Overengineering Your Own Motorized Notepad

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Regular notepads are useful, and all that, but what they tend to lack is an overengineering upgrade. Thankfully, this guide will show how to solve a problem that doesn't really exist.

Enjoy. 

Like any project of this nature, you are going to need a few bits and bobs. For this build, you will need:

• 6mm acrylic sheet
• Brass rods
• 6V DC 35 RPM 3mm motorized gearwheel motor
• GT2 148mm rubber timing belt
• Red off/on push button
• 11.1 V 3 cell 360 mAh Lipo battery (or equivalent)
• 1/4 inch aluminum sheet
• Steel rods
• Hacksaw blade
• 8 no. 693 zz ball bearings
• Card machine paper spools
• Rubber O rings
• Mini CNC milling machine
• HSS end mill bit
• Mini drive belt gear
• Jigsaw
• Mini lathe
• Various bolts and nuts
• Screwdriver set
• Electrical wires and soldering gear
• Soldering Kit

With all the materials needed in hand, it is time to get on with the build. 

The first step is to cut out the various pieces you'll need for the motorized notepad's main body from your acrylic sheets. For best results use a jigsaw.

No dimensions are provided, so watch the video for more guidance. 

Next, secure your cut-out acrylic sheet to the base of your CNC milling machine. You can either screw it into place or using adhesive strips (or both).

Insert your HSS mill end into your CNC machine, and begin to machine the parts needed. Again no models are provided, so you will have to experiment a bit here. 

Next, drill and thread the screw holes as required for assembling the main body of the motorized notepad. 

Now, grab your ball bearings. Insert them into their matching receptacles on the main motorized notepad body sides. 

Next, grab your brass rod and secure it into place in your lathe. Cut down the rod to around 15.3 mm (0.6 inches), and then mark out, and cut, three equal spaced grooves on the rod.  

With that complete, drill a hole through the center of the rod. Polish as needed. Cut off the grooved rod as shown in the video. 

Now, add three correctly sized rubber o rings into the grooves on the rod. 

Next, grab the steel rod and mark off 0.5 mm (0.02 inches) at one end and 10mm (0.4 inches) at the other. 

Cut off these marked sections, and insert the rod into the barrel of the brass rod your completed earlier. 

Now, grab three more ball bearings, various nuts, and a threaded rod. Assemble as instructed in the video.

The ball bearings should be equally spaced to match the rubber O rings on the brass rod. 

Now begin to assemble the main motorized notepad's body. Using suitably sized screws and assemble as shown in the video. 

Now, attach one of the drive belt gears to one end of the axles to the brass rod. 

Next, grab your DC motorized gearwheel. Attached its plastic mounting, as well as, another drive belt gear to its axle. 

Secure the motor to the main notepad body, and connect a rubber drive belt between the two gears, as shown. 

Now grab your push button, and attach it to the main notepad housing too. 

Wire up and solder the button and the motor into a circuit, ready to receive power. Connect the motor and push-button to the battery and test that they work. 

Place the battery, and wiring, inside the main body of the notepad, and close off using the top plate of the notepad. Screw into place, as required. 

Now, build the paper cutting edge of the notepad. For this using the specially cut acrylic piece, and a length of an old hacksaw. Measure and cut to length, as required. 

Once cut, glue it into place.

Attach the cutting blade assembly to the main body of the notepad. 

With that stage completed, the machine is effectively finished. Now just grab a spool of car machine receipt paper, and secure it to the rear arms of the motorized notepad.

Feed the paper into the rollers, push the button, and enjoy the wonders of your new creation.