Thread: FCG question

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I'm wanting to build a clown marionette for my creepy nursery. Having never built a FCG, I was wondering if a clown mask and outfit would be too heavy. Would I need to use a counterweight? I'd get a very light weight fabric (poss silk) but I'd think it would still weigh considerably more than cheesecloth. Any thoughts? TIA

Most likely depends on the motor you choose to use. You want a low RPM high torque motor for a FCG. The motor I use from Monster Guts probably wouldn't handle the weight of that clown costume plus mask. Just my option...

You can check out the motor a lot of us have here.

Darn that's the motor I was going to order : ( I guess the hunt for the right motor is still on, shoot!

This may be a really dumb question but I was told to look for a motor with a worm gear (?) just out of curiosity do you know if this one has one? I picked up a few smaller motors with worm gears and they have a ton of torque, just way too small for this project.

Most gear head motors use a worm gear to drive a larger gear this does two things, it reduces the speed of the motor (The worm gear turns really fast, but the big drive gear turns really slow), and second it increases the torque of the motor (the friction between the worm gear and the big drive gear is low and allows a motor with low torque to drive a much heavier load).

But the old car axiom still holds true: there is no replacement for displacement.
The bigger the motor (more HP) that is driving the gear, the more torque you are going to get.

If you counterweight your clown, you can use any motor you want. Here is a diagram from Phantasmechanics that illustrates how:



"Head" would be your clown. "Counterweight" would be something that weighs the same as your clown. Using a counterweight relieves the stress on the motor and smooths the movement of the prop. Good luck!

Thank you! I may try a 4 RPM motor I already have then. I like a slow ghost so it may be fine. Guess I better start the clown so I can figure out the weight. Thanks again, I feel better about starting this project now.

Originally Posted by Jmurdock

Darn that's the motor I was going to order : ( I guess the hunt for the right motor is still on, shoot!.

My FCG uses the Dayton moter originally specified before they stopped being available. My FCG is the standard wig head/cheese clothe over coat hangers and it works just fine. If the MG motor has tewice the torque of the original, I don't think you would have a problem. YOu can always try it and ad a counter weight if you need to .

I've seen a FCG built using one of those little black air vent motors that are so popular. It had a very light weight ghost but seemed to work ok.

I like a slow ghost

If you end up going the wiper motor route (or any DC motor), you can use this controller http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/MX033 to control the speed without sacrificing the torque of the motor. My FCG uses a wiper motor with a PC power supply and this unit, which conveniently fits inside the power supply box. Been working flawllessly for years (knock on wood )

Great tips and ideas. I have a few of those vent motors, hmmmm I might turn one of my clown dolls into a marionette as well. I like the idea of being able to adjust the speed, I may have to look into that if my 4 RPM motor doesn't work and I get a faster one. I feel like I'm running out of time and it's still July!

Originally Posted by thisain'tmayberry

If you end up going the wiper motor route (or any DC motor), you can use this controller http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/MX033 to control the speed without sacrificing the torque of the motor. My FCG uses a wiper motor with a PC power supply and this unit, which conveniently fits inside the power supply box. Been working flawllessly for years (knock on wood )

I've built a FCG with a wiper motor and don't like how fast it is even on slow speed with a 5V power supply. This may be what I need. Anything else needed to use this?