Need help with small motorised circuit

Let me start by saying hello to the forum as I have just discovered it.

Ok, down to the nitty gritty. I really could use some pointers and thoughts on how to help me rehouse my pc.

I will be putting the bulk of the components into the top of a desk, I have created all the plans and am happy with my designs. The part I am stuck on is how to make my DVD drives emerge from the desk top.

The vision i have is that a small circuit controlled by maybey a micro-switch would allow the dvd drive to rise from the worktop in the same fashion as an old Top Loading VCR.

There are only 2 major requirements I have which are:

1. The ejecting mechanism must be controlled and not fire the drive up fast enough to enter orbit.
2. The whole system would need to be powered by either a PC PSU or by mains power.

I really have no idea where to start on this at the moment, all I can think of is either to have the drive set in a caddy very similar to an old top loading VCR and use that type of setup. The other setup could possibly use gas filled pistons and some sort of electronic solenoid holding the drives in place when depressed.

Please feel free to shoot me down in flames if I have said anything silly, I really haven't touched any type of circuit or anything like this in over 20 years.

Well, I suppose I will leave my question there for now and check back in a day or so to see if anyone can help me.

Nice forum though so thanks

Auto window motors and micro switches are good. I have always wanted to do something with household water pressure and ice maker valves but it requires tubing to the supply and more tubing to drain the cylinder somewhere. It would be smooth and speed adjustable.

It's not really clear but it sounds like you want to have the DVD drive located below the surface or behind something then based on some command or condition, you want it to pop up or pop out so that you can add/remove a disc.

If that is the case - what will initiate the process?

How will you keep the drive from opening while it is hidden?

How fast do you want it to appear and disappear?

There are a lot of questions to be asked and answered. Don't worry - you don't need precise answers. They are just things to think about. As an example - if your drive is relatively light weight and you don't need to have it pop up like toast out of a toaster then it would seem that you don't need a lot of power or a huge amount of force. You probably don't want it to take all day either.

As suggested, autos can be a good source of parts. Not sure that an old VCR has the power/force you need. Compressed air in a small cylinder can provide quite a bit of force. You would need to store the compressed air and get a compressor. Some of the choice of what you do certainly depends on what you might have on hand or are willing to purchase (or make).

Good luck.

Well,

Thank your for your input and suggestions, I realise a lot of this may be trial and error thats why I'm asking for ideas. These should hopefully keep the number of errors down, in turn saving me cash.

Window motors could be used although i would prefer something smaller.

The DVD drive would be actually below the worktop but would emerge upward when changing discs.

I am stuck between two choices at the moment, the first would be to have the whole dvd drive raise from the desk vertically staying parralel to the desk top.

The second design would keep the rear of the dvd drive underneath the desk surface on a pivot bar and only raise the front of the drive.

I am working on the principle that the drive will be opened on my command from a switch. The speed it opens should be slow and safe, I do not plan to enter it into any springboard competitions

With the compressed air pistons i didnt mean ones that required a compressor, I was thinking more along the lines of the gas type pistons that you see on car hatchbacks to hold the boot or bonnet open, only on a smaller scale, maybey even something like the ones that are on fire doors.

Well some more thoughts to ponder on, once again thanks for the input so far, I really do appreciate it

Keep up the good work

maybe a small stepper moter with a cam attached to the shaft under the DVD drive at the front and a pivot bar at the back like you suggested, drive the moter and the cam will push up the front of the dvd drive, keep going and it will drop again.

just a thought

Staying with the pivoted rear-end & lifting front idea...how about spring loading the front end of the enclosure and damping the opening rate with RC model shock absorbers? You can vary the damping rate with different weight oils and damping plates with more/less holes.

A solenoid & switch could then be used to open the enclosure.

OOh the RC car shocks could be ideal, thanks I will hit ebay up now and give them a try, this could be just what I was looking for. I will post if i get them working, if not it will be back to square one.