2019 Animated pumpkin linkage

I had seen this idea somewhere before but couldn't find the video. I wanted to show a linkage design that allows the prop to "pause" during the rotation cycle. As I discussed, you do need to do a bit of math to figure out the right measurements but it's not that hard. For me - I wanted a 5" movement which equals a 2.5" arm off the motor. I wanted to add 3" in the slot for the period of when the prop stopped moving so that equals out to an additional 1.5" added to the arm off the motor - so I now have a 4" arm off the motor. Hope that makes sense. I did have to cut out most of the PVC cross members for the bar clearance since I originally designed it for the shorter 2.5" arm off the motor. Something to keep in mind as you design.
Main point - this allows the prop to pause during the rotation which is what I wanted - for the pumpkin head to stay closed for a period of time before it starts opening again.

[@JohnDoe-fj8rb]

That’s looking badass I like that you foamed the inside of the pumpkin 👍

[@turdsferbreakfast]

Freakin next level good job.

[@deoblo85]

thats Fantastic i love that HFL !!

[@angelisle3799]

i like it

[@71druss]

Looks great nice work

[@jimvorndran9438]

This is probably the dumbest question ever but I have never grasped how to make the second connection on the motor revolve. I see in your video the arm attached to the motor is a solid connection. But the the end of that arm connected to the prop allows the spinning. What washer and bolt combination do I need to do and prevent the nut and bolt from loosening as the prop moves?

[@jimvorndran9438]

Did the 5 volt supply work?

[@randomant4909]

You deserves the Nobel Prize sir!! Lol! Maybe one year i can try this but definitely this year. Awesome! Awesome

[@RickVerlinda]

thanks - since this video I've changed motors which I posted a video on - I'm down to around 5 RPM so the pause is longer. I've also changed the way I hold the prop closed - a better design with the rubber bands. Also I forgot to mention in this video that I got a plastic bushing (lowes) that goes over the bolt through the cutout of the shaft. This makes it slide much smoother. Good luck

[@johnc6719]

Nice effect Rick, but could we see a side view to see how the arms pull back ?
I have a 5rpm motor so they are available. I think the power supply has to be at least 1 amp to even turn the motor even though all the pvc, bolts and skeleton are not that heavy. Thanks for all your hard work.

[@RickVerlinda]

Hello - first the arm movement - the arms aren't really moving as part of the motor movement. The arms are attached at the shoulder area on pivots and the hands are attached to the head pieces. So it "looks" like the arms are opening the head but they really aren't. If you look at one of the earlier videos you will see the linkage I designed at the rear of the two halves of the head. The motor is only pushing the top half of the prop forward, which forces the two halves open - which with the hands attached to the head make it appear that the arms are opening the head but they really aren't. The arms just pivot.I posted in one of the earlier videos that the wiper motors didn't have enough torque at the slow RPMs to open and close so I ended up buying a motor with 3X the torque. I'm using a speed controller and have it slowed to around 5-6 RPMs and it's working fine. The motor I use is listed in the other videos. Let me know if you need any more info. Good luck

[@RickVerlinda]

I just looked at this video and noticed you can see exactly how the arms are attached at the pivot points. That's all I was trying to explain earlier. The whole movement is really based on the upper section leaning forward and back.

[@randomant4909]

Question. This year I am wanting to make a prop that slowly goes up and down. The prop is to look like something is coming out of a water well. Could I use a raindeer motor for this? Wanting a plug in motor (easy) since I have no experience with motor connections. Thanks and keep up the great work.

[@RickVerlinda]

My 2 cents - I tried a reindeer motor only once - and sent it back broken. The problem with the motor to me is - it has plastic gears - so what happens if it gets too much force on it, the gear will strip (break) at that point and will be that way from now on. So each rotation it strips out at that point. Plus the motors have pretty much zero torque - they definitely are not meant to lift any weight at all. As you can see when they are used in those reindeer props, they are meant to only make something lightweight move back and forth. So I would not recommend using a reindeer motor to try to lift anything up out of a water well. I'd expect the gears to break.Regarding you wanting a plug in motor - go to monterguts.com - they sell their wiper motors with the plug and dc power source. It's going to be at least twice the cost of a reindeer motor but the wiper motors are well worth the money. The plug goes directly into the motor connection - it has 2 speeds to chose from. Plus you can also by a speed controller if you want the option to determine the exact speed of your prop. I use speed controllers on all my props because I like being able to determine the exact speed. But you could start without the speed controller and always pick one up later. Hope this answers your question

[@Random_Moose76]

Hi grandpaw rick

[@RickVerlinda]

Hello to you!!!! How is your RUclips channel and videos going? Have you found a video editing program yet?