Re: [CAD_CAM_EDM_DRO] Toothed belts for DROs

Hi Alan,

Why not use the dial cord? Or light weight steel cable (out of the
scanner)? Since you're not looking for torque, the dial cord would
minimize "cooing" effect of tooth belt pulley. A counter spring could
tension it, and a grooved pulley on the encoder would prevent the
"layering" of the cable. But hay, a small, thin timing belt could work
too!

Alan KM6VV


beer@... wrote:

>
> As I ponder my DRO dilemma .. squeezing things under the table of my
> HMill, I'm also staring at the drive system for the scanners I've taken
> apart.
>
> The scanner uses a toothed timing belt to move the carriage around,
> tensioned by a spring loaded pulley.
>
> It gets a guy to thinking
>
> hmmmm...
>
> Is there any reason not to use a similar arrangement to turn a rotary
> encoder - a timing belt and a couple of pulleys - thereby converting
> linear to rotary motion ? And save all the fuss with dial cords and
> whatnot ?
>
> I mean, we trust timing belts and pulleys enough to act as heavily
> loaded drive systems for our CNC machines .. why wouldn't we trust them
> enough to drive an unloaded encoder as a DRO ?
>
> Just wondering ...
>
> Alan