windshield wiper motors for robot drive motors ?
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windshield wiper motors for robot drive motors ? Pogo 11-28-2005
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Posted by Pogo on November 28, 2005, 1:14 am
I saw an ad on eBay for a couple of windshield wiper motors - suggesting
they would be good for robotic drive motors.
Has anyone used these type motors ? Pros ? Cons ?
Thanks !



Posted by D Herring on November 28, 2005, 2:12 am
Pogo wrote:
> I saw an ad on eBay for a couple of windshield wiper motors - suggesting
> they would be good for robotic drive motors.
> Has anyone used these type motors ? Pros ? Cons ?

I bought a few at the local junkyard (car salvage) a few years ago for
$10-$15 each. Prices may vary. Ebay might not be the best place to buy
these; I imagine their weight makes shipping expensive.

Pros: High torque, durable design. Mine had a few terminals; you could
use them to select different speeds. Run on standard 12v. Cheap.

Cons: Somewhat awkward lever arms. Moderately high current
requirements. Rather slow since they're geared so heavily. Hard to get
"standard" parts. No encoders. Used.

- Daniel

Posted by Gordon McComb on November 28, 2005, 10:57 am
Pogo wrote:
>
> I saw an ad on eBay for a couple of windshield wiper motors - suggesting
> they would be good for robotic drive motors.
> Has anyone used these type motors ? Pros ? Cons ?
> Thanks !

Most windshield wiper motors are pure crap for robotics. They're made to
turn in one direction, and many exhibit a 20-25% speed loss in the other
direction. They're loud and inefficient; neither problem is too critical
for an automotive application, but important for mobile robotics.

But they're cheap.

-- Gordon

Posted by Pogo on November 28, 2005, 5:26 pm
Thanks Gordon, just the kind of info I needed.
I figured they would be slow, but had no idea about the reverse speed issue.
Glad I haven't bought any yet!

P.S. Do you get any spam using your "NOSPAM" address? ( I'd like to switch
to that form but I got hit so bad on some newsgroups a year ago that I am
now gunshy. )


"Gordon McComb"
> Pogo wrote:
> > I saw an ad on eBay for a couple of windshield wiper motors - suggesting
> > they would be good for robotic drive motors.
> > Has anyone used these type motors ? Pros ? Cons ?
> > Thanks !
> Most windshield wiper motors are pure crap for robotics. They're made to
> turn in one direction, and many exhibit a 20-25% speed loss in the other
> direction. They're loud and inefficient; neither problem is too critical
> for an automotive application, but important for mobile robotics.
> But they're cheap.
> -- Gordon



Posted by D Herring on November 28, 2005, 10:10 pm
Pogo wrote:
> P.S. Do you get any spam using your "NOSPAM" address? ( I'd like to switch
> to that form but I got hit so bad on some newsgroups a year ago that I am
> now gunshy. )

If in doubt, give spamgourmet.com a try. They've been reliable for the
couple years I've used them. Only adds a delay of a couple minutes per
email.

- Daniel

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