Need help getting guitar volume pedal to work with tattoo power supply

[Dave Lowe]

Hello!! I have very limited electrical knowledge and hope I can get some pointers in the right direction. I am a tattoo artist and would like to be able to control the voltage/speed of my machines using a foot pedal. A volume pedal for a guitar (see attached image) would be perfect because it holds it's position back and forth so what I'm aiming for is if the pedal is all the way back, the machine is off, and as you press the pedal down, the machine starts to speed up/voltage increases. I'm unsure how to get this to work. The maximum voltage i use my machines at is 8 volts. Any help would be appreciated. This is the power supply I use http://eagleviewtattoo.com/products/the-bandit-power-unit.

 

[Bluejets]

Not possible to even guess what would be inside the guitar effects pedal but it would be audio related.
If just a pot then perhaps it could be modified but not a "beginner with little electronics knowledge" project.

Supply you linked to already has a foot pedal input and a speed adjustment, so what is the problem with using that.
Seems to be a rather sophisticated supply by the cost and the "pure dc" claim.
Not something to "toy" with if you get my drift.

 

[Dave Lowe]

The foot pedal for the supply is purely just on/off. With tattooing b/c we use a wide variety of needle configurations and you have to adjust voltage several times during a tattoo when switching between needles and working around different parts of the body and doing so you have to free up a hand to adjust the voltage. This pedal idea I am thinking of would just make my job more convenient and efficient and am curious to ask someone in the know how/if it could be done.

 

[davenn]

The foot pedal for the supply is purely just on/off. With tattooing b/c we use a wide variety of needle configurations and you have to adjust voltage several times during a tattoo when switching between needles and working around different parts of the body and doing so you have to free up a hand to adjust the voltage. This pedal idea I am thinking of would just make my job more convenient and efficient and am curious to ask someone in the know how/if it could be done.

any existing circuitry would have to be ripped out of the pedal housing and a new circuit designed and built that can handle driving your tattoo machine

so, firstly, tell us about the machine, operating voltage and current <----- essential info before the project can proceed


Dave

 

[Dave Lowe]

i run rotary machines and they are powered by little dc motors. the machines i have i dont run them over 8 volts. attached is an example of the type of motor found in rotary tattoo machines

 

[davenn]

i run rotary machines and they are powered by little dc motors. the machines i have i dont run them over 8 volts. attached is an example of the type of motor found in rotary tattoo machines

as asked, do you have a current rating for them ?

 

[Dave Lowe]

I do not have a current rating for the machines. The motors are encased in the machine itself so I can't see if there is any info on the motor. The volume pedal idea though, doesn't that work by cutting the signal to the guitar amp? Like a dimmer for a light? If I plugged that pedal into my power supply I'm just curious if it would have the desired result I'm looking for, do absolutely nothing, or screw something up.

 

[davenn]

If I plugged that pedal into my power supply I'm just curious if it would have the desired result I'm looking for, do absolutely nothing, or screw something up.

you will blow up the existing pedal circuitry ... most likely, it will emit smoke

This is why I have been asking for the voltage and current ratings of the tattoo machine so that a driver circuit can be built that will handle
the requirements of the machine

guitar pedals are designed to work with the tiny voltages and currents from a guitar pickup
typically less than 100mV ( milliVolts) and less than around 10mA (milliAmps)

 

[davenn]

There must be commercial units available .... I have seen them in the local tattoo parlour
are they much too expensive to buy ?


surely cheaper ones on eBay

 

[Dave Lowe]

I will try to find that info today. The only tattoo pedals on the market are just on/off pedals, there is nothing available like what I'm thinking, being able to control voltage with your foot pedal.

 

[darren adcock]

Dave Lowe. What is the model of the Tattoo machine please?

From what I can see the Maxon motor is 2.5watts.
I think I'm correct in:
If it runs at 8v it would therefore need 0.3 amps. Do you want a circuit that goes straight to the motor? That's not too difficult to do, the difficult bit would be making the pedal I think.

 

[Alec_t]

Maxon motors come in brushed or brushless form. Brushless types may not take kindly to simply reducing the supply voltage; or to external PWM control. All the Maxon motors in their catalogue seem incredibly expensive, so you wouldn't want to burn one out with a dodgy home-brew speed controller.