Hi,
I’m working through some tutorials and will soon start on my intended project. I was looking for some starting points to research.
The project will be a small, light wooden/mesh “cupboard” 1.5x1.5x1.5 feet. Each morning using my Arduino starter kit remote I want to unlatch the cupboard doors, open them and then latch them open. In the evening, I will unlatch, close and relatch. As a backup, if light is at a certain level and I haven’t opened it, the Arduino will open it. And in the evening close it if it is dark.
Doors need to lock closed and not flap around during the day. I want this to use as little power as possible as it will be powered by batteries, so when motors are not moving, I would prefer no power consumption, eg so that 12v or 2x12v batteries will last a month (I have two 6xAA battery packs I'd prefer to use for arduino and for motor). Doors to open 90-180 degrees or so.
Should I be looking at a normal dc motor, a stepper motor or servo to open/close the doors? I think a servo needs constant power which would drain the batteries quickly. A worm gear seems useful on a motor, but I can only find small ones. Steppers seem useful in being able to control size of opening and apparently have some stationary torque – would a stepper have enough strength to hold the doors open and not flap?
How big a motor should I look at – around 60grams? (I bought a 2.3 gram linear actuator online before my starter kits arrived. Now I know what grams mean in terms of size – it’s tiny!). Will my starter kit motors be sufficient?
What should I use for the latch – a stepper moving a physical latch? Or electromagnet?
Where do I find data sheets on motors etc before I buy them?