I’m working on a compact motion project — basically modifying a motorized camera slider for macro shots in my garage. There’s no room to spare, which makes normal actuators way too bulky. I stumbled on those micro linear actuators from Progressive Automations, and they look perfect on paper — small, quiet, and supposedly strong for their size. Has anyone actually used them in something real-world? I’d love to know if they hold up or if they’re more for light-duty gimmicks.
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Not sure why, but these types of builds always remind me of a project my neighbor did — he automated a spice rack into his kitchen backsplash. Took him three weekends and a dozen burned fuses, but it worked. Stuff like this is cool when it blends in and does its job without anyone noticing.
Yeah, I’ve used one of their micro actuators in a custom drawer system in my RV — needed something super compact that wouldn’t eat up space. It’s been running smoothly for over a year, and I’ve definitely pushed it more than I probably should. One thing that helped was picking the right stroke length from the start — saves a lot of headaches. I found mine on this mini linear actuator https://www.progressiveautomations.com/pages/micro-linear-actuators page, and they’ve got a few types depending on torque and size.