i have been remodeling an ancient DJ light that spun on 2 axis, to something completely new.
i have been remodeling this light piece by piece, and it's time for me to tackle the most difficult part. changing the 2 AC motors with built in gearboxes for some decent continuous rotation stepper motors.
steppers/servos are miles outside of my comfort zone, and i know nothing so i have no idea at all where i can find what i need.
first thing to note: ALL AC power has been removed from the fixture, and a DC power supply has not been picked out yet, so voltage does not matter at all.
there is 2 motors.
A motor that spins aN approximately 15lb steel/glass disk full of lights
and a motor that tilts the entire frame holding the disk continuous 360 barrel rolls (approx 25lb of weight)
The 2 pink boxes in this linked images are where the motors will sit
unfortunately i do not have all the measurements on hand, and will not be back home for a few days, but i wanted to get this ball rolling,
what i can remember is the shafts are approx 1/4" D shafts,
and the mounting spaces are about 6" squared each, (mounting holes i can drill to suit my needs)(i can build a bigger mount if i need to use a motor physically bigger than the factory AC motors)
the entire fixture is about 2 wide, with the disk being about 1'6"
(i thought i had measurements written down, but i'll get them as soon as i get home)
the steppers need to be continuous rotation, spin motor doesn't need to be reset/zeroed, but tilt does (i have a fair few ideas on how to make that simple)
my big problem is the spin motor, as the wires for it need to pass through a slip ring that already has 3-5 wires going through it, i'm having troubles finding slip rings that have both heavier wires and many wires (for obvious reasons) so i need to try to avoid high amp draws so i can get away with thinner wires.
(i have found a slip ring that's 12 wires @ 5 amp, and one that's 6 wires @ 30 amp)
Linked image of wire paths
(quick note: the frame and shafts are hollow and could easily carry a lot of high gauge wires, slip ring is my only restriction)
(just noticed my diagram doesn't show where the slip ring sits, the shaft actually extends 2" past the frame on the right side, and the slip ring sits on the protrusion)
I live in canada so i'd prefer to avoid ordering from overseas if possible, as duties will drain my pockets dry,
i need any and all advice on what would work and where to get it.
i have an arduino, but no servo/stepper controllers.
currently all pins but one digital output are free on the arduino.