Thread: FCG speed help please.

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O.K., I've been tinkering with a FCG adaptation and need some help. My motor is the Monsterguts wiper motor and power supply the the 5 volt adaptor. I have the connections hooked to the lower of the two speed options. R.P.M. is probably in the 7-8 rpm range. My rig is still running MUCH too fast. The primary ghoul looks like she's doing aerobics more than floating. I've seen the speed control from Quality Kits and that would probably take care of it just didn't want to spend another $20 on this project. I've tried the dimmer switch idea without success. The only other thought I had was to shorten the crank arm. Currently my crank arm is about 14". Any thoughts/ideas would be most welcome. On a side thought, has anyone tried multiple crank arms off a single drive shaft?

If you don't want to spend $20, there really isnt much you could do, except adjust the crank arm. I use a Rotisserie motor (grand gourmet brand) and it goes slightly slower than I would like. My crank arm is 12" long.

Honestly, wiper motor is overkill for an FCG unless you have a very heavy FCG. Every Rotisserie motor I have ever seen is too noisy. I have been using rein deer motors and AC Vent motors a lot lately for crank ghost, and they have worked fine. New deer motors can be found for around $8, and the Vent motors are available at the surplus site for $2.99. It all depends on how heavy your FCG is.

Changing the crank arm will not change the speed, but it will change how far the ghost and arms travel up and down. The longer the arm, the more load on the motor.

Changing the arm will not change the rotational speed, but a longer arm covers more distance in the same amount of time, making the ghost appear to move faster.

Good point, heresjohnny, on the noise. Rotisserie motors are quite noisy, and if there were one thing I could change about my ghost, it would be the noise. Can you post the surplus site URL where you found the vent motors?

I like using reindeer motors also,sealed, lite & slow FCG speed & CHEAP. For those using wiper motors that are having speed convulsion problem , a 12/24 volt speed controller- This was posted by another member (sorry forgot who), http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/MX033 You can dial your speed without sacrificing torque or under power & burn out wiper motor !

My FCG uses a wiper motor as well. I ended up using the recommended speed controller and am very pleased with the results. I'll probably order another one to dial in the movement of my piano player which also uses a wiper motor.

If your ghost is balanced and light enough... you could also use a 6 rpm mirror ball motor. My dayton motor finally gave up the ghost 2 years ago after almost a decade of service, and the only thing I had on quick notice was a mirror ball motor. It works fine - but I did have to tweak the ghost a lot to keep it light enough as there is not enough torque in the motor.

With the wiper motor - if you have the dimmer switch between the wall plug and the ac/dc adapter, I don't think that will work at all. Have you tried the dimmer after the ac/dc adapter to limit the dc voltage going into the motor itself, or just on the AC side of things.

I'm not an EE, so I don't know if that really matters, but I tried the same thing once for a different prop and placing the dimmer before the ac/dc adapter had no effect and much later I realized that I didn't try it in line after the adapter to actually try and limit the dc voltage going to the motor.

Good luck!

Originally Posted by ernstdesigns

Changing the arm will not change the rotational speed, but a longer arm covers more distance in the same amount of time, making the ghost appear to move faster.

Good point, heresjohnny, on the noise. Rotisserie motors are quite noisy, and if there were one thing I could change about my ghost, it would be the noise. Can you post the surplus site URL where you found the vent motors?

True, fast speed over shorter distance will give the appearance of slower speed.

Here are the links:

https://www.surpluscenter.com/item.a...=1&item=5-1587

http://seasonaloutlet.stores.yahoo.net/buckmotor07.html

Look up the thread on the wallbreaker and leer ghost to see what is possible with these motors. You can also counter weight the FCG to reduce load on the motor.

The cheapest solution is the motor controller. I ordered one and was shocked when it came "ready to assemble". I had never soldered a circuit board before but it worked fine. If I order another one though, I think I'll look for one that is already built.

The one Dark lord referenced - http://store.qkits.com/moreinfo.cfm/MX033
does come assembled. It's the one I used.