Flip Up Lighting

[Gerik Bensing]

Hello, I am working on a project where I will have roof-mounted, covered lighting on my vehicle and then at the push of a button (or two), the cover will slide back and four lights will rotate up and turn on.

I have a video of what I'm trying to do below - this is just a concept, considering it does not include any components that will actually move the set up.



I don't know a lot about circuitry, other than an electronics class I took in high school. My main question is if you know of a good motor choice to make this stuff happen? I understand I may need multiple motors / actuators to achieve my goal. Eventually I would like to make the whole process happen at once, but if I need to do each action manually by the touch of several different buttons, that's fine for now.

I don't wish to spend a fortune, so cheaper is better, but any ideas will be appreciated.

What I can tell you is the cover will be somewhere around 40x10x4 inches in 1/8th steel and the lights will together weigh approximately 5.5 lbs, not including the rotating bar they will be attached to.

 

[rob_croxford]

This is quite a cool project.

Ok so firstly have you chosen your lights?? What are they rated at/will they run of a 12volt battery??

Do you have the abbility/tools to build the mechanical side of your idea?? (cover, sliding/folding mechanism??)

 

[Gerik Bensing]

The lights are Hella 500 lights that are 12v / 55W each.

I should have the ability to build the mechanical aspects of this device. I own a MIG and stick welder, and I just ordered a plasma cutter that will be getting here this week. I have a variety of hand tools and also a drill press. I'm no expert with any of these tools, but that's why I come up with projects like this so I can practice using them!

 

[rob_croxford]

The most difficult part (from my opinion) is going to be the sliding mechanism for the cover of the lights. This will require some thort. Would it not be feasable for your application to leave the lights uncovered?? Of course this would require some isolation and extra protection from the weather but i believe this would be easier (for a home brew project) than creating a sliding cover (it would also be alot more cost effective). However it is obviously more than possible to do this so if it is specifically a cover that you want then you could build one.

Ok so as for the folding lights:
You will need to build a Servo motor. This can be done using a microcontroller. As for the gearing i would use a Worm screw (look it up if you are not sure what i mean) Because of the way the teeth lock into the mechanism it provides alot more torque than a regular geared motor. This will be usefull for puting up in wind/the weight of the lights etc... Another advantage of a worm gear is that the worm will turn the gear but the gear will not turn the worm. Therfore when the lights are in their upright possition the servo can be turned off and the lights will continue to be in that upright possition (vice versa for when they are down)

The wiring wont be that difficult you simply need to find a feed that you can power your lights from.

 

[Gerik Bensing]

The reason I want the cover is because I enjoy driving through very thick brush that I imagine will rip off the lights at some point. Also, the coolness factor will be greatly increased with a cover, lol. That part I thought would be fairly simple. I'd put the cover on a track with maybe some chain welded to the cover, and then have a motor or two run that would and have the chain track get pulled across the stationary motor (I can draw it if you don't follow what I mean).

The folding light portion has me concerned because of the amount of torque I'll need. I know what a Worm screw is, but I'm not entirely sure what a servo motor is. I would guess it's one of those motors used in a lot of RC cars that just turn the wheels left and right and don't spin 360 degrees. Regardless, what servo motor would be able to provide the torque needed to rotate this? If it's not asking too much, could you link me to a motor you think would be sufficient?

 

[rob_croxford]

you are right servos are used alot in RC cars and that kind of application. And yes the reason is that they do not rotate at 360 degrees (obviously exactly what you require for your application. You could also look into stepper motors but personally i think a servo would be the best solution.

Take a look at this - http://fab.cba.mit.edu/classes/MIT/961.04/topics/choosingservo_motor1.pdf

And this is quite interesting and it might aid you to size your motor - http://www.yaskawa.com/site/dmservo.nsf/link2/NKOE-7TKLD2/$file/PR.DN.01.pdf

Unfortunatly altho i could have a look and give u an indication of size it would be more approptiate for you to do so as you know your specification. for instance size restrictions/cost etc...

My reasoning for believein the cover may be difficult is because gettin that smooth action of up - down - then back may be difficult to achieve without looking clumbersum. However i do not class myself as much of a mechanical man so perhaps there is a simple, attractive way of achieving this.

You can buy servo motors but you will need to build a controller. This will tell the motor where and when to stop and will also be used to interface with the input conditions (wether it is a button or a footpedal etc..) This can be done using a microcontroller however if you dnt have experiance working with microcontrollers you can also buy them from RS/Farnell etc..

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/search/...iscon_uk:N)&N=4294699108&Ntt=motor+controller

Hope this information helps