Weight/Pully system

[bemaitea2]

Hello,

I've been thinking way too much lately and have thought of another idea.

This one is a bit more mechanical than electrical.

I was thinking of attaching a light to a pully system and have it travel down using gravity, behind some different colored plastic. Just a cool thing for our living room.

Heres a sketch:

Front:
**broken link removed**


Side cross section:
**broken link removed**

My physics is pretty rusty, so I'm not too sure how feasible it would be.

I'm thinking that I can pull the system back up in the morning and have the weight system (As well as pully resistance) fashioned in such a way that 8 hours later the light will have travled down to the bottom.

So basically it takes 8 hours for the light to travel, or something like that. that way the colors change throughout the day.

I'm open to any suggestions!

Thanks again!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

Look how the weight moves down on a clock, you could use the same principle, and it would be accurate as well. You might also consider a water clock type device, where the light floats down in a gradually emptying tube.

Notice there's a theme to these choices!

To more accurately meet the aims of these forums, a row of LED's fed from a PIC would do it nicely as well!.

 

[Gayan Soyza]

I’m wondering from which height you are going to view this?

Your 1860 s method is replaced by the colour changing through PWM (Pulse Width Modulation).Instead of your pulley system moves in a height, the PWM circuit change the colours according to a preset time in a FIXED position.

Now this is year 2007 so variety of using microcontrollers. NUMBER of colours & the preset TIME to change the colours determining in the software.

 

[Sceadwian]

Gayan, for ambient/mood lightning a micro controller really lacks a true relaxed smoothness, though most people can't consciously perceive PWM effects the 'beat frequency' effects with other periodic light sources or events in the area can cause people to feel on edge or in an 'alien' environment. A simple bright white LED or common incandescent on a pulley system passed a colored window will give a true analog organic feeling light which will please and relax instead of distract attention. If you want to add a modern approach don't use a weight/pulley system, simply use a well ballanced loop attached to a stepper motor and step the stepper at the right rate.

 

[Gayan Soyza]

Forget the PWM if it is too advanced.

Replace the PULLEY system by THREE bulbs.
Take THREE bulbs & align with your coloured window (align with the holes)

Switch ON each bulbs at regular intervals or a from a preset timer.

The circuit?
Connect the THREE bulbs to the 4017 through TRIACS if it is AC bulbs.
Give a CLOCK to the 4017 by a pre made TIMER.

You can see the each bulb lights up & preset time given to the CLOCK input.

For bemaitea2 search "MOOD LIGHT" in google & get some ideas how they build.

 

[Super_voip]

if the light and weight are balacned, try a clock mech quartz or windup the hour hand wouldnt be auble to handle too much weight so you might have to used the minute hand thru gears.