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- JLU Sahara
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- #1
With no intentions to sell this and every intention to share this in the DIY section of the forum if it actually works....which without your help it may very well not, I am seeking to design a method of getting either JL soft top (premium or basic)--at least on the 4 door, although I imagine the ideas here could be transferred to the 2 door, to open and close, at least to Sunrider position, with the touch of a button.
I wasn't going to publish this until I got a working prototype but with the possible further delay of FCA's power top, plus the idea that your combined minds are much smarter than my one head, (plus it's raining out, so I can't work on it) I thought I'd share what I have so far.
Like any good DIY, the parts should be readily available and relatively easy to assemble with limited tools and funds. It starts with Harbor Freight's manual worm drive based winch:
https://www.harborfreight.com/2000-lb-capacity-geared-winch-5798.html
A worm drive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worm_drive was chosen because no positive pressure need be applied to the device to keep its rotational position static: only to move it.
I discarded the bar of the winch over which the cable lies in the picture, along with the cable and hook.
I then took the spool off the device and sliced it in half with a hack saw (half being equal parts left and right, NOT down its length)
I then reattached the spool, including the rod that goes inside it (don't cut the internal rod), but first, slipped one of these on the spool:
http://www.steel-tek.com/sites/551/uploaded/files/Single_Socket_Tee.pdf
A 1 1/4" single socket tee: which fits nicely over the spool. It's available at Lowes.
In the link it's the side marked as "B" that was slipped over the spool.
I clamped down the adjustment screw of the Tee connected to the winch spool with the extremely high torque of a regular wrench and Allen bit for it, also available at Harbor Freight, not a self contained Allen wrench, whose design and limited length normally limits user applied torque.
Here's a link to the rachet attachment for Hex bits, which you'll need to tighten the Steel Tek Tee:
https://www.harborfreight.com/9-pc-38-in-12-in-drive-sae-hex-socket-set-67884.html
At the other opening of the single socket tee I put in Steel Tek's 1 1/4" pipe, about 26" worth and clamped it down (also available at Lowes).
(See where I'm going so far?)
I bought a steel plate that I will try to put on the top of the speaker bar. It will be held down by the 2 - 4 holes in the front of the speaker bar that normally accommodate the Freedom panel clamp downs (for either Freedom panel's) most exterior and median to the rig.
These clamp downs have 2 holes in them each. I'll put nuts and bolts through them to hold down the steel plate on top of the speaker bar, having drilled holes into the steel plate of the right size and placement compared to those in the aforementioned Freedom panel clamp dows.
I'll then weld or polymer bond the winch, with the spool to the rear and on top of the metal plate so it fits under one of the (at least Premium) soft top's cross bars to this plate.
(The spool, oriented 180 degrees closer to the front of the rig didn't fit with the top down. One of the soft top's cross members got in the way.)
Ideally, this pipe sits at its other end under the lip in the front middle of the soft top. I may reduce the pipe diameter size along its length so it leaves a smaller indentation in the soft top when the top is closed. It's not obtrusive though IMHO. The winch is not perfectly centered on the speaker bar (the best attachment point), with respect to the soft top's first pivot point, so the pipe may be closer or further to the end of the soft top when closed or in the Sunrider position. I've yet to work out the details.
The place where the winch's user crank resides pops up a little to much for me when the soft to is closed. It's nothing that taking off about 1/2" of its top length won't address. It has the space to do so.
Now the fun begins. Pick your electric tool of choice. For me, right now, that's these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071HXVVYF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.harborfreight.com/48-volt-14-in-cordless-screwdriver-kit-61826.html
and a socket to match the nut on the winch, which I'll "Locktite" on.
The lever that comes with the winch is bypassed.
The 40:1 ratio of the winch makes the power this linked screw driver supplies, which is limited, over the 26" of distance of the pipe which raises and lowers the soft top to Sunrider position and back (plus the soft top's weight) *seem* to be adequate on testing. The tradeoff of ease of cranking to number of turns suggest this be done with a power tool for speed sake (over a ratchet, but YMMV), hence, a "power" soft top.
I initially thought of doing this with a high torque low spin DC motor, and an Arduino to control the motor's movement within the about 180 degree range, and then said, "why am I killing myself?"
The first drop of rain will short out the Arduino, and it's more trouble that its worth, especially having to familiarize myself with its Java code specific instructions .
It took 22 rotations of the winches screw to go 180 degrees. That's not bad at all when applied to a power tool. This represents the entire open to close span of the Sunrider configuration.
No way is this setup appropriate for the normal speeds of, say, a right angle drill. It's just too fast.
Let me hear your ideas/thoughts on this!
Thanks.
I wasn't going to publish this until I got a working prototype but with the possible further delay of FCA's power top, plus the idea that your combined minds are much smarter than my one head, (plus it's raining out, so I can't work on it) I thought I'd share what I have so far.
Like any good DIY, the parts should be readily available and relatively easy to assemble with limited tools and funds. It starts with Harbor Freight's manual worm drive based winch:
https://www.harborfreight.com/2000-lb-capacity-geared-winch-5798.html
A worm drive https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Worm_drive was chosen because no positive pressure need be applied to the device to keep its rotational position static: only to move it.
I discarded the bar of the winch over which the cable lies in the picture, along with the cable and hook.
I then took the spool off the device and sliced it in half with a hack saw (half being equal parts left and right, NOT down its length)
I then reattached the spool, including the rod that goes inside it (don't cut the internal rod), but first, slipped one of these on the spool:
http://www.steel-tek.com/sites/551/uploaded/files/Single_Socket_Tee.pdf
A 1 1/4" single socket tee: which fits nicely over the spool. It's available at Lowes.
In the link it's the side marked as "B" that was slipped over the spool.
I clamped down the adjustment screw of the Tee connected to the winch spool with the extremely high torque of a regular wrench and Allen bit for it, also available at Harbor Freight, not a self contained Allen wrench, whose design and limited length normally limits user applied torque.
Here's a link to the rachet attachment for Hex bits, which you'll need to tighten the Steel Tek Tee:
https://www.harborfreight.com/9-pc-38-in-12-in-drive-sae-hex-socket-set-67884.html
At the other opening of the single socket tee I put in Steel Tek's 1 1/4" pipe, about 26" worth and clamped it down (also available at Lowes).
(See where I'm going so far?)
I bought a steel plate that I will try to put on the top of the speaker bar. It will be held down by the 2 - 4 holes in the front of the speaker bar that normally accommodate the Freedom panel clamp downs (for either Freedom panel's) most exterior and median to the rig.
These clamp downs have 2 holes in them each. I'll put nuts and bolts through them to hold down the steel plate on top of the speaker bar, having drilled holes into the steel plate of the right size and placement compared to those in the aforementioned Freedom panel clamp dows.
I'll then weld or polymer bond the winch, with the spool to the rear and on top of the metal plate so it fits under one of the (at least Premium) soft top's cross bars to this plate.
(The spool, oriented 180 degrees closer to the front of the rig didn't fit with the top down. One of the soft top's cross members got in the way.)
Ideally, this pipe sits at its other end under the lip in the front middle of the soft top. I may reduce the pipe diameter size along its length so it leaves a smaller indentation in the soft top when the top is closed. It's not obtrusive though IMHO. The winch is not perfectly centered on the speaker bar (the best attachment point), with respect to the soft top's first pivot point, so the pipe may be closer or further to the end of the soft top when closed or in the Sunrider position. I've yet to work out the details.
The place where the winch's user crank resides pops up a little to much for me when the soft to is closed. It's nothing that taking off about 1/2" of its top length won't address. It has the space to do so.
Now the fun begins. Pick your electric tool of choice. For me, right now, that's these:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B071HXVVYF/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
https://www.harborfreight.com/48-volt-14-in-cordless-screwdriver-kit-61826.html
and a socket to match the nut on the winch, which I'll "Locktite" on.
The lever that comes with the winch is bypassed.
The 40:1 ratio of the winch makes the power this linked screw driver supplies, which is limited, over the 26" of distance of the pipe which raises and lowers the soft top to Sunrider position and back (plus the soft top's weight) *seem* to be adequate on testing. The tradeoff of ease of cranking to number of turns suggest this be done with a power tool for speed sake (over a ratchet, but YMMV), hence, a "power" soft top.
I initially thought of doing this with a high torque low spin DC motor, and an Arduino to control the motor's movement within the about 180 degree range, and then said, "why am I killing myself?"
The first drop of rain will short out the Arduino, and it's more trouble that its worth, especially having to familiarize myself with its Java code specific instructions .
It took 22 rotations of the winches screw to go 180 degrees. That's not bad at all when applied to a power tool. This represents the entire open to close span of the Sunrider configuration.
No way is this setup appropriate for the normal speeds of, say, a right angle drill. It's just too fast.
Let me hear your ideas/thoughts on this!
Thanks.
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