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Sunday, August 18, 2013

Robot Mechanics - Downsize Your Big Hole

Static Ping Boe-Bot attachment using a skirt clip
ROBOT MECHANICS - DOWNSIZE YOUR BIG HOLE

In working with a chassis with pre-punched big holes, and when recycling projects, it's common sometimes to need extra components for parts mounting.

Sometimes the mounting hole is too large and little holes are in the wrong place. A big loose hole is a sloppy thing to have when mounting it with your small nuts. There's a small tip to downsizing your big holes.

In the photo, the bracket covers a large hole on the top of a Boe-Bot robot and holds the Ping bracket. This setup uses the existing battery bolt that retains the battery holder. It also allows easy adjustment of the Ping bracket. The side of the skirt clip has a connection tab for other hardware. Bend this tab to make it 90-degrees to the bracket.

Buy a bag of dress clips, the kind that mesh/clip together for wearing a woman's dress or skirt. These have two metal components, one of which is larger. The larger one has a prong which can be formed outward 90 degrees and serve as an extra mounting plate. Near the center is a small tight hole, perfect for a smaller bolt. The clip actually serves as a kind of washer covering the large hole, but with the added function.

The actual use example is for a static attachment of a Ping mount to the top of a Boe-Bot chassis, as shown in the photo. Go to the dollar store and pick up a package of twenty clip sets for, well, about a dollar.