I think the reindeer motor is not strong enough.
The wiper motor is a bit fast but there are various methods of slowing them down to use.
Many people use the Rotisserie motors.

 

I used a reindeer motor for my FCG last year. I do a vertical setup with my motor and crank instead of the typical horizontal set up over the ghost. Doing it vertically allowed me to hide the motor and crank behind the ghost. It worked most of the night but then the load got to be too much and it started just doing a half revolution and then would reset and go the other way. I am going to use a rotisserie motor this year though. I have never used windshield motors so I can't comment on that. Good luck though, this is a fun project.

 

I have built several traditional FCGs. Always used a rotisserie motor with great results. I bought one that used a mirror ball motor that didn't last the night!

 

CAT# DCM-276 will work I've use this motor for an FCG the wiper motor is to heavy and over kill.but if you go that way go to SALE! Super Power 12VDC Gear Motor-The Electronic Goldmine there cheaper for the same and wiper motor go to monsterguts cheaper there too.

 

Ok daddy do you have your construction for your motor posted some where id be interested in your set up

 

If you use a rotisserie motor be sure to check how many RPMs it is before you buy it. I bought one several years back and it turned out to be only about 2 rpm. It didn't say on the box how fast it was. It was too slow to use for anything and I ended up finally just throwing it away to get it out of my way.

 

You can run the wiper motor on 5 Volts and it will go slower...this works for wiper motors or servos!!

5VDC 3.7A SWITCHING POWER SUPPLY | AllElectronics.com

 

No but I can take some pics and show you tommorow becuase I'm starting to build another one to sell.

 

Great I cant WAIT!!!

 

hate to tell you all , but first , here is a link to where that motor is CHEAPER , and it will NOT work for a FCG ... not enough torque . Yes , for its size , it DOES have some torque to it ... but NOT enough for a FCG . ( maybe a mini FCG - LOL )
For those interested , these little motors ARE well worth the monies , for some small apps needing some good torque , but ... the part about the 20 milliamps, is for NO load .. and believe me , thie little bad boy CAN suck up the amperage once applied under a load .
The shaft is made of a pliable plastic , which means it WILL and DOES stretch . When I used JUST a piece of square stock (AKA- key way ) when placed under load , it stressed the plastic enough to let the grooves/notches get over-ridden and almost made the inside of the shaft useless . Since I ordered a"few" of these , I simply went and took another motor and worked with it . This time , I used some JB weld on the key stock and THEN stuck it into the motor shaft and its worked pretty good now . Tested it overnight under load and no streching of the plastic/nylon shaft .
I ended up using mine for tombstone head-poppers using those styro wig heads with maskes on them . Works great !
But .. its DEFINATELY well worth the $3.00 for it .
Heres a link for those interested :
Burden Sales Surplus Center Item Detail

 

Don't forget the $7. shipping fee.

 

Yeah .. which is cheaper than when I called that place for a price for ONE shipped to Iowa ... ( think , they're also making a smidge off the top on the shipping as well ! ) Not to mention I was also told that there is a $10.00 MINIMUM order ( not including shipping ) from that other place .

 

I bought a FCG assembly off of ebay last year, it uses a reindeer motor and worked very well all night long, just the right speed and very quiet. the key is they used pulleys at the suspension points, so it works very smoothly with minimum drag, and a counter balance. So when it was balanced properly and with the pulleys it took very little effort to make it work. In addition the motor is water proof and comes with a pig tail extra plug which worked great for the black light. The ghost was the standard styrofoam wig head, foam hands and cheese cloth,

 

scareisburg, you wouldn't happen to have a photo of your fcg mechanism would you? especially the pulleys and counter balance.

 

Yes , those little enclosed motors they use on them rheindeer ARE excellent . Have LOTS of torque for such a little booger .
And ditto on the pics of the counter balance ( got the pulley setup just right , but , hey , if I can ease the pressure on the motor ... that would be great . )
I have it where the motor have a itty bitty little chain that came off one of those electric scooters and used the sprocket as well , then had it connect to a bicycle rim - 10 speed so I could vary the speed without reducing the torque of the motor by lowering the voltage or current ) The motor is on a drawer slide with a spring pullback for a tensioner , and the actual cabling ( which is some crab pot trap line that has minimal stretch and plenty of strength ) is where i believe it takes the pressure from the motor to get it going . I also use a double pulley setup there as well , the larger wheel ( again , bicycle rim with rubber liner ) and a small pulley that holds the line UP , so with any "bouncing" , it take the bounce out so the line stays on the main pulleys .
But , again , would LOVE to see a pic or two of the counter balance setup .

Thanks

 

Milemarker it sound like you're describing a Axeworthy ghost (zipline) set up.

I'll have to dig the FCG rig out of storage and take some pics, I didn't take any becacuse I bought it and didn't make it.

 

Milemarker it sound like you're describing a Axeworthy ghost (zipline) set up.

That is what I thought too. Is that what you originally tried to use the small motor on, Milemarker?

 

Duh ... my goof ... Yes , I thought the Axworthy was being referenced . again ..... BIG DUH on mjy part ... LOL

Lets see ... open mouth , lift foot , shove in , and step back with ohter foot without falling , and shut up ...



yep , thats what I'll do >>>>>>>>>>>>>

Sorry

 

Just, here are some pics of the pulley setup for the FCG, They basically use a sliding door wheel and some nylon guides. The counter balance is a seperate line that runs from the FCG head over the back two pulleys and then down you balance it by adding flat washers.
some of these pics are upside down showing the bottom side.

 

Here's my rig.

 

hey daddy id hate to ask this could you perhaps take another pic that one is kinda blurry and i cant see the mount very well id appreciate it

 

Pugsly has made several of these for members on the forum. Here is a post with a picture of his setup.

 

Your looking at the underside of the rig on each of the two arms is a pulley and on the leftside of the pic backside is another pulley in the center. if you flip it over topside the are eyebolts on the main body the two beams in the middle two on the leftside and two on the rightside of the pic.If this isn't clear I can post a drawing.

 

Oh Im clear on this but i thought you were using the cheaper motor that looks like a metal motor to me the thing im wondering is how to mount to the cheaper motor. Im sorry if im being a pain

 

Thanks for all the pics guys. I have built several FCG rigs and have that part down to a science. I was REALLY interested in the use of a counterbalance, as I have seen it mentioned several times and understand it helps quite a bit. I really wanted to see a picture of a FCG rig with the counterbalance in use.

Scare, thanks for the pics. That is a really interesting rig you have. I appreciate the explanation regarding the counterbalance. It helped quite a bit. I would still like to find some pics of the counterbalance in use, on a traditional FCG rig like the Phantasmechanics, since this is what most of us use.

 

I used a mirror ball motor. Bought online. I built a wood frame and thanks to Spooky Blue I got it working great. Had to do a counter weight which means 4 holes instead of three and had to use set offs so line did not get tangled. Had to place motor center of all the set offs so mine looks like a cross instead of a t frame. Hope this helps someone.

 

Yeah, I've done mine that way too. The mirror ball motor loses torque after a few Halloweens of operation. Mine's gotten so bad that my counterweight is almost exactly the same weight as the marionette, making the head kinda just sit there. I changed it out this year for another mirror ball motor (I bought quite a few several years ago), but I'd really like to transition to something with a lot more torque.