Making a Gift

I was planning on posting this in GD, but I figure that the Alternative Modding section would be better. It's not computer-related, but it's up the alley of constructing little gimmicks.

I'll be folding this for a friend's birthday
http://www.cattail.nu/pictures/roses2.jpg[img]

It'll be slightly larger than the smaller one, and smaller than the larger one, about the side of a looney.

What I want to do, is mount it on some sort of battery-operated motor, and put it into a glass/acrylic/plastic case (like, slightly larger than a ring box), and perhaps attach some LEDs to the entire contraption. So when it's flicked on, the rose will spin and the lights will turn on.

I'm fairly sure I can find some sort of acrylic box for this (anybody know where?). I'd rather not have to go buy acrylic and cut it and glue it.

What would work for the motor spinny thingy? Model motors cost a fair amount, and they are way too fast (You want something that is going slower than 1 rev/second), like those jewel boxes with ballerinas.

um the IMG isant there.....

Actually, if you copy the image's URL, and just pate it into your browswer, you can see it that way too.

well if you could find an old ballerina type box that spins, if you can take it apart, and use that as the base itself.

only the acrylic....not sure where you could find one, but i'm sure if you had the base as i said, you could attach the acylic to the top, as the cover.

only real problem i'd see i

1- finding an old ballerina type box your speaking of
2- if you did find one, where you would put the battery.

the reason i say to use the box itself as the base, is because you wouldn't want the motor itself to be shown. it would take away from the beauty that you are trying to create.

i'm trying to think of what type of small motors that will do the job...hmm...

what about a clock motor? the type that glides. not the kind that ticks. so it doesn't have the " go, stop, go, stop " type of movement.

if you can find one of those, somehow get it into a wooden type box for the base. you'd have the rose type thing, attached to a metal shaft, so it can spin.

Now, where are you planning on putting the LED's? because if you have them somehow inside the rose, you will have to be able to have the wires spin along with the rose. or it will get tangeled.

You could always take 4 led's, put one in each corder, and angle it torward the rose. And do it, so the entire LED doesn't stick out of the wood. Drill, say a 45 degree angle ( just an example ) around the rose. the distance would be up to you. and have it so the tip of the led is flush with the wood. and angled at the rose.

and if you do the clock/watch type idea. if you take everything out, but keep it all intact, it will already be ready for battery use.

Then depending on how much power the clock itself draws, you could wire up a couple LED's with the same battery. or if you want, somehow fit another battery inside it, and have that run the LED's seperate. but then it would require two switches. ( well not always, but that would probably be easier than other options )

all depends on what rout you want to go here.

sorry i don't know anything about acrylic or where to get it.

GO TO a plastics shop. You'll need to call a few and see if they make display cases and the like. Usually ones that do will have excess assemblies in their scrap that they'll sell for cheap. For a motor I'm thinking maybe a pager motor would be best for size and speed. Not sure how you'd mount it though. Like zex said it may be best to scalp one from something battery operated. A toy even.

I have some really small acrylic photo cubes. Perhaps you could also check stores that carry scrapbooking and photo framing supplies.

maybe you can pick up a battery operated motorized toy car from a discount store.

i don't know if you have them in the US but in NZ we have a chain of stores called the $2 shop, the idea is everything in the shop is $2, i think they pick stuff up from liquidations etc. normally the quality of the stock is pretty low quality but once i got some great martini glasses.
anyway they stock (amoung other things) a range of toys that includes small battery operated cars

For the motor, you could get one rated for, say, 12 volts, and run it off a AA (dunno how long it would last...). Or, mess around with a screw and pinnon... Those gear reductions are usually pretty awsome for slow speed (and torque, but you dont need that). But considering your space constraints... Ring box... Beeper motor on super low volts... If it will even turn.

But what about just using a wind up motor... I mean, its a ring box... (BTW, post pics... I might do the same... )