No, it’s not an electric prod for a miniature cow… it’s a work around for a vexing problem: how do I keep the optical encoder wheel securely attached to the shaft. Neither Elmer’s white glue nor hot glue were keeping the part attached to the paper sleeve, so I turned to one of my other favorite building materials: wire. I created two wire prongs to put pressure on the encoder wheel so it would stay in place.
Another challenge — I was a bit careless when I cut out a few of the layers for the pulley housing. As a result, it doesn’t sit flat and it causes the shaft to bind up when the assembly is clamped down. After struggling with the thought of completely rebuilding, I realized that I could make a flexible joint to allow some play in the mechanism. Thank you, hot glue!
