
Automatic Mode to Manual Mode |
M |
|||||
Manual Mode to Automatic Mode |
A |
|||||
Sending Commands
Commands are sent via computer. Any software capable of sending text over a user specified COM port will work. If you are unfamiliar with what software to use, then it is recommended that you use the Arduino IDE, or a Hyper Terminal program to send your commands. The Arduino IDE can be downloaded for Windows, Mac, and Linux at the link provided below.
Hardware Details
Inside the Control Unit is an Arduino Uno microcontroller, and an elementary circuit used for switching the pan/tilt motors on and off. For details on the Arduino Uno hardware specs and programming, see the "Arduino Cookbook" located in the lab.