On my YouTube Channel, I do some products' reviews too, so I always wanted to make a nice turntable to show off new products.
Like all things I do, i wanted to make it as simple as possible. So only 3 components were used. Follow along, and let's get building.
Oh, if you want a further breakdown of step by step instructions, here's the complete video:
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Step 1: Design (but Before That..)
First step: Design? Wrong - First step: IDEA!
I had an idea to build a simple rotating table, so using Tinkercad (Best software for designing simple Tools and shapes), I designed a simple round (16cm diameter) table, with a simple motor housing (make sure its centered), and a battery holder.
Let's go turn this into a reality!
Step 2: 3D Print + Prime + Paint
The base was 3D Printed, using my cheap $150 3D printer, that you can check out here.
After printing (took about 4 hours), i primed it using Bondo, and did a bit of light sanding.
After that, some black spray paint was used to give it 3 - 4 layers of paint, with about 10-15 minutes between each coat.
Step 3: The Top - Not 3D Printed
I initially thought of 3D Printing the Top, but a friend gave me the idea of using a glass/ acrylic top. I used acrylic (Got it done at a Sign-shop for $10), and it was the best decision ever!
It looked super glossy and gave the whole thing a professional, production look!
Now on to electronics...
Step 4: The Electronics
I wanted to keep the electronics as simple as possible.
The schematics are simple, we need:
- A motor
- A Switch
- A Potentiometer
- Some wires
- 2 1.5V AA Batteries
I had a big motor from an old air freshene (normal toy car motors dont have enought torque to take the weight of the acrylic top AND rotate), A potentiometer (100ohm), and a swtich (from a toy) were soldered as shown in the schematic, and hotglued in place.
Our turntable is ready!
Step 5: Final Steps and Tips!
It;s very tricky to place the top lid exactly in the center, and to get perfectly round rotation. I plan to build additional supports in the future to improve this model and ensure a smoother rotation.
Thanks for liking this project, if you like more stuff like this, I've got tons of it on the Fungineers YouTube Channel.
Participated in the
Make it Move Contest