DIY Motorised Camera Slider With Object Tracking

[@hadjsaidahmed3144]

Thank you for sharing this project with us I think adding a timelapse mode will be a big improvement for this project

[@sharadjadhav7234]

that is one best camera slider video i seen out there.... very simple detailed and all information needed is in comments.... awesome !!!

[@MichaelKlements]

Thank you Sharad!

[@ernielazdins1348]

Hi Michael Thanks for the reply and making time for me. I placed my order yesterday with the help of the online Help. PCB Way is a great company. As a retired engineer I have looked at all the KZbin makers and what they have to offer in the way they make their sliders and yours is the best. At 68 years old I have recently fallen in love with electronics, Some of which is a bit overwhelming. Thank you for producing a great video on the slider and all the files. Looking forward to getting all the parts delivered so I can try the slider for my Ender 3 Pro. Also looking forward to the Raspberry Pi version you intend producing. Thank You again for your reply. Keep up the good work. Stay safe and healthy. Regards Ernie from Australia

[@MichaelKlements]

No problem at all, happy to help out! That's great, good luck with building it and let me know how it turns out! Thank you, you too!

[@groundbreakerexplore]

Awesome DIY project

[@MichaelKlements]

Thank you!

[@robertsimpson4693]

Another wonderful project ! - Robert

[@MichaelKlements]

Thanks Robert!

[@CrAzYDr1veR]

wanted to do semething like that for years after i saw the diy sentry tower, all it needs is a webcam to follow objects :)

[@SqueakyNeb]

I haven't checked the maths on paper, but I'm pretty sure you can do that trigonometry backwards to save on measuring. Travel to one end and pan to the target, save the position, repeat for the end movement, and you should be able to solve backwards. Or at least, you can triangulate the distance to the target and use that as the input for your existing maths instead of a manually measured distance.

[@andi030]

Real nice design! The only thing I can think of to add would be an energy chain. There are a few on thingiverse. Really liked the countdown feature!

[@MichaelKlements]

Thanks for the suggestion, I’ll have a look at some 3D printed options.

[@andi030]

@@MichaelKlements troguh an other video i found a other possible solution for improved control of the cable. The type of cable is called spiral or curly/ curled cable. The type of cable is used on wired phones.

[@5V500mA]

A option to trigger the camera would be a great addition. For time-lapses with panning for example.

[@MichaelKlements]

This would be great! Most camera have moved towards wifi or wireless triggers now which makes things a bit more complicated.

[@ravkhangurra7522]

Great Video as usual. Always look forward to your projects, keep up the good work!

[@MichaelKlements]

Thank you!

[@CoyoteFPV]

Brilliant project ! I think I will strip down my own and modify it to this. I however have limit switches on both ends which I would like to incorporate, and I would like to run the pan stepper via a 5.18:1 planetary gearbox to take the rough steps out of the motion. Not being a coder, what would I need to change in your code to compensate for the gearbox reduction ? So the degrees match on the OLED to the actual output.

[@crixi__]

you could put a laser on the rail which puts lines on the ground in 10 cm steps, so you can quickly gauge the distance from the rail to your object :D

[@digimaks]

Complex project. I wish there was a way to create camera movement, and then make the panner do that movement frame by frame by clicking through and it makes one step movement.

[@ЮраЧушак-ь8ь]

Amazing and halpfull job! Ceep going :)

[@Lechnology_Engineering]

Thanks for sharing! I built my camera slider when COVID first hit. I released the video less than a year ago too! It's always nice to see what others did! Ours had a lot of similarities, especially with the motor driver selection. I like that you made a PCB, this will make things far more robust. I used an old telephone cable for the pan stepper motor so that it stays nice and compact. Check it out! I plan on upgrading my camera slider to an STM32 based design where I can take advantage of its hardware features. I will find myself coming back to this video for inspiration about the object tracking! Thanks again, subscribed!

[@MichaelKlements]

I like the telephone cable idea. Maybe have a look at using an ESP32 dev board, at their price with built in WiFi and Bluetooth , they're hard to beat. Thanks for the feedback!

[@aspmos]

I would like to order the PCB, is this file ok? Shall I make the order? Maybe a better version available?

[@camshand]

Far out mate top effort! I just dropped a grand on a new slider (Shark Nano), and you're pushing for the same functionality. I don't know how they do it but you can physically move and point the camera to set point A and B, and then just set a time to get between the two distances. For me that was the big selling point as has made production so quick with sliding shots. But to see you're able to pull off the same "tracking" shots with $100 in 3D printer parts, very impressive and inspiring! Chuck some warp stabilizer on your shots and you'll have an even smoother pan too

[@MichaelKlements]

Thank you! Yeah there are a few things I'd still like to try and improve, but I'm quite happy with how it turned out. I'm guessing your slider has some form of encoder on the motors, so it knows that actual position of the motors. This allows the controller to "sense" the position of the camera. That's a really neat feature, I'm sure it saves a lot of time.

[@camshand]

​@@MichaelKlements Ah yeah encoders would make sense, It also has a laser on the sliding part to sense distance too so it won't ram into the end if it's on high speed, I hadn't seen anything else like it which is why I finally pulled the trigger and bought one. But love the D.I.Y. project, and I can see a great use for this in making custom super long slider setups by using that steel! excited to see what else you come up with in the future, great work 👍

[@MichaelKlements]

Ah if it's got a laser on it then that's probably what it's using to measure the position of the camera. Yes you could make this setup as long as you need. Although anything over two meters and I'd start thinking about putting the pan motor onto the gantry as well and driving the wheels so that you don't need a 4m long belt and large tensioner.

[@DeonMitton]

Great ! I created a very similar project - not as neatly assembled, but pretty much the same concept - minus the oled . Will have a demo up on my feed soon.

[@MichaelKlements]

That's great!

[@pgtips4240]

Hi, is your demo up yet? If so can you provide a link?

[@DeonMitton]

@@pgtips4240 I have some footage here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/qXqlc2ejl6yJgc0 Let me know what you think? Another clip contains close ups here : kzbin.info/www/bejne/nYSuomyCo72pd8U

[@jupiterjs031]

Hi. A 12V voltage was connected to the PCB board. But More than 8.9V flows inside. Where does the DC Stepdown take place?

[@HarryCpok]

Nice video and tutorials..

[@MichaelKlements]

Thanks Harry!

[@kiyashko86]

One of the best solutions and almost perfect. One weak thing is ball-head directly connected to motor - it's weak and doesn't smooth part/movement. You need to add "reduction gear" with using belts. It will make it smoother and more powerful, there is no need in speed, but smooth and torque are important. Is there any simple way to add ratio for one motor to the code? (I'm too far from programing).

[@MichaelKlements]

The easiest would be to just adjust the number of rotation steps according to your new gear ratio.

[@OnceinaSixSide]

@@MichaelKlements Hi Michael, I'm currently building this slider and am exploring making such a gear reduction and belt solution for the pan motor. If I were to for example use a 2:1 gear ratio, what needs to be changed in the code? I can't find anything in there pertaining to steps, the closest thing I could see is float pulsesPerDeg = 4.4444. If I'm using 2:1 is it as simple as doubling that variable to 8.8888?

[@abnerx.cruzrivera1772]

Can you make it loop the pan/rotation? Like, set it once for a interview shoot and it will loop Left & Right until I press the button? If so, how can I do it? Thanks for the insightful video, motivated me to get into arduino coding.

[@MichaelKlements]

You would need to add an extra loop to the main function and reset the counters but it should be fairly easy to get it to just cycle back and forth

[@mehulpraja]

Anyone done coding with loop function ? Please share Needed Badly .

[@epatal6038]

I already know this is gonna be good. Edit: What language did you program it in?

[@accidentalengineering]

Looks like Arduino (C++)

[@epatal6038]

Ah yes, my bad. Thanks.

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes, as Gergely said - Arduino (C++)

[@markusmeeder]

This is a fantastic build, but could you film a sample of how loud the whole thing gets, when in action? Is it suitable for interviews?

[@MichaelKlements]

It's completely silent, the TMC drivers running at low speed are inaudible. I've made another video on the sound level of TMC drivers - kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqmXYZ-AoNBshLM

[@markusmeeder]

@@MichaelKlements OK, thanks for your quick response! I guess I'll be going shopping tomorrow!

[@moritzlaszlo3115]

Super impressiv!

[@classyman7]

Amazing

[@pgtips4240]

This is brilliant mate. I am strongly considering doing this myself, I am a retired web developer but never done anything with electronics so it going to be a learning curve. The most intimidating part for me because I've never used breadboard and arduino will be setting this up and testing it, then I need to learn how to do the pcb design. Your video has basically demonstrated everything I want to do. Not sure if I can do it all with arduino with the LCD menu etc or whether if this would be easier in rasberry pi?

[@MichaelKlements]

Definitely give it a go, you'll learn a lot and enjoy the process. The PCB file is linked on my blog post if you want to just use that one, then you don't need to do any PCB design. I find that these sort of projects are better suited to run on an Arduino as you can then power them on and off at will without shutdowns and boot up times and you don't have to worry about corrupting the SD card. They're also more power efficient.

[@pgtips4240]

@@MichaelKlements Thank you so much, this is so helpful.

[@wild_blind]

Love your proyect!! didn't know the existence of those metal parts :)) is there any chance to ask a new design if i have a ball head with 1/4", mine does not have the 2 screws as your ball head :) and many people will not have the same ball head :) thx for sharing your project :)

[@josipX]

Can the V-Slot Gantry and Belt tensioner be 3d printed? Also, is there any chance you could share the EasyEDA file as well? I need to swap out the Arduino for a Nano. Btw, can't post anything on your blog, the WP spam protection doesn't like me at all, no idea why.

[@yahiaalhaj9432]

one thing it wasn't clear is that the belt connection with the camera? Could elaborate more here?

[@MichaelKlements]

The belt it just folded over onto itself and the 3D printed clamp holds it together.

[@benjaminberdeaux1266]

Hello Michael, your project is really great, that's exactly what I need. Do you sell the already manufactured PCB? I will be interested to buy it from you because I am not very good in electronics and that would make the assembly of the project a lot easier. Thank you for your answer.

[@MichaelKlements]

I can look at putting a kit together for the electronics. It probably wouldn't be fully soldered, but this is relatively easy to do yourself as you're not soldering any small or delicate components, mostly header pins.

[@Cias_artist]

I'd also be very interested in buying this kit and willing to solder my self with some guidance.

[@deechvogt1589]

Wow. Really impressive. Don't have a neat piece of A/V kit? Maker Michael to the rescue! He'll show you how to make one for yourself. Thanks for the awesome video. I can't wait to see what you decide to shoot with your new rig! P.S. Funny how the programming can sometime be harder than the hardware.

[@MichaelKlements]

Thanks Deech. It's just one of those things I guess, the simpler you try make the hardware, the more complicated the software becomes. Software is easier to tweak and change though, so I'd still go this route if I had to do it over.

[@deechvogt1589]

@@MichaelKlements Thanks for the reply. Best wishes on your next project.

[@RailyardProductions]

Hi Michael, cool project. Where are the 3d files?

[@MichaelKlements]

They available from my blog, linked in the description

[@RailyardProductions]

Ok, Thanks @@MichaelKlements

[@MehtabSinghEdhan]

on point.. described neatly..thank uh

[@deeps3068]

Great one! Is there a setting or option to choose continous motion with panning, infinite motion?

[@MichaelKlements]

Do you mean like panning back and forth continually?

[@deeps3068]

@@MichaelKlements yes, back and forth with continuous movement (auto loop), like the one which comes on GVM motorised slider?

[@HromoffWoodwork]

Огромное спасибо!!! Очень крутой проект!!!

[@OnceinaSixSide]

This looks great and I think I can source all the parts! Quick question regarding PCBway, the ordering process is super confusing - do I just leave everything in the quote form at its default values or do I have to change anything?

[@kodyhenry7]

Same question

[@OnceinaSixSide]

@@kodyhenry7 So I figured out after speaking to a rep at PCBway. You gotta register an account, then go back to the form and leave everything default but enter in the approximate dimensions + the quantity you want - then you submit it, and it will ask you upload to gerber files - then they manually review it and update anything that needs to be changed (ie the dimensions) so getting the form right doesn't really matter.

[@MichaelKlements]

Don't use the manual quoting too, PCBWay have a quick quote tool that asks you to upload your Gerber files and this populates all of the fields with data from the fields or good defaults, you can just order them straight from this form without any "technical" input.

[@kodyhenry7]

@@MichaelKlements thanks! Ordered them and they came today! I'm going to try to do an 8-ft set up instead of a 4ft. I'll let you know how it goes.

[@kodyhenry7]

@@OnceinaSixSide Thanks! That was way easier than trying to create an order. Already landed on my doorstep!

[@harry60]

Hello Michael, cool project - thank you for publishing. One little question: how do you fix the adapter to the ball-point-adapter (1:30). The adapter has two holes for M4 but not the ball-point? With regards from germany Harry

[@MichaelKlements]

Hi Harry, The 3D printed adaptor has recessed holes for the screws and these screw into the threaded holes on the bottom of the ball joint.

[@harry60]

Thank you for your response. As i suspected: there are no srew-holes in my ball-point, only one large with an adapter-srew in the the center. Obviously I ordered a different/wrong modell. That's bad luck. Harry

[@ranchorace1]

Great tutorial! Anyone have luck powering this from USB C power bank?

[@JohnAldred]

Very cool, Michael. I might have to take a peek at your code and see if I can get any ideas for the one I'm building so I can ditch GRBL, haha. :)

[@MichaelKlements]

Thanks John! Please do, I'm sure there are quite a few things that can be improved in my code as well.

[@thiphamduy6813]

Hi Michael Klements, I’m so excited about your project, it’s awesome, one thing I want to ask is can I extend the slider from 700mm to 1m? and then how the code will change. And another question is how is the wiring diagram if I want to add a limit switch.

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes you can, you just need to change the maxTravDist parameter to allow the gantry to travel further. Limit switches should be wired to any of the free digital IO pins the same way a switch or pushbutton would be.

[@thiphamduy6813]

@@MichaelKlements Please let me ask a little more, if I want to use A4988 instead of TMC2208 what will the code have to change?

[@MichaelKlements]

Nothing in the code, but you'd need to bridge the sleep & reset pins on the A4988. This also probably won't work well with the A4988 drivers as the steps are too course, you'll land up with very jittery footage and a lot of background noise.

[@The22v10]

Wonder if you got the object tracking with TfL ? I'm thinking of taking a crack at it. 🤓✌

[@TonyBabarino]

Can this all be done without a 3D printer?

[@MichaelKlements]

You’d need some other way to make up the legs, motor housing and PCB case but sure, they don’t have to be 3D printed

[@erikamayer637]

Great job. Where i can find the pcb diagram?

[@MichaelKlements]

Through the blog post linked in the video description

[@erikamayer637]

@@MichaelKlements thanks... Keep it up...

[@ernielazdins1348]

Hi Michael After a lot of distractions I have tried to assemble the slider. Unfortunately I can't get the stepper motor to fit in the case for the rotate function. The pin socket sticks out to far. I have several spare stepper motors . None of which will fit. Did I miss something in your original video and instructions. All the printed parts printed very well in PLA on my Ender 3 Pro Your advice on this dilemma would be appreciated. Regards Ernie

[@MichaelKlements]

Hi Ernie, Is there no way you can trim a bit off the top of the connector with a craft knife? How far is it sticking out beyond the edge of the case? You also might be able to push it in if it is at an angle (not square to the case). As a last resort you could try widening the model a bit before printing it out.

[@ernielazdins1348]

@@MichaelKlements Hi Michael Thanks for the information. I put the model for the case into TINKERCAD and lengthened the hole to about 6mm from the top edge and widened it bit 1.5mm and reprinted it. The bigger rectangular slot doesn't look out of place because the stepper motor is painted black. Thanks again for your help.

[@SSam1-_]

Can we create it without the programming & arduino stuff???

[@MichaelKlements]

You need something to control the movement, so if you can find a plug-and-play stepper motor controller then you could use that.

[@aureliopuertamartin3631]

Amazing project! Would this be compatible with an Arduino ESP32 board? I'm interested in making the project for ligthfield photography which needs pictures taken every x cm, so I would need to modify the code so the belt stops each cm and sends a bluetooth signal to activate the shutter

[@MichaelKlements]

Thanks Aurelio. Yes the circuit and hardware are all compatible with an ESP32, you just wouldn't be able to use the PCB design as the footprint is obviously a bit different.

[@Lanternamagika]

Fantastic project indeed !!! Thanks for sharing! Now a question: would it be very complicated to add a 2nd motor controlling camera tilt just as the first one is controlling camera pan ? (3rd motor is driving the belt, not taken into account)

[@MichaelKlements]

Not at all, you could quite easily add another motor to the system. You'd just need to add another driver with its two inputs connected to the Arduino. I don't have much use for a camera tilt axis, so chose not to add it.

[@antoninomanfre1387]

Ciao Michael, desideravo sapere se cambio questo valore da 550 a 1000 #define maxTravDist 1000 Perchè quando seleziono per esempio dal menù Pan e setto la distanza 1000 la direzione avanti o indietro e la durata lascio 120s mi esce la scritta troppo veloce tradotta io in italiano e quando lascio #define maxTravDist 550 e faccio la stessa configurazione, se voglio far uscire la scritta troppo veloce, devo scendere la durata a 10s se aumento non scrive niente.

[@MichaelKlements]

Hi Antonino, There seems to be a variable overflow issue when you exceed around 700mm. The counters and variables associated with the maximum number of pulses "overflow" and this starts causing logic issues.

[@antoninomanfre1387]

@@MichaelKlements Grazie per la risposta celere, sto usando un profilo a vslot 2040 lungo 1000 mm, come posso ovviare a questo problema, hai una soluzione?

[@solidusseal]

Whats software did you use to create the PCB ?

[@MichaelKlements]

I used Easy EDA - its an online tool

[@solidusseal]

@@MichaelKlements :) tnx

[@ernielazdins1348]

Hi This is a great project I will build for my Ender 3 Pro. Sorry I am new to this stuff and at my age a real challenge to get my head around. I have ordered 99% of the parts Just a stupid question. What are the dimensions of the PCB. I have created an account with PCBWAY and in the quote section they require the dimensions Length and Width. I have viewed the Gerber files in the viewer but can't find the dimensions any where. Please advise where I can find these dimensions. Have I missed something in the details. Regards Ernie the old newbie from Australia

[@MichaelKlements]

Thanks Ernie, If you use the Quick Quote tool (option at the top) then it should ask you to upload the gerber files and it will read them in automatically. It sounds like you're still using the manual quote tool that requires you to input all of the information. Let me know if this helps!

[@Warths]

Hey ! I need to build a bunch of sliders, and am currently researching what has been done already. You design is pretty much what i had in mind, but there's something i saw in almost every design on youtube, that i don't quite understand. But I guess there is a hidden reason to it : I was wondering why the rotation motor was below the ball joint. Let's imagine a 45° slope for the slider, i would prefer my slider to stay on the level instead of rotating parralel to plane of the slope. Mounting the motor platform on the ball joint and then mounting the camera would solve this issue

[@MichaelKlements]

Hey Warths, It depends on what you're intending to do with your slider. For most people the rotation axis would be used primarily to keep the camera pointed towards something while panning - such as tilting the camera down to face something on a table or desk. For your application it would make more sense to have the motor above the ball joint.

[@ApplySkills]

2:43 hi, how did you manage to get the linear rail models into fusion 360?

[@MichaelKlements]

They're just imported using the McMaster Carr catalogue import tool

[@etniknrecaj6187]

Hello Michael, great work, I am mindblower of the work you have done. I wanted to ask how long is the slider and can I modify the size and if possible how can I do it ? Do I need other parts to do it or am I fine with these parts for a 1.5m slider ?

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes you can extend it if you'd like, but only to around 750mm and then you'll start getting overflow issues on the number of pulses unless you extensively modify the code. If under 750mm then you just need to change the slider length variable. The parts all stay the same.

[@robinpopkema]

I would love to be able to controll a slider with my Xbox controller. Would be great for filming band gigs for example. Oh and a timelapse mode with camera controls, but I dont know it that is possible at all

[@MichaelKlements]

That would be awesome!

[@dputra]

I've been searching for an easy to build automatic adjustable height portrait photo machine. So it's possible to make it automatically adjust the camera height to the person's height. What do you think is the best approach?

[@MichaelKlements]

You could mount this at 90 degrees on a tripod, that'll give you the height adjustability. To make it automatic you'd need something to "sense" the persons height. You could probably do this with an ultrasonic sensor on the roof above the area where a person is standing but they're need to reliably stand in the same spot each time. If this is not then case then you'd probably be better off using a camera on something like a Raspberry Pi and an image recognition package like Tensorflow to "intelligently" adjust the camera height.

[@dputra]

@@MichaelKlements sounds like another fun challenge to tackle! 😁

[@nmweissm]

Do you think this could support a heavier camera like the Canon C200?

[@MichaelKlements]

It would probably manage DSLRs with a small lens, but I think the C200 is too heavy for it.

[@nmweissm]

@@MichaelKlements what modifications would be necessary for it to support a camera as heavy as the C200?

[@MichaelKlements]

@@nmweissm you'd need bigger stepper motors and then drivers which can supply more current to them. The rest of the components would be fine.

[@Khanatos]

Engines sound a lot to record with the microphone close? for example to stream

[@MichaelKlements]

It depends on the speed you're running them at. When they're turning slowly (less than around 15-20 RPM) they are basically silent, they make a slight hum when running faster. It depends on how sensitive your microphone is as well. I recently made a video comparing the sound level between the TMC2208 and A4988 drivers which you can listen to.

[@phattso1659]

Do you have a parts list or supplier list?

[@MichaelKlements]

There is a parts list in my blog post linked in the video description

[@phattso1659]

@@MichaelKlements Thanks, I watched it on a mobile, not the best for detail.

[@antoninomanfre1387]

Ciao Mi piace il tuo progetto ho visto che hai inserito i file geber, come faccio a ordinare questo pcb da PCB Way, che misure ha il pcb, hai un numero di ordine o come si chiama il pcb

[@MichaelKlements]

Hi Antonino, You can use this form to order PCBs from them, you just upload the gerber zip file and then use the default selections. you can change the pcb and silkscreen colour if you'd like. www.pcbway.com/QuickOrderOnline.aspx

[@antoninomanfre1387]

@@MichaelKlements Grazie

[@plazmax]

cool now u can add nrf2401 remote controller for v2 or upgrade :)

[@MichaelKlements]

Sounds like a good addition!

[@Shakerthreehundo]

Hey Michael I have an idea for a project that you might be able to help with. I'd love to get in contact with you to talk about it

[@MichaelKlements]

Hey Erock, send me a mail through my blog or address under the about section

[@A1_invitation]

Power source voltage ?

[@MichaelKlements]

I used 12V

[@saerdnaul]

hello, Michael. I made a slider according to your scheme, but I ran into a problem - my slider is longer, I wanted to change the length in the firmware, but if I change the length, when setting the movement, time, etc. at the bottom of the screen the inscription "to fast" appears, and the slider (carriage) does not move, but immediately the inscription "complete" appears. what am I doing wrong?

[@MichaelKlements]

I've replied to your comment on the blog post. You need to change both the length and the time parameters and then make sure that what you're inputting as your travel time does not exceed the minimum interval between pulses which is set in the code. The code checks that you're not asking the motor to turn faster than a certain set point before each movement. If you just increase the length then you're increasing the speed porportionally.

[@saerdnaul]

@@MichaelKlements hi Michael. I wrote in the firmware: maxTravDist 800, maxDur 3600, minDur 20. When selecting the time, it writes "Too fast" - for any time interval. Help me fix the firmware - I don't understand anything about programming.

[@speedcoderparth]

Sir can you add a wifi module to it to connect to it and give it instructions wirelessly!

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes this should be quite easy to do. I tend to avoid using WiFi on these types of projects as I find the reliability of the WiFi connection is just another frustration to work around when you're trying to get things set up quickly.

[@abdulmuhaimin5274]

Use Bluetooth instead

[@jlomein4634]

genius

[@samerhamida2357]

Am thinking of making one for a phone and with a bit longer rail and fast speed as fast as 4m/s am i dreaming to much ? 😂

[@MichaelKlements]

That's probably a bit optimistic for this type of arrangement

[@n_l_o]

DIY 😆 yeah for engineers

[@extremelydave]

What was the total end cost of this project?

[@MichaelKlements]

Depending on which components you may already have or are able to salvage (stepper motors, 3D printer filament etc.) it should cost between $60-$80 to build. If you've got access to an old 3D printer then this will likely have the belt, tensioner, extrusion, motors and potentially even a gantry.

[@rjkkumar2808]

Can I use Arduino UNO.

[@MichaelKlements]

Yes you can use an Uno - most Arduino boards will have enough IO for this project.

[@solidusseal]

I just realized that the arduino pro mini has no way of being programmed out of itself . so you need additional components ( showed here kzbin.info/www/bejne/bWmrdJqXjth0bZI ) I just go with the arduino NANO . it seens to have the smae pins but with standard programming port (USB)

[@jedi4ever]

Hi , really inspirational work. Getting close to get everything working .I ordered all the slider gear via ratrig.com as part of their DIY kit. The only thing I'm missing is the connector of the ball head for the second motor ; I'll ask a friend to 3d print that for me :) I understand there is 1 screw connecting the connector to the shaft of the motor (1 screw). What I don't understand are the two other screws that go into the ballhead connector. Does the ballhead have 2 screw taps where this fit in? I've watched the video 10 times now trying to find a clue , yet fail to see how those two screw will actually lock the ballmount in place. Thanks for helping me out !

[@MichaelKlements]

That sounds great, good luck with your build! Yes, there is one screw which holds the 3D printed adaptor onto the motor shaft. The other two screws screw into two threaded holes on the bottom of the ball joint base. These just hold the ball joint onto the 3D printed adaptor. The actual locking of the ball is done through the thumb screw on the side.

[@jedi4ever]

@@MichaelKlements got it - I google it and then saw certain ballheads have these holes in them for easy mounting - learned a new thing!

[@1Lemurensohn]

Is it possible to operate with a 5v voltage? I would like to work with a power bank, otherwise I will take a battery pack

[@1Lemurensohn]

And what function do the capacitors have? Only as a filter?

[@MichaelKlements]

The TMC2208 drivers are rated for 5.5v to 36V, so you would probably be able to power it using a 5v USB supply. The current draw might be an issue though as power banks usually only supply 1A, which is probably too little for two stepper motors. The capacitors just cover for short peak demands on the supply and protect the other components from voltage drops and/or noise generated by the driver.

[@1Lemurensohn]

Thank you for the answer. In Germany, most power banks, at least those of good quality, have a 2.1A output. As soon as all the parts for the slider are there, I will measure the current consumption, if it is not possible with a commercial power bank, I will build one myself.