Flying santa and reindeer

J

juddge

Member
ok so, i saw a tik tok a while ago with a sant and reindeer circling over a roof line and dissapearing beck below the roof line
i want to simulate this
so i have purchased a strong torque DC motor with chain drive gearing for the load

i will need to bolt a support system to the top arm of the motor,


should i make the arm twice as long as the distance i need to allow for balancing ?
or should i shorten the rear side, and just ensure i put enough weight on to counter balance the long arm ? of the front with the rope light reindeer and sleigh ?
 
I am of course by no means a mechanical engineer or even a wanna be, but If I were doing it, I would look at a couple of thing..
1. Does the gear/motor setup (if that is what you are going to use) allow for coasting? if not stopping torque on a long arm could be a huge issue if something like a power failure happens.
2. AI says "

So, What’s the Better Approach?​


  • Both are valid and used in different applications. The choice depends on space constraints and weight capacity of the motor and support structure.
  • If the setup is on a roofline or tight area, a short rear arm with extra weight is often preferred for a compact profile.
  • If the system can handle a longer arm and you want to minimize the weight, then double-length rear arm with lighter weight is better.


General Recommendation​


  • Calculate the torque:
    Torque=Weight×Distance from pivot\text{Torque} = \text{Weight} \times \text{Distance from pivot}Torque=Weight×Distance from pivot
  • For balance:
    Weightfront×Distancefront=Weightback×Distanceback\text{Weight}_{\text{front}} \times \text{Distance}_{\text{front}} = \text{Weight}_{\text{back}} \times \text{Distance}_{\text{back}}Weightfront×Distancefront=Weightback×Distanceback
  • Motor stress is primarily determined by the imbalance. If perfectly balanced, the motor only needs to overcome rotational inertia and friction, not gravity-induced torque."
 
This is my rough idea of how to set it up
Centre support beam.with guy wires to stop flex and counter weight on a shorter rear tail
 
juddge said:
View attachment 48308
Click to expand...
So your plan is to mount it sideways and have the Santa fly in the air then to the ground. Good plan!

ha ha... just kidding.. I think that looks quite doable.. Do you have strong anchor points on the roof for the motor? I assume wind will not be your friend. I love that you have a gearbox setup that will slip when needed.. That is going to be so helpful if the power drops or it wants to suddenly slow down for some reason.

Can't wait to see the real mech at work.
 
Somewhere in the vast amount of conversations on the DIY sites is a really neat version of a flying Santa and friends that crossed from a rooftop, across the yard, and behind a tree on the opposite side of the yard. This had two phases. The first was from behind the tree and flying onto the roof. The next thing you see is the sleigh and all climbing up from the house, across the yard (again) then back behind the tree.

I bring this up because that version used a pulley system very similar to a sky/tram system. Two horizontal mounted "drive wheels" and a rope/cable stretched between them. The finished product was absolutely wonderful.
 
You should consider adding a lightning rod, maybe on the support pole.... we've gotten lightning up here in Minnesota in the winter; I imagine you've seen it in your area then, too....
 
juddge said:
THIS IS A LINK TO EXACTLY WHAT I WOULD LIKE TO ACCOMPLISH FOR MY HOUSE
Click to expand...
A lot of internet sluthing,I've found out that it was the Sablich Family Christmas Display in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. They terminated their display fourteen years. Their was in 2021 after they won the Christmas light Fight. All display items were up for sale.

A couple links and a ton of pictures and video's:

www.yelp.com

Sablich Family Christmas Display - Fort Lauderdale, FL

SABLICH FAMILY CHRISTMAS DISPLAY - CLOSED, 2418 Whale Harbor Ln, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312, 36 Photos, Mon - 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Tue - 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Wed - 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Thu - 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm, Fri - 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Sat - 6:00 pm - 11:00 pm, Sun - 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm
www.yelp.com www.yelp.com

www.facebook.com

Sablich Family Christmas Display

Sablich Family Christmas Display. 1,945 likes · 6 talking about this. Announcement _ Display has been discontinued. Thank you for all the years you have supported us. Our Annual Christmas Display is...
www.facebook.com www.facebook.com
 
pretty sure delivery from USA to AUS will cost more then any of the lights they ahve for sale
so not suitable for me, so design and build my own version
 
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