Techniques
Keep super-glues away from anything
you plan to solder - it results in some
nasty fumes when heated!
Brass tubing (commonly available at
hobby shops) can be cut without
crimping by rolling it with a razor
blade. Dull blades work too.
Paper clips can be a cheap
source of solderable wire for
making frames for your
solarengine. Keep an eye out
for the copper/brass type.
Any shaft can be made bigger to fit
gears/wheels/pulleys by using
successive layers of plastic heat-
shrink electrical insulation tubing.
Plastic heat-shrink
electrical insulation tubing can
be used to make flexible drive shafts.
Think of propellor shafts...
Put an elastic band around the
jaws of your needle-nose pliers to
hold parts while soldering. It saves
you burning your fingers!
Here are some techniques we've found that are valuable when
starting off in BEAM robotics. Instead of taking you many hours
of experimentation, we've put them all on this single page!
Looking for a cheap & handy clamp to hold pieces
together while you solder them? Look for a wood
clothespin, and whittle it to the right shape needed to
hold your parts.
Rubber pinchrollers from
cassette deck mechanisms make
GREAT wheels for Solarollers!
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