Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner  

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

If you are able to make a version which works with the stock smooth roller, will it be designed inline with the modified parts from RHDreambox?

I am currently running his motor mount, but the stock belt holder. But my plan is to print his belt holder and your idler mount when its ready, or what ever you recommend.

Jon

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

If you are able to make a version which works with the stock smooth roller, will it be designed inline with the modified parts from RHDreambox?

I am currently running his motor mount, but the stock belt holder. But my plan is to print his belt holder and your idler mount when its ready, or what ever you recommend.

Jon

I will look at his motor mount and see what the differences are. As long as you’re using the stock belt holder, the Design I will come up with will work. I don’t plan on changing my belt holder when my printer comes.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

I will look at his motor mount and see what the differences are. As long as you’re using the stock belt holder, the Design I will come up with will work. I don’t plan on changing my belt holder when my printer comes.

I wasn't either.. But it seems that the belt holder is key to getting everything running parallel... And since I had changed other other 2 Y-Axis parts, I figured I should.

I have ordered a 20T pulley, but also gone for a 16T as well, as that seems to be the favoured solution.. So hope you can come up with options for all 3 types of setup. (Smooth, 20T and 16T).

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

I will look at his motor mount and see what the differences are. As long as you’re using the stock belt holder, the Design I will come up with will work. I don’t plan on changing my belt holder when my printer comes.

I wasn't either.. But it seems that the belt holder is key to getting everything running parallel... And since I had changed other other 2 Y-Axis parts, I figured I should.

I have ordered a 20T pulley, but also gone for a 16T as well, as that seems to be the favoured solution.. So hope you can come up with options for all 3 types of setup. (Smooth, 20T and 16T).

When I looked at the 3D assembled model of the prusa put together by a user on here (sorry, I can’t remember the user name!), I only saw that the idler mount needed to have the position of the idler moved. I did not see a need to change anything else. I can go back and look. A few things came up today so I may not have every part designed. Parallelism of the belt can be achieved by using the stock belt holder and just adjusting the idler mount.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

When I looked at the 3D assembled model of the prusa put together by a user on here (sorry, I can’t remember the user name!), I only saw that the idler mount needed to have the position of the idler moved. I did not see a need to change anything else. I can go back and look. A few things came up today so I may not have every part designed. Parallelism of the belt can be achieved by using the stock belt holder and just adjusting the idler mount.

I am confused now.. In RHDreambox's thread, he shows a drawing/picture and its easy to see why the belts could never be parallel using the stock mount, as the channels in the belt holder were in the wrong positions.

I thought the reason was that the channels of the belt holder did not line up with the pulleys, so the belts could never be straight.

So he adjusted both the idler mount and the belt holder, so that everything was inline with the motor pully

I may have to go back and review that as I may be confused.

Either way, I am looking forwards to getting yours, as I havn't even finished my build yet as I keep putting it off in favour of upgrading parts... Sad but true 🙂

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Interesting. I have to look at that thread as well as the model of the printer that I am working with.

I hear you, you have a 3D printer so by default you are a tinkerer.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Interesting. I have to look at that thread as well as the model of the printer that I am working with.

I hear you, you have a 3D printer so by default you are a tinkerer.

And an engineer too by trade.. So its in my blood 🙂

I am not even sure I believe any of these mods add much.. But i just like the build/upgrade/modification aspect, more than anything else.. And since i already have a 3D Printer which does everything I can throw at it, I am in no real rush...

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Interesting. I have to look at that thread as well as the model of the printer that I am working with.

I hear you, you have a 3D printer so by default you are a tinkerer.

And an engineer too by trade.. So its in my blood 🙂

I am not even sure I believe any of these mods add much.. But i just like the build/upgrade/modification aspect, more than anything else.. And since i already have a 3D Printer which does everything I can throw at it, I am in no real rush...

I think I see what you’re referring to now with RHD’s design. I believe that the motor mount SHOULD be adjusted slightly for the belt to mate up to the belt holder parallel to the bed. I also believe that the idler mount should have the proper height so that the belt is also parallel to the bed. However I don’t think that the belt holder should have to be modified in any way. As long as both the motor mount and idler side can be redesigned with the proper centerline location, the holder can remain stock. With this, the lower portion of the belt will NOT be parallel to the bed although this angle will have no impact on performance.

I may have to go back to the drawing board with this one now. I’ll keep you posted.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

After a lot of design reviews and changes I've finally landed on a design that I think you will all like. It is simple and works like a charm. It is available to those using the stock idler (although I'd strongly advise an upgrade to a dual bearing unit), a gt2-16t idler (no more than 8.4mm wide) or a gt2-20t idler(no more than 8.4mm wide). When downloading the STL files, please be sure to select the proper file. They are all named according to the idler you wish to use. In addition to that, the 3D parts are embossed with "s" for stock idler, "16" for 16 tooth idler and of course "20" for 20 tooth idler. The Y axis adjuster arm is standard across the three choices.
This only requires some additional hardware which is listed in the thingiverse post but requires no modifications to the printer itself. It can be used in conjunction with any motor mount solution that retains the stock motor mounting position and it must be used with any belt holder that retains the stock belt location dimensions (stock belt holder is more than sufficient).
When inspecting any misalignment issues on the 3D assembly of the Prusa i3 mk3 created by jzkmath, I found that there was .5mm misalignment between the motor pulley and the belt holder. I strongly believe that this very minor misalignment does not warrant printing a new belt holder or motor mount. Going forward with my design I wanted to be able to mate up with the stock belt holder while maintaining great alignment and parallelism between the belt and the carriage. This tensioner maintains perfect belt alignment throughout the entire adjustment travel since the pulley never moves vertically.
This has been tested on a Prusa i3 mk3 (thanks jweaver!) and fits beautifully with no interference issues, perfect belt parallelism (by eye) and gives the end user the ability to finely tune the tension on the belt. BINGO.

Here is a link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2786671

Photos courtesy of jweaver, thanks again for the help!!

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

After a lot of design reviews and changes I've finally landed on a design that I think you will all like. It is simple and works like a charm. It is available to those using the stock idler (although I'd strongly advise an upgrade to a dual bearing unit), a gt2-16t idler (no more than 8.4mm wide) or a gt2-20t idler(no more than 8.4mm wide). When downloading the STL files, please be sure to select the proper file. They are all named according to the idler you wish to use. In addition to that, the 3D parts are embossed with "s" for stock idler, "16" for 16 tooth idler and of course "20" for 20 tooth idler. The Y axis adjuster arm is standard across the three choices.
This only requires some additional hardware which is listed in the thingiverse post but requires no modifications to the printer itself. It can be used in conjunction with any motor mount solution that retains the stock motor mounting position and it must be used with any belt holder that retains the stock belt location dimensions (stock belt holder is more than sufficient).
When inspecting any misalignment issues on the 3D assembly of the Prusa i3 mk3 created by jzkmath, I found that there was .5mm misalignment between the motor pulley and the belt holder. I strongly believe that this very minor misalignment does not warrant printing a new belt holder or motor mount. Going forward with my design I wanted to be able to mate up with the stock belt holder while maintaining great alignment and parallelism between the belt and the carriage. This tensioner maintains perfect belt alignment throughout the entire adjustment travel since the pulley never moves vertically.
This has been tested on a Prusa i3 mk3 (thanks jweaver!) and fits beautifully with no interference issues, perfect belt parallelism (by eye) and gives the end user the ability to finely tune the tension on the belt. BINGO.

Here is a link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2786671

Photos courtesy of jweaver, thanks again for the help!!

Woot, something to print when I get home. I'll be going the 16T route. Will post back with results if I have the appropriate parts.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Thanks for your work on this, especially adding in the stock idler option. I will be including it in my upcoming Mk3 rebuild with R2 parts and correct smooth rods.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

After a lot of design reviews and changes I've finally landed on a design that I think you will all like. It is simple and works like a charm. It is available to those using the stock idler (although I'd strongly advise an upgrade to a dual bearing unit), a gt2-16t idler (no more than 8.4mm wide) or a gt2-20t idler(no more than 8.4mm wide). When downloading the STL files, please be sure to select the proper file. They are all named according to the idler you wish to use. In addition to that, the 3D parts are embossed with "s" for stock idler, "16" for 16 tooth idler and of course "20" for 20 tooth idler. The Y axis adjuster arm is standard across the three choices.
This only requires some additional hardware which is listed in the thingiverse post but requires no modifications to the printer itself. It can be used in conjunction with any motor mount solution that retains the stock motor mounting position and it must be used with any belt holder that retains the stock belt location dimensions (stock belt holder is more than sufficient).
When inspecting any misalignment issues on the 3D assembly of the Prusa i3 mk3 created by jzkmath, I found that there was .5mm misalignment between the motor pulley and the belt holder. I strongly believe that this very minor misalignment does not warrant printing a new belt holder or motor mount. Going forward with my design I wanted to be able to mate up with the stock belt holder while maintaining great alignment and parallelism between the belt and the carriage. This tensioner maintains perfect belt alignment throughout the entire adjustment travel since the pulley never moves vertically.
This has been tested on a Prusa i3 mk3 (thanks jweaver!) and fits beautifully with no interference issues, perfect belt parallelism (by eye) and gives the end user the ability to finely tune the tension on the belt. BINGO.

Here is a link: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2786671

Photos courtesy of jweaver, thanks again for the help!!

Woot, something to print when I get home. I'll be going the 16T route. Will post back with results if I have the appropriate parts.

Sounds good. Keep us posted.

No problem alfred.w, my pleasure.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Hold on guys.. don't print anything. The 16T version does't work... The slot is way out of line..

I will continue my discussions with Matthew and I am sure he will provide an updated version soon.

Edit: After looking closer, I don't think the slot is in the wrong place, but I think Matthew is going to have to re-think how the hub of the pully can move because its changes position as the device closes...

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Watching with interest... 😉

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

False alarm, guys!! I never told jweaver that the newest version available on thingiverse had the updated part so he was using the old version. The new version that is on thingiverse is correct for all three idler options. If you already downloaded it, you’re all good 🙂

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

False alarm, guys!! I never told jweaver that the newest version available on thingiverse had the updated part so he was using the old version. The new version that is on thingiverse is correct for all three idler options. If you already downloaded it, you’re all good 🙂

Confirmed.. I was using the original "arm" and that had a very narrow slot.. The updated arm has a much wider slot, so should be fine..

I am just printing it now, so will confirm in a bit that its OK, but I am pretty sure it will be.

Sorry for the over-reaction everyone.. Back to business..

Jon

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Is PLA going to be OK to print these parts, or do we need to use PETG or similar? I am talking about the Z, Y, and X axis improvements (either R2 or RHDreambox's designs).

The reason I ask is that until replacement sheets are available to order, I am afraid to try PETG for fear of it sticking so well that it rips off the PEI from the build plate.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Is PLA going to be OK to print these parts, or do we need to use PETG or similar? I am talking about the Z, Y, and X axis improvements (either R2 or RHDreambox's designs).

The reason I ask is that until replacement sheets are available to order, I am afraid to try PETG for fear of it sticking so well that it rips off the PEI from the build plate.

I can’t really say what will be good for those specific parts...

As for the y axis adjustable tensioner, I printed them using maker geeks raptor pla and it’s unbreakabke. Jweaver used petg (I think) with good results as well. Not sure of his print settings but I used a .15mm layer height and 100% density. Wasn’t a terribly long print.

This brings me to something else. I’d really love to see this thing printed with prusa orange petg. Got any takers? If so post some pics.

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

For you Matthew, fresh off the bed in genuine Prusa Orange PETG 🙂

Re: Upgraded Y axis belt tensioner

Didn't have the parts I needed for this, got em scheduled to be in Tuesday.