Maintenance Guide

General Cleaning

1. Compressed Air
   • Use a compressor to clean out your robot
   • Shop compressor is better
   • Computer Duster / Canned Air can work but is more expensive
2. Rags / Towels
   • Use any towel, microfiber cloth, or even old t-shirts
   • Shop towels
     • Stronger than paper towels and disposable, good for heavy grease applications
     • https://amzn.to/2ODuPex
3. Clean and Degreaser
   • ISO alcohol
     • Evaporates quickly, so you don’t have to worry about moisture being left behind
   • Simple Green Cleaner
     • Spray on rag / shop towel and wipe down
4. Tooth Brush / Paint Brush
   • Used to brush off area and loosen up dirt and gunk.
   • $1 store toothbrushes and paint brushes work fine.
   • Put a little simple green on the end of the brush to help clean items.
   • Paint brushes will fray. Purdy black bristle brushes will last longer but are more expensive
5. Specialty Brushes
   • Wheel Brushes
     • https://amzn.to/2Z8ynJm
     • Or https://amzn.to/34F3gq1

Metal Shavings

1. Preventative care is the most important part.
2. Have a vacuum ready and a cover towel/cloth/shirt to avoid metal shavings from falling into the robot. When drilling or cutting over the robot, have the vacuum on and a cover under the part being modified to catch any shavings and debris.
3. Tip the robot in a way that the shaving will fall away from the robot when possible when doing a lot of drilling or machining on the robot.

Cleaning Rollers and Wheels

1. Use simple green and microfiber cloth to clean rollers and wheels
   • Use ISO alcohol if you don’t have simple green
   • Also the rollers on omni and mecanum wheels
     • Q-tips can help
2. Wipe down before every match to increase traction / grip

Thorough Cleaning

1. Simple Green Ready-To-Use All-Purpose Cleaner
   • Used to clean drivetrain components and metal parts, it helps clean grease on chains and gears, before you re-grease them.
   • A little goes a long way, spray on to a rag wipe areas that need to be cleaned.
   • This should be done after an event when you have time to do it thoroughly.
   • Simple Green shouldn’t be used on Polycarbonate that you want to stay clear, but it doesn’t harm the polycarbonate either, just the appearance, so it’s not recommended on windshields or camera lenses.
2. Dishwashing Soap (Dawn, Joy, Palmolive, etc)
   • Mix with water, this should be used to clean polycarbonate and most plastics.
   • Add 3 tablespoons of dish liquid to a spray bottle almost filled with water then shake well.
   • Good for getting grease and dirt off before cleaning with Brillianize
3. Brillianize
   • Used to clean and polish polycarbonate, great for cleaning monitors, phone and tablet screens, TVs, etc.
   • https://amzn.to/2PJJbuw
   • Cleans and protects all hard shiny surfaces
4. SC1
   • Use SC1 to coat plastic parts and give them a glossy finish, will make future clean ups easier.
   • It leaves a thin layer of silicone on the plastic so don’t use it on something you want to be clear.
   • https://amzn.to/2OHzEDH
   • This should be done after an event when you have time to do it thoroughly.
5. Electronics Cleaning
   • WD40 Contact Cleaner
     • https://amzn.to/2r2HMFF
     • Used to clean electronics and plastics
   • Clean inside of the Battery SB50 connectors.
   • Clean main breaker and battery terminals when you first install their leads
   • Clean PDP breaker slots and breaker contact legs
   • Clean motors
   • Clean around your belly pan and other areas you don’t want to use a degreaser.

Threadlocker / Loctite

• NEVER use threadlocker on POLYCARBONATE / LEXAN or ABS or acrylic
  • Threadlocker will break down those plastics and cause them to crack.
  • Threadlocker is okay on Nylon and Delrin (Acetal)
• All bolts that aren’t secured with a nylon lock nut should have thread locker if they aren’t near or threaded into a plastic that will degrade when it touches it.
• Gel Loctite
  • https://amzn.to/2LdHzXb
  • This is the most convenient form we have found of thread locker. Doesn’t dry up like the glue stick kind and is less messy than the standard drip bottles.

Lubricant

1. Lubrication - using a substance to reduce the friction between two surfaces.
2. Planetary lubricant - TRI-Flow, just a few drops on each gear.
   • Tri-Flow https://amzn.to/2Y3fLde
3. Chain Lubricant - TRI-Flow, just a few drops on the sprockets
4. Gearbox Lubrication - WD40 PTFE Dry spray in as you rotate the gearbox, try to coat all the teeth.
   • https://amzn.to/2rNEgyM