How do I stop my control panel from rotating

[grafixmonkey]

I was thinking no mechanical parts at all.  Just some plates of iron/metal under the rotating part and a strong electromagnet situated at one spot on the base.  Push a button and it stops the current so you can rotate it...let go and it activates again and latches onto the metal plate on the CP.  Hmmm..I may look into this for my panels...

that would waste an unbelievable amount of power.
You want the magnet to activate and release something, not hold it in place while the magnet is on.

Do this:
Get solenoids. (like someone suggested but there are so many posts I can't find it!)
But get more than one.  Get three, or six, and place them on top of the rotating panel so their metal pieces will fall down.  The rotating panel should have recessed holes in the top (not all the way through the wood - just a hole the solenoid bit can fall in to.)  Make sure the solenoids are spaced at regular angles - you have a 6-sided rotating panel right?  so put either 3 or 6 in, so that when you rotate to the next position the 3 or 6 solenoids line up with new holes.  Now, when you press a button, the solenoids will yank the metal bolts out of their holes, freeing the panel.  Rotate the panel a bit, and release the button, and the bolts will fall back down and ride on top of the smooth wood.  When the holes come back into alignment, they will all fall back down into place by gravity alone, locking the panel into its next position.

The only problem it might have would be precision - as in you'd need lots of it to get the solenoids lining up with their holes.  So, you could also space the solenoids at irregular intervals (like four of them, but not in a square) and drill four new solenoid holes for each table position.  More drilling, less precision...  just mark the spot and go at it for each position.

Awesome panel!!!

[Wienerdog]

Yeah I thought of that...yet if you think of the force being applied as attraction vs the force needed to break such a connection, they are going in perpendicular directions.

Are we talking about the magnent or the testes?

On a side note, I had 4 beers to see if it made more sense now...  it does.

[unhuman]

There was a solenoid in some catalog I just got that - from a car door lock.  says 3/4" throw, current required to move it either way....  Was like $3.

Ping me if you want more info.

I didn't bother to go back to see if you had a fix, but this seems pretty logical...  Altho so did the pinball plunger.

-H

[zorg]

As for screw-in bolt stops... I think they are too slow and painfull.  

there's realy fast screw-in bolt , just a 1/4 turn and it's locked
there's a sort of reversed T that goes in a female piece, rotate 1/4 turn and "voila".

[BobA]

A cheap source for a 2 way 12V solenoid would be a car wrecker or aftermarket shop that sells solenoids for door locks.  These require power to lock and power to unlock a car door.  Just an idea.

BobA

[unclet]

Problem with the solenoids which I have seen is that the rod which sticks out is not long enough due to the place where I would need to mount the solenoid.   Also, mounting the solenoid might be a problem as well....I would need some type of strapping to hold it down...right?

Also, it seems if someone tried to rotate the panel while the solenoids were in the locked position, then I run the risk of ripping the solenoids from their mounted position....maybe....

Does anyone make a large solenoid where the metal rod is thick and protrudes out somewhat farther then the little thin rod ones?

[unhuman]

I don't know much about them - I just saw the one in the catalog.  But yeah, I could see you worrying about ripping out the mounting...  Depends how heavy handed you are, I suppose...  Using some sort of back mounting and nuts and bolts instead of wood screws would make it more durable than just mounting directly to the wood.

but a 1/4" steel rod should be penty secure, I'd think....  

Good luck

[SirPoonga]

Solenoid solutions the way I seeit.

Solder/weld a longer rod onto the solenoid.  

Yes, you will have to strap it down.  Goto Home Depot, plenty of pipe brackets for that purpose.

On the CP take a small metal plate (sheet metal is cheap) and drill a hole.   The solenoid will go into that and a little into the wood

[AlanS17]

People can get wild on driving games, flight sims, etc that require alot of back and forht movement. You'll wanna be careful. Even moving it unintentionally while playing a game could damage it.

[unhuman]

Dag...  Thought that just happened to it when it was someone elses machine (arcades, bars, etc).

Anyhow, perhaps you could rig up a few solenoids in a row....  That'd distribute the pressure more evenly.  And, still let you get by with a single switch...  and install reinforcements as I suggested above to where it mounts.

[Wienerdog]

Does anyone know the effect of running a 22vdc solenoid off of the 12 computer power supply?
http://www.mpja.com/productview.asp?product=8803+SL

Is there any disadvantage of using a continuous solenoid if you only need intermittent operation?  In my mind, a continuous duty solenoid seems would be preferable because you could use an on/off switch to fire it instead of holding a button down.

[grafixmonkey]

Does anyone know the effect of running a 22vdc solenoid off of the 12 computer power supply?
http://www.mpja.com/productview.asp?product=8803+SL

Is there any disadvantage of using a continuous solenoid if you only need intermittent operation?  In my mind, a continuous duty solenoid seems would be preferable because you could use an on/off switch to fire it instead of holding a button down.

They would both do the same job probably.  The difference would just be the power they consume.  i.e. you don't want the solenoid to be on all the time, and off when you move the panel...   better to have it off all the time and on to move the panel.  Or even better, one that flips back and forth like the one in car door locks like someone said.

[Wienerdog]

Actually, I mean the difference between a Continuous Duty solenoid and an Intermittent Duty solenoid.

A continuous duty solenoid can take power all the time, but an intermittent duty solenoid can only take power for some period of time (ex: 1 minute on and 3 minutes off).  That makes it sound like the continuous duty solenoid can handle heat better and would be more robust.  I am just wonderining if there is some reason that you wouldn't want to use a continuous duty solenoid for what will most likely turn out to be intermittent operation.

[tmasman]

When you turn off or unplug the machine, it would become unlocked...
Is that the result you want?
I don't really like the idea of the solenoid because you're up a creek if you just
want to rotate the panel when the cab is unplugged.
I think a bolt lock of some kind, or a pinball type plunger would be the best way to go.
The pinball plunger has the added advantage of being spring loaded, allowing you
to pull it out & let go when you've partially rotated the panel...
When it rotates into the proper position it will fall (or rather push up) into the hole.

[unclet]

Where do I get a pinball plunger to use for this purpose?   I like the idea of a plunger (since I can not really find a bolt longer enough to work) but do not know where to get one.

1Up had a picture of his homemade plunger but I could not really understand how he made it via his photos.

[grafixmonkey]

Happ sells pinball plungers.

Or a little bit of work with metal dowels and a spring from Ace Hardware or somewhere would do the same thing.

A plunger will only hold the panel in one location.  It would probably still wobble a bit.  You might be able to fix that by making the hole the plunger fits into cone-shaped at the end.

[Wienerdog]

Won't it be difficult to get a solid control panel with the plunger?  The slop between the shaft, the mounting bracket on the shaft/spring side, and the metal bracket on the female side will prevent you from attaining a solid surface.

I personally would look into solutions that provide a solid lock when in place.  If you are already talking about a manual pinball plunger, how about some kind of latch or clamp that can be locked down.  Sorry if that doesn't make any sense for your control panel, I can't see the image from my current computer.  

[Wienerdog]

Okay, I checked out the picture, NICE!

Here would be an awsome solution:
http://www.allelectronics.com/cgi-bin/category.cgi?category=400400&item=DCM-178&type=store

I don't know if you could retrofit your design to it, but maybe it will help you or someone else out.

[tmasman]

Here is Happ's Plunger
You could come up with one of your own too!

Get a long 1/2" bolt.
2 hex nuts, 1 washers, a compression spring, and a handle (if you can find one to fit the bolt.)

Although that motor idea would be pretty slick... Arrow push buttons to tell it which way to rotate... (drool...)

[unclet]

Thanks for the picture.....this might look do-able.  

The motor looks cool as well, but I am not sure there is a way to incorporate that now.   I am pretty much finishing up the cabinet now.    Just need to do a little more work before painting/wiring begins....

[grafixmonkey]

one of the review replies mentioned the motor included turn-counting.  You could use that to make something that, when you hit an arrow button, releases a bunch of relay-locks, turns the panel exactly into the next position, and reengages the relay locks once it's there.

But, again, you would not have the option of turning the table without power being on unless you powered the movement system from a separate power supply.