The Prototype Design back to Page One to Page 2 Initial Testing to Page 4 Final Design

Here are the pics of the final testing set-up.

Shown here is the left/right line set-up.  I ended up changing to a 6" pulley to slow down the ghost to make it easier to control.

If the line pulley travels too far either left or right, the 'end of run' limit switch will stop the motor in that direction and activate the air cylinder to stop the line more quickly.  The bolts act as a line guide for the 50 lb fishing line, otherwise the fishing line would be pulled over too much and jump off the pulleys. Maybe by adding some end cushions for the line tightener/pulley mechanism, the pulley brake may not be needed.

The line tightener/pulley is shown here which is part of the left/right line.  A little crude, but it gets the job done.

A couple back shot photos showing the limit switches for the end of run stopping.

Here is one of the motor mount brackets I milled up for future mounting onto whatever I pleased.

Here is the motor/pulley set-up for the second line that moves the ghost in and out.  Here too, I went to a smaller pulley for less speed. The small middle pulley was needed to wrap the line around the bigger pulley for better traction.  Not shown, I did glue in a leather cord inside the larger pulley otherwise the line would still slip due this line does not have that much tension on it.

Due to the geometry of this set-up.  The in/out line is shorter at the middle of the left/right line and needs to lengthen out when it gets to either the far left or right side. The slack adjuster is made from 2 drawer slides.  The photo above is a single slide and I ended up adding a second slide onto for more travel when/if needed later on.

An earlier pic with the larger pulley on then, but it does show the 2 bolts mounted up front to act as a line guide for the in/out line.

The in/out line doesn't have any limit stops like the left/right line due to the length changing and was just more complicated to add. The line travels through a plastic tube instead which allows the ghost to stop at each end but the line still travels on.  I did add a piece of leather inside the tube for a little grippage.

Currently, the ghost is controlled manually by this home-made controller.  The joystick is from Happ Controls and the enclosure box was from RadioShack. Inside, there is a 110 to 12vdc adaptor to provide the joystick with low voltage for it and then the relays switch the neutral portion of the motors for the correct direction running.

I used 3 prong cords for making it easy to move and plug-in.  As below in the wiring diagram, I did use the green wire as a neutral and used plastic nuts and bolts when I mounted the 3 prong outlets instead of metal ones.

The schematic shown here has the joystick to the relays and out to the left/right line motor and limit switches wiring diagram. It doesn't show the in/out motor control, but all that required was another set of 12 volt relays and cord to control that motor minus the limit switches and solenoid connections.  If you can figure out this drawing, the in/out wiring should be easy. NOTE: I did use 3 prong cords for making simple plug connections and the green wire is NOT an earth ground any longer, I used it for the second neutral needed for the reversible motor.