I am a wheelchair user with weak arms. I have an idea to build a small platform (say 5x5cm or maybe 10x10) which I can put on the armrest. Then it could be controlled via a button to go straight up or down. That way I could place my arm on it and lift up any time I want to say comb my hair or whatever. What kind of parts would I need to build something like that, and would it be expensive?
To confirm, you would like an arm rest which moves up and down? If that’s the case, you might have someone install and wire a track actuator on the side and mount a custom arm rest.
Something like this essentially includes everything you need except the arm rest, and although you may not necessarily need it to support 200lbs, it does provide some margin of security should someone press down on it.
robotshop.com/en/30-stroke-2 … RB-Fra-119
I have the armrest, what I want is something that will lift the arm off the armrest and up into the air. I guess I could get that one and attach a small “platform” to it? Like i said, I just need a little square of about 5x5 or 10x10 cm…
Also, how can I plug in that thing? The chair has a 12 volt battery, can I use that?
What is the stroke you need? That series operates at 24V or 36V, so for 12V operation, you should consider a track actuator like this:
robotshop.com/en/15-stroke-m … RB-Fra-115
It can provide 35 lbs which should be more than enough to lift your arm, but will have issues if you are holding heavy objects or press down on it.
This actuator does not have a controller, so you might consider something like this:
robotshop.com/en/10a-manual- … RB-Sct-485
Thanks. I’ll look into that 