Page 63 - 15 Dangerously Mad Projects for the Evil Genius

Chapter 4 ■ Mini Laser Turret 43

Finally, we can solder the large capacitors (C1 and Step 8. Wire Everything Together
C3) into place, making sure the polarity is correct.
Having built the turret module joystick and
The negative lead is the shorter of the two leads
stripboard, it is now time to wire everything
and often has a diamond next to it.
together. Figure 4-18 shows the wiring diagram
The completed board is shown in Figures 4-16
of the project.
and 4-17.
Using Figure 4-18 as a guide, wire together all
the components. The ribbon cable to the servo
module is fine for a length of a few feet, but you
may run into trouble if you try and attach a long
cable. Eventually, the pulse width signal will
become distorted and the servos will behave
unpredictably. Alternatively, to get a longer range
with your wires, use multi-core shielded cable,
where each of the control signals is in its own
screened cable.

So, now that everything is connected, perform a
final check to make sure there are no bridges of
solder on the stripboard and that all the wires are
in the right place. Afterward, insert the batteries
and turn it on. The servos should “snap” to the
Figure 4-16 The completed stripboard from
position of the joystick.
the top
If nothing happens, or only one of the servos
works, disconnect immediately and check
everything over.

Step 9. Adjust the Servo Arms

At this stage, you will probably need to adjust the
position of the servo arms.
With the project turned on, set the joystick to its
center position. Remove the two server arms and
refit them so the servo is pointing the laser straight
ahead, both horizontally and vertically.

Figure 4-17 The completed stripboard from
the bottom