All,
Hope this will help someone. Here are pics of how I turned a Da Lite manual into a Da Lite motorized.
Saturn windshield wiper motor:


12 VDC dist. System:


12 VDC system just for screen:


Screen ready to come down:


Screen coming down:


I can post schematic of motor control box if someone wants it (if I can remember it!!)

Where did you find/how did you make the motor screen roller coupling?

Let's see if I can remember how I did that:

1. Take off the left hand end cap of the screen (CAREFUL, as this end contains the dreaded SPRING)
I disabled the spring mechanisim by drilling out the "slot" that the spring tab was riding in into a full hole, so now the spring tab just tends to rotate if the torsion spring gets wound up any at all. This basically defeats the spring so your motor can take over.

2. Remove the right hand end cap of the screen and I think I was able to put a threaded rod in there and basically "hook" onto the screen roller up cylinder (the cylinder that the screen actually wraps around).

3. Put the right size nuts (2) on the end of the threaded rod and lock them together TIGHT.

4. Go to Lowe's or Home Depot and buy 1 (one) deep socket for that size of nut.

5. Pin this socket to the motor.

6. You have yourself a "flexible" coupler once you mount the motor such that the socket goes over the first nut on the end of the threaded rod.

7. I think mcmaster.com has flexible couplings which will do this, but I had to get er done quick.

That sounds a lot more complicated then I was hoping, but whatever its friggen cool.

Really not bad. Took me about an hour.

I make EVERTHING COMPLICATED

bluesrocker22,

It looks like a cool mod.
Do you have any sort of "auto" stop when it's all the way down or all the way up?

JDJr

Hi JDJr,
Yes I do. Just installed it 2 nights ago. I did not worry about all the way down (as the screen just starts to wind up around the cylinder in the opposite direction).

However, was worried about all the way up (RIPPPPPP!!)

So, took a microswitch with an extension arm on it an mounted it just to the right of the screen.

Now, when someone goes "too far" the NC microswitch gets activated by the "drop bar" from the screen and this breaks the circuit to the motor. To recover, I wired a momentary pushbutton across the NC contacts, so the "person in the know" comes in, presses the safety button, the down buttons (both) and she comes down off the microswitch and you are back in business.

Here is a pic of the NC microswitch:


This is very simple and has worked great so far.