Wiper Motors

Using Wiper Motors

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Wiper motors are exactly like they sound like, windshield wiper motors for cars. These are the workhorses for many Christmas and Halloween animated displays. Wiper motors have been used for rotating antenna dishes, carousels, trains, conveyor belts, and many more things.

Wiper motors rotate in a continuous motion (not back-and-forth like you would naturally think based on the actions of your windshield wipers) and run on DC voltage. Since they run on DC, the motors can be sped up and slowed down based on the voltage level applied to them, and the direction can be reversed by reversing the power leads.

To get motions that are not circular (like an up and down motion), mechanical attachments (like cams) need to be added to the motor's shaft.