Looking for a 360-degree controllable servo for integrating an antenna tracker with ArduPilot

AntennaTracker
1

Hello, everyone.

I am using Pixhawk 2.4.8 with Mission Planner 1.3.82 to build an antenna tracker with two servos.
I have gathered various online resources and conducted tests to integrate my setup successfully.

Currently, I have managed to control both Pan and Tilt servos using the Pololu Micro Maestro 6 Module and successfully connected them to Mission Planner.
However, since the Tilt servo only requires 90-degree movement, the Pan servo must be able to rotate 360 degrees.

To achieve this, I ordered a DSSERVO DIGITALSERVO DS3240MG from AliExpress, intending to use it for Pan control.
Unfortunately, I found that the servo keeps rotating continuously and does not stop at the desired position.

After further research, I discovered that:

  • Most 360-degree servos are actually continuous rotation servos, making precise positioning difficult.
  • Metal gear servos with 360-degree positional control are quite rare.

Questions:

  1. Is there any servo that can be controlled via ArduPilot and the Maestro module for precise 360-degree Pan movement?
  2. What servo models have you used for this purpose?
  3. Are there any high-torque metal gear servos that can achieve this?
  4. If I must use a counterless servo, would I need to use an inverter to make it work properly?
  5. Could you share any reliable build examples or guides related to this topic?

I would greatly appreciate any guidance or recommendations you can provide.
Wishing you all a great day!
Thank you! :blush:

2

Hello,
As far as I know, the ArduPilot firmware can make the horizontal rotation servo a 360-degree servo.
I tested it last year, but the accuracy was not very good and it was not very practical, so I stopped using it.

3

if you want precise and 360 why not use stepper instead servos
this is my ardutracker 1 axis with stepper (lack of budget) :lollipop:

my point is yes it can if you want to use stepper