Hey there,
I am needing to make a similar version to this but where I have complete control over it rather than using the remote.
Im curious if anyone has any advice on the motor and controlling the positioning on the rope.
I assume some sort of encoder is needed but unsure what will be best.
Also anyone have any idea of a similar motor to rope configuration? The rope is pressed in the bell of the motor that looks to be specially made for it!
Any help would be incredible!
It is clearly all custom hardware.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1452771-REG/wiral_lite_cable_camera_for_any.html
Plenty of Arduino compatible motors/gearboxes/encoders can be found on line and at typical hobby distributors, but most are made for other types of applications, and you are stuck with what is available.
Pololu has a wide range of DC brushed gear motor with many sizes and gear ratios.
They can also be obtained with encoders which can be used to monitor and control motor speed to keep velocity constant along the cable as it dips and rises.
But using the encoders for position sensing is probably not possible due to slippage.
In the video that I watched the stops on each end of the line were the only poisoning devices. I do not believe that there is any kind of positional read out or control.
I would also use an encoder to determine position. But tell us a little bit more: you say “similar” to the Wire Light, do you mean exactly as the Wire Light or do you have some other functionality, implementation, size etc in mind? Will you be using it for camera control or something else?
For brushless motors I have been planning for some time to make a motorised trolley (with four wheels, on the ground) using the motors found in gravity boards. Their control chips have been hacked in detail and all sort of control modes are available. Remote, Xbox controls, automatic etc. They are good motors and dirt cheap since gravity boards are out of fashion :). The drawback is their bulkiness, weight and power consumption.
I bought one and it does have “virtual” endpoints that work surprising well even with quick movements at 20mph! It does slop after some time but it’s really impressive.
It’ll be slow moving for my use so i don’t see slippage being a huge factor.
I will be reading up on possible motor configurations!
Similar in size, the way it attaches to the wire, and motor but different elsewhere.
Going to be controlled automatically and have proximity switches on either side for endpoints since it will be moving slowly.
At one end it will slide into a box that is suspended along the wire which it will charge and hide what it is
I’ll basically be moving props around the yard to put it simply!
It’s for a Halloween/Christmas project that I tend to always find myself doing!
Ok! And now what is your question more specifically? I mean, you have something to copy of, it's more a matter of what means you have at your disposal. Do you own a 3D printer? Can you do 3D design? Because the mechanism in itself isn't very complicated right? 3 wheels clamping a rope, the middle wheel is motorised and the motor is controlled by an Arduino. Which kind of motor you should use of course depends on
So for anyone to give you specific advise, you probably need to be specific yourself.
If the load is heavy, I can once again tip you about using the brushless motors from old gravity boards, like so:
There are tons of videos on YouTube on how to do this, and a lot of resources online on how to hack the control chip of the board and get it talking to an arduino. It even comes with a built-in Hall effect sensor to give feedback on RPM from the wheels, so there's your need for position control all taken care of :).
But your issue would be weight and power, like I wrote before. You'll need a bulky battery, and the motor itself weighs a good 1,5 kg:s. So if you're just planning on running something light (you never specify, why not?) you would probably be better off with something lighter.
Sounds like a fun and doable project though! So as soon as you have some specific questions and information, I'm sure both I and others are keen to help! 
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