Hello. I am new here and I have a special needs adult. She is soothed by rocking, but it is difficult to do so for the length of time she deserves.
So far I have purchased a hammock chair from Sam’s and a reciprocating motor from amazon. I have it temporarily set up for the motor to pull the seat with a string and it does what I need it to do, but I think this cheap motor will not last very long. She only weighs 70 pounds, but it seems to struggle some.
Sorry for the loudness in the video but this is what i have came up with. I have it on zip ties while I try to figure out something more sturdy.
@Caseyb1983 Welcome to the RobotShop Community. In the second message you mention “video”, though only an image was attached. Normally finding a motor which is more “robust” simply means making it overpowered so it does not heat up, and the gears don’t wear as quickly.
Can you provide a link to what you’re using?
Reciprocating motors are not used much in robotics, so anything we can offer would need to be modified to be push/pull. Anything operating for extended periods would be best to be AC (but a LOT of considerations for AC as opposed to DC electronics - and possibly less safe since you’re working with direct connection to an outlet).
If you don’t have any machining capabilities, then go with what works, and Zip ties are pretty sturdy. Use wood (handheld saw and normal drill) and brackets from a hardware store for any mechanical connections.
You might also reach out to a local university’s mechanical engineering department to see if there are any students who might be interested in a side project where you provide the money for materials and the general requirements, and assuming they are successful, they have quite a nice project to add to their resume (and your reference for their job applications).
