Accessories

Meccanisms offer a number of accessories to make the MotorVator easier to use.

1. Microswitches

These are simple dry contact (normally open) microswitches, that you can plug into the OnOff or Timed Inputs. Mounted on a Meccano-compatible bracket.

Typically used for Limit Switches.

2. Port Replicators

These relay boards allow you to switch between two inputs or outputs sharing a single port. The relay on the board is driven from an Action Port Output.

There are two- and three- way versions. The two-way versions can be used to share Motors or OnOff Ports. The three-way versions can be used for Analog and Timed Input ports.

If in doubt, buy the three-way version, because you can use these with two-pin ports also. See article 11 for more information.

3. Expansion Boards

The MotorVator has 8 Digital Inputs and 6 Analogue inputs. Looking at the MotorVator, it is easy to see the

• 4 OnOff Inputs
• 2 Timed Inputs
• 2 Analogue Inputs, but where are the rest?!

The other 2 Timed Inputs and 4 Analogue Inputs are accessible through the Sensor Expansion Port.

See article 12.

To make it easier to access these inputs, use the Sensor Expansion Boards

4. Servo Mounts

The MotorVator can drive two standard Servo Motors (as used in the Radio Control hobby). A Servo Motor differs from a standard motor in that instead of rotating around and around, it can be instructed to move to a certain position (defined by degrees of rotation) and then to hold that position until instructed otherwise.

Therefore, it is very useful for opening/closing motions.

The Meccanisms Servo Mount is designed for the industry-standard Futaba S3003 Servo Motor, and provides two functions:

A. It aligns the centre of the Servo Shaft into the Meccano Geometry

B. It provides a plate to screw to the Servo Horn (the star shaped arms that come with the servo), so that you can then attach a lever, crank or bush wheel to connect to your Meccano movement assembly.