Building a Tardis Console for my son.

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dojogube
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Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by dojogube »

The center of the Console needs a device that when activated will lift a set of light tubes up and down approximately 8-10". The light tubes weigh approximately 4lbs.

I have 120v run to the center of the console and stepped down to 12v using a computer power supply.

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks in advance,

WM

[img]http://i223.photobucket.com/albums ... .jpg[/img]
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dacflyer
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by dacflyer »

how about some linear actuators ? not very cheap, but they would work.
cheaper faster ones would be pneumatic actuators.
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Lenp
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by Lenp »

How about some info on the 'light tubes'
Did you consider some telescoping plastic tubing and a small amount of air pressure to extend them. The lighting could be inside the tube(s).
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
dojogube
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by dojogube »

Thanks very much for the suggestions!

It was suggested to me that I use a piston type configuration with the lights bundled together sitting atop of the piston. I have a very limited grasp of what I am doing , and can actually visualize this concept so I'd like to try it.

I'm going to use this motor:

[url]Image

I learned how to step down the 120v to 12v using a computer power supply but I am unsure how to mate the power supply CORRECTLY with the new motor.
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jwax
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by jwax »

Could I suggest that you clarify what you are asking for?

"Raising light tubes"? (The fact that they weigh 4 lbs doesn't help at this point)
Are they fluorescent? LED's? Light sabers, what?
Maybe a link to this "Tardis Console" to begin with would help also.
WA2RBA
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Lenp
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by Lenp »

A picture is worth a thousand posts!

The geardrive assembly you show looks like it has a DC motor, and that is probably a good start since the speed can be controlled by the voltage and it would be reversible plus it probably has a adequate torque and could hold the load when unpowered.

But...to be able to help with better ideas we need to know more about what this is going, or expected, to look like.
You must have something already in hand if you weighed it :smile: , so send the details.

I can think of several ways that it could be done, but the devil is in the details.
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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Janitor Tzap
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by Janitor Tzap »

Yeah,
Lenp has a good point.

The Tardis Console has gone through many different designs over the 30 odd years that the Doctor Who show as been on the air.
Here is a link.
http://www.thedoctorwhosite.co.uk/tardis/interior/

If I we're you.......
I'd stick too the simpler designs.
:wink:


Signed: Janitor Tzap
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Lenp
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by Lenp »

Here's drawing I cobbled together that may work !http://s000.tinyupload.com/?file_id=140 ... 4227236369
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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haklesup
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by haklesup »

Interesting but the cable and pulley method looks like it requires the motor to reverse as well as position sensing and speed regulation for direct drive. A much simpler mechanism is to spin a disk or cam from the middle and drive a rod (the light bar). A disk and rod uses an hole off center hole and connect that to a rod. A cam system has an elliptical disk and a rod rides on the edge of the cam. If you gear several disks off each other, you can operate multiple cam pistons even moving the rods different distance and different phase from the others.

You can use just about any motor you have lying around and the specs of that motor would drive whether you needed a gear box or of you could drive the cams directly. For safety, The motor should be weak enough to stall if someone grabs the moving parts and the rotating parts should be enclosed. Maybe some kind of slip clutch to disk that can slip on its axel. Maybe not even have a motor and make it hand cranked, the Dr. did seem to have to pump it up to get it going. Some kind of lever to spin up a flywheel that powers the cam and rods. Ok, I'm getting carried away, it looks like you are space limited and also seems like you have already designed the light tubes.

For the light tubes, I would go low power and put some HB LEDs at the bottom of a frosted tube, easy to get color changing. Maybe you can get a few old light sabers Again low voltage for safety. Who knows what your Sons friends are capable of (he looks bright enough). Especially if they are battling a Dr. Who style monster, that can get hairy.

Now, how you gonna fit all that in a Phone booth?
dojogube
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by dojogube »

First, thanks for your input and suggestions. I can see that I am in the right place for guidance. The light spirit and humor assure me that all men including me still have wonder and youth inside.

My original thoughts were to bundle together two stacks of led tube lights. (See drawing)
As the piston operated, the lights would go up and down and be viewed through cut outs made in the PVC tube.

At first I wanted to use a clear tube and have the whole operation fully enclosed. I tried to price clear tubes and found them to be cost prohibitive. My solution was to get 10” PVC and make cut outs.

This has obvious down sides. 1st-it nowhere near as appealing. 2nd- fingers could get caught in the openings.

I am not stuck on this idea it is just what came to mind.

The goal is to have something moving up and down in the middle of the console. I went with lights.

Image
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Lenp
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by Lenp »

Yes, a wheel, arm or elipse driving a rod would also work, but at the expense of torque, and space.
The farther you go from the center the speed increases and torque and speed are inverse to each other.
I considered the motor that was shown in the OP's post when I did the sketch.
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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CeaSaR
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by CeaSaR »

Personally, I would go with the enclosed tube of lights that were so often seen in Dr. Who. That keeps wandering fingers away from any and all moving parts. Then go with one of the most reliable stand-bys, the greased threaded rod and accompanying nut solidly affixed to the bottom of tbe light base / base plate. Don't forget limit switches. Add a couple of guide rollers and grooves / guides and it'll work reliably for years.

CeaSaR
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Lenp
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by Lenp »

Using a jackscrew requires a fast motor. As a side note the motor shown in the post is slow but with much torque. Using a jackscrew converts speed to torque. If used with this motor the lights would take a long time to raise. At 10 rpm if the screw thread was 10 TPI it would move 1 inch per minute!
Using a pulley scheme the pulley sizes can be changed to get a useful torque/speed combination.
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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CeaSaR
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by CeaSaR »

Only if it is direct coupled. Use of gearing converts the high torque, low speed into lower torque, higher speed, and the threading on the jack rod reinstates torque to lift the light assembly.

CeaSaR
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Lenp
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Re: Building a Tardis Console for my son.

Post by Lenp »

Correct
I should have said 'faster screw drive speed'
This was all relating to the gearbox assembly the OP said he was going to use, with the jackscrew expected to be coupled to its output shaft.

But this is all academic since the OP has not provided any real Tardis details except the possible background shot behind the alien in post#1 :razz:
Len

“To invent, you need a good imagination and a big pile of junk.” (T. Edison)
"I must be on the way to success since I already have the junk". (Me)
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