Ferris Wheel 7' diameter 500 12mm pix LED rotating using 24v torque motor

[epnicass]

I want to thank everyone for your post, comments and sharing sequences ideas and more. I have learn a great deal and continue to learn. Switched to Xlights and love it. Ian using raspberry Pi and falcon player.Merry Christmas from Hawthorne California he is. Link to my display https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=c5w3OnkrjWU

[garyh]

wow that looks really nice!  What board are you using to drive the servos? 

[epnicass]

I am using a bodine 24 volt dc low rpm gear box torque motor with a potentiometer as speed control and by removing a jumper I can rotate the opposite direction. I have modified a pixel (chip ws2811) and interfaced it to stop, spin faster slower or backward.motor is rectangular about 4" x 10" long interfaced to a 16 teeth bicycle sprocket

[dkuntz]

Can you share what you used and how you did the power and controllers for this? I have an existing ferris wheel I have been considering converting to pixels. Can't think of any way to do mine where the control boxes are not mounted inside the spinning wheel. They probably exist but I have not found any boxes that are water tight when spinning.

[markrvp]

I absolutely LOVE it!!!

[garyh]

I remember a company that sold slip rings with 3 or 4 wire connections so you could mount your box on the non-moving ferris wheel frame, then pass power and data through the slip ring.  Of course they were pretty steep on the cost, but they'd probably last forever with the little juice we put through them.

[dkuntz]

The motor/gearbox on my ferris wheel has 3 heavy duty power connections but it uses brushes and I can't imagine the data signal would work through this. I would be surprised if even the expensive "brushless" Mercotac slip rings would work for data but I don't really know.

[Dave Nibeck]

This is the slip ring I use.  It's been in operation for almost 2 months with 4/6 hours per night.  It is exposed to weather (so I purchased another for next year jic).

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B011BDV170/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I don't have Christmas video as a large part of my display is dark due to a controller failure but here is some test video shot before putting in Halloween service.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JF6KoADi8OU

[dkuntz]

Thanks for the info and video. Great to know this does work. It will be so much easier to convert mine, if I decide to, being able to use the normal enclosures.

[markrvp]

Okay, so for you guys that have a ferris wheel, could you please post daytime photos showing how you have the spokes connected, the lights run and wired, and how it's all hooked together and controlled?  I would really like to attempt something like this.

I also found this very cool 1/24 scale working model of an actual Ferris Wheel (with lights of course):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsaXtYp_Vj4

[epnicass]

I will post pictures next week when I get back home from vacation. I used 2 slip rings rated at 30 amps 3 wire on each slip ring. Slip ring in the front provides power only and slip ring in the back provides data only. I am using pix lite 4 which is mounted in a weather proof box along with 12 volt power supply. I installed vent ports for cooling. I wires spoked starting from the closest point to the shaft up to the outer ring continuing over to the next spoke and down towards the center. I wired 170 pixels per 1 and 2 and output 3 has 160. The 24volts power supply is housed on plastic box, both boxes are mounted rear of the Ferris wheel support frame. Power infection on every 50 pixel. Every connection is soldered painted with lacker and heat shink tubing. I created a custom model as whole Ferris wheel and sub-model for spinners, 16 of them. Center hubs where made by sandwiching 3 3/4 plywood and drilling 16 holes for spokes.

[babybear]

I like the idea for the Ferris Wheel. so I knocked off some drawings for myself. I will have limited space so I down sized it to 5 feet tall.   I'm looking at 2 different sets of lights from Ray Wu. 

    4m DC5v WS2812B LED pixel strip, IP68. 60pcs WS2812B/M with 60pixels:white PCB in silicon tube.

    4m DC5v WS2812B LED pixel strip, IP65. 60pcs WS2812B/M with 60pixels:black PCB in silicon coating.

Both with LEDs every 5/8 inch. on my drawing each spoke will have 38 leds and between spokes 26 (outer ring)
that's works out to 740 leds or 2 outputs on a Falcon receiver board.  You could also add another 128 (64 leds per leg) for that added touch. 

   The only thing I have to work out is hiding the wires. Grooving out the back of the spokes? Mine will be made out of wood as I get all the scrap I want. 

[markrvp]

I'm looking at 2 different sets of lights from Ray Wu. 

    4m DC5v WS2812B LED pixel strip, IP68. 60pcs WS2812B/M with 60pixels:white PCB in silicon tube.

    4m DC5v WS2812B LED pixel strip, IP65. 60pcs WS2812B/M with 60pixels:black PCB in silicon coating.

Are these the two you are looking at?  https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/4m-DC5V-WS2812B-led-pixel-srip-IP68-60pcs-WS2812B-M-with-60pixels-white-PCB-in-silicon/701799_935645023.html

https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/addressable-4m-60LEDs-m-DC5V-WS2812B-led-pixel-strip-waterproof-in-silicon-tube-IP66-with-60pixels/701799_32450503256.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.4CHrqn

Does he make a WS2811 version?

[babybear]

the WS2812B does run under the WS2811 setting in the Falcon F16v2.

this is the second one I listed.
https://www.aliexpress.com/store/product/4m-DC5V-IP65-WS2812B-led-digital-strip-60pcs-WS2812B-M-with-60pixels-57-6W-BLACK-pcb/701799_1077884982.html?spm=2114.12010608.0.0.TKihkS

[Gilrock]

Mark that link to the ferris wheel model was awesome.  I tried to lookup S&B Models just curious if they sell it as a kit and they don't list it.  Looks like it was a special order.  I do see people asking about price on FB and they responded privately.  I wonder if they use those 5mm diffuse leds and how they wire it all up and control it.