David Grygierczyk Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 About four years ago I built a Ferris wheel 10 feet in diameter all out of PVC materials. I built it using a lot of unions so I could take it down and store it when it is not in use. It is powered by a 110volt motor with a 17 rpm gear reduction unit. It is belt driven and works very well, it's also a nice converstation piece for all those who drive by our holiday display. However, I have always wanted to light up the wheel but I am not sure what is needed to transfer power (electricity) from a stationary surface to a rotating surface. I would light to connect it to an LOR Controller and have multiple sequence options so it would need more than one, two, three, ? dedicated outlets on the wheel.This is not something I will be doing for this holiday season but I would like to get started after the season on this project.Does anyone have an idea of how I can accomplish this?:XI can send photos later if interested but right now I am in Oregon working construction and home is Missouri. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBullard Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 You will need slip rings. Some make their own using strips of copper, others prefer to buy them ready made. A source a lot of us use is:http://www.mercotac.com/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donald Puryear Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 I've seen where people have placed the controller on the wheel itself. This way you only need one circuit, and on set of ell's Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBullard Posted December 5, 2009 Share Posted December 5, 2009 But if the controller is mounted on the "spinning wheel" will still need slip rings to get power to the controller, plus the extra expense of the ELL pair. (I have ELL's and I love them) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Grygierczyk Posted December 5, 2009 Author Share Posted December 5, 2009 I looked at the slip ring web site provided and looked at the various conductors but I am not sure that they will work for my situation without modifying my ferris wheel. It appears to me that for the slip ring/conductor to work it will have to run through the center of the ferris wheel and then I would have to drill a hole through the ferris wheel axel for the power source to pass through. I will get pictures hopefully tomorrow so you can see what I am going to explain, but here goes.My ferris wheel (axel) was built using 6" PVC pipe and is about 4' long. Then I strategically secured (drilled and bolted) 1" PCV caps around the 6" pipe so I could use these for the spokes to connect to. Connected to all the caps is a 1" union which allows me to take down and store the wheel when not in use. At the end of each of these spokes I connected more 1" PVC (pipe, elbows, 45's, couplings, and unions) to form the 10' wheel. Now going back to the 6" pipe. 6" caps were placed on both ends of the wheel (axel) and a 1 1/2" hole was drilled through both ends. Then using 1 1/2" black iron pipe I ran one length all the way through the center of the wheel (axel) with 90's on both ends, more 1 1/2" pipe was added (about 8' each side with one union on each pipe) and driven into the ground about 2-3 feet. So the 6" PVC rests on and rotates around the 1 1/2" black iron pipe.It appears to me that for the slip ring to work, I would have to drill a hole through one of the 1 1/2" 90's but then I would not be able to run the downstream side of the power out through the 6" PVC pipe because the 1 1/2" pipe run all the way through the 6".Hope I have not confused you and I will get pictures for you in a day or two. My issue is not as pressing as many other people who are experiencing problems now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drivemewilder Posted December 6, 2009 Share Posted December 6, 2009 As mentioned, you need a slip ring. Mercotac is definately the way to go as it is compact and safe. I too build ferris wheels on the side and i always buy or recommend the mercotac. However, considering your obstacle...you may need to just build a slip ring. I built the first slip ring i ever used, before discovering mercotac. What i did was this: I got 2 short pieces of copper pipe. about 1" long, that can fit over your shaft. I used pvc between the copper and the shaft to insulate the shaft from the power source. I then found 2 spring loaded metal clips (no other way to explain what they are, i just found them). Cut off the female end of your extension cord and solder 1 wire to each metal clip. Now when u plug it in, the metal clips are HOT. Mount these clips so that as the copper pipe around your shaft turns, it is always in contact with the clips. Be careful though, the copper pipe CANNOT touch one another nor can the metal clips touch one another. Everything is HOT, so be sure to enclose it to keep people from touching it.I'm sure this makes no sense or is difficult to interpret. It worked for me, and i'm not anywhere near being an electrician. Just google "slip ring" and find some pictures. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven Posted December 7, 2009 Share Posted December 7, 2009 I just browsed the Mercotac web site. Sounds like a good product, but I did see the marketing department had a problem. The name of the company starts with "merc", and they make a product that uses "liquid metal".Mercotac marketing department: "Hmm... How do we market our product without saying it uses the same substance that most people associate with poisoning from contaminated seafood?" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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