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(ET) linear actuator power steering?



Why not just a toggle switch to control the linear actuator right or left. If the switch was wired to brake the DC motor when off, the actuator positioning would be pretty crisp (no drift). Steering would be like on a Dozer.

My E20 has worn steering gears, I have been looking for a linear actuator to replace the steering mechanism with.

The other way to go would be to eliminate the entire drive train and replace the front wheels with 2 hub motors and 2 PWM motor controllers and replace the back wheels with 2 swivel wheels. Then the steering would controlled by varying the speed of the 2 hub motors using a joystick. Essentially "zero steer" control. No belts, no transmission, no relays, and better steering control.

Jim Leuba


Herb Crary wrote:

A good source for all manner of items, including linear actuators, is:

http://www.herbach.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?

This link is to their search page. I have been buying from them since i was
in college in the late 1940's. They had lots of WWII surplus then. They 
have
both new and surplus now.

Herb Crary
Boulder CO
E10M

----- Original Message ----- From: "Pieter" <pvcl plitch com>
To: "Elec-Trak Tractor" <elec-trak cosmos phy tufts edu>
Sent: Monday, June 28, 2004 2:39 PM
Subject: (ET) power steering?



All this discussion of using linear actuators as front or rear lifts got

me

thinking.

My E-15 has a very heavy loader on it, and the steering is a real two
handed job.  I was looking around the 'net for info on linear actuators to
use for a lift and came across an article on an old Yanmar diesel tractor
converted to electric.

http://www.angelfire.com/ca4/renewables/tracpage.html

Well - why not do the same thing to an ET??  He used a linear actuator
controlled by a joystick of sorts to steer.  It would be a simple matter

to

place a linear actuator between the frame and a steering knuckle parallel
to the tie rod.  I don't think too much force would be required, which is
good because you want fairly fast response (screw travel), so leverage

will

be reduced.  There are a number of dish positioners that run on 36 volts
and use a revolution counting circuit to stop at a predetermined
position.  If the steering wheel ran an encoder that "told" the actuator
where you were pointing it, the actuator would then move to that position,
steering the front wheels.  A dish positioner would be very cheap to
try.  The hardest part for me to design is the steering wheel encoding
mechanism.  Any engineers out there?



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