You know how it goes — sometimes you just have to stop in the middle of a project and build yourself a tool that vastly improves your workflow as soon as it’s completed. [Ikkalebob] aka [Will Cogley] on YouTube is working on some super secret project that requires a whole bunch of servos. And since all of them have to be tested and set, he built this adorable servo tester as a time-saving gift to himself.
This tester revolves around an Adafruit 16-channel servo driver and an Arduino Uno. The servos show up on the screen in groups of four, and can be tested four at a time with the pots. The buttons let [Ikkalebob] move up and down between the groups. The SainSmart LCD proved to be more difficult to set up than others, but [Ikkalebob] did you a solid and tweaked the library. It’s available along with his code and STLs.
Speaking of STLs, we really dig the mini NASA console look and the folding enclosure. Leveraging the print process to build hinges and other things is awesome, and so is getting away with using fewer fasteners. You can see a bit of how [Ikkalebob] designed it in the video after the break.
Depending on what you’re doing with servos, you might want a different kind of testing suite. Here’s one that’s geared toward RC pilots.
Laying out the enclosure flat and folding it afterwards is a really clever idea!
wow, that’s such a great idea, the ‘fold-up’ case.
like the look of it on the outside, too.
well done!
Ugly knobs. Folded edges will crack apart, especially on the front edge. Give me a Bud box and Daka Ware knobs any day.
If you don’t want to or can’t print on 3D. The angled desk top plug socket enclosures would be pretty close match for size and shape.
One of these coupled with a blanking plate.
These are available in plastic or metal. Pretty good for angled enclosures.
https://i.ebayimg.com/00/s/MzY4WDM2MA==/z/5MAAAOxyUrZS-tun/$_3.JPG
Also fairly easy to make with plywood or mdf ends, base, back and aluminum sheet front, since you don’t need 90 degree bends in it, you can bend the sheet across a bench edge or in a “workmate” or vice.
https://xkcd.com/1319/