Joystick Steering Coming Soon.....Need input...Video included

Just finished this joystick control system. Need some info about steering cable rod travel. My War Eagle with 115 Yamaha travels 9 inches. Is this standard travel length for cable steering?

My options on linear actuators (that has speed and torque to move the engine underway) is 8 inch or 12 inch travel.

8 inch actuator would give me about 90 percent of travel without over run. 12 inch actuator would require me to electronically monitor the ram position and limit travel so not to damage steering.

Need a little critical thinking input.

http://i188.photobucket.com/albums/z...ps9c4263de.jpg

Is there a way to limit the ram that would be cost effective but would still be adjustable for each application? I don't think most people would miss that one inch of travel but i know it would bother me knowing it wasn't perfect.

What about some type of offset cam. Left is right right is left but the length of the cam arm dictating the amount of travel.

Actuator link.

560 lbs. Thrust Linear Actuator

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Originally Posted by toofuss

Is there a way to limit the ram that would be cost effective but would still be adjustable for each application? I don't think most people would miss that one inch of travel but i know it would bother me knowing it wasn't perfect.

What about some type of offset cam. Left is right right is left but the length of the cam arm dictating the amount of travel.

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Sure, I can limit travel. I designed a limit monitor in my joystick pwm circuit. (The green board.)
These actuators have an internal potientometer that I can monitor for position travel.
I can do about anything with electronics. I am just a brick or 2 short of being a mechanic.
My concern is the physical length of the actuator. This presents a mounting issue.

I'd go with the 8 in because you would only lose 1/2 in on either side since 9 is your stop to stop length I assume . So from center there would only be 1/2 in difference either way. You would never notice the difference in turning.

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Originally Posted by cray

I'd go with the 8 in because you would only lose 1/2 in on either side since 9 is your stop to stop length I assume . So from center there would only be 1/2 in difference either way. You would never notice the difference in turning.

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9 inches is the stop to stop travel on my War Eagle. Is this an industry standard with steering cables? I measured from the tilt tube to the center of the steering tube rod hole (center of hole) with the cable rod fully extended. . (The hole where the drag link attaches.)

Center position of the engine was about 4 1/2 inches measured from center hole to tilt tube. Am I making sense?

neat

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Originally Posted by billbob

neat

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This is what I was talking to you about last night. I just need a new boat to try it out on.:fish

CP I don't know about a industry standard but that's the same on both mine. A Yamaha/ WarEagle and Mariner/Alumacraft. And what I'm saying is from center in one direction you would only have 4 inches of travel with you actuator either way. Thus you would only loose 1/2 in of travel in either direction. Go to full extension, bring back 1/2 in and you will see how little or how much difference it would make in turning radius. Also I'll make the assumption the rod coming out of your actuator is threaded. If so you should be able to find a threaded female Hyme joint with enough length to make your 8 in into a 8 1/2 to 9 in.

Tom can you post a couple of pix of the point(s) where the steering cable attaches to the motor...??

(Or in your application it may be where the actuator attaches to the motor or steering cables)..

Rickie

I can't get to my boat right now. Dock walkway is 3 feet under water. Your measurements match mine, so there must be some standard length in the cable tube. I didn't check to see what a 1/2 inch would make when turning. Thanks for checking.

I sent the Pondtoon folks my floor plan, etc. Waiting for them to call. I have some basic ideas on actuator mount, but will not know till I get it all together (boat and motor). It will take 2 months for the boat. I am trying to plan ahead.

I can get most of all the linkage I need for steering at this link. I have used them before. Very helpful with my robots.

Home - Midwest Control Products Corp.

Tom where did you get the joystick and PWM controller,H bridge driver.

The duty cycle is 25% on that actuator link. Is that a concern?

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Originally Posted by Denny

Tom where did you get the joystick and PWM controller,H bridge driver.

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Used joystick from Ebay (I replaced all the electrical components). H bridge driver I purchased from Robot Power (it is UL certified). The PWM controller I designed and built myself. I used an on line CAD program from PCB Express and laid out the pcb. PCB Express made up me a board from the CAD file I sent them. Pretty simple.

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Originally Posted by rnvinc

Tom can you post a couple of pix of the point(s) where the steering cable attaches to the motor...??

(Or in your application it may be where the actuator attaches to the motor or steering cables)..

Rickie

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I ain't got that far yet.

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Originally Posted by Tracker123

The duty cycle is 25% on that actuator link. Is that a concern?

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No. How often do you steer your boat when moving? The 25% is an overall rating.

• Duty Cycle: How often will the actuator operate, and how much time will elapse between operations? (This refers to the "duty cycle," which will be based on the number of expected repetitions per unit of time in hours/day, minutes/hour, and/or strokes/minute.) Check the duty cycle rating of your remaining choices. Except for high-end servo units, most linear actuators may not operate continuously without overheating.

This info also leaves out load factors. This actuator has a lot of power. I could steer a steamboat with it.