Electric Pulley System?

Hi there, 

Just recently joined and wondered if any of you guys could offer some advice/ tips for a challenge I'm facing.

I'm a tortoise keeper and I've recently been designing a setup to house a non-hibernating species over winter. This, of course, requires the use of heat lamps and UV-B lighting. The UV-B lighting is provided by a fluorescent tube in a canopy with reflector.

I would very much like to control the increase and decrease of UV intensity over the course of the day in line with a wild habitat. For example, UV output is lower in the morning, reaches its highest intensity just after midday and then slowly declines until sunset. I would like to use some kind of electric pulley system that could raise/ lower the UV-B unit via a timer to replicate the UV increase/ decrease just as it is in nature?

Any advice, links etc would be much appreciated! 

Thanks, 

J

Would a dimmable fluorescent be a workable solution?

no idea how you would automate it though....somebody on here will .

tortoise wrangling is not something I have come across on here very often. In fact I think I am correct in saying NEVER, until today

How much are you willing to spend? The answer to the question will govern how well it works.

go for dimmable, but otherwise rather than lift / lower the light, make a shutter that will block it, id expect this would be far easier

I’m sensing that a programmable controller may be in order? 

However professor Heinz would suggest an egg shaped cam on a rotating spindle akin to a rotisserie on a slow turning motor? 

Sharpend said:

I’m sensing that a programmable controller may be in order? 

However professor Heinz would suggest an egg shaped cam on a rotating spindle akin to a rotisserie on a slow turning motor? 

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Wewwl zat is a vewy ewegant sowution to a vewy twicky pwoblem, I commend you

Of course if you do not have a slow turning motor, you can use the perpetual elastic band. 

The motor I’d use is a Drayton with a built in gearbox. Output shaft 1.2 RPM with enough torque to break your wrist.

Control, a mini PLC would be the best bet.

It all comes down to cost and it ain’t going to be cheap. There again, how much is a tortoise worth? Ethically I have a problem with this as a project.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Automatic-min-dimmer-time-switch/dp/B01ANSJQ4Y

Something like this may be a solution. First one that popped up on google, so I'm sure there are better models out there. 

Will also depend on the type of lamp, and how it needs to be dimmed

Many thanks for everyone's suggestions they are very helpful! With regards to most dimmers, they only appear to dim for a short period of time (an hour each end of sunrise/ sunset) so aren't really useful. I've been told that dimming reptile UVB fluorescents diminishes the UV output over a quicker period of time and contributes to the early 'death' of the bulb. No idea if that is true though just some observations of other reptile keepers. I will look into the products recommended.  Thank you. 

Tony S said:

The motor I’d use is a Drayton with a built in gearbox. Output shaft 1.2 RPM with enough torque to break your wrist.

Control, a mini PLC would be the best bet.

It all comes down to cost and it ain’t going to be cheap. There again, how much is a tortoise worth? Ethically I have a problem with this as a project.

Click to expand...

Thank you for your suggestion, Tony. I will take a look. Ethically I'd be interested to know your views

perhaps simpler a linear actuation arm, pick one with a 'stroke' equal to the height you want to raise and lower, control side - don't ask me. I've been out of that field for far too long.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/linear-actuators/1774507/