Drawer Slide Mechanism

Dr. Furman recommended a mounting solution for the charging component board that would be hidden but also easily accessible to users to swap batteries. A mechanism similar to a drawer was suggested. Research into drawer slides for cabinets were done. There are three main types of drawer slides that are available off the shelf; epoxy-coated, ball-bearing, and bottom-mounted drawer slides.

Each type of drawer slide has its pros and cons. Epoxy-coated and ball-bearing type slides both are designed to be attached to the sides of a drawer. Epoxy-coated slides uses two plastic wheels at each end to allow linear motion of the slider. Ball-bearing slides are also mounted to the sides of a drawer. Ball bearings are utilized for motion and offer lower friction compared to roller bearings used in the plastic wheels of the epoxy coated slider. Bottom mounted slides are designed to be a single rail mounted underneath, while glides on each side prevents wobbling.

Ideally, the charging components board would be mounted underneath the solar panel for concealment. A bottom-mounted slider attached to the underside of charging components board would require two flat U-brackets to support the front and end of the slider, along with glides to prevent wobble. Epoxy-coated and ball-bearing sliders has to be attached to both sides of the charging components board. Supports on each side will have to be created to mount the other half of the epoxy-coated or ball-bearing sliders to the support frame.

The above scenarios will be created in SolidWorks to visually see the ideas and be able to analyze each possible solution.