Servo - August 2010

Here we see an original motor, and a stage 1 modified motor that has been assembled using the coupling nuts.

The cast aluminum mounting plate on the left is usable for combat, but the machined 6061 plate on the right is substantially stronger.

without the brake assembly installed. The brush housing, however, is still designed for this brake assembly, making it physically larger than is needed for combat. So, the first action needed is to shorten this housing.

The brush housing has a plastic cover over the end — some older versions had a metal cover. In either case, this cover needs to be removed and discarded. Remove the four brushes from the housing, and then remove the four small nuts holding the brush housing to the back of the motor. The brush housing should be able to be pulled straight off the back of the motor at this time. Be careful not to pull the armature and magnet can from the mounting plate.

As you can see in the photos, there is about an inch of brush housing that is not needed. You can cut this off in several different ways.

I have used band saws, jigsaws, a hacksaw, and even a chop saw once. By far, the best method has been with a lathe. Whatever you do, make sure you do not cut into any of the machined area in the bottom of the cavity, and try to make the edge of the cut as smooth as possible. This is just a cast piece and To assemble a stage 2 setup, you will need to disassemble the motor completely and reassemble using the heavier duty mounting plate. You can see the protective sleeve over one of the studs that is used to protect the wire leads from chaffing on the stud.

it can crack under strain, so it is best not to give any potential stress risers.

I usually leave about an 1/8” of an inch overhang when done. This is enough to add some strength to the edge of the brush housing, but short enough to make mounting easier in the robot. Make sure all debris has been removed from