The heliostat cable combines
the servo cables from azimuth and elevation and connects to the
microcontroller. It is of course your choice which microcontroller you
want to use. However, I found the combination Arduino with Pololu Micro Serial Controller
particularly useful, adressing a multitude of heliostats. Check out the
design for adressing many servos. I will therefore describe the
connection for it.
Short Cable Connection
(useful for a quick test)
The
cables of the servos end into a 3-pin female header. You can directly
plug them into the Pololu Micro Serial Controller. Nothing else to be
done.
Long Cable Connection
Usually
you will have to lengthen the servo cable, especially when you use a
multitude of heliostats. Steps 2 to 4 is a standard procedure to repair
or lengthen stranded wire cables. I contain it here for sake of
completeness.
| 1 Cut
of the female header of the servo cable. (you may want to leave some
cable on them as well, in case you want to use them for something else)
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| 2 Separate
the servo cable ends into three single cables each with the utility
knife for about 3cm. The colors are typically yellow (or white), red
and black. The yellow cable is for signal, red is plus, black is minus.
Get also the three-colored stranded wire cable, cut off as much length
as needed and separate the ends as well. |
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| 3 Remove the insulation both from servo cable and stranded wire cable. (the servo cable contains stranded wire as well) |
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4
Put heat-shrink tubing on each separated cable, twine the copper ends
of the cables together and solder them. Move the heat-shrink tubings
over the blank, intertwined copper ends and shrink them with the hot
air gun. |
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5 Separate and deinsulate the other ends of the three-color cables as well. Solder them to the 3x2 female header pin... |
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6 ...according to this scheme: (do not forget to put on the heat-shrink tubes) |
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7 Move the heat-shrink tubes forward and shrink them. |
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