@dbrn32 im hoping you can advise me about this. im considering to build an angled turntable to have the plant rotate at an angle to increase light penetration and balanced coverage. I havent been able to find a product that would meet my interest so im designing one.
i have found this low rpm motor. im planning to find some gears or pulleys to allow me to have a very slow turn speed, like once an hour or two. In the meantime, if i use a motor like this one
then ill need to provide power to it. can i simply look for a power supply to output 0.6a, strip off the plug and wire it directly to the unit? idk if motors are your thing, but i figured you would be the guy to ask on here
Electrically I work with motors more than lights lol. Not usually small dc motors like that though. And I definitely don’t have a background in designing the mechanical side of that. My concern would that motor doesn’t have the torque to do what you want to do. But I’m not really sure how much torque you need either.
A constant voltage power supply would do what you need to run the motor though. You’d just want to make sure you have one large enough to cover inrush current. Also, you could put a recycle timer feeding power supply to help slow down turning speed if you needed to.
Pulleys are s good idea. If you have a hard time sourcing them, chain drive would work too. On either front you could play with sizes of each to mess with speed and torque a little.
my thoughts exactly. if i use a standard 12v 0
6a poser supply rated to plug into the wall im thinking i can cut the plug off and split the cord. also im thinking if i reduce the speed with gearing itll up my torque. if i can figure out the setup and manage to overdue the torque requirements then i can always fit a slightly stronger motor and adjust the gear ratios.
I think I would take a look at the total cost of project and then compare it to cost of adding more light. Depending on where costs line up, I would see how that matches up to expected results of each.
i guess i could setup two identical grows with one on the tilted turntable the other static and compare yields? im dont have enough experience to be sure i can control all the variables.
logically it makes sense to me the one real advantage (assuming u max out the light absorbing ability of the plant either way) the sun has is its changing angle to the plant. so tilt the plant a little and make it rotate. im ok with it being a thought experiment for now.
i was originally thinking of a turn table that completed a full revolution in 8 hours. with a 10-15 degree tilt this would be the closest way i can imagine to mimic outdoor grow
You could always put your lights on a track, instead. Have them move across your grow room like the sun across the sky. Maybe get a track with a slight arch, if that is possible, so the lights would dip down at the edges?
You could also buy a heavy duty round lazy susan type thing & motorize that. Heck, they might already even make those with motors in them. A motorized sit & spin?
I have no technical know how, so my ideas are clearly not going to blow anybody’s mind.
omg lol. there are things like it but really expensive and i need it to turn really really slow. i have found a motor for a microwave turntable that turns about 1/2 turn per minute, but still thats way too fast. i want it to turn once or twice every 8 hours. at that slow speed it should have plenty of torque to move a heavy plant
My first thought, honestly, was using metal like you would to make a barometer or thermometer. A piece of metal that’s coiled & moves with changes in temp, heat, or pressure. No motors or anything.
Past the idea stage, I’d have no idea how to implement it.
Or, maybe your motor/spinny thing doesn’t need to rotate? Maybe it could oscillate in a big arc, back & forth? Just brainstorming, here. I know you love to experiment, so figured you’d be open to zany ideas.
Oh, oh, oh… How about a rottiserie?! Upend it so it sits vertically? Don’t skewer your plant, of course. Rotisseries can be programmed to move really slow.
yes i found a video of a guy that used a rotisserie but the one he found was 30$+. either way i would need to slow it way down. 0.5rpm is about 120 to 240x too fast. see? i need something about 0.002 rpm.
i know it can be done. i should just do it. lol
omg i just realized. i dont have to tip the plant. its much easier to just tip the light. LOL
i was originally thinking to tip the plant to benefit from orbitotropism. i gotta just do it
too much work and. moving parts to fail. i just wanna spin the plant at an angle to gravity for gravitropism and at an angle to the light for better penetration!!! why cant i have what i want?
oh wait. i can. i just have to build it. how best to mount a plant at an angle, i wonder…
and i want the whole thing to fit in a 2x2x4 tent
heres a thought. forget reducing rpms any further. get the 0.5rpm and give it a try. whats the worst thing that can happen
Just a MacGyver thought… Had you considered connecting your spinner to the spindle of an electric clocks hour hand? Narrows it down to 12 hour cycles.
i have. i just got in touch with a machinist. hopefully he can cut some pieces of metal to size qnd shape, tap some holes. then i can start the search for gears. or maybe i can tell him what im trying to do and see how he recommends things. i would prefer a metal gear system but all ive found on amazon is plastic.
