SeaPerch Remotely Operated Vehicle, Construction Manual, Page: 43 / 110

SeaPerch ROV Construction Manual
– Version 2010-04NW
2.1-1
Procedure 2.1 – Build a Motor Potting Holder (If Not Provided)
Tools:
Drill (or Drill Press)
¼” Drill Bit
1-
3/8” Flat Drill Bit* (Or a
“Forstner” Bit for a Flat-
Bottomed Hole)
Permanent Ink Marker
Ruler
*Use a 1
¼”
Bit if Using
Standard 35mm Film Canisters
for the Thruster Housings
Materials:
1 Block of Wood, Such as
a
“2 x 4” (or “4 x 4”) at
Least 8” (~20 cm) Long
Figure 2.1-1: Typical Hole Spacing for a Potting Holder
NOTE: A potting holder of some type is useful in order to securely hold the thruster
housings in place during the motor-potting process, both while the melted wax is being
poured and afterward, while it is hardening. Although a cardboard box or other raised
surface, with holes at least ½” (13 cm) deep to accommodate the motor shafts, will
suffice, a simple wooden holder is easy to build, is reusable, and provides more stable
support for the thruster housings than a cardboard stand.
If a motor-potting holder is not already available, one can be quickly constructed by
following the procedure below. The holes may be placed in any configuration
convenient for placing / removing the thruster housings. If a potting holder of some type
is already available, skip to Procedure 2.2.
Construction Steps:
1. Mark at least three drilling locations in the top of the wood block, as shown in
Figure 2.1-1. (If a longer block is used, additional sets of three holes may be
added, spaced similarly, for potting multiple sets of thruster motors.)
2. Using a 1-3/8
” bit*, drill holes at least ½” (1.3 cm) deep for the thruster housings
at the locations marked on the block. Drill the holes as nearly perpendicular to
the surface as you can,
and be careful to not drill all of the way through the block .
3. If central holes deep enough to accommodate the thruster motor shafts (which
will protrude about ½" beyond the bottoms of the thruster housings) were not
created by the drill bit in the step above, use a
¼” drill bit to drill a hole about 5/8”
(1.6 cm) deep precisely in the center of each of the holes in the block.