Use of MIrrorball

Discussion in 'Lighting and Electrics' started by mrstebbings, Sep 7, 2019.

  1. mrstebbings

    mrstebbings Member

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    Anybody got any ideas about how to rig a mirror ball (i.e.disco-ball) to spin on a horizontal axis, so that the spots go down on stage (and up in the audience side!) instead of round?
    MichaelS
     
    mrstebbings, Sep 7, 2019
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  2. seanandkate

    seanandkate Well-Known Member Fight Leukemia

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    If you are allowed to modify it, you can drill a hole for a rod that can extend past it's north and south "pole" by a couple inches. With a couple U-brackets, you now have two mounting points that can keep it horizontal. The motor can still do it's thing on the side. Think of it as a mirror ball rotisserie. (Or you can buy mirror balls that do this sort of thing).

    EDIT -- Actually, now that I think of it, you could totally use an ACTUAL rotisserie for this. Just subtract chicken, add mirror ball.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2019
    seanandkate, Sep 7, 2019
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  3. gafftaper

    gafftaper Senior Team Senior Team Fight Leukemia

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    @seanandkate nailed it. Get a rotisserie and shove it through a mirror ball. Just work carefully, there is not a lot of structural integrity inside mirror balls. You wouldn't want to accidentally tear it in half.
     
    gafftaper, Sep 8, 2019
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  4. RonHebbard

    RonHebbard Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    @mrstebbings and @seanandkate After you've ate your chicken and replaced it with your mirror ball, if its "spots" go up on the stage side and down in the house, swap the entire assembly end to end and its "spots" will move in reverse, even though the spit's motor's none the wiser.
    Toodleoo!
    Ron Hebbard
     
    RonHebbard, Sep 8, 2019
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  5. FMEng

    FMEng Well-Known Member Fight Leukemia

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    If you eat under cooked chicken from the rotisserie, the spots move randomly in all directions, but I don't recommend that method.
     
    FMEng, Sep 8, 2019
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  6. RonHebbard

    RonHebbard Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    @FMEng While we're swerving off into the bizarre ; are you posting of eating under cooked chicken, in sense of insufficiently cooked chicken?
    OR In the sense of you, yourself, eating while sitting under properly cooked chicken.
    Veeeeerrrr on down the road. . . . (Why is a song coming to mind?)
    Toodleoo!
    Ron Hebbard
     
    RonHebbard, Sep 8, 2019
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  7. seanandkate

    seanandkate Well-Known Member Fight Leukemia

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    But then all the hot grease from the chicken would land on you. Never cook your rotisserie chicken at trim height kids. Pro tip.
     
    seanandkate, Sep 9, 2019
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  8. Van

    Van CBMod CB Mods Premium Member

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    One issue, not addressed here yet, is that Mirror-ball motor are not tied directly to the ball. They turn through a clutch because when the gear motor shuts off the ball needs to continue to turn for a second or two so that the momentum of the ball doesn't strip the reduction gears. A 12, 14 or 16" mirror ball has a lot more angular momentum then you might expect. If you were to use a rotisserie motor, you might want to consider placing a nylon sleeve through the center of the ball, something that the spit rod can just turn inside. This will help mitigate gear lash when starting and stopping the motor.
    *You might be able to just insert a brass ferrule into the hole on each side of the ball rather than threading something all the way through.
     
    Van, Sep 9, 2019
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  9. BillConnerFASTC

    BillConnerFASTC Well-Known Member

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    I keep trying to do with mirrors. Some arrangement should change direction of movement....
     
    BillConnerFASTC, Sep 9, 2019
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  10. Van

    Van CBMod CB Mods Premium Member

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    Oh, That's the other thing. Because of the shaded pole motors used on most mirror ball motors, you can never accurately predict which way it will turn. There ARE purpose made CW and CCW motors, but if it's a cheap generic motor it's a crap shoot as to which way it will turn each time.
     
    Van, Sep 9, 2019
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  11. BillConnerFASTC

    BillConnerFASTC Well-Known Member

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    I mean from horizontal to vertical.....
     
    BillConnerFASTC, Sep 9, 2019
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  12. Van

    Van CBMod CB Mods Premium Member

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    couldn't you just turn the mirror 90°?
    :think::D
     
    Van, Sep 9, 2019
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  13. RonHebbard

    RonHebbard Well-Known Member Premium Member

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    Or ask the patrons to tilt their heads?
    Toodleoo!
    Ron Hebbard
     
    RonHebbard, Sep 9, 2019
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  14. Jay Ashworth

    Jay Ashworth Well-Known Member

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    Reminder: Rotisserie motors are frickin *noisy*...
     
    Jay Ashworth, Sep 10, 2019
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  15. Dan Fischer

    Dan Fischer Member

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    Dan Fischer, Sep 11, 2019
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