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Unread 25-01-2011, 11:38
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Alan Anderson Alan Anderson is offline
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Re: articulating arm help

If you intend to use the motor alone to hold the arm up, without any mechanical counterweight or spring-loading, be cautious. You'll be running the motor at or near stall a lot of the time. A CIM can handle that for a while, but it will get very warm and you might want to consider a way to cool it off during or between matches.

A Fisher-Price or Banebots motor will not handle that kind of abuse well at all. They rely on an internal fan to keep their windings cool, and if they're not turning, neither is the fan. You'll melt something in short order, followed by smoke. Nearby veterans will sniff the air and nod at the familiar smell of a fried motor.