The SunFlopper: a mini heliostat made from a floppy drive

Sunflop1
Brian writes -

This is still pretty much a work-in-progress, but I did manage to create a successful heliostat (sun tracker) from the above TEAC model FD-235HF 3.5" floppy drive. This procedure will likely work just fine, with a bit of adaptation, on any drive new enough to have CMOS logic on its chipset. This particular drive (probably a lot of others) only needs a single 5V DC supply. It has two boards, one with the stepper and main logic, and one with the spindle. The first is the only one needed, and it draws 0.1 Watt with the motor off, and 1 Watt with the motor running, so it should be easy enough to power with a cheapo hobbyist 5V solar cell if stand-alone operation is needed, perhaps a sub-watt one if a large capacitor is supplied to build up enough juice for a motor step over time...
The SunFlopper: a mini heliostat made from a floppy drive - [via] Link.

Gotta do something with those old floppy drives!

Related floppage:

 Blog 271583061 2374B29C1F
HOW TO - Reusing a floppy stepper motor - Link.

 Images Homefeatmonkey18
Readymade's CD covers from old floppy discs... - Link.

 Blog Fynk5Zrpr5Erie2Psn.Medium
HOW TO - Make a floppy disk bag - Link.

 Blog Startrek
Floppy Disk Enterprize - Link.

 Blog Disk-Combobulation
3.5 inch floppy diskette sculpture - Link.

 Blog 08 Label And Guide Shim
SD/MMC card in floppy edge-connector - Link.

 Blog 200612659 17Cf67995B
Huge floppy disk - Link.

 Blog 2Ed34437Bbee2D00De72C984.Medium
CD/DVD cases made with old 5 1/4 floppy disks - Link.

Posted by Phillip Torrone | Aug 27, 2007 02:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email This | Bookmark and Share | Digg this!

Recent Entries

Comments

Oldest comments listed first.

Leave a comment


Subscribe to MAKE!Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

Subscribe today, save 42% and get web access to MAKE free. MAKE Digital Edition is available only to subscribers.

$34.95 / 1 year
(4 Quarterly Issues)

Subscribe now

How-to videos for Makers and Crafers!


Void your warranty, violate a user agreement, fry a circuit, blow a fuse, poke an eye out... Welcome to the Make Blog!

Features and more @ MAKE!

Maker shed - cool stuff to make!
Stop by the Maker Shed store and check out THE place for open source hardware, Arduino & Arduino accessories, electronic kits, science kits, smart stuff for kids, back issues of MAKE & CRAFT, box sets, books, robots, kits from Japan and more.

Add MAKE to iGoogle - GoogleGoogle.
Add MAKE to your RSS reader - Real simple.
Add MAKE on Twitter.
Add MAKE on FriendFeed & the MAKE room.


Advertise here with FM.

Why advertise on MAKE?
Read what folks are saying about us!

Click here to advertise on MAKE!

Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

Makezine authors!


Suggest a Site!

Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor
Tel: 707-827-7311
Twitter / AIM

Gareth Branwyn
Jonah Brucker-Cohen
Collin Cunningham
Marc de Vinck
Kip Kay
Luke Iseman
Patti Schiendelman
Becky Stern
Mike Dixon
Peter Horvath(intern)


Current Podcast

itunesdl.gif The Best of Maker Faire Austin 2008 Check out all the fun and excitement at this year's Maker Faire in Austin, Texas. People from all over the world came to experience this amazing event. Take a look at some of the highlights and make plans to... More...

Get the Make blog sent via email

Enter your email to receive the Make blog each day:



WOW! Thanks to everyone involved with Maker Faire Bay Area and Maker Faire Austin in 2008: attendees, makers, exhibitors, sponsors, volunteers, and crew...it was an AMAZING year! Over 1,000 Makers and 87,000+ attendees total! Be sure to check out the photos @ Flickr, and our Maker Faire posts for all the action! Check back for dates for 2009 soon!

Make Categories

www.flickr.com
photos in MAKE More photos in MAKE Flickr Pool
www.flickr.com
photos in Craft More photos in Craft Flickr Pool

Advertise here.
Why advertise on MAKE?
Read what folks are saying about us!

Click here to advertise on MAKE!
Subscribe to MAKE Magazine!

Recent Posts from the Craft: Blog

Recent Posts from the Hackszine Blog