Unlike other Igus users I have had a difficult time achieving a consistent slide speed. I did a fair amount of research on DIY motorizing of Igus rails and came up with this design. Component information that I found here was very helpful
IGUS Belt Driven Motorized Servo Slider (http://www.kokomonstrum.com/pages/igus_belt_driven_motorized_servo_slider_16.asp#)

My version is not very elegant but it works fairly well. Since I have a shorter rail (28 inches) and didn’t want to loose any length on the slide, I opted to construct extensions on which to mount the motor, controller and idler pulley. The idler pulley is mounted in a slot so any slack in the timing belt can be tightened up. Since the AAA-4 battery holder I have has no way to mount it I affixed a cannibalized plastic D-cell battery holder which the AAA fits nicely inside. This was all built with hand tools but in retrospect having a drill press would had made fabrication easier and more accurate. A few other things I learned is to use rechargeable batteries as opposed to Alkaline which can sometimes have a slightly higher voltage which may burn out your servo. Also, if you want a much slower smooth speed you may have to get a different servo and modify it to continuous rotation. I also picked up a nice 40 inch padded gun case to protect/carry the slider. Here is my parts list and cost.

-Continuous rotation servo $16.99 HSR-1425CR (Continuous Rotation) (http://servocity.com/html/hsr-1425cr__continuous_rotatio.html)
- Servo controller $49.00 Dual Servo Driver (http://servocity.com/html/dual_servo_driver.html)
- Servo shaft extension $9.99 Servo Shaft Attachment (.250") (http://servocity.com/html/servo_shaft_attachment___250__.html)
- AAA 4 battery tray $1.95 Battery Trays (http://servocity.com/html/battery_trays.html)
- Timing belt drive pulley $9.95 McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/118/1062/=gg49jo)
- Timing Belt $9.61 McMaster-Carr (http://www.mcmaster.com/#catalog/118/1060/=gg4aej)
- Idler pulley with bearings $4.50 Smooth Idler Wheel Kit [B30041] - $4.750 : MakerSlide Store, Open source CNC (http://store.makerslide.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=5)
- 3/16 x 2.5”x 12” Aluminum flat plate $3.72 Speedy Metals - 3/16" {A} x 2-1/2" {B} 6061-T6511 Aluminum, Extruded (http://www.speedymetals.com/pc-2236-8351-316-x-2-12-6061-t6511-aluminum-extruded.aspx)
- Miscellaneous bolts/nuts $2.50
- D cell battery holder $1.00FRYS.com*|*PHILMORE (http://www.frys.com/product/2965355?site=sr:SEARCH:MAIN_RSLT_PG)
- Padded gun case $34.00 BLACKHAWK! Sportster Tactical Rifle Case - BLACKHAWK! (http://www.blackhawk.com/product/Sportster-Tactical-Rifle-Case,1786,1549.htm)

Total price excluding shipping and tax was $143.21

After talking to a tech from servocity it seems that the HS-5485HB servo, modified to continuous rotation, may be a better choice for a motorized slider. It is supposed to run smoother at variable speeds and is much more powerful. HS-5485HB Servo (http://servocity.com/html/hs-5485hb_servo.html)

Today I received the HS-5485HB servo mentioned above $44.99. It is sweet. You must get the "continuous" rotation modification for it to work properly in this application. I was able to get very slow speeds with no servo jitter at full telephoto. Since it is a digital servo you can also reprogram it with this HFP-25 Servo Programmer (http://servocity.com/html/hfp-25_servo_programmer.html) Also, there is a little potentiometer they have coming out the side which makes it continuous rotation. It looks kind of awkward just hanging there so I glued it to the servo case.

Hi Mark,

Nice looking slider!

I have a DIY Igus slider and thinking about upgrading to a slider that can be controlled/programmed for timelapse. Can yours do this?

Also, any footage?

Best,

Hi Jeff, no mine cannot be programmed with the controller I have although it is variable speed from barely moving to about 10 seconds to travel from one end to the other. I am really impressed with how smooth the movement is. I will eventually add an on/off switch since you don't want to burn out the servo when it gets to the end of the rail. If you are in to timelapse I would save up for the stage zero dolly http://dynamicperception.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3_8&products_id=3&zenid=3a21d89e1e9375f7a5ee58444ad8ea7f

You can see a few shots with my slider here Holcomb Creek Falls on Vimeo.

A project I am working on now will use a lot of slider shots. I will post it when its done.

Mark,

Very good of you to share your build, especially all the links and detail. Nice!
I'm looking to motorize my igus as i can't get smooth motion with mine either.
Does your build have the torque and grip to go vertical? Would you trust it?

The servo has a fair amount of power but the belt and drive pully have such small teeth that the belt begins to slip when the rail is not fairly level. Also my 5 lb. camera is too much to lift vertically with this setup. I would "search" for other motorized DIY igus sliders and see what parts they are using to get a vertical lift. I am using a Glideshot jib to get my vertical shots.

Hey guys - been a while since the last post in this forum, but I thought I'd post a link anyway. We've just released a great little DIY Igus Slider kit that makes it simple to motorize your Igus slider rail. If you have a few minutes, it's worth a look! IGUS W1080-B Slider Kit (http://www.servocity.com/html/igus_w1080-b_slider_kit.html)
ServoCity