# DC Motor connected to Fishing Reel

**URL:** <https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/dc-motor-connected-to-fishing-reel/4949>\
**Category:** Uncategorized\
**Created:** [29 March 2019 22:35 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/dc-motor-connected-to-fishing-reel/4949 "2019-03-29T22:35:00Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Bob83719](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/958977/32.png) [@Bob83719](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Bob83719)\
**Post date:** [29 March 2019 22:35 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/dc-motor-connected-to-fishing-reel/4949/1 "2019-03-29T22:35:00Z")

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Hello,

I am doing research into an idea I had. I would like to be able to connect a DC motor to an overhead fishing reel and operate it with Arduino. I would like to be able to measure the RPM of the DC motor to determine and set the speed that the line is reeled in, and I would also like to try have a way to measure the force being applied by a load connected to the line. For example, I was considering attaching a pulley to a load cell and running the line through that to determine the force and be able to measure it digitally and compare it to the speed of the fishing line. I have little background in electronics and was wondering if this would be feasible and if so what products do you recommend for this project? I was thinking a low rpm high torque geared encoder DC motor or a stepper motor? Any advice is appreciated.

Thanks

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**Author:** ![Stephen](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex028/user_avatar/forum.core-electronics.com.au/stephen/32/1599_2.png) [@Stephen](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/u/Stephen)\
**Post date:** [31 March 2019 22:57 UTC](https://forum.core-electronics.com.au/t/dc-motor-connected-to-fishing-reel/4949/2 "2019-03-31T22:57:34Z")

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Hi Bob,

A Stepper motor seems like it would be a good option, since you would be able to know exactly how far it had turned. You would likely need a way to determine when the line had been fully reeled in though, and if you are after big fish, then you would need a gearbox or a high torque motor. Stepper motors are not that fast though.

Check out these tutorials to help you out:

> **[Controlling Stepper Motors with the Arduino - Tutorial](https://core-electronics.com.au/tutorials/controlling-steppers-with-arduino.html)**
>
> Stepper Motors are a bit of a halfway mark between DC Motors and Servo motors, but they find a sweet spot that allows them to be perfect for certain applications. There are still a few main differences to be aware of when it comes to working with...

  

> **[Arduino Projects with Robotics Using the Sparkfun RedBoard - Tutorial](https://core-electronics.com.au/tutorials/arduino-projects-with-robotics-using-the-sparkfun-redboard.html)**
>
> Welcome to the final Project Set of the Sparkfun Inventors Kit! This Project Set focuses on Robotics with the final Circuit being an Autonomously Driving Vehicle! New components introduced in this tutorial are: 
> 
> DC Motor/Gearbox
> Motor...

  
[https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/getting-started-with-load-cells/all](https://learn.sparkfun.com/tutorials/getting-started-with-load-cells/all)