I need to build a device that has motorized a door with a hinge on top, similar to cat doors:
Between these options, which one makes the most sense: - use an actuator on the side to push the door up - put a pulley on the door hinge and drive it with a stepper motor through a belt - put an anchor above the door, on the same plane, and pull a string on a reel with a stepper motor - or, any other idea :)
What makes the most sense from a mechanical point of view? it's for a small device where the door is roughly 7x7" and weights about 0.6LBS.
The actuator seems the simplest so far, but before I order parts I would like to have opinions from people that understand this stuff :)