Automatic vent idea

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by lunarhighway

here's what i plan to build for my car...it'll go on the top grill but if it works successfull i might try the lower grill as well.

i'l not sure about the setup for the door yet, maybe a slider will work better, but the prinsyple remains the same.









i plan to use a small motor from either an old walkman or a computer fan, the walkman motor seems to have the most torque. old toys and machines seem to be a good source for little electro motors.

the hatch itself will press on a switch at either side of its travle to indicate it's position, if the hatch should move to any position in between the motor will take it to the appropriate position again. of course mechanicly it should be set up to prevent flutter, but the system should calibrate itself.

i don't know if this will prove workable in practice but in theory i think it's pretty sound

I don't know about a walkman motor... it seems to me that although they have good torque for their size I like to use motors that don't require a separate voltage regulator. Most walkman motors are 3vdc. Plus, I wonder if it will stand up to the heat and other elements blowing into the grille. Stuff like rain, snow, bugs, general road grime, etc. My motor of choice would be a power window motor. They can be had rather cheaply at your local auto salvage yard.

-Jay

[GasSavers_RoadWarrior]

Yeah power accessory motors and solenoids might be a better bet, for low power, remote mirror motors, higher power, door lock actuators, window motors...

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by RoadWarrior

Yeah power accessory motors and solenoids might be a better bet, for low power, remote mirror motors, higher power, door lock actuators, window motors...

You're right... a power lock solenoid probably has enough strength and just the right amount of travel to open and close most adjustable vents used in residential applications.

-Jay

[lunarhighway]

what i plan to do is build all the electornics in a little plastic box and place the motor so that only the axle driveing the grillblock is inside the airflow and exposed to wetness.

i've ran the motor on 12-17V and it seems to work fine, heavier motors might be more sensible, but i don't have one right now so i'll see how well the little one does.

remember it will only have to run for a very short time, and keeing the hatch light and well balanced i think the motor will cope.

if i use it directly on the axle it'll only have to do 1/4th of a turn, but even it i need to use a reduction (wich will be best to keep the hatch from slamming open to fast and doesnt stress the motor to much), it'll only do a couple of full revvs.

i just need to make sure it doesn't draw to much Amperes.. anyway i'll have to build a prove of concept off-car model to test everything so that will reveal how suitable to motor is.

[8307c4]

I don't mind the car not looking its best but once it starts to look like something out of
redneck rampage or some thing along those lines I just can't do it.

It's not in the shape of the car per se but in the looks, to me the construction has to
eventually appear at least semi-professional to where only a closer look can tell...
I toyed with the idea of grille covers and even installed some but by the time it was all
said and done I had to admit it looked ridiculous and I tore those things back off.

The closest I've come to things that are a bit out there is using landscaping border for an
air dam, now I didn't think that looked too awful after it was properly trimmed and secured.

Because it's one thing to be seen in something that looks like it could be a concept car,
that I have no real problem with... But it's quite another when the panels are mis-fitted
and the colors don't match and you can see the bondo everywhere ...

Oh well hey, to each their own.

[Frugal Fool]

The link to the automatic vent in the original post, says it opens at 70deg F and closes at 40F. In my case, it would only close overnight for a couple months out of the year. If your somewhere where the ambient temperature is much under 70 deg and your not at a stop, considering the grill is mostly influenced by the incoming ambient air, it may never open. I say you'd do better with one of the other suggestions where you can control the temperature it opens and closes, or manual open/close, or a remote sensor inside the engine compartment. I think ideally you could tie into the radiator coolant temperature sensor.

[lowbridescape]

Tie it to the fan. Sensing already in place. Circuitry mostly in place. The fan is the car's way of saying it needs to cool down.

[ma4t]

Originally Posted by theholycow

I think it would look funny.

Has that ever stopped anybody here?

M