OurMikeyRocks Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 I have a question about adding lights to my Ferris Wheel. For anyone who hasn't seen it before and would like to - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJx5nPxIJRU I would like to add lights to the wheel portion and, of course, I would like to have them synchronized with the rest of my show. I would like to restrict the power to any electronics or light to 12VDC for safety. I understand a commutator to bridge the rotary joint, but I'm not sure about getting the data onto the wheel. So, here are some requirements:1. keep power on the wheel at or below 12VDC2. could use a conventional commutator to supply power to the wheel3. could place controller on the wheel4. would prefer a controller that is DC powered - LOR CMB16D-QC or SanDevices E682 Alright all of you idea guys, how would I implement this? Thanks for any input. Mikey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Mitchell Posted February 17, 2015 Share Posted February 17, 2015 How about putting the controller and a Light linker onto the wheel. Not sure the power requirements of the ELL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Max-Paul Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 Ok, keep this in mind. Any battery that you put on the wheel is going to be heavy. So, you might need to put on two batteries so that they will be on opposite sides to counter balance each other. A controller is not that heavy so I would not worry about this. And as Brian pointed out. The use of a ELL on the wheel and one somewhere else will be needed to communicate with the controller. Now you are going to need to remember that each morning you will need to go out and put a battery charger on those batteries. Better yet, after the show to keep the batteries from freezing. Might think about going to using smart RGB pixels and a Sandevice and a couple of WPA in bridging mode, cheaper in some ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orville Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 (edited) Not sure how or if this may help, but I think I'd look at one of those rotating Christmas Tree stands that has an electrical outlet on it, take it apart and see how it works, and then implement that same type of system on your Ferris Wheel. Or you could possibly actually try and convert one of those type rotating Christmas Tree stands by replacing the motor with a DC motor and rewiring the female outlet that the lights plug into as a DC outlet for the lights on the Ferris Wheel keeping everything low voltage. That way you keep any batteries off the Ferris Wheel moving parts altogether. Just something I'd look at to see if there were any way to adapt something to work instead of trying to build something all up from scratch. I'd have to look and see whichever would be easier and possibly best implemented for your type projectand go from there. Good Luck. Edited February 18, 2015 by Orville Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
default Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 You could use a slip ring. I am using one currently on a wind spinner. Eight legs with Leds (10 iirc) mounted on the each leg. I use mine to pass 2 - 12 volt circuits to power the Leds on the legs. I can provide picture if needed. I have looked at these http://www.senring.com/hd-sdi-1080p-slip-ring It says 1 -24 circuits but others are listed on the page. I didn't see a price. Just a thought,.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeERWNC Posted February 18, 2015 Share Posted February 18, 2015 You could do 12V lithium battery like a motorcycle battery. They are compact and light weight.You would be recharging it nightly as you probably already know. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Denny Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 You could use a slip ring. I am using one currently on a wind spinner. Eight legs with Leds (10 iirc) mounted on the each leg. I use mine to pass 2 - 12 volt circuits to power the Leds on the legs. I can provide picture if needed. I have looked at these http://www.senring.com/hd-sdi-1080p-slip-ring It says 1 -24 circuits but others are listed on the page. I didn't see a price. Just a thought,..Quick Google search shows it costs $10, but would have to pay shipping from China. http://www.globalsources.com/si/AS/Senring-Electronics/6008842119060/pdtl/capsule-slip-ring-SNM022A-06-6circuits-2A-OD22mm/1116336282.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
k6ccc Posted February 19, 2015 Share Posted February 19, 2015 I would use a slip ring for power and a SanDevices for controlling pixels. I would use a WiFi bridge to get the Ethernet onto the wheel. That way you are only needing to get power via the slip ring.. I would also put an electrolytic capacitor across the power line on the wheel. A controller of any sort is not likely going to take well to any momentary power interruptions due to the slip rings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drivemewilder Posted August 31, 2015 Share Posted August 31, 2015 Curious if you ever got your ferris wheel running the way you want? I ran a ferris wheel and a skating rink for years. I stopped last year and everyone is asking when they will come back. So, I'm gonna start with the skating rink this year. Here is a short video, takes 20 or so seconds to get there. I'll be glad to help where I can. You may have to click "download sd" to get it to play. Skating rink.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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