Solar trough water heater motor linkage

[frazelle09]

We are trying to build a solar water heater using a 4' x 10' trough design and are still trying to figure out how to rotate the trough so that it follows the daily sun East-West. We have a 12 volt car window motor and someone else has suggested we use a simple, 3.6 volt electric screwdriver motor. Which motor to use is "another" question.

However we still need to see if what we are building will work. We have a 40" long threaded rod attached to the end of the motor and the motor attached to the frame of the concentrator. The top end of the rod is to be threaded through a bolt, welded to a tie-rod which is bolted to one end of the concentrator. We think that when the motor turns the rod it will rotate the trough through some 110 degrees. Does this seem mechanically reasonable/logical?

A link to the project is http://www.fundacionanisa.org/index...d=35:sustaindevelcategoria&Itemid=43&lang=en".

Any suggestions/comments would be greatly appreciated. Have a great afternoon! :)

 

[Navin A S]

Yes, your idea does seem mechanically reasonable and logical. The motor should be able to turn the rod and rotate the trough by 110 degrees. However, the choice of motor depends on the torque needed to rotate the trough. The 12 volt car window motor should have enough torque to rotate the trough, however it might be necessary to use a stronger motor depending on the weight of the trough. The 3.6 volt electric screwdriver motor is likely not strong enough to rotate the trough, so it would be best to use the 12 volt car window motor.