Thread: Linear Actuator?

Hmm. How much throw do you need? In other words, how far do you want your amp(s) to move? Most actuators in car doors travel 1-2" (AFAIK) so I don't think you will find many at the traditional car stereo type stores.

Are all of your amps in a row? What ab out connecting them together in the back and then sliding them out with a motor. You can use a cam so that if the motor stays on it will cotinually slide the amps in and out. Actuators would slide the amps out...but it would be in one explosive move.

-F

if you find em cheap, lemme know--the ones you are looking for I find for like $400-$1200 dollars each.

Aaron once suggested using a power antenna, just remember that they can't handle a large load

Yeah these linear actuators can get pretty expensive especially if it has a stepper motor. I'm looking for some motorized actuators like the ones that are in motorized indash lcd units. Anyone know where I can get a hold of them? I want to do a motorized lcd screen that will come out of my glove box.

kickercivic1,

I'm not sure how cheap you're looking to get it for, but recently at work we were working on a design for a lifting mechanism capable of lifting about 150lbs or so.This was intended to be a low-cost alternative to its competition, so it may be similar to what you need. The difference, of course, is the amount of load on the mechanism (unless the amps that you want to move will be mounted to a sub box, which might be cool too.)

Anyhow, the mechanism slides on a drawer slide (ours is very heavy duty, but yours won't have to be.) It's driven by a DC gear motor, which turns a screw. The screw threads into a nut which is attached to the "Drawer" By reversing the voltage to the motor, it slides in and out. There will be a cut-off switch at the inner and outer limits of the travel.

For a better description of what I'm describing go to http://www.mcmaster.com and search for "acme screw." I'm not sure if individuals can buy from there, and if you can it would most likely be pricey, but you could probably rig up a similar mechanism from parts from Home-Despot and Radio Shack. The only expensive parts will likely be the motors, although I don't know where to get those. Hope this is a step in the right direction.

As WizardPC said, linear actuators arnt cheap, you can get them form mcmaster carr
www.mcmaster.com
or grainger
www.grainger.com
autoloc
www.autoloc.com
or
MSC
www.msc.com
<edit> you can also get acme screws, ball screws, and lead screws from here theise will allow you to basically build your own linear actuator</edit>

You are still going to have to do the slide thing, or make some type of guide for the amps, IF you need 4 different ones you may want to look at penumatics, evean with the air tank and the valves needed, it may be cheaper than the linear actuator, and you can control the speed of the amps position them anywhere thru their range of motion.. and you gotta love the cool pssssssssht sound!!

Filip you are thinking of door lock/shaved door soloniods(sp) or actuators, a linear actuator operates much slower than those little speed deamons and has much more power.

I know this thread is basically dead but I'm just throwing this out there. You could also have a DC rotary motor attached to the back of the amp that has a gear attached. The guide/rails on the sides would have to have teeth. That way when the motor rotates it uses the toothed rails to create linear motion. That's a much cheaper way to do it.

Just make sure the teeth on the rotary gear will roll through the linear rails without getting stuck.

Dead! it's nearly 5 years old