Hi, this is Wayne again with a topic “Motorized System for Hanging Plants”.
Hanging plants are a great way to brighten up your living space, but if you have high ceilings, you don’t want to have to get up on a ladder every time you need to water them. So i designed a simple system for raising and lowering hanging plants with an electric motor that way you can bring the plants down to a convenient working height with just the push of a button. The first thing that you need to do is select a dc motor. You need one that is strong enough to raise your plants and is able to hold it in place when the motor is turned off. Next, you need a small box to use as the winch housing you can either make one or just buy something from the hardware store to attach the motor. We need to drill some holes for the mounting screws to transfer the hole pattern.
I took a piece of clear plastic and held it up to the face of the motor. Then i used a pin to poke a hole through the center of each screw hole flip it over and put it on the side of the box. You can now use a pencil to trace the hole pattern onto the box, then just drill a hole in each location.
On the opposite side of the box, i used a 7 8 hole saw to make a hole in line with the shaft of the motor. Then i glued a skateboard bearing into the hole. This will support the other side of the shaft to make the shaft of the winch. I took some aluminum tubing and i cut it to the same width as the box. Then i drilled a hole in one end and used a small machine screw to connect it to the motor. Now you can attach the motor to the box with its mounting screws.
The last thing that you need to do to the winch housing is to cut a small hole in the center for the rope now you’re ready to set up the switches start by connecting the motor to the center pins of a double pole. Double throw switch then connect the power supply to one set of terminals on either side, take small jumper wires and connect these terminals to the terminals on the opposite side, but reverse them. This will cause the motor to change directions when the switch is flipped. If you’re using a two position switch, then you’ll also need to add a momentary switch to act as an on off button mount these switches to a small project enclosure along with the wires.
I set up my control panel with three sets of switches so that i can control three plant hangers. The last thing that you need to do is attach the winch to the ceiling with a pair of wood screws and attach the control panel to a nearby wall. Hang your plants from the rope and your plant hanger is ready to use to lower the plant press. The down button then press the momentary switch.
Your plant will lower until it’s at a good working height to raise the plant back up, just press the up button and hold down the momentary switch until it is back up at the desired height. Well, that’s how to make a motorized plant hanger thanks for watching and check back next week for more diy hacks and how to’s you .