Help with a rigged revolving ring

[patrick.pieri]

We're doing a corporate inspired version of Measure for Measure and are hanging a large piece of corporate art upstage.

As you can see, it's 2 rings with a center medallion that will be hung from the grid. What we are trying to figure out is a way to make the 2nd ring (with the circles on it) to rotate (spin out of the plane of the rest of the pieces not spin within the same plane). We have a motor that has enough power but is large and needs to be mounted with the drive shaft horizontal or it leaks oil. Anyone got any ideas? Thanks for the help.

 

[kicknargel]

I'd guess you're looking at a combination of drive shafts, pillow blocks, roller chain and sprockets. Poke around McMaster-Carr or Grainger (or others).

 

[bobgaggle]

My Nomenclature: X Axis- SL to SR, Y Axis- US to DS, Z Axis- In to Out.

which axis does it need to pivot on? If you can only mount the motor with the shaft perpendicular to gravity it would be easy to make it pivot on the x axis. Im guessing that it needs to spin on the z axis though, which is tougher, but could be done with a 90 degree gear reducer on the shaft. You need to hang the whole thing from the outer ring so the spinning ring will clear all cables, and I'm guessing you plan on mounting the motor on the inner disc. How are you planning to stabilize the system? Without an anchor of some kind, it'll act like a helicopter without a tail rotor (a la Black Hawk Down), the second ring will rotate as planned, but the inner disc will spin as well...