I am designing a sort of ‘automated diorama’ project. One of the most crucial elements of its functioning is its front panels opening wide enough to let viewers see into the box it’s housed in.
I've done searches on both this forum and Google, but all I've found are vertically-opening doors for chicken coops, garage door openers and cat-flap doors that aren't actually motorized but simply fitted with an Arduino lock-and-tag-recognition system. Nothing that seems to address the specific smaller craft issue I have to work out.
Since the doors are intended to open wider than simply 90 degrees, my original idea to use a pair of solenoids won’t be workable.
The doors only need about 120 degrees of ‘swing’ to open enough for my purposes. The idea is they will be flush with the surface of the box. On cue from a signal, the doors open out, then stay that way until the presentation ends and a second cue is given. Then they simply swing shut and reset.
I’m flexible enough at this early planning stage to allow for either hinged doors (old brass hinges would be fine with its intended aged look) or a simple dowel hinge actually drilled into each door attaching it to the frame. The key here is to make the mechanics as hidden as possible (all the wiring for power and commands can be run to the back) and that the doors move consistently and smoothly.
The panels themselves will be thin, light, varnished wood so I don’t expect to need a lot of torque in whatever drives them. I’ve wondered if I should use stepper motors calibrated to specific positions or small DC motors only running for a preset amount of time and speed.
Below is a sketch of my general idea. Any input would be greatly appreciated.