Ideas wanted

In message , Vass writes

How about the motor drive from a rotating amber beacon.

You don't mention rate of rotation but the output from these motors is a tiny pulley with belt drive to the bottom of the beacon. So a big step down ratio.

Any farm will have broken beacons lying about the workshop. Trees etc!

regards

Most machines on Robot Wars are driven by wheelchair motors so maybe they'd do the job?

Large diameter lazy susan bearing, motor drive by belt to an inner pulley, Large diameter belt pulleys live in washing machines.

Otherwise a front-wheel drive car hub. Something with McPherson strut suspension and where the hub unbolts from the strut.

Not really that much safer than 110V from an isolating transformer, or even 240V through an isolating transformer (although that then falls foul of some paperwork)

Windscreen wiper motors are good, and a recycled PC case fan to blow cooling air. You need a motor (probably older) with a rotating output shaft (and a reciprocating linkage) not the more compact sort where the rotary to reciprocating motion is inside the case.

Wheelchair motors are great, but very similar to starters and harder to find.

nice one thanks.. I live where 40% of the population are over 50 and I'm surrounded by mobility shops. will go ask Cheers

rotation is slowish, I'd say 1 revolution per 5 seconds. would one of those lights really have the strength?

Doh! They're nothing like starters - they're similar to wiper motors.

Wheelchairs also have a final drive gearbox that would replace the belt drive. Handy if you have it, not crucial if you don't. Belt drives are helpfully tolerant of crude alignment,

I'm liking this idea all the more, maybe utilise the pot to regulate the speed too.

How about an old battery drill - one that still works but the battery is knackered.

Vass laid this down on his screen :

A front hub, disc and stub axle from a scrap car to which you fix the turntable. Add a large pulley from something like a washing machine or drier, then drive that with your 12v motor. The motor is not so easy - In the old days of generators rather than alternators I would suggest a generator used as a motor with lamps in series to reduce the speed/power.

In message , Vass writes

Probably not, they only rotate the reflector, but you have another 5:1 step to add a bit more torque:-)

Vehicle wheel hubs have been suggested. An alternative might be an engine water pump spindle.

regards