You MUST take some precautions when handling these motors. They are expensive
high quality precision equipment. Careless handling can damage or destroy them.
In particular :
- Do not drop the motor.
- Take care connecting wires to the motor terminals they are small and
thin and can be easily broken off if they are wobbled around. I suggest
securing the wires as in the photograph above “Typical in car mounting” - Do not push on the end of the motor shaft. Refer to the manufacturers
data an axial load on the shaft must not exceed 20 Newton or motor
damage is probable. The shaft is retained by the small brass ring which is
pressed onto it. A load of over 20 Newtons and this ring will slip allowing
the rotor to move back in the motor and destroy the brushes. SO DO
NOT USE PUSH ON GEARS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES. - Motor mounting screws must not be too long. There is only 4mm between
the front face of the motor and the magnet inside (2232). If the mount
screws enter too far and push on the magnet displacing it serious damage
will result.
2 ELECTRONICS:
There are a number of electronics units produced for model solar cars available on the
market.
In 2006 Mr Stan Woithe in Adelaide had students test most of the units then available.
A report was written, I believe it is titled
Solar Panel Power Controllers for Model Solar Cars
In the report conclusion it states----
The inclusion of a PPC unit on a model solar car is certainly worthwhile. However, the
type of unit selected does not appear to be critical. All the units tested should perform
satisfactory, provided they are properly made and correctly adjusted. Its more important
to build a mechanically sound car with low chassis weight, low rolling resistance, good
electrical wiring and low wind drag, than to be overly concerned about which PPC to use.
Refer to Section 8 ELECTRONICS for more details.
To compare some of the commercially available units I conducted Dynamometer tests on
a Faulhaber 2232 6 Volt motor powered by each electronic unit in turn. The power source
for the testing was a Solarex SX 10 solar panel illuminated with a DC light box. The load
was a Faulhaber 2232 6 Volt motor.