GT2 Belt Tension Meter

[YaaJ]

https://github.com/Diyshift/3D-Printer/tree/main/GT2 Belt Tension Meter

Did you try this tool ?

I made it, calibrated it "the alternate way", and it seems to produce repeatable results.

(looks like a hit and miss syringe, but it isn't)

[ChicagoKeri]

Printed out and works great!  Many thanks for the link...

[YaaJ]

I found this tool very useful as a starting point, and pretty accurate. After I calibrated it "the alternate way" (a weight attached to the belt), got 2.1 exactly after the belts were tuned using the Android app.

A trick : AFAIK, the alloy doen't matter. Most iron alloys have the same elasticity ; the difference is in the yield limit. Therefore stainless or not shouldn't matter. And at worst the instrument can be recalculated, or a lookup table can be made after applying various weights to a belt.

[Rachael]

Looks similar in design to a cable tension gauge I'd used to tune the rigging of a sailboat.

[mvdveer]

On 9/7/2023 at 3:25 AM, YaaJ said:

Did you try this tool ?

Should be listed in the essential tools section of ANY Voron build - Printed it as soon as I saw the post last months and retuned all printer belts. Most were spot on from using the previous tensioning tool but this just seems more "scientific" 

[overlord6920]

I use is it 100%best thing ever

[Ducky4546]

Awesome work! That functions exactly how my bicycle spoke tension meeter works. I'll add it to my list of things to print

[cjkennedy72]

Cool looking tool... Guess I am old-school... I used my tuner which I also use with guitars and wind instruments to get everything to ~110Hz. 

I am thoroughly entertained by the songs my printer plays when it is printing arcs... I keep telling my wife I need to record it and make an album... need a name for it though...

"The Plastic Album" in honor of the Beetles' "White Album" maybe?

[bwguru]

This is a great tool. So much easier to use than a tuning app. 

I agree with @mvdveer it should be part of the tools list when building a Voron.

[ken226]

I designed a compact meter that works similar.  I wanted to use fewer parts that have to be ordered, and more parts that I could print myself.

 

Mine uses a small rubber band in the back instead of a spring,  and requires one 608 2rs bearing.  It has 3 printed parts.

 

 

It's pretty compact.  About the size of a business card, and you can use different length/thickness rubber bands to kinda fine tune it.

 

The little spool that the rubber band wraps around just presses into the back.  A drop of super glue will keep it from ever coming out.

 

 

https://www.printables.com/model/679164-gt2-6mm-and-9mm-belt-tension-meter

 

[ken226]

The hardest part of putting it together is fishing the rubber band through the little slot in the lever arm.

 

 

The long, thin rubber band I used was routed through the lever arm twice.  With it,  the meter shows #2 on a belt that I previously tuned to 140hz using the Spectroid app from the google play store.

 

Edited December 13, 2023 by ken226

[mvdveer]

You know, I just gotta try it now 

[ken226]

I printed 2.  One each left and right 

[Andre Malenfant]

Has anyone trying calibrating with 1mm piano wire? What would be the target measurement? Thanks

[Penatr8tor]

Looks like a really nice design @ken226