DYI Motorized Igus Slider at DVinfo.net

Mark Williams · March 1st, 2012, 11:23 AM

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

Mark Williams · March 1st, 2012, 03:15 PM

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

Mark Williams · March 7th, 2012, 03:07 PM

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.

Jeff Anselmo · March 21st, 2012, 03:56 PM

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,

Mark Williams · March 21st, 2012, 05:37 PM

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.

Mark Ahrens · March 21st, 2012, 07:06 PM

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?

Mark Williams · March 21st, 2012, 07:42 PM

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.

Lauren Lewis · February 11th, 2014, 11:55 AM

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

March 1st, 2012, 11:23 AM	#1
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	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 Attached Thumbnails __________________ Mark videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/3523 Stock: http://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29

March 1st, 2012, 03:15 PM	#2
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	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 __________________ Mark videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/3523 Stock: http://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29

March 7th, 2012, 03:07 PM	#3
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	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. __________________ Mark videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/3523 Stock: http://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29 Last edited by Mark Williams; March 8th, 2012 at 06:10 AM.

March 21st, 2012, 03:56 PM	#4
Jeff Anselmo Major Player Join Date: Jul 2006 Location: New Mexico Posts: 566	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, __________________ --JA

March 21st, 2012, 05:37 PM	#5
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	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 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 videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/3523 Stock: http://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29

March 21st, 2012, 07:06 PM	#6
Mark Ahrens Major Player Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Plantation, FL Posts: 239	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? __________________ Mark Ahrens www.heritagefilms.net

March 21st, 2012, 07:42 PM	#7
Mark Williams Trustee Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Deep South, U.S. Posts: 1,526	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. __________________ Mark videos: http://vimeo.com/channels/3523 Stock: http://www.pond5.com/artist/mark29 Last edited by Mark Williams; March 21st, 2012 at 08:35 PM.

February 11th, 2014, 11:55 AM	#8
Lauren Lewis contact admin Join Date: Oct 2013 Location: Winfield, Kansas Posts: 48	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