Multifacet parabolic solar concentrator

Step 4 Assemble the frame

Now, you will want to assemble the frame. Do this by taking some short 10-32 machine screws and nuts and simply attaching the 13 angle stock pieces to the 5 cross-beams. You should wind up with 13 parallel angle-stock pieces in the vertical and 5 in the horizontal. You may notice that it's difficult to keep them at a 90 degree angle from one another. There is a simple solution.

Take another couple of scraps of aluminum and do a pythagorean theorem problem (you know, x²+y²=d²) to figure out how long the triangle brace should be. A 3-4-5 right triangle is a pretty good one to apply. In the picture, you will see 2 of these triangle pieces.

Now that the assembly is fairly stable, start inserting the 3 inch machine screws. You may want to use 4 inch screws around the outer edges. You'll see why later. Hold them in place using a machine nut. This is perhaps the most time consuming part of the project.