Motorised Nautilus Gears #1

thingiverse

Work on the Nautilus gear set has led to two projects, with another version available here: http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:176585. The maker initially used a costly but reliable geared DC motor for similar tasks but decided to experiment by adapting a servo motor to achieve lower RPMs and voltage while maintaining torque. However, the challenge was finding a way to connect the motor's drive shaft to an axle - a creative solution is still being sought. The motor runs on a standard 1.5V battery as shown in a video (http://youtu.be/HtOLFmOW6Bc), but it could be quieter and might benefit from being enclosed. The chosen servo, a Turnigy TGY-1800A, was selected at random from spare parts. The project includes several STL files for various components: DisplayPanelNautilus_1, which features an oddly shaped hole for the servo motor; DisplayStandBaseNautilus_1, used as feet to hold the panel at a 15-degree angle; and ServoConnector_Top_1 and ServoConnector_Base_1, which trap one of the servo horns. An M3 bolt serves as the drive shaft for one of the gears. A search online using terms like "servo motor hack" can help with details on adapting a servo's electronics to be powered by a 1.5V battery.