Motor Parts
Here's a parts list of the individual parts needed to make the wheel assembly.
- LEGO wheels 56x26
- DC Gearbox TT Motor to LEGO and Compatible Cross Axle
- 3D Printed Motor Mount
- 3D printed Lego Adapter for Motor
- 4x M3 x 25mm Phillips Pan Head Metric Machine Screws
- 4x M3 x 1.55mm Metric Hex Nuts
Assembly Motor Mount
The motor mount is separated into two pieces. The first piece houses the geared DC motor while the other is a LEGO base plate adapter. These two will need to be glued together. A few lines of super glue will permanently bond the two pieces together. Be sure to make their as square as possible.
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Motor Hardware
Next we'll need to gather our screws and nuts for securing the motor to the mount. Each motor will need two M3 x 25mm long metric machine screws and M3 hex nuts.
Install Motor Mount
Orient the motor and the motor mount so the features line up. The shaft and mounting tabs should line up with the cutouts in the mount. Insert the motor into the mount carefully. Press the two together until the motor is fully seated. Insert and fasten the screws through the motor body and motor mount. Use the hexnuts to secure the motor by tightening.
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Wheel Subassembly
We'll use a few LEGO parts to create our wheel sub-assembly. Here I'm using a LEGO rim / tire thats 56x26mm. We also have a motor cross axle LEGO adapter and an extra axle connector.
Install Wheel to Motor
Insert the motor axle LEGO adapter through the center of the LEGO rim. Press to fully seat the wheel. Press fit an extra axle connector for secure placement. Line up the hub end of the motor axle adapter with the shaft of the motor. Then, press the motor axle adapter into the shaft of the motor until it's fully seated. Rotate the tire to test out the connectivity.
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Motor Wheel Assemblies
Test out the fitting and ensure everything has been fully pressed and connected together. Note the orientation of the wheels. It doesn't matter which side they go, so you can flip them if needed. The motor mounts are not mirrored because the movement would be inverted when programming.
Install Wheels
Now we can attach the motor mounts to the base plate. You can choose where you think well work best in your project. The orientation can be in either direction, so there's no wrong way to put it! However, you will have to counter balance it using a caster wheel. We'll go over that next.
LEGO Cast Wheel
There's lots of different ways to build a caster wheel using lego pieces and this one isn't anything special. You'll need the following lego bits to create a swiveling wheel with double tires.
- Aeroplane Wheel Hub
- Circular brick with female connector in center
- 2x4 brick with male connector in center
Caster Wheel Assembly
Snap the aeroplane wheel hub onto the bottom of the 2x4 brick with the male connector in the center. Fit the circular piece into the brick with the male connector. The wheel hub should swivel and rotate freely.
Install Caster Wheel
Place the caster wheel assembly onto the bottom of the base plate. I put them near the front center of the plate to counter balance the motors. Experiment with different placements, depending on your bricks, you may need to wedge one or two more bricks to level out the rover.
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Prep for Battery
Next we'll need to sort out where the battery pack will go. In this project, we'll place in the between the CRICKIT and base plate. TO do that we'll need to temporarily remove the PCB from the stand offs. We'll fashion ourselves a holder for the battery pack out of LEGO bricks, naturally!
Page last edited March 08, 2024
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