4 inch Linear actuators

**Lando** · 01-13-2005, 03:27 PM

Does anyone know the cheapest place to get 4 inch linear actuators. The least expensive I've foud in $109

**Bugbyte** · 01-13-2005, 04:56 PM

Sorry, I don't but hope you get a reply. I'd like to get one myself.

BTW: What's the $109 source?

**Quattro** · 01-13-2005, 05:28 PM

Sorry, I don't have a source for a cheap actuator either, the ones I have seen are pretty expensive. I don't know if this will help but you might be able to use a servo motor with a worm/screw drive (think thats what its called) to get similar behavior to an actuator.

**ktritz** · 01-13-2005, 06:26 PM

If you can do 5"

http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...tname=electric

**Scouse Monkey** · 01-13-2005, 06:58 PM

Originally Posted by Quattro-A4

Sorry, I don't have a source for a cheap actuator either, the ones I have seen are pretty expensive. I don't know if this will help but you might be able to use a servo motor with a worm/screw drive (think thats what its called) to get similar behavior to an actuator.

I have been looking into doing this but the problem is you need to mod the servo to allow constant revolution and a screw drive is massively geared down and a typical servo takes about 1.2s to do 360 degrees and with a thread pitch of 5mm (eg a vice screw mechanism) this would take about 40 seconds for 150mm of travel and that is using a very coarse pitch. If you used am M10 thread for example this would be about 1.5mm pitch and take 2 minutes to travel 150mm.

I am using 150mm as it is about the distance you need to raise a screen o move it out of the dash

**kiltjim** · 01-13-2005, 10:21 PM

I don't know where you can get a linear actuator either, but you might be able to use the servo idea, with a little improvement. You could use the servo to move a lever arm. Alter the angle to fit you needs, and the length of the arm or arms, and you might only need to move the servo an inch, to accomplish a full 5".

**Bugbyte** · 01-13-2005, 10:57 PM

Originally Posted by ktritz

If you can do 5"

http://www.surpluscenter.com/item.as...tname=electric

Am I supposed to use an inverter to actuate that? It's 115 volts.

**kiltjim** · 01-13-2005, 11:20 PM

You know.... you never did say you were using it in the car. But yes, in order to use it in the car, you would need an inverter. Not much good I think. I'm sure looking through the surplus catalogs, you might be able to find something. But come to think of it, I don't remember ever seeing anything that was DC.

**Supermike** · 01-14-2005, 12:25 AM

How bout something like the power door lock motor? Actually it would need to be modified since it would probably not move the distance you need and would act too fast.

Maybe you should check out BugByte's site

http://www.dellabarba.com/ibug/Insta...stallation.htm

You can also get up to 3/4" of throw from a regular R/C servo with this.

http://www.bpesolutions.com/mechoduc...#anchor2236281
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...sPageName=WD1V

Are you trying to get an LCD to rise from the dash or something?

**Squid** · 01-14-2005, 12:59 AM

A quick cheap way is to make your own... I've done it before and it works quite well...

Get a good small hobby motor...gear reduced for even more torque... attach
some all-thread to it... (homemade misalignment coupler even... small flexible tubing)..
Get a small block of alum and drill and tap a hole in it to accept the all thread...
then mount whatever linkages to the alum block to achieve whatever you want.
For controlling distances you can use some micro switches at travel limits or such.

I usually get my tinkering parts from Jameco.com and they have a nice selection of small dc gearhead motors...

Hope that helps...