FAC1 - Pan & Tilt Controller

A minimal macOS application for controlling pan and tilt servos for the FAC1 Camera.

Features

This controller is built using a native, no-nonsense, minimal Swift application, for which you can find the source code in this repository.

• Automatic USB-Serial Detection: Automatically finds and connects to USB-serial devices
• Dual Servo Control: Controls pan and tilt servos (hardcoded IDs: pan=6, tilt=4)
• Connection Status: Detailed status reporting for USB and individual servo connections
• Calibration: Calibrate the center point of the servos and toggle axis inversion to your liking
• Always on Top: Optional window mode to keep the controller always visible
• Minimal Interface: Simple arrow button controls (↑ ↓ o ← →)

Requirements

• macOS 14.0 or later in theory
• FAC1 Camera

Building

1. Clone or download this project
2. Open Terminal and navigate to the project directory
3. Build the application:

swift build -c release

4. Run the application:

swift run

Or build and run in development mode:

swift run FAC1-Controller

Usage

First Launch

1. Connect your USB-to-serial adapter
2. Power on your servos
3. Launch the application
4. The app will automatically search for and connect to available USB-serial ports

Controls

• ↑ (Up Arrow): Tilt up
• ↓ (Down Arrow): Tilt down
• O (Circular Button): Center Camera
• ← (Left Arrow): Pan left
• → (Right Arrow): Pan right

Configuration

• Pan Servo ID: Hardcoded to ID 6
• Tilt Servo ID: Hardcoded to ID 4
• Always on Top: Check to keep the window always visible above other applications
• Reconnect: Manually reconnect to the USB-serial port

Servo Configuration

The application uses the following servo settings:

• Pan Servo ID: 6 (hardcoded)
• Tilt Servo ID: 4 (hardcoded)
• Baud Rate: 1,000,000
• Protocol: STS series (STS3250)
• Movement Step: 100 units per button press
• Speed: 200
• Acceleration: 50
• Position Range: 0 - 4095 (full 360°)

Servo IDs can be changed in ServoController.swift if needed.

Troubleshooting

Application doesn't connect

1. Check that servos are powered on
2. Verify USB-serial adapter is connected
3. Make sure servo IDs match the configured values
4. Click "Reconnect" to retry connection

Servos don't respond

1. Verify servo IDs are correct
2. Check power supply to servos
3. Ensure baud rate matches your servo configuration (default: 1,000,000)
4. Try running the Feetech SDK ping example to test basic connectivity
5. Note that the servos will ship with the same ID. You will need to program the IDs.

Permission denied errors

On macOS, you may need to grant permission to access the serial port:

# List available ports
ls /dev/cu.*

# The app will try to use cu.usbserial* or cu.usbmodem* devices

Credits

This project uses the Feetech Servo SDK for Swift.

Copyright 2025, Timothy Ellis, Fyrby Additive Manufacturing & Engineering