

Various other things wire to the Arduino: The Arduino connects to the computer through the USB A to B cord. Surveyor's tripods are great for sentry guns - they are heavy, stable, and often adjustable too. Also, the webcam should be as solid as possible - vibration from the servo's and gun firing will mess it up.ĭepending on the expected use for the sentry (airsoft? paintball? water jet? laser?), you may need to add a durable compartment to hold the electronics.įinally: tripods are cool, but they can be prone to a lot of shaking if built badly, or if you use a flimsy camera tripod. You want it close to the gun, but the gun barrel can't ever move into the camera's view - it will see that as a target. The webcam must be solidly mounted to the base.

Digital sentry camera look control how to#
I'm not going to teach you how to build well, but keep in mind that screws and bolts are better than nails, nails are better than zip ties, zip ties are better than staples, and even staples are better than duct tape. Vibration will cause a lot of issues with the camera later, if you don't suppress it now. Spend a lot of time getting this balance just right, it is a major factor in the effectiveness of your finished sentry. IMPORTANT: when the servo has no power supplied to it, the gun should tilt freely, and when you move it with your hand it should not return to level - rather it should stay right where you let go. This is so the servo dosn't have to waste energy trying to keep the gun level. Find the gun's center of gravity, and mount it at that point. Some design considerations: The gun should be balanced on the tilt servo. take pictures during the project, and when you are finished, send me a picture, and a description of your project, and I will feature it on the Successful Projects page of my website. So go ahead, make your own, and soon your own backyard will be no-man's land, too! Lots of people have already used this system in their own sentry guns, with successful results.
Digital sentry camera look control software#
You're in luck! All the help and information you will need is here, and the software is free and open-source. The end result is a paintball/airsoft spewing robot, that can turn the tides of any match. A microcontroller to interface between the computer and the servo motors Servo motors to physically aim the gun and squeeze the trigger A computer to process the video feed and aim the gun This sentry gun autonomously tracks, aims, and shoots at targets, using: For the most recent version of the tutorial, see the website. Make your own, custom AUTONOMOUS SENTRY GUN!Ī Microcontroller Contest Finalist and Runner Up Winner.
