I know this is a subject with much heartache. For the price, the Ninja is a pretty good little panning device. However the speed leaves the device pretty useless for security purposes. The 24BYJ48 motors used in the ninja are steppers so the speed can't be increased by bumping the voltage up. I redesigned the circuit board to accommodate a PIC micro-controller and re-wrote the software. I have had a prototype on my garage running for 2 years without any problems scanning at 4X the normal rate. I would be happy to offer a kit for $95 but I don't want to absorb the initial $600 cost of a production board run. The kit would consist of an un-assembled PCB, all parts except the optical sensor, and complete instructions. Installing the board would consist of assembling the PCB and transferring the optical sensor to the new board, removing the old board, installing the new board and re-assembling the Ninja. You would have to be able to solder and follow instructions. The micro would be pre-programmed and a source code listing would be included for those who want it. The software is written in PICBASIC from Micro Engineering Labs. There is not enough room on the PCB to include a programming connector so you would have to remove the chip and put it into a programmer if you wanted to play with different speeds. I plan on improving the software to make the scan rate adjustable by remote control. The speed as programmed into the kit micro would be 4x the stock rate. That is the maximum rate possible with the stock motors and gearing. However, in order for me to make it available, I would have to have orders for at least 6 units to fund 1/2 the initial PCB run. I would be willing to fund the other half. $95 may sound like a lot compared to the price of the Ninja but that is the problem with doing any electronic product in small quantities. I'm only offering this because I know what a disappointment the Ninja is. By the time you add up the bill of materials, packaging, programming and overhead, I would be making about $2/hr. And that's not including the software development time. If you are interested, don't hesitate to email me. I don't read the board very often so a direct email is the only practical way to reach me.
enauman@roadrunner.com
As a side note, I have contacted X10 to offer the code to them and got no response. I don't know why they don't bump up the speed. It would be a simple program change for them.
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Topic: Ninja Pan Speed or Lack of Speed (Read 15679 times)