Available mechanism to close and open a door

I have a box which i want to open at the bottom.My box looks like this




My first choice was use of electromagnets but the power used would be too much.What other mechanisms i can use to close and open a the bottom part of my box?.

You can use low rpm, high torque DC motors to open the door smoothly. Connect the motor to the hinge, and use push buttons to detect when they are fully closed or open, and stop the motor accordingly.

Thanks for the response. In the event that i have many boxes that would mean many motors and hinges. Is there another simpler solution that would work by applying a small current to say a joint and the joint opens and a different current is applied and the opening closes?.

Hi,

nice description.

It´s almost as prcise as my description:
I have a resistor. it is huge. It has two legs.
It looks like this -----<====>------
And there are some colors on it. One color is the same as my car. There are many resistors on a tape.
Where should i connect this resistor to increase output power of my amplifier?

Got it?

Klaus

:grin:

I admit i have not given enough details. The answer on using a motor easily solves my problem but each motor goes for $22 and i need 125 of them!

I thought of using a linear actuator but that too is expensive. Electric hinges too are not cheap,so i reall have to think of something on a DIY budget.

Love the comment Klaus!

But is your box the size of a board game dice or is it the bomb bay doors of a B52?
What power source is available, a hearing aid battery or a power station?
Is it in a fixed position or on the move as the door operates?
How fast does it need to open and close?
How heavy is the door?
Is it a single door or two meeting together?
Is it hinged so it drops from one side or should the door slide to one side?
What space is available around it?
Is it in a hostile environment, under liquid, in a vacuum, explosive gas, very hot, very cold...?
What material is the box made from, can it bear weight of an added mechanism?
Is the opener/closer part of the box stucture or a mechanism external to it?

Brian.

My box is 16 cm by 16 cm and its made of acrylic glass.There is a space of 7cm around the box.I have access to battery power.

I cannot answer all your questions,its a small project.

Hi,

this is some usefull information. But not enough.


125 boxes..
What is it for?

An acrylitic box with automatic opening the bottom.
I can imagine to mount the boxes on the ceiling of a tv studio and the boxes are filled with stars and glitter...

But then a lot of boxes may open at the same time. Or do you need to open each box independently?
I can imagin a continously rotating mechanism connects all boxes in a row. and in each box there is a magnetic clouch to activate opening and closing of the door.

On the other hand i can imagine that there is someting inside the box (put in manually) and on demand (electromagnetic unlock mechanism) the door is unlocked. With the weight of the inside the door opens and the thing falls down.
With a spring the door closes by itself...

Small motors with gear box should be availble below 3$ each. Look for NOS or surplus material. Maybe in ebay.

Tell us more...

Klaus

Add a counterweight. This will minimize the power needed. Then a solenoid may be sufficient to open and close the door.

Electromagnets may be your best choice. I think the overall energy consumption will be a lot less than using several motors. What you need to figure out is a mechanical latching mechanism for opening and closing. This you will have to design. Let me know if it helps.