Hello Guys,
I am wanting to build a system to keep my Ride on Hedger in a vertical Position, the Actuator will go in and out to keep the blade vertical. Looking for anyone that could help/build the project.
Hey Anthony, welcome to the forums!
This seems like a cool project. Would you be able to give us more information on how you are wanting the Actuator to work to keep the hedger height locked?
Did you have a “pin in hole” style lock in mind or something else?
Look forward to hearing from you.
Sam
Thanks Samuel, you will see in the second photo (Blue Arrows) a 12V Actuator, but I want to swap this out with a Servo Type Actuator. so that a Gyro can control it to keep the blade level, as the Actuator goes in and out it keeps the blade (Yellow Arrows) level.
does that make sense?
Hey Anthony,
This does make sense, thanks for the clarification, sorry I didn’t catch that in the image you sent.
I’m not sure where you would source a Actuator for that purpose at that size but I can give you a hand with the control unit.
I would suggest using a simple sensor like this MPU-6050 Module 3 Axis Gyroscope + Accelerometer | 018-MPU-6050 | Core Electronics Australia for the gyroscope control and a microcontroller to read the input from it. I personally prefer Arduino but you could make just about anything work.
Have you put thought into where you want your sensor to be located? The easiest position for accurate data would be on the Hedger mechanism but then you would need to figure out how you would run your cabling back to the Actuator.
In terms of controlling the actuator you should only need a simple relay to control this at the required specs for your chosen actuator.
Hope this helps!
Sam
Thanks Sam,
i was going to swap out the current actuator with Glideforce MD122008-P Medium-Duty Linear Actuator with Feedback: 100kgf, 8" Stroke (7.8" Usable), 0.58"/s, 12V | POLOLU-3616 | Core Electronics Australia
I can purchase both items, i have a few Nano Arduino controllers.
is there anything else i will need?
Hi Anthony
Firstly, earlier you mentioned a servo. That would be some servo to manage the length of the hedger swinging off it. I see you have gone back to linear actuator, that is a better idea
As the most likely cause of the hedger being off vertical would be uneven ground would it not be the same to measure the level of the tractor platform. I would think that would be the same result as I think the platform in ideal conditions would be 90º to the hedger cutter.
Would make for easier installation as the sensor and wiring would be clear of the cutters.
Cheers Bob
Thanks @Robert93820,
I am going to mount the gyro here.
As the ground can be unlevel and the blade needs to move quickly to stay vertical, the current actuator is manually controlled and is 5mm/sec, so if it could be twice as quick would be perfect. open to any help in the design.
Hi Anthony,
I’d recommend using a motor controller like this one alongside the actuator, you can then use i2c to control the actuator with your nano.
The actuator you have chosen has positional feedback so you will also know how extended the actuator is. You could then use some (more likely a lot of) maths to work out where the cutter is. The positional feedback can also be ignored by not connecting those wires.
I’d also check if the dynamic load for the actuator will support that, it was only earlier this week I saw an actuator with its rod bent beyond 45 degrees because it wasn’t suited for the load. This is the beefiest 8 inch actuator that we currently stock.
As @Robert93820 pointed out ideally the cutter is 90º to the platform. You can use a second gyro and the difference between the angle to do that.
