Antenna rotator with worm gear and integrated BB ball bearings

thingiverse

This is a worm gearbox rotator device featuring integrated ball bearings for use with lightweight antennas. The design is based on the "Almostly Customizable BB Bearing Generator" by Hoshiimiki: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:3177466 The gears are created using the "Helical Gear Plus" free Fusion 360 plugin from Ortus Lab: https://apps.autodesk.com/FUSION/en/Detail/Index?id=1259509007239787473&os=Win64&appLang=en ID: 40.4mm (with a tolerance of 0.4mm) OD: 65mm Gear ratio: 40:1 To assemble this device, you will need several components, including lots of 6mm PLA ball bearings, a NEMA17 motor, three M3 16mm screws, and some super glue. The Fusion 360 design files are included for customization purposes. Additionally, there are STLs and F3D files available for an EM-462 stepper motor that can be sourced from an old Epson inkjet printer. Assembly Instructions: 1. Print the rotator outer and inner parts. 2. Assemble these parts together and fill them with ball bearings, leaving one out to ensure smooth operation. 3. Rotate the inner part of the rotator by hand until minimal binding occurs. 4. Print the rotator worm shaft horizontally, remove any support material, and lightly sand it with sandpaper. 5. Print the rotator motor holder and glue it to the gearbox using super glue. A hole is provided for an M3 screw, but this was only used for alignment purposes. 6. Place the rotator worm shaft onto the NEMA17 motor output shaft and check how it fits. 7. Glue the rotator worm shaft to the NEMA17 motor output shaft. 8. Fasten the NEMA17 motor to the assembly using three M3 16mm screws. 9. Run the device for about an hour to wear in the 3D printed parts. 10. Apply silicone grease for lubrication purposes.