I'm looking for a motor that has variable speed control which could be used to control a Disco Ball.I know that quot;American DJquot; makes a motor, but it only works with the DMX lighting protocol which I don't have and is total overkill for my needs anyway.1. Does anyone know of a motor that exists other than American DJ's?2. If not, can a motor be customized and built for under $100?3. Finally, can anyone provide a URL to an motor manufacture or electronics surplus store that might answer any of these questions?I should add that using a potentiometer / rheastat (light dimmer) will NOT work with the existing motor I already own. Thanks
You state that you have a motor already. So I'll put my reply into a couple of different parts. 1) If your motor is an AC motor, the only way to properly vary the speed of an AC motor is with a variable speed motor drive. Toshiba makes some small ones (under 1 HP). But you have to manually set them and control them. They are digital. 2) If your motor is a DC motor, a variable DC voltage source is what you require.
I'm sure the type of motor used in that item on eBay is a synchronous one, so a speed control won't work. Any 'ordinary' small mains motor, such as those in a food processor or an electric drill can be used with an 'ordinary' speed controller such as is used for light dimming. In fact, the speed controllers built in to those tools are the same - they're just not housed in a fancy wall-plate. You would undoubtedly need further reduction through gearing but it's something for you to think about. And, by the way, the normal light dimmer/speed controller is rather more than a rheostat or potentiometer. A synchronous motor can not be controlled with such a device because its speed is defined by the supply's frequency, not its voltage (which a speed controller effectively changes.) If the voltage to a synchronous motor is reduced its speed will not change. Keep reducing the voltage and the motor simply stalls and overheats. .
