Need help with project guitar

[Jake AtkinsonParticipant @jakeatkinson60072]

[Jake AtkinsonParticipant @jakeatkinson60072]

Hi, I am building a custom guitar and want to mount a mobile phone inside the body to be able to then reveal the phone with the push of a button. The guitar body is built using 3 layers of 15mm thickness. I would like to be able to hide the phone and have it somehow raise out of the body and however with it being a guitar it has limited space. I would like to use an Arduino and was thinking of using a Micro servo motor to raise the phone but am not sure how to hide it.

Any ideas anyone? any questions let me know.

Thanks

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Hello Jake,

Welcome to the MEW forum.

Can you provide a little more information? If your need is simply to have the phone rise in the same way as a piece of toast popping up from a toaster you can probably do it mechanically without the need for a controller?

I am thinking of a spring and some sort of damper to stop the phone being launched across the room. There are a few ways of doing that, one easy way is a small air cylinder with a one way valve and a restricted outlet.

If you are able to can you sketch your design and scan or photograph it and post it here, it would help.

Or is electric control need for some other reason?

Regards
John

[Ed DuffnerParticipant @edduffner79357]

Hi Jake,

As John says a drawing would be helpful, but just trying to imagine this I suppose some kind of pocket routed into the back of the guitar with a suitable cover plate from a plastic and a slot also cut into the guitar edge which interfaces with the pocket.

In the pocket you could mount a small two-part cradle to hold the phone. One part could be fixed to the guitar body, the other could be a sliding frame that is extended by use of a threaded rod (ball-screw) and stepper motor, similar to how a CD-ROM tray opens and closes. You'd also need some way to power whatever you install, so another pocket for batteries perhaps.

Ed.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Electronic? Pneumatic?

Why be boring, you need a pyrotechnic phone launcher like Ace's:

Neil

[AjohnwParticipant @ajohnw51620]

Some of the astro people make use of very small geared stepping motors. The gearing is the important aspect as it increases the torque. They use them for focus control. This can mean moving fairly heavy items even dslr's.

What size would you need = Afraid you would have to work through that your self.

John

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[Jake AtkinsonParticipant @jakeatkinson60072]

Hi guys,

Thanks for you replies. I am at work so have just made a quick doodle on paint to show you what i mean. Id like the phone to be hidden when not in use but be able to somehow raise from the body of the guitar and angle at around 80degrees to be able to see the screen. The problem i am having and is what screwed with all of my ideas is the dimensions for the phone are 155 x 80 x 9mm and the body is only 45mm so having it sit like 'toast' wouldnt work.

sorry for the terrible image attached If it doesnt work i have included the link

Thanks for your help.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153625882373383&l=4f9bd53071

[Jake AtkinsonParticipant @jakeatkinson60072]

Hi Guys,

Have been able to create something on sketchup for an idea i have of raising the top piece and flipping it over to reveal the phone. Would this work?

So the 'box' in the center would hold a small motor attached to a spindal of some kind to flip the piece over and then the phone would cover the gap where the motor is located. The reverse side of the 'box' would be blank so when not in use the whole thing flips and it seems there is nothing there.

I hope this makes sense.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Another route would be a sprung door roughly the size of the phone hinged at the lower edge, and the phone on a tray beneath it hinged at the front. A servo motor built into the body pushes the phone upwards, which opens the door.

Neil

I still think rockets would be more fun

[KWILParticipant @kwil]

Pivoted tray that swings out to reveal phone, no motors just a spring and a mechanical latch to hold the tray closed.

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Hi Jake

If the back of the phone was attached to a thin hinged door then closed the phone would be face down when the door opens it would be revealed. face up at the angle you require

You would need a stay to hold the door in position, like the stays you find on a suitcase. with a bit more design work the stay could be eliminated

The door itself could be a piece of say 2.5mm aluminium veneered or painted to match the guitar.

That should fit easily within your 40mm body.

Looking at your sketch there is not a lot of space around the edges of your phone. You may have to modify the shape of the body or use a smaller phone.

Is it going to be a synth app or are you going to use the phone to display music or lyrics?

Regards
John

Edited By John McNamara on 26/08/2015 15:32:41

[RJWParticipant @rjw]

If you apply an idea such as John McNamara suggested, you could use a sprung hydraulic damper similar to those fitted to picnic trays on the back of car seats (Renault Espace etc),
When the tray is released from it’s retaining clip, the ram pushes it up into place and holds it there, but pushes down quite easily
When closed, the rams are about 100mm or so long and about 10mm diameter with a ‘snap on’ type ball joint on each end, and could be hidden in a slot milled in the back of the top laminate, all you would need is a hidden ‘press to release’ type clip to release the door allowing the ram to push it open, the same clip will lock when the door is pushed down again!
You wouldn’t need any electronic wizardry or complicated mechanisms.

[John McNamaraParticipant @johnmcnamara74883]

Hi Jake

You may wish to consider a factory made barrel type concealed hinge. They are pretty reliable I would be inclined to use 4. They are shown in the link below, a 12mm hole only 10mm deep each side is required to install them. I guess the objective is to only see a thin line around the door, you don't want to see a hinge pin. They can be installed in any material, wood or metal.

If you need a little more room you can move up a size they are available in many sizes.

There are other ways of doing this if you have access to better metalworking equipment.

**LINK**

Regards
John

Edited By John McNamara on 27/08/2015 00:10:26

[frank brownParticipant @frankbrown22225]

Jake, looking at your design:- A shallow tray that rotates centrally abouts its long axis. So a wire retainer frame and a flat spring can pop the phone up when the tray is rotated. "back" of tray painted same as guitar body. Edges of the tray radiused to form a nice tight fit into guitar so as not to be noticeable. Motor drive recessed into back of guitar body driving one of the two spindles that form the rotation axis. I think you will need a gearbox or worm drive, so a miniature "pea" power electric motor can rotate the tray.

Frank

[Jake AtkinsonParticipant @jakeatkinson60072]

Hi guys,

I figured it out. Thanks for all your help and ideas.

I have another small question for you all. I am using a servo motor controlled by and Arduino but it is quite noisy. Any ideas on how i can make it quieter or any alternatives?

Thanks

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