Free Heliostat Plans

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Free Heliostat Plans: Part 6

Part 1: Introduction
Part 2: Parts List
Part 3: Building the Heliostat Frame
Part 4: Making and Attaching the Nut for the Threaded Rod
Part 5: Coupling the Threaded rod to the Stepper Motors
Part 6: Making and Attaching the Stepper Motor Mounts
Part 7: Mounting the Mirror / You're Done!

Making and Attaching the Stepper Motor Mounts

Next, you will need to make the stepper motor mounts. To protect the stepper motor from the weather, the mount is designed so that a soda bottle fits around it. The soda bottle is cut around the bottom so that you can access the inside where the stepper motor is. The bottom will also slide back on when you're finished.

Below is a picture of the mount before being assembled. I cut mine out with my CNC machine, but it can, of course, be made with a jigsaw or something similar instead.

What I'm using here is 3/4" plywood.

The outside circle's diameter is 4 1/4" while the inside circle's diameter is 2 3/8". Also notice how the inside circle has a sort of "keyway" at the bottom which is 1/4" deep.

I don't seem to have a real life photo of this, but, up through the bottom of the stepper motor mount, there is a 1/4" hole which allow a 5" long 5/16-18 threaded rod to be stuck up through it. Don't put in the threaded rod quite yet though.

First, cut the the soda bottle all the way around about 1/4 of the way up from the bottom.

Next, slide the soda bottle all the way down the threaded rod which is coupled onto the stepper motor and slip it onto the stepper motor mount.

Make a hole in the top of the soda bottle at the same spot where the hole is in the stepper motor mount. You can now insert the threaded rod into the motor mount. I seem to have lost the picture of this step, so you are going to have to use your imagination some. The picture above this text should give you an idea.

You can also sort of see in the picture below how the threaded rod is bolted to the motor mount. Getting the nut inside the container is a little tricky, but you can do it with a pair of pliers.

Notice the part that is inside the blue circle. This is the 4 1/2" board that I told you to make and attach earlier. You are going to have to go ahead and take it back off again for these next steps.

In the next two pictures, you can see how the motor mount is attached to the heliostat. Remember how you drilled a 1/4" hole into the bottom of the 4 1/2" board. Well now you need to screw the threaded rod into this hole.

It should fit snugly enough that the threaded rod won't slip out, but also not be so tight that you can't rotate the motor mount fairly easily.

Before you reattach the 4 1/2" board to the heliostat, go ahead and screw the threaded rod part of the way into the nut like you see in the picture below.

Now you can reattach the 4 1/2" board onto the heliostat.

I only took pictures of hooking up the azimuth stepper motor and threaded rod, but the process for the altitude stepper motor and threaded rod is essentially the same. You can see how they are supposed to look when mounted in the picture below.

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