Which belt tension gauge do I need?
I have a 3D printer that is going crazy with x-axis shift, and I need a tension gauge belt to measure the tension.
I've never used one before, and looking online, I can't tell which one would be the right fit.
Any ideas? What things should I look for?
@RyanCarlyle It's Cubicon. Not popular brand in West. Korean made. Supposed to be good. But soon after getting it, this started happening. Part of their troubleshooting suggested checking the belt
Looks like a cartesian XY gantry printer, from a quick googling. If you can pluck the belt like Tom mentioned and get a low note, but still get X axis shifting, my next guess would be bad X motor or X endstop wiring.
It's extremely unlikely that belt tension is actually your problem. I've never heard of anyone using a gauge to measure their belt tension. Typically you just pull your belt tight by hand so that it produces a low note when plucked. It's far more likely that you're experiencing shifts due to too high or too low stepper current.
Unless your belt is so loose that it easily skips over the pulley (which should be obvious without using a gauge) or so tight that it completely binds up (it would be impossible to get it that tight without some kind of superhuman force) it's definitely not the problem.
I've read of people using smartphone apps that calculate the belt tension by measuring the frequency of the plucked belt. If you (the TO) are completely lost and need any kind of confirmation this might be a way to get it easily.
I used a spring scale (meant for fishing). But it's really not critical. Just make sure it's not skipping teeth on the pulley and you should be fine.
I tensioned the belts of my delta printer equally tight solely based on their note when plucked. If you have an ear for music, that should be fairly straightfoward.
@kamuro thanks, will do if needed. Although now it seems not the issue.
@TormodHaugene alright. Although now it seems unlikely this is the issue.
@Tom van der Zanden Any tips how to know if this is stepper current problem? I'll most likely end up opening separate thread for that. But it would be good to have more info.
@BasharAbdullah your issue is one of possible signs of current problem :) #1. Check resistor on your SS (right next to black central chip. #2. There should be R200 or R100 so R=0.2 or 0.1 #3. Read current (I) value from motor label #4. V = I * R * 8 #5. this is max voltage which should be set on SS #6. set it and check if your printer works ok #7. if not - reduce it 10..15% and chceck if this helps. you can repeat #7.
@darthpixel thanks. I'm new to 3D printing really, so will try to tinker and see where I get :)
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Ryan Carlyle 6 years ago
What kind of printer is it? Most Cartesian printers that experience X-axis shift are having problems with fatigued electrical wiring to the X stepper or X endstop.