Hi, Im new to the forum and I was hoping someone here could help me out. I have just discovered the world of laser lights and I have become obsessed. I am trying to build one of my own and I have an idea of how its going to go together my only problem is I need a low volt and VERY low RPM motor or a variable speed motor to spin my piece of textured glass that my laser will shoot thru. This motor also has to be fairly small 1 - 2 inches long. I have an extra pot from a guitar I fixed so I think I’ll try to use that as a speed knob (if possible). Also I think a 9v battery will need to be used to power it since I want to wire an on/ off button in it as well. I was looking at the Solarbotics Gm2 motor and I was hoping something like this would work, robotshop.com/solarbotics-gm2-gear-motor-2-offset.html I just dont think it’s a variable speed motor and 38 RPM is still really high for this application. If anyone knows of something like it or something better for my project please let me know. Also if you have any questions for me please ask. Thanks very much!
i guess i dont HAVE to have a 360 turning motor i could make the glass go up and down and get essentially the same effect and use half the space. it will look better with a smooth motion. i learned that the motor has to be low rpm like 1 - 3 rpms and high torque.
Hi dom7226,
Welcome to the RobotShop Forum. What RPM are you looking for and at what torque? I gather you need continuous rotation as opposed to 180 degrees? Does the motion need to be smooth or can it rotate in steps of (for example) 1 degree? If you’re not sure of the type of actuator, take a look at this article on choosing the appropriate actuator. The controller will depend on which type of actuator you choose. Do you have an idea of the torque? The slowest production gear motors we offer are from Tamiya and can be found in the low cost and low voltage gear motor category.
Did you see a type of actuator that might be of interest? You can get low rpm from a servo motor and properly programmed servo controller. You indicate “high torque” but can you provide a value? Torque = Force x Distance (for example if you are raising a 10 ounce load at a distance of 5 inches from the pivot point, you would need 10x5=50oz-in). If you are not sure, can you provide a simple diagram with dimensions and weights?