Help with deteriming which products to order

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Hello not sure if this is the right location for this but I am getting ready to start a project for my daughter who is Cos-playing Honey Lemon from Big Hero Six. If you are not familiar she has a purse that makes chemical mixtures. To make the purse as a co-play prop we need to have a motor turning a belt through the purse and around the shoulder strap as well as some led light flashing and a mini-fog machine. I currently have plans for making the mini-fog machine, but I need some advice on what products that I need to try and pull this together.

My idea is that she will flip a switch or push a switch and the doors will open, the LED lights will flash and cycle different colors, the fog machine will turn on and the motor will tun the fan belt in a variable sequence so that it stops and starts moving forward and backward. Total time of the sequence would be 4-6 seconds.

This is my first foray into this type of project and I’m just not sure of how all the pieces need to fit together or what pieces I need. I know that I need a motor as well as the light and a switch to start it all. As well as a way to turn the fog machine on which I think will be via the processor/board. And I will need a processor/board to control it all but after spending many hours looking at the various products I’m not sure what I need to purchase. Currently I am looking at the following.

  1. Switch or push button to start the sequence looking at the Toggle switch and cover

  2. Magnetic door switch set to open the doors

  3. Way to start the fog machine (I think this is just via the processor/board)

  4. Led light looking at the SMD LED - RGB APA102C-5050 do I need a driver for the light or is this done through the processor

  5. Micro Gearmotor -130 RPM which based on the belt length with give a max of ~10 RPM for the belt. Or would the Planetary Gearmotor 140 rpm be a better option

  6. Micro Gearmotor enclosure or mounting system for the planetary gearmotor

  7. Power supply/driver for the motor: this is where I’m not sure what in need.

  8. Timing belt about 3 feet with timing pulley’s: looking at the 15T pulley. As I understand it I will need the shaft mount pulley for the motor. Will this pulley also work for the non-motor pulley location and if so, is there a shaft system that I need?

  9. Last the processor /board this is where I have no idea what I need.

Thank in advance for your help

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Just Refreshing this post

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Greetings. Thanks for posting on the SparkFun forums.

Without trying to put this project together myself I cannot recommend products as there are too many variables to consider such as dimensional limitations and portable power requirements. Most of the parts in this project have specific electrical and mechanical characteristics that one has to meet and there are several variables such as torque to consider which is difficult to explain and assist with remotely. It would be better to have someone you can physically work with closely.

Honestly, in order to be successful with a project like this you are going to have to get someone who is experienced with hobby electronics, proficient with coding(Arduino or other) and has some basic mechanical knowledge. I would recommend that you visit your local hackerspace or maybe even consider posting on FaceBook or a community app like Nextdoor to see if someone can help out. Keep in mind you could also hire someone for a fee, too.

If you have specific questions about the characteristics on specific products, we can answer those questions for you, however, most of our catalog should have documents such as datasheets which should provide what you are seeking if you know how to find it.

I do encourage you to consider purchasing the SIK as an introduction to your project. I think you could benefit greatly by starting with the basic building blocks. Once you have gone through all of the circuits you can purchase a more specific part that fits your project and learn how it works, moving down the list.

https://www.sparkfun.com/products/15631

I apologize that SparkFun cannot be of more assistance here. Please let me know if you have any more questions. We look forward to hearing about the progress of your project!