Ok, i've been reading Pflmingo's posts with his motorized everything and I really want to put some motorized things into the case i'm fabricating, but I dont know the first thing about making motor/gear setups to move things. So if anyone could do a simple starter guide or give me a like ot a beginners guide I would be very grateful.
First, Welcome to the boards. Second, Start by taking some motorized things apart, paying close attention to how things are moved, interact, etc... A good one for this is an old VCR... They have TONS of gears and quite a few motors. Third, After taking the things apart, (I mean all the way) put them back together and make them work again. You'd be amazed at how much you can learn by simply canabalizing other equipment... My son's Jimmy Jumbojet is a good example of something with simple motors and gearings, but many functions, it turns right and left, it lifts, it goes foreward and backward, all from a touchpad controller. 4th Figure out what kind of motion you want to do... For the LCD, it used linear motion, but was driven by an old CD-rom tray mechanism. The motor turned, making a plate spin, turning 2 gears in series and then to the toothed rod. For the Baybus, I used a motor from a Pencil Sharpener. I attached a piece of threaded rod by drilling the center out and forcing it onto the motor spindle. I then threaded a piece of aluminum c-channel and attached a lever arm to it, and the other end of the arm ot the back-top side of the open baybus. When the motor turns one way, it moves the c-channel up, when the voltage is reversed, it turns the other way and moves the c-channel down, flipping the door closed. I know, Clear as mud... I am willing to answer any specific questions tho, since motors are a fairly wide area to discuss without a sense of what the final outcome should be.
I was thinking about motorizing something too yesterday when I found some old electric motors. I have no idea what to motorize, though. Any suggestions? (except having my multi purpose table driving around in my room [hey, an idea ]) Pflum, can't you take some close-ups of the gears and threaded rods in your motorized stuff? One other thing i wonder is: when you attach something with hinges, and have a threaded rod on the other side, how do you cope with the fact that the threaded rod will flex, or the motor has to change angle when the thing "closes"?
You need a pusher arm, or lever to make the bend for you, so your motor and shaft stay inline and stationary. Make permanent mounts for your arm and shaft, and attach the pusher to the door and the "slider" (the threaded piece that moves up and down when the motor twists.) This last one shows the lever the best...
i've been thinking of making a motorised drawer in the front of my pc (in a 5.25" drive bay) using an old cd drive. i think i know how to do it, just gonna rip apart the old cd drive, removing everything but the mechenism
ok so how do i make the voltage switch directions on the motor to make the motor turn different ways? i assume i'll have to make a board for this?
Use a double poll, Double throw switch. Self centering off if possible. Connect the output to the center contacts. Connect the inputs (+12 and 0) to one side , +12 on one poll, 0 on the other. Then connect those polls to the OPPOSITE polls on the other end of the switch. Should criss-cross in the middle... Something like this. Code: ----------- to motor + 12V | -----|___|___| \ / \ / \ / X / \ / \ 0V /_____\ -----| | | | ----------- to motor - This will make it switch voltage fed to the motor depending on the position of the switch... Works like a champ.
My father in law is making a machine the makes model aeroplane wings. He is using (I think) four phase stepper motors. I looks really cool. As he is making everything himself (including software to control the motors) I'll ask him how he did it.
