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Locking caster question

I was down in Orlando for a week, the Walmart had shopping carts that had wheels that locked up if you left the lot. (must be a good area) The wheel must have some sort of electronic sensor in it that puts the brake on once out of range of something.

I am making a floating island for my kitchen (wife and I can't agree where to put it) I will be welding up the frame and finshing with wood doors, I have been thinking of what type of wheels/casters to use so it looks good and stays put when you want it. When at Walmart I was racing back to the car with my 3 year old in the cart and it just STOPPED, about tossing the kid out and my back all at once. So I then read the warning on the cart about going to far from the store, it says once beyond the lot the wheels lock so don't waste your time stealing me. This would be great for my project, I could just have a on/off switch to activate the brake. Has anyone seen these? Can they be bought? Not sure what the normal postion is locked or unlocked, I would think it would need some sort of battery that my wear out if left in the locked position most of the time.

Reply to
wayne mak
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I'd suggest using "floor locks"

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since they will not wiggle around like a locked caster tends to.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

I would be interested to know how those wheels work.

Need some electronics to receive a signal, power on board, default state?

All of which adds to the cost of producing them.

DOC

Reply to
DOC

Reply to
wayne mak

The braking mechanism need not use much power. A small gear motor to engage a spring loaded locking pin would suffice. Only requires power when changing states so a small lithium battery could last a long time.

If you don't like my floor lock suggestion, you could rig a similar system with casters and small gear motors. Flick the momentary toggle to lock and the four motors apply the tension to the locking pins which will engage as soon as they line up with the holes you drilled in the casters, flick it the other way and the pins are tensioned in the other direction and will release with a slight wiggle. You'll still have the rotational locking issue to deal with though. perhaps some good double locking casters and small air cylinders to activate them.

Pete C.

Reply to
Pete C.

They take a diamond saw and make a slot around the periphery of the store's parking lot at the sidewalk line, then drop in a wire and seal it in. Just like the car detector loops at an intersection. They run a low-frequency radio signal through the wire like a fence charger.

If the cart wheel goes over the cable (as it would if you try rolling the cart off the property) the signal trips off the lock mechanism in the wheel.

Those carts can run them $60 to $100 each, and a recovery service charges a few bucks per cart each time they "walk away" and have to be retrieved from the local buildings - and several carts never come back each month. So for obvious reasons they don't want those carts going off the property.

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Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

I made a ton of signs for the company that makes those locking wheels. They are made here in San Diego. Its a proximtiy sensor and there are magnets in the wheel and buried in the parking lot. Its kinda like an electric fence for shopping carts. I still see a shmitload of shopping carts everywhere. I Think they only cost the company about 15 bucks so they don't care that much about getting them back

Reply to
daniel peterman

Reply to
wayne mak

I WIll search my data bank

Reply to
daniel peterman

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