DIY Motorized Rotating Platform Using a DC Gear Motor and 3D Printed Parts

I built this compact, battery-powered rotating platform using a mini DC gear motor, a 3D printed 40-tooth gear system, and a simple 18650 battery setup. It's designed to rotate smoothly at low speed—perfect for shooting videos, showcasing products, or creating time-lapses.

Everything is housed in a clean 3D printed body, with a bearing-supported turntable and a gear-reduction setup that keeps motion smooth and slow.

This is a fun weekend build and a great intro to basic motion design with geared motors.

Mechanical

1. 3D printed parts
2. M5 bolt x1 (low profile)
3. M5 nut x1
4. Ball Bearing (5mm Bore, 16mm OD) x2
5. M2 screws and nuts (usually included with the motor mount)

Electronics

1. Mini DC gear motor (with mount adapter) x1
2. 18650 cell mount x1 (or a 2 AA or AAA battery mount)
3. Any toggle / rocker switch (optional)

Tools

1. Screwdriver
2. 3D printer
3. Soldering iron

Use any color and material you like, especially for the small gear and the housing. I chose to print the platfrom with the large gear in black PLA to make it appealing on the videos.

This is pretty straightforward, just screw the motor on the corresponding holes on the side of the housing from the inside, so that the motor shaft protrudes out of the housing.

For this step, I used a tiny drop of superglue, but feel free to experiment on that. Be careful to leave some space between the gear and the housing to reduce friction.

2 Bearings are required for this operation. One photo below shows an additional thrust bearing but it ended up being totally unecessairy, so I didn't include it in the parts list.

Insert the M5 bolt from the top of the rotating platform, and place it on top of the housing so that the gear teeth mesh together. Then, secure the whole assembly with an M5 nut from inside the housing.

In this final step, you need to solder the wires from the 18650 battery mount (or any battery mount, i.e. you can use a 2 AA or AAA battery mount with the appropriate batteries), to the motor. Optionally, you can also solder a small switch to better control the motion of the platform.