Loose belt and axis friction

[celso 0]

I'm now in step 4. Two things are bugging me with step 3 though and I'd appreciate some comments from the community or the UM team before I proceed.

1. One of the timing belts is too loose. The long one on the back axis. I know I'm supposed to adjust its tension later, but I don't think the sliding block can tighten it that much. This worries me.

2. I was playing with the axis and the belts at the end and it seems that the front axis has much more friction resistance than the other 3 axis, which results on having to use much more strenght to move in Y direction than in the X direction. I can feel it with my hands. I thought that one of the bearings could be in touch with the endcap but I checked it, and it's not. Could it be internal friction on the bearing itself? Any hints on this?

Many thanks!

[thomix 0]

You can download and print belt tensioners, I couldnt get tension high enough either out of the box. Look for 'em on Thingiverse.com (search for ultimaker belt).

You'll be amazed how much friction the steppers can overcome, but check if all axes are perpendicular and that pulleys are in line with the carriages (so the belts are straight).

[celso 0]

I'd love to print the tensioner, if I had a 3D printer

Anyway, maybe I can put enough tension on it so that it works, and then I can print the thingiverse tensioner.

[thomix 0]

You dont need that much friction to print, just dont expect the best prints