# Wiper motor speed control



## arzerkle (Nov 7, 2007)

I picked up a wiper motor and a 5 amp power supply to use for a grave stone popper prop Everything has worked perfectly however I'd like to slow the motor down, seems a little quick. In the armature, ours is directly ran to the motor vs the extra armature to the vertical rod.Can I rig a dimmer type box to plug the power source into or is there another way to control the speed ? Right now he's popping up so fast it looks like a prairie dog.
Thanks
R & A


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## michael myers (Sep 3, 2007)

If memory serves correctly, you cannot put the dimmer (potentiometer) ahead of the power supply as you will cut the amperage being output to the motor and possibly burn it out. I would suggest a 12vDC potentiometer in between the power supply and the motor. This should cut the voltage and you shouldn't have enough drop in amperage to possibly damage the motor.
Its been a long time since I worked with these voltage/amperage situations, maybe one of the more electrically inclined members can jump in and help. I'm gonna need to know this same thing myself for the human rat trap I am building next year...


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## arzerkle (Nov 7, 2007)

I tried a dimmer type switch (being a reptile breeder, we use alot of these for heat situations , so I had several lying around) and like you said, when I plugged it in, it did'nt slow it down, just slowed down the motors reaction time. I picked up the motor set-up from monsterguts, however this late in the season I'm alittle tapped out for $ to afford the 90.00 controler they said I had to use.
R


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## michael myers (Sep 3, 2007)

Let me do a little research, and see if I can come up with something, a whole lot less expensive than 90 bucks!


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## randyaz (May 26, 2006)

you might try a $1.60 5v dc voltage regulator 
http://www.radioshack.com/product/i...ntPage=search&features=features&tab=techSpecs

its only good up to 1 amp but you may only be pulling around 1 amp and they tend to be under rated too...might be worth checking into

edit:
There are higher rated regulators...check digikey or mouser electronics


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## michael myers (Sep 3, 2007)

I found a dc motor speed control kit over at hobbyengineering.com
This is a kit that has to be put together, but it is made for the beginner, and its only $20. The shopping cart says that they are out of stock, but I would call them and find out for sure, and if they are, when are they expecting the next shipment. Scary Terry recommended this particular unit as well...
The kit is #K067 and the part is # H02246-01A


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## .id. (Jul 3, 2006)

You can also get away with supplying it lower power. If your current power supply is a 12VDC, then go find a 5VDC (2-5Amps)... You can often find them at your local thrift stores. If you're already running at 5V, then try a 3.3VDC power supply. These are most easily obtained from Computer power supplies (search for "Computer power supply" in the Search function above). One thing about using a lower voltage, the motor will generally run a bit warmer and will not have as much torque (less power). A speed controller is much better, but this will work (and a lot of haunters do this as it's cheap and it works). Hope this helps.


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## Devils Chariot (May 23, 2007)

.id. said:


> You can also get away with supplying it lower power. If your current power supply is a 12VDC, then go find a 5VDC (2-5Amps)... You can often find them at your local thrift stores. If you're already running at 5V, then try a 3.3VDC power supply. These are most easily obtained from Computer power supplies (search for "Computer power supply" in the Search function above). One thing about using a lower voltage, the motor will generally run a bit warmer and will not have as much torque (less power). A speed controller is much better, but this will work (and a lot of haunters do this as it's cheap and it works). Hope this helps.


I used an old computer power supply and used the 3.3 volt output and got a nice speed for my cauldron stirrer.






Check out scary terry's guide to using computer ATX power sources here.


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## Rascal (Sep 24, 2008)

DC, that cauldron stirrer is SWEET!


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## beelce (Jul 21, 2007)

That is a good speed on the cauldren stirrer...looks great too


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