next topic »

[on:]

hi

I need to control a slow and silent motor. It doesn't have to be precisely at a specific speed, but approximately 1 rotation per minute. I can of course work with gears to slow the final rotation down. But the slower the motor itself, the easier the transmission to ~1rpm is.
The important thing however is, that it should be as silent as possible.
The motor itself doesn't need to be very powerful, but should be able to lift a weight that is about 100 gram.

Its for an art exhibition, that constantly moves a scroll of paper (like an endless scroll), and therefor would be good if its silent enough to not disturb.

Does anybody know, which kind of motor I should use for this and whether I should control it with an Arduino or just a constant power supply with resistors?

Thank you in advance

[Reply #1 on:]

If a constant power supply with resistors works just use that, it is much simpler (you might use a potmeter to tune the speed)

[Reply #2 on:]

hi

I need to control a slow and silent motor. It doesn't have to be precisely at a specific speed, but approximately 1 rotation per minute. I can of course work with gears to slow the final rotation down. But the slower the motor itself, the easier the transmission to ~1rpm is.
The important thing however is, that it should be as silent as possible.
The motor itself doesn't need to be very powerful, but should be able to lift a weight that is about 100 gram.

Its for an art exhibition, that constantly moves a scroll of paper (like an endless scroll), and therefor would be good if its silent enough to not disturb.

Does anybody know, which kind of motor I should use for this and whether I should control it with an Arduino or just a constant power supply with resistors?

Thank you in advance

What you want is called a "timer motor" - for example:

http://www.allelectronics.com/make-a-store/item/ACM-339/1-RPM-115-VAC-TIMING-MOTOR/1.html

Of course the above is surplus (which is why it's marked @ $4.50 USD), and is meant for a 120 VAC/60 Hz mains supply. These are typically used for controlling the timing cycles of electro-mechanical dishwasher, clothes washing machine, and clothes dryer controllers. I've also seen them used in certain old "flip-digit" clock radios (for the clock). They are very common, and should be fairly easy to obtain in the mains standard voltage/frequency of your country.

They are virtually silent, relatively powerful for their size, highly reliable, and fairly accurate (if that's needed). Just wire up a simple lamp cord to the leads, and plug it in. No need for an Arduino, no need for complex circuitry, no need for expensive solutions.

[Reply #3 on:]

And as another idea, consider moving the motor away from where people can hear it and using a pulley or belt to transfer the rotational motion to the thing that needs rotating. That will be ultimately silent.

--
The Gadget Shield: accelerometer, RGB LED, IR transmit/receive, speaker, microphone, light sensor, potentiometer, pushbuttons

[Reply #4 on:]

Also, HOW the motor is mounted will have a big effect on the noise that is causes. Noise is caused by vibration. Isolation (typically rubber) mounts will dampen vibration. Hard mounts will amplify it.

Solid structures vibrate less than flexible structures.