Lower Grill block that can open and close

[Weather Spotter]

I might have to look for a set.

[miket]

Put a chicken in there, when it gets too warm it will flap its wings. If it doesnt work and you blow your engine then at least you'll have roasted chicken to eat.

[Weather Spotter]

After a few weeks, I find that my current set up (sliding colorplast) works up till about 75F ambient temp. After that the fan comes on regularly. The last week or so I have left it open as the mount point for the actuator came off (it was on with hot glue only).

I am still thinking of how to use the door lock actuators and the metal grates. Any ideas on how long I can leave them energized without burning them up?

I might go with a throttle cable or similar, but I need to have some help in how to attach it. Any drawing gurus out there?

What stores will have a 8-10" throttle cable with a handle on the end?

[3-Wheeler]

Many years ago, Farm & Fleet used to carry choke cables that were about six feet long.

You can trim them to any length you need.

Jim.

[miket]

what about bicycle shifting/braking cables?

[Weather Spotter]

Ideas:

I was thinking of a horizontal sliding grill block with two sections. Each section would be 5.5" x 9" (10 total length). They would each need to be slid 9" out from the middle (think barn doors opening). I would have them slide in a slot made from a yet to be determined material. To do this with my actuators which have a .75" travel distance will require a pivot arm.

Before I start fabricating it up I decided to make a mock up out of my large Lego collection since I work better hands on

Here is the mock up (with my Lego box in the background):
Closed:


Open:


Pivot arm to grill block connection: (I think I need it to be a longer slot, but not much)


Bottom connection and pivot point:




Tools and Legos make a great mix

For those decades ahead of me in fabricating things, how does this look to you?

Any design changes?
Where on the grill block would you attach the pivot arm?

[NachtRitter]

WS -

Some thoughts floated into my head as I was thinking about your original "grate" grill block:

If you thread the end of the actuator rod, you could either

• bend it 90 degrees

or

• get another rod threaded on both ends and bend that at 90 degrees on one end, and join it with the actuator rod on the other end using a coupling nut like so:
  

The 90 degree bent rod can then fit into one of the holes on the edge of the vanes (looks like there are 2 holes you could go into; one where the brass fitting is and then one above that). Then you can use a pair of nuts on each side of the hole, along with nylon washers, to create enough friction so that the vanes stay open, but not so much that the actuator can't overcome the friction.

One of the holes can be seen in this image, the other already has the brass fitting in it:


If you need to go from horizontal actuating to vertical, you could also convert the motion 90 degrees using something like this bracket:



This gives you a few advantages:

• Adjustable throw - make one bracket arm longer for greater motion
• Non-linear flexibility - if you leave the rod ends 'loose' in the bracket, you can allow for some flex
• Additional friction point - you can use snugged up nylon washers on the pivot point of the bracket

[Weather Spotter]

Thanks for the ideas! I was about to quit this idea and just make a fixed lower grill block that I could take sections out of when needed (say 5 parts). Now I might try the grates again

One issue. When the grate is closed the holes (brass and others) slide in next to the vain pivot bracket

I might get around that by taking the red outlined piece of metal and making it bigger (to the right in that pic above).

As for threading the rod, no way, it is only about a pencil lead thickness.

Nylon nuts will only work on the main bracket pivot point point, the rod at the grate will need to be loose to work (and there is no room for a nut)

[NachtRitter]

Drat... I see what you mean about the edge pieces overlapping. They sure don't make it easy for you, do they??


The only other thing I can think of is using a linear actuator made for opening / closing mini-van rear hatches, like the one pictured below...

(from the e-bay auction at SKF Linear Actuator - eBay (item 200519614306 end time Sep-21-10 08:30:37 PDT))

Unfortunately, these are typically $50+ (though this one seems to be reasonably priced in comparison)

[Weather Spotter]

Here is a mock up of your first idea:









The only issue is how tight the grates closed, they like to stay 10-15% open. This might not be bad, what do you think?

I have not hooked up the actuator yet, just put in place. If I want to take this to the next step I will need to buy some nylon washers.

Ideas?