How to make DC motor rotate one direction then back the other over and over?

I've got a small DC gearmotor (.5-5V) and I'm trying to make it rotate one direction for a second or so then travel the other direction for a second or so. I want this to keep repeating over and over again until I switch off the power.

I was thinking about using an oscillator circuit or a microcontroller but I can't figure out which is the most practical and least expensive. I don't have much experience with electronics.

Answer:
You could simply use a relay. Use a relay with DPDT contacts to reverse the voltage to the motor. Assuming its a permanent magnet motor (If not then you have to break out the field wires to reverse them separately from the armature wires).

You can buy timer relays that will modulate the way you describe, they are however usually mains power or 24vdc so if you want to use the same 5v as the motor, you may need to use a 5v dc relay and use a 555 timer circuit to switch it (you will find a suitable circuit in the 555 data sheets)

check out http://www.rswww.com for timers and data sheets

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