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Help with wheels and axel

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Stover

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I'm having a huge problem with my robot's design. I have no way to connect the axles to the rollers (poland spring bottles). The axle is small and I'm having trouble finding a means of connecting the two. If anyone has any ideas such as where to get/what to get a product or how to build a part, anything! Thank you
 
If the axel is smaller than the roller or wheel hub hole you have to find a short peice of tubing that will slide snuggly over the axel shaft to act as a sleeve. Obviously it will take some trial n error to get the right size tubing to fit the hub hole but thats the general way of doing it.
 
But how would you secure the axle to the tubing? And where would you get this tubing?

Use a set screw or cotter pin to secure the wheel to the axel. If the wheel hub doesnt have a set screw you have to drill a small hole thru the hub and axel to insert a cotter pin. If you dont have a proper cotter pin you can use an ordinary nail, works fine.

Heres a link to a power wheels project i was working on awhile ago. I had that very problem of not having a set screw or even a hub wide enough to drill a hole thru . Had to drill a hole thru the solid rubber tire, the hub and axel to insert a small steel rod to secure the wheel to the axel.

http://www.geocities.com/nettron1000/Powheels1.html


What is the diameter of your axel ? A short peice of copper tubing may work.
 
Well the diameter is about .7 inch I think, standard small 3vdc motor. With a cotter pin the pin would hang out too much and hit my frame and also I'm not sure it would hold the axle tight enough. Good idea though. Still need help, anyone?
-ADDED-
The set screw idea kind of backfired. I bought one, the hole was too small. Where do you get set screws, and cheap ones too because I bought one and it was $6!

I was thinking about trying epoxy, just fill the top of the poland spring bottle with it, let it set and drill it to axle size and use 2-3 setscrews I drill in the sides. Will that work?
 
The cotter pin isnt meant to hold the axel tight, its for securing a wheel to an axel, a sleeve fitted over the axel serves that purpose.

Im not clear on what type of set up you have, whats a poland spring bottle ? and why did it cost you $6 for a set screw when any 50 cent machine screw would have worked ? Also you said the hole was too small, so why not get a set screw of the proper size ?
 
Well ok, a poland spring bottle is a plastic beverage bottle (like coke, cola) only a little smaller. I bought the set screw, which is basically the shaft with a hole (to put the axle in) and then a screw that tightens down enough to hold it in tight. Between the screw would be the bottle. like =
^
|o| where o is the axle hole and ^ is the screw top.

but anyway, I'm not sure about the cotter pin idea. Check out my site, I have drawings, it is called the Shekuten. (new project)
www.angelfire.com/electronic2/mechman
It may help
 
Here is a picture of the ideal set screw
 

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Appears the problem is that you are trying to fit a motor shaft into the neck of a bottle that is far too big for the shaft. You could try drilling a pilot hole thru both the bottle neck and the motor shaft then put a self-tapping screw tru the hole(s), this would make for a tighter fit . If you are not adept at using power tools you could go with your apoxy idea.
 
Yeah, I found a solution. I filled the bottle with normal hot glue with a hot glue gun, which hardened well and I am going to drill a small hole for the motor shaft and a hole straight through the bottle neck, which the 2 set screws will rest. This should do it. Maybe 3 set screws?
 
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