Plastic X-Idler Plate to replace Wood Parts

[AbuMaia]

Looking forward to this being released.

[PyramidDave]

I have to take my extruder apart to replace the gears before printing this. The plastic was misfeeding & thought it was just the hobbed bolt needed cleaning, but looks like one of the teeth on the small gear is missing. I have about 1000 hours of print time on those gears, so guess it was time. That small gear does not come off easily.

I was able to pry it off after letting some 3 in 1 oil settle into for a few minutes.

[PyramidDave]

I uploaded this to thingiverse today. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:866648

I finally took my machine apart to replace the X-Motor Plate & X-Ilder plate & related parts. The one problem I did not foresee was that the Z-axis threaded rod connector replacement plastic part did not fit around that outside ledge. Since I could not reprint this before putting the printer back together, I got my dremel out to cut away some plastic to make it fit. I created a new version of this so others will not have to use a dremel on this. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:795954

One thing on that X-idler plate I might change is to make a slot instead of just a hole for that longer idler bolt to pass thru. That seems like it would add an extra way to loosen or tighten the belt. Does that sound right or am I missing a problem there?

I could not find the plastic part I had printed for the idler pulley, so I used the wooden part on this for now.

I am not sure whether I have the belt at a better tension, but the x-carriage seems quieter running along the aluminum now. I have not printed anything with this new setup yet & probably will not be able to do any test printing until next week, but all the motors seems to work good.
IMG_7952_800x600.jpgIMG_7961_800x600.jpg

[PyramidDave]

Here is what I came up with for this slotted version of the idler pulley to move thru for more belt tension. I will not be able to try this until Monday, but looks pretty good design wise to me.
X-IdlerPlate_rev10.jpg

[PyramidDave]

After thinking about this yesterday, it seems like it needs some support at the thread end of that pulley bolt to keep the belt from pulling it too much at one end. I came up with this idea to replace the wooden circle retainer & be able to adjust the tension with a slotted end of the idler plate. Here is what my 1st design looks like for this. I used a dovetail joint at the outer connection & chamfered a little to make sure it misses the threaded rod. The red parts in the image are for reference on the printer, 5mm threaded rod, bearings & M5x30mm bolt.X-IdlerPulley_rev2.jpgX-IdlerPulley_bottom_rev2.jpg

[PyramidDave]

This seems like it is going to work well. Probably install it tomorrow. Here are some photos of what it looks like. Seems like it will also keep the belt in more alignment with motor.
IMG_7984_800x600.jpgIMG_7986_800x600.jpgIMG_7987_800x600.jpgIMG_7988_800x600.jpgIMG_7989_800x600.jpg

[voodoo28]

Looks Great!

[voodoo28]

Check it out Dave..
20150610_225530.jpg20150610_225523.jpg20150610_225539.jpg

[PyramidDave]

That looks pretty good. I see you are still using the wooden parts for the Z-axis bolt. You might want to take a look at this part. http://www.thingiverse.com/thing:795954
That is not my design, but I modified someone elses design to my liking. I am just using it for the nut trap & did not use the spring version.I printed

Z-Axis_AntiBackLashMod_2x_NoSpring_1Nut_1_6mmTnutHt_ rev4_repaired.stl from that link. (This prints 2 of them)

It works pretty good & gives me a little more X travel distance. Here is a photo of it on my machine. Here is a photo of it on my machine.IMG_8011_800x600.jpg

[voodoo28]

Thanks, Ill print them out tonight.

Question: how does that piece lock into the x carriage for alignment like the wood one does?