Thread: 4-way motion with a single wiper motor possible?

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I'm building a spider victim. I have some extra servos, and an extra wiper motor. A single wiper motor with power is easier to set up than running lines/a controller for 2 servos...

Is it possible to set up a wiper motor to move something in a quasi-random fashion for 4 way motion? What I've got is a shoulder and hip made of foam, connected with a spring so the 'spine' can bend in any direction.

If I hook up a wiper motor, I can make the body rock front to back (like doing situps) but I'd like some more random thrashing-like motion, side to side as well.

With only one motor, is there a rig I could use that would give a more random motion? I have a few ideas but not sure if they are feasable... if not I may go with 2 servos, one for front/back and another for side/side. I'd rather use the wiper motor tho... its more powerful, and an easier hookup, but I cant think of a way to get a side to side AND front to back motion with just 1 motor.

I dont want it to rotate... already considered that... I could mount the motor sideways, but then that'd cause a cyclical rolling motion.

Any thoughts I havent considered?

Maybe set it up like a fcg? Use rods instead of fishing line for the linkage? Just a thought......

Originally Posted by bfjou812

Maybe set it up like a fcg? Use rods instead of fishing line for the linkage? Just a thought......

And how's a fcg set up?

This is what I was refering to. You would attach the linkage to the outer washers and that will rotate on the arm. Hope this helps..