help with a mini-elevator (for carrying items up and down) project

Posted on May 17, 2011 at 10:14

Hi, I am trying to start a project aimed at positioning and controlling a motor (servo or step??) to move a flat metal bed up and down.

I have previously done very simple programming with PIC controller and that is pretty much my experience. However, I feel comfortable with programming and following specs/instructions.

Basically, I need to be able to run the motor in forward or reverse direction to move the bed to a predetermined set of positions, detect the position and be able to stop it and cycle this process based on some sort of user input. This is pretty much going to be like a min-elevator. Eventually I will be building a Windows based user interface to do the controlling.

I would appreciate any help on getting me started in the right direction especially on:

1. What kind of motor and micro-controller to use (both price and functionality wise),

2. Any electronic components that I should have, resistors, capacitors, circuit board, etc. or if there is a pre-built board that I could buy and use readily,

3. any other relevant issue that I should think about, etc.

I would greatly appreciate any input that you could provide me with to succeed with my project.

Thanks so much for your time!!

Bini :)