Electronic – arduino – How to Raise and Lower an Object via Arduino/Photon

arduinomotor

Completely new to anything dealing with hardware (Programmer person) and have no real clue as-to how I can accomplish what I want.

The goal is to be able to move an object up and down (Specifically a light). The light will be fairly light, so weight shouldn't be much of an issue.

I found that a linear actuator does what I want, but seems to cost a decent amount. Because this is something we want to give students, we'd like to keep the cost low.

The other option is some form of a motor. Precision isn't something we need to worry about too much.

I know we have stepper motors, servo motors, and I'm sure their are more. But I'm not too sure what I'm trying to look for when reading about these.

For example, how can I figure out how much force one of these can spin/move?

Is their any other way you'd recommend raising/lowering an object? Any examples that have been done in other applications? I've found some standing desk examples, but these aren't the best.

Thanks!

Best Answer

Several ways to do this.

  1. Pulley and rope system that moves the light up or down. Requires a motor that can run in both directions and a set of small relays that you can control from your micro-controller.

  2. As you said, linear actuators, though they have a limited scope of movement.

  3. Threaded rod with a holder and a slot, similar to CNC machines but in an orientation you want. A motor rotates the rod and consequently the light is moved along the rod.

Related Topic