Rigidbot 2 - 20 tooth pulley upgrade by swoolsten

Last crawled date: 3 years, 1 month ago

This is my rigidbot 2 upgrade to 20 tooth pulleys. No permanent modifications to the original rigidbot 2 frame is required. The idler pulley adapters just snap in to place, and the idler pulley is secured with a m5 bolt. To align the belt I used spacers that snap in place behind the original belt holders and are held in place by friction. The spacers also serve as tensioners, you will need to install your belts 2-3 teeth loose, then install the spacers. If the belt tension seems too tight, remove spacers and loosen the belt another tooth, and vice-versa if the belt seems too loose.
This upgrade does not affect the build volume 254 x 254 x 254. (barely). UPDATE - After adjusting my firmware, I found it does actually decrease my build volume in the X axis by 4mm. Giving a 250 x 254 x 254 build volume.
After printing the parts, carefully remove your idler bearings so as to not damage the plastic retaining clip. Install the bottom adapters first.
The X axis lower adapter snaps on underneath the idler mount and the top adapter snaps on in place of the idler bearing.
The Y axis lower adapter slides in underneath the idler mount, and should fit pretty snug. push it in until it is fully seated. The top adapter is similar to the x-axis and will snap on in place of the idler bearing.
When installing the X-axis belt spacers/tensioners, install the shorter spacer first. That is the spacer on the idler side. It will have to be pressed up into place. The longer spacer will slide in from the side.
The Y-axis spacer/tensioner should be pretty straight forward.
Let me know how this works for you, or if there are any improvements you would like to see.
Update! 3/16/18 - After flashing my firmware and testing it out, I discovered that my build volume has actually been decreased slightly in the X axis from 254mm to 250mm. I chose to adjust my firmware to a 250 x 250 x 250 build volume.
Update 11/11/18 - After several months of heavy use the belt shims deformed. I realized I had used too low of an infill setting, so I reprinted the shims at 100% infill. It has now been several more months and there is no sign of fatigue in the parts.