Custom GoPro Slider Controls with Arduino Nano

When your filming your projects or the results of what you’ve built, a static camera will do the job. If you really want things to stand out though, a slider that slowly pans your shot gives things an interesting visual that people appreciate even if they don’t consciously notice.

I’ve been using a slider off and on in many of my YouTube videos, but the problem with my previous setup is that the battery had to be dragged with it separately, and reversing directions meant physically changing the wires around each time. A new solution was needed, and instead of going with a conventional DC motor I installed a servo modded for continuous rotation. This meant easy control with an Arduino Nano, using a potentiometer as a user interface. This was then nicely attached to the to the side of the slider as seen in the video below.

I’m especially happy with how the enclosure worked out, and recommend the hot glue/magnets method introduced just before 3:00 and completed later in the video. While some wouldn’t use the Nano to power a servo directly, I haven’t noticed any adverse effects, and the capacitor should help even out any power spikes.

If you’re going to build something similar based on the Hackster post linked earlier, you’ll need to make sure your servo zero point is tuned correctly. You could even use a transistor to cut it off as needed. Otherwise you may notice some drift as it hits the cutoff switch and slowly creeps one way or another.