Decogging a Fisher and Paykel SmartDrive

DISCLAIMER:
This post involves decogging a Fisher and Paykel Smartdrive motor, with the use of power tools, welders and human strength. If you're attempting this as well, I take no responsibility for injuries that may greet you.

Following along with my plans of making a wind turbine, this post shows how I went about decogging the motors. Reading through The Back Shed articles, the two main ways of decogging a Fisher and Paykel Smartdrive motor seem to be
1. grinding off the corners of the stator poles
2. twisting the stator poles.
For the sake of learning, I went with trying both.

Making a SmartDrive decogging tool

This post requires the use of power tools and welders so if you are following this, don't be stupid, and make sure you know how to handle the tools as well as protect yourself from them. I take no responsibility for injuries that may come about from this post.

EDIT 10/10/12: Found more pictures.


Making this decogging tool requires access to a welder, so if you don't own or have access to a welder (be it through friends or work), you will have to think up another way. If you're really willing you could make your own welder out of microwaves. Milling machines can also be used to make the tool as seen on The Back Shed, credit to Jarbar for making the tool and it's much prettier than my own (see right).

Holiday projects

With the holidays drawing to a close, I thought it'd be a good idea to summarise what I've done and what I have planned left to do.