mount

Mount

The mount is the fundamental block of the heliostat and a rigid element. It contains the azimut servo in the front and fixes the heliostat at the bottom to its wooden frame. You can make any frame as long the laths where the heliostat is supposed to sit have profile of 3cm by 1.5cm. If you use laths with a different profile adjust the dimensions in steps 2 to 4 accordingly.

Construction

1 Cut out a rectangular XPS block of 14 by 15,5cm. Use XPS blocks with 5cm thickness (thickness I indicate on the fotos from XPS blocks with red marker with a few exceptions)
2 Set the mount block on its left side and mark the lines for the fixing hole.
3 Cut out first the back part (3.5 cm by 3cm) of the fixing hole fixing hole as shown in the pic. Take care to cut out this special part as one block (slightly smaller than 3.5cm by 3cm) ; later you need it for fixing the heliostat to its wooden beam.
4 Cut out further, the hole where your wooden beam is supposed to go. Try if you can fit in your beam and fix it with the block.
5 Cut along the diagonal lines, removing the front diagonal corners, reducing the front nose to 3 cm. Draw the cutting lines for the servo hole. For this you may put the servo onto the mount and follow its shape at the bottom with the marker.
6 Cut out the servo hole. To get your hot wire into place you start from the front: You cut a thin entry from the middle of the 3cm front nose until you reach the area of the servo hole. Once you are safely with the wire in the hole area you can start cutting along the cutting line. Try if the servo fits into the hole. It should go in tightly, cable in front.
7 Glue two pieces of velcro (here hook pieces) over the fxing block and neighbouring mount. Apply velcro on both sides of the mount.
8 Fix the velcro pieces addionally with two Phillips wood screws (3cm long)
9 Cut one suitable piece of velcro (loops part this time) and place it on the two glued and screwed velcro parts. Again do this on both sides of the mounts. Now the fixing block which fixes the heliostat on the wooden framework is fixed itself.