spinning mass gyros?

Does anyone know where I can purchase a spinning mass gyro sensor?

Reply to
tommynospam
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Any other constraints? Drift rate, size, weight, power requirements? The whole six DOF kit with gimbals, servos, accels, and support electronics or just the gyro? Does it need to be functional or is it for, e.g, a static exhibit? What drives the choice of spinning mass over other technologies?

And can't leave out: what's your budget?

Reply to
Rich Webb

Why is it important that it have a spinning mass? What information do you want from it?

Mitch

Reply to
Mitch Berkson

The surplus junk shops are full of these, though the motors are typically 400 Hz, being for aircraft applications. You can sometimes pull the existing motors and replace with a standard DC model. Try C&H, Herbach & Rademan, Burden's, and the others you can locate on Google.

The old stuff is big, but you didn't mention the application, so maybe size doesn't matter.

Otherwise you can always make one out of a motor, a flywheel, and a potentiometer or small optical encoder. I don't see it being any more accurate than a cheap $45 rate gyro for hobby R/C use, though.

-- Gordon

Reply to
Gordon McComb

Thanks for the response, Rich.

I want to build a unique flying machine marketed toward the hobby community similar to the X-UFO or draganfly. The reason I wanted spinning mass is because I read that the solid state technologies are subject to errors in vibration which, of course, would be sustantial. That being said, I'm very unknowledgable regarding what type of technologies are available. The X-UFO uses a spinning mass.

I basically need it to control drift. I will put it in to an OOPic board and need to measure right,left,up,down,forward,backward and spin. I don't know if it can tell me all those things, again, a limitation of my knowledge.

If it can tell me all those, I would be willing to spend up to $500. Any experience in controlling drift would be awesome and very welcome.

Thanks in advance.

p.s. What is DOF?

Reply to
tommynospam

The X-UFO certainly looks like a cool toy!

Since operating time is limited by battery life, a somewhat higher drift rate should be OK as compared to, say, a commercial aircraft gyro. Vibration can be handled by the sensor loop. I doubt that the X-UFO is using a navigation-qualified gyro, either.

Hard to say, given the scarcity of supporting technical documentation, but given the price and one fairly low-res picture it looks like they're using a small motor plus flywheel on a gimbaled platform and then controlling the fan speeds to null the error signal (level the platform). You should be able to achieve the same results with a 2-axis MEMs gyro and save on power and on weight.

Gyros only measure rotation (typically, rate). If you need translation as well then you'll need to add accelerometers also.

Degree of freedom. Translation and rotation, along and around the three Cartesian axes.

Reply to
Rich Webb

What would qualify as a navigation-qualified? Sounds heavy and expensive.

I was looking at the Memsense gyros earlier and they look very promising considering size. Don't know about the price but I'll start searching around. Other component sensors I've found like Silicon Sensing are impossible to find and if so, hard to buy one at a reasonable price. The distributor typically wants a full project report complete with deadlines to give any information. Any experience you could share with respect to this would welcome.

What is "translation"?

Reply to
tommynospam

A hand-waving term. Implies a low and well-defined drift rate, good temperature coefficient, low MTBF, that sort of thing. A gyro to which you'd be willing to bet your life.

As a rule of thumb, I generally check the major on-line distributors: DigiKey, Mouser, Allied, Newark, Future, Jameco, ... to see whether the [whatever] is available as retail stock for immediate delivery. Saves a lot of time searching manufacturer's sites for things that turn out can't be bought anywhere from anybody.

Movement along an axis, as contrasted with rotation about the axis.

Reply to
Rich Webb

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