Variobot variAnt, Instructions Manual, Page: 17 / 40

10) Putting on the Gears
8 brass bushings (26 mm)
8 small gears (2 mm hole)
2 medium shafts (35 mm)
Start by sliding one brass bushing over
the roughened ends of each of the 6
bent shafts.
Hold the shafts upright on a surface and
press one small gear onto each of these
ends.
Now, place the shafts on a smooth surface
as shown below, with 4 of the bent ends
pointing upward as much as possible and 2
pointing downward.
If the alignment of the bending angles
doesn’t match precisely for some of the
shafts, the corresponding gears need to be
adjusted as follows.
Use pliers to hold the shaft near the bend and a
piece of cloth to slide the gear off the shaft. Then,
press the gear back on again.
Now, mark the 6 upward-facing teeth of each gear
with a marker, and using the provided lubricant,
lubricate the shafts between the gears and the
bushings (1).
Lastly, for the two 35 mm long shafts,
press a small gear onto each one,
lubricate them, and slide a brass
bushing onto each of them as well.
Keep in mind that the 15 teeth of the gear
correspond to one step cycle (360°).
So, if a gear is, for example, half a tooth
misaligned when attached, it results in a
deviation of 360°/30 = 12°.
1