MECHANICAL   Mechanical ranges from Levers to Gears and the powering mechanism that drives them. These can be the drivetrain to move the robot to an arm to grab and move something. The need to understand forces will help you know what issues from power to strength you will have to deal with.   This is an area of robots that you can learn a lot from many sources, it is also one of the most dangerous aspects (the other is power – electrical). Some kits are plastic based so pinching of fingers or flipping of objects into an eye (Safety Glasses are always a MUST), others are metal based so cutting of skin can be an issue. The use of commercial components increases the danger, that is why these are only for adults with knowledge of the component. When using these types of components there is no room for error, so preparation work, safety, and knowledge is a MUST there is NO room to learn by mistake. Some of these devices like motors are capable of pushing at high speed and if geared and leveraged they could pickup tons. Not child’s play. You are solely responsible for projects of your own design, no mater where you get your information from, you should always try to verify and consider all safety options.		Table of Contents Introduction   Bearings and Bushings Vex Delrin Bearing ***   Collars and Couplers   Drivetrain Gears VEX Spur Gears *** Worm Gear or Threaded Rod *** Pullies, Cables, and Belts Shafts and Axels *** Sprockets and Chains Wheels and Tracks   LCD Display   Motors AC Motors DC Motors Servos Steppers   Optical (CCD) Array   Solenoids and Actuators Actuators Solenoids