Servo position controller help?

Hi, I have come across a kit I bought some years ago: an Alan Bond - servo position controller kit it was bought from Technobots.co.uk but I have managed to seperate the assembly and operation instructions from the component parts kit.....
If anyone can assist me in putting these components together (in the right order 🤪) I would be very grateful.
The part number on the pack is: 3403-015 and it's supplied with an 8 track vero-board.
Its not recognised by the Techno-bots website and i can't find it on the internet.
Help, anyone?
 

radiosparks

Active member
For anyone interested, found the code in a PDF on Wayback. I've only formatted the code to be readable. Compiles with no errors for a PICAXE-08M2.

Code:
' F:\PICAXE\SERVO CONTROLLER\SERVO_CONTROLLER.BAS
'===============================================================================
'
' S E R V O C O N T R O L L E R F O R R / C M O D E L S
'
'
' VERSION 1.0 30th October 2008 © A.F.Bond 2008
'
' Private and Educational use only is permitted
' Commercial use of this software is prohibited.
'===============================================================================
' This module was developed for the control of guns and cranes mounted on the
' decks of model boats, but aircraft, military and robotics modellers etc will
' doubtless find other applications for it. It combines the functionality of an
' R/C switch, a servo-slower and a servo stretcher in a unit whose footprint is
' not much larger than a standard servo.
'
' The R/C switch function detects joystick positions either side of a centre
' deadband and sets the servo moving in the appropriate direction. Releasing the
' stick (to centre) at any time stops the movement and holds the position. The
' traverse rate of the servo can be set to take up to approximately 10
' seconds from end-to-end. The end of travel limits for both clockwise and
' anticlockwise can be set by the user. Also, if the servo can cope with being
' (mechanically) over-driven, the usual +/-45 degrees swing can be extended up
' to a full +/-90 degrees.
'
' NOTE: In the description below be aware that PIN1, PIN2 etc are virtual
' pins and not to be confused with the device's phyical pins, which in PIC
' parlance are refered to as 'legs'
'
'===============================================================================

'HARDWARE DEFINITIONS
symbol    jumper_link = pin4 'exactly what it says!
symbol    push_button = pin2 'exactly what it says!
symbol         servoh = 0    'pin0 'note spelling 'servo' is a reserved word

'VARIABLE DEFINITIONS
symbol   signal_input = w0 'from r/c receiver
symbol servo_position = w1 'exactly what it says!
symbol          delta = b4 'no. of 5uSec steps the servo moves by each time
symbol          loops = b9 'no. of times round main loop before servo moves
symbol          kount = b5 'for general purpose counting
symbol  anticlockwise = b6 'movement direction flag
symbol      clockwise = b7 'movement direction flag
symbol           rate = b8 'traverse rate set by potentiometer
symbol anticlockwise_limit = w5 'end of servo angular travel
symbol clockwise_limit = w6 'end of servo angular travel

'CONSTANT DEFINITIONS 'USER MAY ADJUST DEADZONE & HYSTERSIS VALUES
symbol      deadzone = 20 'region in which joystick movement has no effect
symbol    hysteresis = 2 'prevents chatter at switching point

'DERIVED CONSTANTS 'BUT MUST LEAVE THESE ALONE !
symbol anticlockwise_trip = 300+deadzone '300=stick centre
symbol anticlockwise_release = anticlockwise_trip-hysteresis
symbol clockwise_trip = 300-deadzone '300=stick centre
symbol clockwise_release = clockwise_trip+hysteresis

'CHIP PROGRAMMING DIRECTIVE (only executed when program is loaded into chip)
'Pre-load non-zero values into EEPROM storage locations 0 and 1
data 0,(100) 'set clockwise limit of travel to 45 degrees
data 1,(100) 'set anticlockwise limit of travel to 45 degrees

'========================= PROGRAM STARTS HERE ================================

'INITIALISATION
    setfreq m8 'set 8Mhz operation to yield 5uSec resolution

'===============================================================================
' P O W E R U P C H E C K
'===============================================================================
if jumper_link=0 then 'is jumper fitted?
    goto setup_clockwise_limit 'YES - enter set-up mode
else
    read 0, delta 'NO - retrieve user settings from
    clockwise_limit=300-delta 'non-volatile memory and enter main program
    read 1, delta
    anticlockwise_limit=delta+300
    servo_position=300 'initialise servo to centre position
    goto main
end if
'===============================================================================

'===============================================================================
' S E T U P
'===============================================================================
'MOVE SERVO DIRECTLY WITH POT POSITION (clockwise from centre only)
setup_clockwise_limit:
    readadc 1,clockwise_limit 'read pot on PIN1's ADC
    clockwise_limit=clockwise_limit*20/25 'scale pot value 0 to 200
    delta=clockwise_limit 'save amount prior to offsetting
    clockwise_limit=300-clockwise_limit 'limit now in range 100 to 300
    pulsout servoh,clockwise_limit 'move servo to that position
    pause 40 '20 mSec frame rate
    if push_button=1 then 'is this setup finished?
        goto setup_clockwise_limit 'NO - keep looping round
    else
        do 'YES
            if push_button=1 then 'has button been released yet?
                write 0,delta 'YES - store limit in NV memory
                goto setup_anticlockwise_limit 'exit this loop to next setup
            end if
        loop 'NO - wait until button released
    end if

'MOVE SERVO DIRECTLY WITH POT POSITION (anticlockwise from centre only)
setup_anticlockwise_limit:
    readadc 1,anticlockwise_limit 'read pot on PIN1's ADC
    anticlockwise_limit=anticlockwise_limit*20/25 'scale pot value 0 to 200
    delta=anticlockwise_limit 'save amount prior to offsetting
    anticlockwise_limit=anticlockwise_limit+300 'limit now in range 300 to 500
    pulsout servoh,anticlockwise_limit 'move servo to that position
    pause 40 '20 mSec frame rate
    if push_button=1 then 'is this setup finished?
        goto setup_anticlockwise_limit 'NO - keep looping round
    else
        do 'YES
            if push_button=1 then 'has button been released yet?
                write 1, delta 'store limit in NV memory
                servo_position=anticlockwise_limit 'set position variable to match
                'where servo now is
                anticlockwise=1 'and set direction flag too
                goto main 'exit this loop to next setup
            end if
        loop 'NO - wait until button released
    end if
'===============================================================================

'===============================================================================
' M A I N P R O G R A M L O O P S T A R T S H E R E
'===============================================================================
main:
    readadc 1,rate 'read pot on PIN1's ADC
    rate=rate/25 'scale to 10 distinct values

    'USER MAY ADJUST VALUES IN THE LOOKUP TABLE BELOW TO CUSTOMISE TRAVERSE RATES
    'get traverse time data related to pot position
    lookup rate,(2,1,2,1,2,1,2,1,2,4),delta
    lookup rate,(9,4,7,3,5,2,3,1,1,1),loops

    pulsin 3,0,signal_input 'check receiver input

    'CHECK IF JOYSTICK POSITION EXCEEDS THRESHOLDS AND SET MOVEMENT FLAGS TO SUIT
    if signal_input>anticlockwise_trip then
        anticlockwise=1 'set to move
    else
        if anticlockwise=1 then
            if signal_input<anticlockwise_release then 'hysteresis zone exceeded?
                anticlockwise=0 'YES - cancel movement
            end if
        end if
    end if

    if signal_input<clockwise_trip then
        clockwise=1 'set to move
    else
        if clockwise=1 then
            if signal_input>clockwise_release then 'hysteresis zone exceeded?
                clockwise=0 'YES - cancel movement
            end if
        end if
    end if


    'DETERMINE WHEN TO MOVE SERVO POSITION
    if anticlockwise=1 then 'ANTICLOCKWISE MOVEMENT
        if servo_position>clockwise_limit then 'reached the limit yet?
            inc kount 'NO - increment loop counter
            if kount>=loops then 'loop counter reached target?
                servo_position=servo_position-delta 'YES - alter servo position
                kount=0 'then reset loop counter
            end if
        end if
    end if

    if clockwise=1 then 'CLOCKWISE MOVEMENT
        if servo_position<anticlockwise_limit then 'reached the limit yet?
            inc kount 'NO - increment loop counter
            if kount>=loops then 'loop counter reached target?
                servo_position=servo_position+delta 'YES - alter servo position
                kount=0 'then reset loop counter
            end if
        end if
    end if

    'NO MOVEMENT REQUIRED
    'if both flags zero, program
    'drops through to this point

    'REFRESH SERVO POSITION (whether moved or not)
    pulsout servoh,servo_position

goto main 'loop round again
'===============================================================================
 

Jack Burns

New Member
Just found the original instructions tucked away on a USB stick, however they are too large (1.1MB) to upload to the Forum.
So here is a compressed version which appears a little grainy compared to the original (but still very usable).

For info - I tried zipping the original PDF, but that was still over 1MB with maximum compression. In the end I used a PDF compressor on the Adobe website.
 

Attachments

Just found the original instructions tucked away on a USB stick, however they are too large (1.1MB) to upload to the Forum.
So here is a compressed version which appears a little grainy compared to the original (but still very usable).

For info - I tried zipping the original PDF, but that was still over 1MB with maximum compression. In the end I used a PDF compressor on the Adobe website.
Thanks, again Jack :) that's perfect (y)
 
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