Thread: Spider Lifter

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I came up with the idea for this device a couple of years ago, but didn't try making it until this Halloween. And it actually worked just the way I thought it would in my head. (I love when that happens.)
Everyone knows how the reindeer motors work--when the rotation is stopped, they will reverse direction. I had the idea to attach a plastic pulley to the shaft of the reindeer motor, then tie one end of a long length of string to the pulley. I mounted the motor to a piece of wood, then drilled a hole in the wood (just below the pulley) and mounted a large eye bolt and ran the string thru it toward the ground. A few inches from the other end of the string, I tied on a 3 inch piece of dowel rod. This rod is what stops the motor and makes it reverse.






So, my spider is tied to the end of the string--just below the dowel rod. I power up the motor, the pulley starts to lift the spider up. It keeps going up until the dowel hits the eye bolt, which stops and then reverses the motor. The spider starts going down. It keeps going down and when all of the string is unwound form the pulley, the pulley just keeps going and winding the string up, thus lifting the spider again.
Then the routine just starts all over again.

Here's a video of the device:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...urrent=004.mp4

I mounted the motor high up in a tree, so that all was visible was the string and the spider. I ran this prop for about 8 hours a day for the last three weeks of October and it worked perfectly. Used a lightweight, green spider from Target so it would show up during the day.

Here it is:
http://smg.photobucket.com/albums/v6...urrent=062.mp4

I can think of several other applications for this. It could lift a lightweight coffin lid open and closed, or a skeletons arm, lantern, etc.

I even want to try using it horizontally---run a clothesline from one tree to another at a slight incline. Mount this same mechanism on the tree at the highest point of the line. Then hang a ghost from a pulley on the line and have the motor pull it up, stop, reverse, then gravity takes the ghost back down to the lower end of the line. Then over and over again. (At least, in my mind it SHOULD work.)

I like that! Thanks for sharing.

Another cool prop!!!

That's really cool. Great job. This will be the first 2012 project added to my list!

Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant! Thanks so much for putting this is up after our requests. You are the king of motorized props!

Thanks for the compliments!

I don't thnk I'm the KING of motorized props, Terra. Maybe the King of "thinking outside the box". LOL

And yes, I AM treating your car good.

Originally Posted by DaveintheGrave

Everyone knows how the reindeer motors work--when the rotation is stopped, they will reverse direction.

Everyone minus one - I didn't know the motors in reindeer would auto-reverse when they encountered high torque. That in itself is good to know, and your mechanism is great: thanks Dave!

Nice simple design and very cool effect!!!! Excelent idea!!! Thanks for posting!!!

Thanks, Demon Dog and The Pod!
Hey Demon, these motors work great for haunted Ouija boards and chess boards for the same reason---easy to make them move back and forth just by stopping them.