Switchless Motorized Rotating Display Stand

This motorized rotating display stand is designed for intuitive control: simply rotate or stop it by hand.

This project began when I mistakenly ordered the Lite version of Roller485, thinking it had a slip ring. After pondering its use for a while, the idea of building a rotating display stand came to mind.

The development involved a series of trials and errors, such as forgetting to drill a hole for the cable in the first prototype and overlooking the switch installation in the second. However, the unique switchless motorized rotating display stand was finally completed, and I am satisfied with the result.

Overview

The system of this motorized rotating display stand is primarily composed of the M5Stack Roller485Lite. It acquires rotation speed data from the Roller485Lite and controls the rotating display stand's operation based on that data.

Control Flow

• Acquire rotation speed from Roller485Lite.
• Monitor the difference between the currently commanded speed and the actual acquired speed.
• If the difference persists for a certain period, update the commanded speed to the current actual speed.
• Repeat this process.

How to Assemble

Here is a list of the parts used.

The case is 3D printed. You can find the STL files in the repository mentioned below. I have also published the Python script that generated the STL files, so if you want to change the size to your liking, please feel free to try.

Assemble the motor and controller into bottom.stl. Simply insert them. Easy, right?

Next, attach upper.stl. There are screw holes, so secure it to the Roller485 with at least two screws.

Firmware

Open the repository mentioned below with PlatformIO and flash the firmware.

Complete!

That's it - you're done! Connect the USB cable for power and let's get started. Turn the table by hand and it should continue rotating at that speed.

Movie

I also explain this in the video, so be sure to check it out!