Motor Help

Hello DaTrusHurtz

Motors normally rotate.

Vibrators Vibrate.

Advise your intended use, also the probable power required, then it may be possible to assist you.

Reply here, with

Kind Regards....

A few people had told me I was looking for a motor, but I don't need something to rotate, I need something to vibrate, so it looks like I'm simply looking for a vibrator.

Ultimately I want to attach the vibrator to someone's wrist so I don't want something so powerful that they'll be shocked, but at the same time, it should be something they can clearly feel.

Sorry I can't be more specific, I'm really just trying to get some general information about the types of vibrators out there, how they work, how you set them up, etc.

Its a good thing you asked for a motor... not put in your title your after a vibrator :P

A motor with offset weights on the output shafts bolted to a table that is in turn mounted to a frame with rubber bushings will give a circulating vibratory table (do a google search for "Vibrator" you should see several versions of these devices)

An alternative is a solenoid type device connected with spring plates so the "levitated" plate moves in a vertical direction, for this, do a google search on "Vibratory bowel feeders"

Hello Snaketails

What you describe is hardly suitable for wearing on a wrist, which is what is needed.

Kind Regards....

For wrist sized motors, look up Minimotor.. or Micro motor..

These links are from China, but I guess they could be sourced locally.

http://chinajunyang.en.alibaba.com/product/0/203243335/Cylindrical_vibration_micro_motor.html

http://chinajunyang.en.alibaba.com/product/0/203098651/Others/Coin_type_vibration_motor/showimg.html

Hmmm, no sign of Vermin :P

Alternative, 2 conductive strips under device, contacting skin, electrical discharge similar to photographic flash across terminals.

Some are able to "feel" the flash energy, so have a flash pointing towards the skin surface, activate flash, and they feel it...

Hi Sparky,

You are right, motors don't vibrate but, there are motors which are designed to vibrate.

Example is the motor which we use at the side of spray drier cones (detergent powder manufacturing).

These motors have uneven loading on the shaft using weights on either end.

They run for 10 seconds or so and enable the removal of detergent powder from the wall of spray cones.

Google Electric Vibrators and see the results...

You may get some results which may distract you....but keep the focus...

Dratus, once you procure these vibrators it is matter of sequencing them with suitable timers..

Cheers.

Hello chaterpilar

Thank you for your Post, and I have worked on the type of vibrators you mention, generally on hoppers or bins containing powders which tend to be "sticky" or "pack down".

These type of vibrators, at 5HP up to 200Hp, are really too large to wear upon one's wrist.

Thus the request for usage of the motor/vibrator, to establish the intended usage.

So it's a wrist mounted vibrator which is required, which can be vibrated in 3 differing modes or frequencies.

For that type of usage, the piezo-electric type is best, and driven by a small frequency generator, at the various frequencies/interrupted sequences, for the required differing alarms.

The piezo units are a component of silent alarms, in both cellphones, and wireless pager units.

Being piezo transducers, the power requirements are small, around 35mA at 1.6 volts AC gives a large vibration,.

The low power requirement means simple rechargeable batteries, or even a watch battery, can power the unit.

Kind Regards....

Keep it simple folks...

Rip apart an old mobile phone and take the tiny motor with off balance weight out, attach to wrist and drive it at the different speeds to give the desired vibration requirements.

John.

Thanks everyone for your replies! I'm impressed by the rapid responses I've received on this forum.

A few more questions...

1) Where do you recommend buying a piezo-electric vibrator? Exactly what should I look for, are all pieze-electric vibrators essentially the same except with different voltage, or are there many different types of them? Or should I really just rip one out of an old cell phone. Would that likely have the one I need?

2) What is used to program these vibrators? Sparkstation mentioned a frequency generator, is that what I need? Where do I get that and how does it work? Like I said, I need to program it to vibrate at different frequencies at different specific times.

These are probably coming off as stupid questions, but I really appreciate the help.

Thanks!

Guest, when I said rip apart an old mobile phone, I meant that mobile phones use a small motor which has an offset weight on the spindle to create the vibration ring tone of a mobile phone...

So rather than make one yourself, find an old mobile and take the motor out of it.

Then for different frequencies just vary the drive voltage to give different speeds etc...

Forget about piezo-electric stuff as that is mainly for high frequency, audio work, unless you want to go the expensive route and design and have made a custom piezo drive?

John.

I thought it instantly on reading the request but Sparkstation said it first.

Motors, except for linear "motors," rotate.

Yes! They do on many occasions install off center weights on motor shafts to produce vibration. Want to bet such installations result in shorter life for the motor, or at least the motor bearings?

What I wonder is instead of buying an off the shelf vibrator to be rigged as a warning or notice device on somebody's wrist, wouldn't a cheap off the shelf cell phone, if you can accommodate the lack of precise control, serve as well.

j.

Look for

Magnetic vibrators
Unbalanced motors
Small conveyor equipment (linear conveyors)
Parts conveyor (worm conveyor) Handling technology

So you need a vibration motor like these, depending on where you are in the world you may find them in a surplus house or online everywhere...

Vibration level can be varied with rotation speed or by using more than one at a time. It you put two at right angle, the effect may be quite dramatic. An elastomeric (rubber) mount for the motor may add to the effects at resonant frequency.

The motors are either brushed DC or brushless DC, so study the proper control electronics schemes. Some BLDC motors have integrated electronics and behave like regular brushed DC motors.

Standard drive electronics of more specialized chips can be controlled via a microcontroller. A beginner should look at Robotics Hobby stores to see all that is available. Look at communities built around PIC, AVR, Pic Stamp etc microchips to see witch one you are comfortable with or use a Lego Mindstorm if one is available.

Welcome to the land of (almost) everything is possible!

http://www.jameco.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/KeywordSearchResultView?langId=-1&storeId=10001&catalogId=10001&searchType=k&searchValue=vibrat&categoryId=351590&rscount=8

the above single link is to a website with 8 little vibrating motors that should meet your needs.

Correct these are vibrator motors too, but they are used for cell phones.

Guest,

The idea of robbing the vibrators from a cell phone is good. You should be able to buy several different watch batteries and determine which one will operate the motor. Use 3 vibrators each tied to its own battery and either a multi stage timer or just 2 timers which are trigered off of the first vibrator starting. I believe this will be relatively small enough to place on a wrist but I am unsure what size the timers would be with out looking for one.