DYI Motorized Igus Slider
 

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

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)
- Servo controller $49.00 Dual Servo Driver
- Servo shaft extension $9.99 Servo Shaft Attachment (.250")
- AAA 4 battery tray $1.95 Battery Trays
- Timing belt drive pulley $9.95 McMaster-Carr
- Timing Belt $9.61 McMaster-Carr
- Idler pulley with bearings $4.50 Smooth Idler Wheel Kit [B30041] - $4.750 : MakerSlide Store, Open source CNC
- 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
- Miscellaneous bolts/nuts $2.50
- D cell battery holder $1.00FRYS.com*|*PHILMORE
- Padded gun case $34.00 BLACKHAWK! Sportster Tactical Rifle Case - BLACKHAWK!

Total price excluding shipping and tax was $143.21

Re: DYI Motorized Igus Slider
 

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

Re: DYI Motorized Igus Slider
 

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 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.

Re: DYI Motorized Igus Slider
 

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,

Re: DYI Motorized Igus Slider
 

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.p...ee58444ad8ea7f

You can see a few shots with my slider here .

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

Re: DYI Motorized Igus Slider
 

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?

Re: DYI Motorized Igus Slider
 

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.

Re: DYI Motorized Igus Slider
 

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
ServoCity