First, I did a test fit of yesterday's work on the left footshell and drivetrain. The clearance and fit looked good.
Next, it was time to get to work on grinding down the other motor.
This was an iterative process, of grinding material using the angle grinder, and comparing it to an existing motor.
I kept going until the clearance and fit also looked good for this second motor.
Two motors ground down. Next up, adding the electrical connectors.
I cut a couple of connector cables and trimmed down the wires coming from the motors (they are longer than needed), in preparation for soldering.
Next, I grabbed my terrifying soldering gun and Omnifixo helping hands to do the soldering.
The soldering gun is terrifying because at 230 watts, it glows red.
Anyway, I avoided self-immolation and soldered the wires together, followed by shrink tubing, and then electrical tape for good luck.
I also did a little maintenance on one of the drivetrains. The Delrin hub on one of the wheels had shifted, such that it was rubbing against the inside of the drivetrain body. (I also emancipated a couple of hair washers. Mmm.)
Mike Senna had recommended using a screw to lock the Delrin hub in place, so first I drilled a pilot hole for the #12x3/4" screw.
I repeated the process on the other wheel, and then pinned the hub to the wheel using the screws.
I put everything back together (after spending an hour looking for and finally finding a segment of keystock that fell under the car), and tried it out on the droid. No pics or video, but the droid was quite a bit peppier with these new motors. These are likely going to become my new permanent motors, and the old motors will be the spares.
I plan to go to Mike's tomorrow to inspect the brushes on the old motors, and possibly replace them if they are sufficiently worn. With 16 years and well over 400 events on them, I expect that they probably will be.
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