SeaPerch Remotely Operated Vehicle, Construction Manual, Page: 47 / 110

OPTIONAL PROCEDURE 2.3
– ALTERNATE MOTOR 1
SeaPerch ROV Construction Manual
– Version 2010-04NW
2.3-1
Procedure 2.3 – Seal the Motors So That Wax Cannot Get Inside
Tools:
Scissors
Materials:
3 12 Volt DC Motors
Electrical Tape
Figure 2.3-1: A Motor Sealed with Electrical Tape
NOTE: The purpose of sealing the motors, by wrapping them with electrical tape, as
shown in Figure 2.3-1, is to keep the molten wax out of any holes in the motor shells
during the thruster waterproofing process. Therefore, EVERY hole in the motor shells
must be sealed (except the center area of the two ends where the shaft protrudes from
the motor shell), and folds in the tape where wax could pass through must be avoided.
The care with which this is done will help determine whether your thrusters will work and
how long they will last.
Some motors used for SeaPerch ROVs may be larger than others. To ensure good
coverage of the tape and minimize its thickness, so that the motors will still fit easily into
the thruster housings (plastic vials or film canisters) with enough room for the
waterproofing wax to flow around them, it is important to perform the wrapping process
very carefully to minimize the overall diameter of each wrapped motor.
Construction Steps:
1. Make sure the markings placed earlier on the negative terminals of each of the
motors have not rubbed off. It is important that you can identify the polarity of
the terminals after covering the motors in tape. If the markings are not visible,
repeat Procedure 2.2.
2. Study Steps 3 through 5 on the next two pages before beginning the tape-
wrapping process.
In those steps you will need to make sure that ALL holes
are sealed, but ensure that the motors are still thin enough to easily slide into
the thruster housings with enough room for melted wax to flow around the
motors.
A common problem to avoid is having the tape around the sides of the
motors be thicker near the motor ends than it is for the rest of the motors' sides.
Prevent this by cutting the pieces of tape that cover the motor ends so that they
are
flush with the sides as shown in the pictures, and having the edges of the
side tapes slightly overlap onto the motor ends (rather than having the end
tapes fold over onto the sides of the motors, increasing the thickness there).