3 turntables

cheef

Member
has anyone out there tried to run three turntables with one motor? I am thinking about running 3 turntables side by side with a cable wound through them running back to a modified drum motor.
 
Never done it myself, I prefer the one motor per axis if at all possible. My only concern with be if one unit slipped you would lose your tracking, and it would be a royal pain to get back on track. Mechanically, I see no reason why you could not. You would have drum space at a premium, so you would have to do less wraps. Safety would also be a concern, thats a lot of limit switches to wire up. Other then that, go for it. I would make whatever you are putting on them easily movable to correct for creeping units.
 
They would need to be the same diameter to stay "lined up" as they rotate. But even a small variation in the diameters would produce slightly different positions after they are rotated. For example, one might rotate 360 degrees, but the others 358 to 362.

If the turntables are in a straight line, I'm not sure how well the cable would "grip" the center table, unless the cable is following a figure-8 type pattern.

Joe
 
I would defiantly not link them together, each unit should home run to the drum. Each would also need its own tension shiv of course.
 
And even running separately from the same drum, there is still the potential for misalignment if the diameters are not identical.

Joe
 
we actually got the money to do it with a chain drive now. so what we are going to do is put 2 tracks in each table (one higher then the other so the do not touch when they cross between the tables). the chain will then figure eight through the three tables and be linked to the reducer. to fix the problem of matching them up every time we will run them in forward and then the next turn we will run ten in reverse so they always zero out.

what we are going to have this form a wall that we can flip with out taking up the whole stage with a turntable. the will also be off the ground so having them all in a row and filling in between them with decking will create a "curb" that will help with staging and give the actors a bit of raking.
 
I might be crazy, and this might be the effect you want, but wouldn't running the chain in figure-eights around the revolves always make one rotate in the opposite direction to the other two?
 
Actually yes. that is what we want. there is a point which we want all the walls to be at 90 degrees from the one beside it. plus it will be different and new.
 
The walls will all be in line for most of the production. They will flip 180 degrees for each scene change. However, for one scene the tables will only rotate 45 degrees. This will place them all 90 degrees to the one next to them.
 
so im a little confused as to what 2 tracks in each revolve is going to help you with. If you start the chain on the bottom track of your left revolve, weave it through till you get to your right revolve, then you're going to have to jump the barrier between the upper and lower track to get the chain on the higher track. Either way you're chain is gonna rub on itself
 
The last table will only have one wide track and a piece pf nylon dividing the cable so it rubs ageist the nylon every time they cross and not itself. I may have to replace these at some point but I think they will cut down on the noise and wear on the cable.
 

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