[avale]

I'm sorry if this has been answered before (I used the search but didn't turn up anything). I purchased a couple of MCG ID33004 servos and while the MCG pdf file on this servo led me to believe that there was a 0.25" diameter rear shaft, they showed up without a rear shaft for the encoder. My question is how would the company add the rear shaft? I have seen the website where the guy drilled a hole and superglued a shaft in, but my question is how would MCG add the rear shaft? Would it be a steel shaft that is knurled and pressed in? Or would it be tapped and threaded in with locktight? Or other? I thank you for your response!

[bbergami]

The motors need to be disassembled. Matchmark each end with some masking tape. Be careful, there are shims at the end at the bearing where the encoder shaft goes. Keep the parts for each motor seperate.
Protect the rotor ith bubble wrap and tape. Have a qualified machine shop center bore on a lathe and ream for a press fit. You can use .250" smooth dowel pins x 1.25".You want the runout as small as possible.
You want them to stick out about .750-.800". Reassemble the motor with the proper shims. Watch those magnets, they'll take the skin off your finger if you're careless putting the rotor back in.
Bert

[avale]

Matchmark each end with some masking tape.
Bert

What does "matchmark" mean? Are you saying to match each axle with the motor it came from? Everything else you said I understand. Thanks!

[bbergami]

Just take a piece of masking tape at each end across the joint between the end caps and the motor casing. Take a razor knife and cut it right along the joint. When you put it back together everything will be located exactly as it was before. I don't know how much difference it really makes but it does make it a little easier to get those long screws to line up. It does make a difference what end of the casing goes where. Don't get the motor parts mixed up for one to the other.
Bert

[avale]

My friend with access to an industrial lathe isn't as excited about this project as I am. Can anyone tell me if one of these mini-lathes from Enco or Harbor Freight is of good enough quality to pull off doing this modification? I would hate to get one of these home and then mess up these servos (and end up with a worthless lathe). It is more a matter of garage space than anything else.

[Al_The_Man]

Were you thinking of buying a lathe just to modify the servo's?
The work I have seen done on the Lathemasters would achieve it easily.
However it should be a piece of cake for a decent machinist to do for you.
Al.

[avale]

Were you thinking of buying a lathe just to modify the servo's?

No, it would the the excuse I would use to justify buying one. Thanks!

[bbergami]

The HF mini lathe is too small to do it on.