by jwb1323
Update on the project: as noted, I have completed the counterweight with extra weight inside. I had weighed the bascule section, and it came out to 8 ounces and originally tried that as a weight value for the counterweight, but it looks like that wasn't enough to counterbalance the other parts of the trunion mechanism and overcome friction. I added all the other self-adhesive weights I had on hand, and wound up putting around 11 ounces in, which still doesn't "balance" the thing, but makes it perceiptibly easier to lift the bascule. I will try adding the racks and applying power after church and lunch today.
I think a big key is counterbalancing, as noted above. But if you've counterbalanced it, I think whatever the capacity of the motor and mechanism, you can go ahead and use them. The issue with the Tortoise as I see it would be you've got to convert the Tortoise motion, which is travel through at most 30 degrees of an arc, to travel through almost 90 degrees in the final movement of the bascule. To do that, you're going to have to have a lot of additional bellcranking or whatever, and you'll lose mechanical advantage and add friction. Theoretically, if the bridge is well enough counterbalanced, you might just be able to have one of those hot wires move the bridge, but this is THEORETICAL and doesn't take things like friction into account.
I think a big key is counterbalancing, as noted above. But if you've counterbalanced it, I think whatever the capacity of the motor and mechanism, you can go ahead and use them. The issue with the Tortoise as I see it would be you've got to convert the Tortoise motion, which is travel through at most 30 degrees of an arc, to travel through almost 90 degrees in the final movement of the bascule. To do that, you're going to have to have a lot of additional bellcranking or whatever, and you'll lose mechanical advantage and add friction. Theoretically, if the bridge is well enough counterbalanced, you might just be able to have one of those hot wires move the bridge, but this is THEORETICAL and doesn't take things like friction into account.