Hello Everyone!
I am definitely a beginner in this field. This is strange for me, because I am usually the one answering all the questions on other forums. So let me just lay out what I think I know and what I want to do. Maybe some of you can guide me towards a good design.
I recently bought a nice >5mW green laser. It is very bright and I am using to create a little laser light show. My first project was the Laser Vortex (www.instructables.com). This was easy and consisted of a small motor, switch and 3v 500mA DC power supply. Point the laser at a mirror that is attached to the motor, and you get a nice laser cone (hence the laser vortex).
Now my second and bit more ambitious project is to create a 2 motor/mirror system, whereby the laser is reflected in a cone from one rotating mirror to another rotating mirror. The result is kind-of a spirograph pattern that varies with the speed of each motor.
So after completing my first project I assumed I knew what I was doing, and I wired up 2 motors, and my laser all to the same little 3v 500mW PS.
The result? Either the laser was on, or the motors were on.
If I have one motor on, it runs at full speed. When I turn on the second motor, they both run at half speed.
I am still struggling with the relationships between voltage, amperage, and resistance. I think what is happening in my second project, is that there is not enough current (500mA) to run all three devices.
Here are the specs for the 3 devices:
Laser: 3v < 250mA
Motors: 1.5-3v 500mA
Now ideally I want to wire all three devices to the same power supply. I could get a large one, but I am not sure I can accurately convert the numbers so that I don’t burn out my laser.
Time for a few questions:
Do I need a DC - DC transformer along with a higher voltage power supply?
OR
Do I need a power supply with more current (3v @ 1 - 1.5 A)?
Once I can power all three devices, how should they be wired together? (This may not be an appropriate question at this time)
I also plan on making the 2 motors variable speed using a couple of potentiometers, but I am not sure that this is the right option.
This is my ideal setup:
DC Power supply
One Toggle switch for the laser
Two Potentiometers (one for each motor)
I appreciate any help that you are willing to provide, and I also greatly appreciate any links or other useful information sources that you can direct me towards. I am nosing around Wikipedia trying to get a handle on the basics.
This seems like an extremely basic project considering the others I have seen on here (please don’t bash me just yet, I’m still learning!)
Thanks!!!
N
I am definitely a beginner in this field. This is strange for me, because I am usually the one answering all the questions on other forums. So let me just lay out what I think I know and what I want to do. Maybe some of you can guide me towards a good design.
I recently bought a nice >5mW green laser. It is very bright and I am using to create a little laser light show. My first project was the Laser Vortex (www.instructables.com). This was easy and consisted of a small motor, switch and 3v 500mA DC power supply. Point the laser at a mirror that is attached to the motor, and you get a nice laser cone (hence the laser vortex).
Now my second and bit more ambitious project is to create a 2 motor/mirror system, whereby the laser is reflected in a cone from one rotating mirror to another rotating mirror. The result is kind-of a spirograph pattern that varies with the speed of each motor.
So after completing my first project I assumed I knew what I was doing, and I wired up 2 motors, and my laser all to the same little 3v 500mW PS.
The result? Either the laser was on, or the motors were on.
If I have one motor on, it runs at full speed. When I turn on the second motor, they both run at half speed.
I am still struggling with the relationships between voltage, amperage, and resistance. I think what is happening in my second project, is that there is not enough current (500mA) to run all three devices.
Here are the specs for the 3 devices:
Laser: 3v < 250mA
Motors: 1.5-3v 500mA
Now ideally I want to wire all three devices to the same power supply. I could get a large one, but I am not sure I can accurately convert the numbers so that I don’t burn out my laser.
Time for a few questions:
Do I need a DC - DC transformer along with a higher voltage power supply?
OR
Do I need a power supply with more current (3v @ 1 - 1.5 A)?
Once I can power all three devices, how should they be wired together? (This may not be an appropriate question at this time)
I also plan on making the 2 motors variable speed using a couple of potentiometers, but I am not sure that this is the right option.
This is my ideal setup:
DC Power supply
One Toggle switch for the laser
Two Potentiometers (one for each motor)
I appreciate any help that you are willing to provide, and I also greatly appreciate any links or other useful information sources that you can direct me towards. I am nosing around Wikipedia trying to get a handle on the basics.
This seems like an extremely basic project considering the others I have seen on here (please don’t bash me just yet, I’m still learning!)
Thanks!!!
N
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