[Eltis]

Hello,

Can anyone tell me if this motor would be a good choice for an FCG rig? I know the RPMs are good, but I'm not sure about what other variables I need to consider (how to hook it up to AC power, does the gear need to be a certain type, etc).

I'm new to this stuff, so please assume I'm a complete moron when explaining. Thanks in advance.

 

[alucard]

Probably would be a good choice, but you will want to know the torque of the motor before using it. I would suggest going to:

Halloween Prop Building Supplies For The Home Haunter - Monster Guts

They have two motors that are cheaper and work great for a FCG rig.

I used their replacement dayton gear motor for mine, and it works great. Check them out before you buy the other motor.

Hope that helps.

 

[Eltis]

Hm, I think Monsterguts' motor is $50 + shipping. This one is $20 shipped. Are you talking about the wiper motors? I thought I needed a fully rotating motor for FCG.

The MG one definitely looks heavier duty with a more solid connection point.

But if you don't see any obvious issues, I'll go ahead and try the ebay one out. If it doesn't work, I have 30 days to return it and I'm just out return shipping.

Thanks for your help.

 

[mementomori]

I have an old rotisserie motor, it's from the 70's I think. Would that be a good one to use? It still works fine.

 

[Xpendable]

I thought I needed a fully rotating motor for FCG.

All wiper motors are continuous 360 degrees of rotation. The back and forth action you see on your windshield wiper blades is created by using a crank arm linkage. But the motor is continuously turning in the same direction the whole time.

 

[Eltis]

I have an old rotisserie motor, it's from the 70's I think. Would that be a good one to use? It still works fine.

I've seen a lot of people mention using them, with mixed results. I think those are YMMV, but certainly worth a try.

 

[Eltis]

All wiper motors are continuous 360 degrees of rotation. The back and forth action you see on your windshield wiper blades is created by using a crank arm linkage. But the motor is continuously turning in the same direction the whole time.

That's really good info. I was actually thinking of buying a wiper motor thinking it would be useful for something like making a corpse convulse on a table, but now I see that the motion would not be the same as I thought.

Still, the lowest speed is 15RPM, so I don't think that would quite work for a FCG.

 

[ChangedReality]

I'm interested in this.... I'm looking for a motor for my first FCG I'm building myself.... so... yeah.

 

[Xpendable]

That's really good info. I was actually thinking of buying a wiper motor thinking it would be useful for something like making a corpse convulse on a table, but now I see that the motion would not be the same as I thought.

A wiper motor would be perfect for making a corpse convulse. There's many ways to do it, but the simplest thing you could do is create an irregularly shaped cam wheel out of wood and have the wiper motor turn that. Make it so the cam pushes something that causes the corpse to convulse.

I have a lot of experience with wiper motors and have used one for a FCG before. Here's a video:
http://www.hauntsoft.com/FCGTest3.wmv
This is an earlier video where I was still tuning it. The end of this video shows a closeup of the wiper motor in action:
http://www.hauntsoft.com/FCGTest2.wmv

I have since rebuilt my FCG to use the $49 motor from MonsterGuts.com.

 

[sikntwizted]

I used a rottisserie motor. Speed is perfect, but you gotta watch the weight. I even rigged up a counter-weight and still had to cut down my ghost to a level that I don't want. I wouldn't use a wiper motor due to the speed. Just way too fast. My motor turns at 4 or 5 RPM.

 

[Eltis]

I have since rebuilt my FCG to use the $49 motor from MonsterGuts.com.

Very good info (all of it, just didn't want to quote the whole thing). Great videos - that FCG's movement actually looked pretty good. But I can see why you would want a slower motor for a little more subtle effect.

 

[Dr. Dark]

I used a 6 RPM Dayton gear motor for mine, and the speed, and torque are perfect. It was $50 from Grainger, but that was a few years ago.

 

[halloweenpropmaster]

reindeer motor

I used a deer motor and it works great! heres the videohomemade fcg by 14 year old video by halloweenpropmaster - Photobucket

 

[bfjou812]

I have 3 3rpm motors for sale. If interested see 3 rpm motors in the For sale by indivudal section on this forum.

 

[Spanky]

You could use a wiper motor, you would have to step down the volts to get it to move slower. I wouldn't mess with a rotisserie one as they tend to be to inconsistant with torque, rpm weight limitatiions, ect. your ebay motor might be fine, but I'd be skeptical about it since they failed to list tourqe specs. The monster guts FCG specific motor looks pretty decent, but is pricey. Caveat emptor. Monster guts is a awsome reliable company with quality products and ebay is, well, ebay.

Good luck on your motor hunt.

PS -a high torque motor with literally rip apart you FCG ghost and mechanism if you get a tangled line. be warned!

 

[McScreamin]

Here is a link to a reindeer motor seller.Cam Arm Kit Includes Motor

I have never personally used one, ( I use the Dayton too), but as Halloweenpropmaster shows, they can work, if the ghost is light enough. For $10 it may be worth a shot if you can't find another solution.

 

[hellowinnie]

Of course you should use a wipermotor - it'll cheap if you'll get it on a junkyard and for getting the right speed (rpm) you can use an old atx computer power supply (cost nearly nothing) and use the motor with the 3,3 or 5 V.