High speed servos?

[DanHouston]

I have an idea (not lighting related) that I'd like to venture down, but I've never really done anything with servos. I'm looking to build something that can move left/right and up/down. The left/right speed would need to be pretty fast (90 degrees per second left/right...the up/down speed could be considerably slower).

I know I'll have more questions, and am hitting google pretty hard, but know some of you use motors and any good starting places would be much appreciated.

Thanks!

-Dan

[tbone321]

How much weight do you intend for the servo to move?  Is the motion always end to end or do you want it to stop in different positions?  High speed servos use less gearing and more powerful motors which increases their power usage, cost, and in many cases, size.  If you are always moving end to end, you may be better off using a solenoid or a pneumatic cylinder.

[DanHouston]

less than 5 pounds to move. It will not always be end to end. 90 degrees per second is probably more aggressive than I need...I'm working the math to get exactly what I need, but at this point confident 90 degrees per second would meet my needs.

[tbone321]

A large high torque servo could probably handle that but it will be a bit power hungry and probably not the quietest thing on the planet either.  The other issue is the inertia that will be created by moving and stopping that weight quickly.  Your linkage will really need to be solid. 

[DanHouston]

I'm still learning some of the lingo on the specs, but it seems even something like this would work:

You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login

It may be a little close load wise, and I read I should assume a halving of the speed under load, but I think even with that it would still meets what I posted early on. As for noise I'm not super worried about that unless we are talking about put on your ear protection to be around it.

[tbone321]

LOL, if you need ear protection, then the servo is about to die a horrid death.  While it is not loud, you might hear it buzz.  I would possibly be concerned about those carbonite gears.  Metal would probably be better and more resistant to shock.  You might also want to look into digital servos if speed is important.  They maintain their speed from the start to the end position and can be programmed for whatever speed you want them to move.  Analog servos slow down as they reach their destination and can vibrate if something keeps it slightly off of where you set it to be.

[DanHouston]

Thanks! Was just starting to read about the differences between digital and analog.