New to Electronics/servo use

[andersonart]

Ok, New to the forum and pretty much new to any kind of complex electronics. This is what Im looking to do . I am working on a project that will involve a Iris Aperture and I want to make it motorized basically just to have it open and close with either just a push of a button or dial control i suppose. Ive been searching around and see that other have achieved similar but it is too bulky or just not what I want. I stumbled upon this site and found ,Adafruit Motor/Stepper/Servo Shield for Arduino kit - v1.0, I notice it states this is not everything required to do what im looking for...my question is Is there a pre made kit basically just plug and play for what im looking for that I could purchase? I would need it to open and close the aperture and i may be hooking up a few leds tot his as well....basically I want to use the iris aperture as a robotic looking eye back lit with led to open and close for that creepy effect.

Again I am fairly new to this sort of thing so im looking for something fairly simple for me to install...Ive been using severely minor electronics to date. Also Size of the components isnt a huge issue but that being said, I dont really want something the size of a laptop either...

Any help would be great

Thanks
Matt

[adafruit_support_bill]

To control a servo and some leds with a knob or some buttons is a pretty good project for an Arduino. One of the starter kits plus a servo would probably have all the electronic parts you would need (unless you want to get really fancy with the LEDs).

The Arduino itself is relatively compact (about 2 1/4" x 2 3/4"). There are smaller, but functionally equivalent versions like the Boarduino which are nice for building into projects where space is a concern.

To just drive a servo, you don't really need the motor shield. You can wire the servo directly to the Arduino and use the Servo library that is a standard part of the Arduino software package.

[andersonart]

Thanks for the quick reply....

So this is pretty much a plug and play system correct? well plug and play of course after I solder and such .....I meant this system is everything I would need to achieve what Im looking for?

Also, Would this pack work as well....Budget Pack for Arduino (Arduino Uno SMD) - Uno w/328 or do I need to stick with the pack you suggested. I ask because The pack you suggested is currently out of stock and this budget pack is not ...so I was looking for something I could purchase soon

[adafruit_support_bill]

well plug and play of course after I solder and such

There will be some soldering and some programming. Since you are new to this, I recommend spending a few hours with the Tutorialsto get familiar with the Arduino.

The budget pack has enough parts to get you going. The main difference between the two is the regulated power supply and the 9v battery pack. For your initial development, you will be able to power things via the included USB cable. You can add an appropriate power supply later when you complete your design.

The choice of servo will depend on the size of your iris. The standard servo has more torque. The micro servo is more compact.

[andersonart]

Thanks for all your help