<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8"></head><body >You ought to be able to find generic solenoids for a decent price too. That would be phyically simpler and faster, but I believe solenoids have a lot of inductance and high current that might require extra care in the electronic side.<div><br></div><div>Electronics Goldmine used to have some cheap solenoids, they might still.</div><br><br><div>-------- Original message --------</div><div>From: Jeff Highsmith <jeff@jeffhighsmith.com> </div><div>Date:08/14/2014 5:45 PM (GMT-05:00) </div><div>To: Bothari <bothari@gmail.com> </div><div>Cc: triembed@triembed.org </div><div>Subject: Re: [TriEmbed] Need a simple actuator </div><div><br></div>Joe,<br><br>About how big will the 'bot be?<br><br>You might consider converting the rotary motion of a motor into a linear motion using a crankshaft or similar linkage. Like a car's engine in reverse, with the crankshaft spinning but the pistons going up and down. Depending on your desired hopping rate, it might be possible to store the energy of a single rotation in a rubber band or torsion rod, using a cam, notch or catch to release it at the end of each rotation.<br><br>Jeff :)<br><br><br>> On Aug 14, 2014, at 16:20, Bothari <bothari@gmail.com> wrote:<br>> <br>> Group,<br>> <br>> I'm interested in learning more about hardware. We use servos to move things in a circle, but what about linearly? I'd like to make a hopper that bounces instead of rolls. Googling shows electronic door locks are about what I'm thinking of, at 10 times the price.<br>> <br>> Is there something else that is inexpensive, but electronically activated for a hopping motion?<br>> <br>> Thx,<br>> Joe<br>> -- <br>> "There are only two industries that refer to their customers as ‘users’." - Edward Tufte<br>> <br>> _______________________________________________<br>> Triangle, NC Embedded Computing mailing list<br>> TriEmbed@triembed.org<br>> http://mail.triembed.org/mailman/listinfo/triembed_triembed.org<br>> TriEmbed web site: http://TriEmbed.org<br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Triangle, NC Embedded Computing mailing list<br>TriEmbed@triembed.org<br>http://mail.triembed.org/mailman/listinfo/triembed_triembed.org<br>TriEmbed web site: http://TriEmbed.org<br></body>