A couple of quick questions about Servos

[ShadesOfGray]

Hey,
I'm currently experimenting with some servos that I'm using to try and build a gimbal-mount for a camera. I've just got some old servos that were sitting around the lab here; I don't really know what they are. A sticker on them says Hitec HS-55. They're wired up to an old R/C airplane of mine in place of the rudder and ailerons.

Questions:

1. Range of motion
These servos have a pretty narrow range of motion; from full-left on the remote control to full-right is only a change of about 70*. Is the range of motion of a servo changeable, or do I just have to get new servos that have a larger range of motion? Is there a way to increase the sensitivity of my remote control? (ST Model Aviator 4).

2. Powering
Right now the servos are hooked up to the servo plugs on an existing R/C airplane of mine, in the place of the ailerons and rudder. This obviously a less-than-ideal setup because in order to power the servos I have to turn on the airplane, which means that a big battery and a big motor are hooked up and that makes me slightly nervous when I'm just manipulating a camera. Is there an easy way to purchase an all-in-one package that would include everything I might need for a similar setup, e.g. a couple of servos, a remote control transmitter, a receiver, and a battery to power the servos?

I guess the bottom line is that I don't know much about servos or the electronics on these things [yet]. I'm a lot more of a mechanical thinker than an electrical thinker. Is there any good reading that would be a good place to start for a novice like myself?

Thanks.

[Unterhausen]

I thought hs55 would have a 90 degree range, you usually can change the
travel in the transmitter http://www.servocity.com/html/180o_rotation_information.html

You might want to look at this:
http://www.servocity.com/html/servo_power_boards.html

There are lots of sites out on the net about driving servos, the robotics guys do it a lot. There are also servo controller boards that are pretty useful.

[Blue Sky]

I don't know if you've found this thread already:
http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=860966
The Hyperion programable digital servos look promising.
I'm still using modded HS81's.
-Dave

[dmgoedde]

Check this out also... a simple servo driver that Hobby-Lobby sells. Simple knob control to set servo position, they call it a "Manual Servo Adjuster" for $12.90, second item from top on this link:

http://www.hobby-lobby.com/testequipment.htm


Dean

[ShadesOfGray]

Thanks for the tips fellas. Helpful links all around. I appreciate it.

That tool for adjusting servo positions is definitely on my buy list. Also, am I missing something, or is the only way [other than one of those adjustment knob boxes] to adjust the start position of the servo to use the trim on the remote?

And finally, will that adjuster work with pretty much any kind of servo?

Thanks.