Page 299 - Robot Builder's Bonanza

268 MOUNTING MOTORS AND WHEELS

USING BRACKETS
You need brackets if you must attach a vertically mounted motor to a horizontal surface. Metal
brackets are common finds at any home improvement store. They tend to be a bit bulky,
being made for general household applications. For smaller bots I prefer lightweight plastic
brackets available at specialty online stores and miniature metal hardware available from the
larger electronic parts outlets.
You can also fashion your own mounting brackets using metal or plastic. Cut the bracket
to the size you need, and drill mounting holes. This technique works well when you are using
servo motors for radio- controlled model cars and airplanes.

Brackets from Metal
You can make your own L- shaped metal brackets by bending a strip of aluminum, brass, or
stainless steel metal. You can find these metal strips at many hobby stores. Aluminum and
brass are easier to work with. They’re best for smaller motors. For larger and heavier motors,
opt for stainless steel.

1. Cut the strip to the desired length— for example, make the strip slightly more than
2″ long for an L- shaped bracket that is 1″ 1″. Each side of the L is a “leg” of the
bracket, and it’s 1″ long.
2. Mark the midpoint of the bracket with a pencil. For that 2″ bracket, for instance, place
a mark 1″ in.
3. With the metal strip held securely in a vise, drill at least one hole in each leg (see Fig-
ure 24- 3). For larger brackets, drilling two holes is even better. Stay away from the
midpoint mark you made in step 2.
4. For this next part, use a vise secured to your workbench. Put the strip into the vise so
that the midpoint mark is just visible, and tighten the vise.

Cut metal strip
to length

Drill holes

Bend metal strip at
center to make bracket
Figure 24- 3 Make your own metal
angle brackets by cutting strips of metal
(copper, brass, aluminum) to length, then
drilling holes. Bend at the middle to finish
the bracket.

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