Motors - Preparing the NEMA

The NEMA motor will be used to lift all of the pixels to the maximum height then slowly lower them while the locking motors lock the pixels at their proper height.

Before the NEMA could be used the rod had to be cut to length. In order to cut the rod to length a Dremel with a fiberglass cutting wheel was used as well as various files to clean the threads afterwards.

We first determined the length that the lead screw would have to be and marked it with tape.

The lead screw was then clamped in a vice and the end cut off using a Dremel, the end of the red was cleaned using a sanding wheel and the threads cleaned using small hand files.

Additionally in order to support the motor web, a coupling was designed that would connect to the top of the lead screw and interface with the motor web. This coupling consists of two 3D printed parts (black and blue) and a bearing to reduce friction. A rendering of the assembly can be seen below along with the assembled view.