Issue with Toughbox Mini/encoder

[Jon Stratis]

I'm hoping we just did something wrong here...

We've got the Toughbox mini from the KoP (http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-2236.htm) fully assembled, and are attempting to mount some encoders to them (http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-0180.htm).

We haven't had an issue doing this in the past with the Toughbox or the CIMple boxes... However this year we're putting the disks on the shaft for the encoders, and they're sliding on loosely - it's not a press fit like in the past.

Has anyone else run into this problem? is there something we could have done wrong assembling the gearboxes? Both the gearboxes and the encoders are brand new (the encoders just arrived from AndyMark yesterday).

[Jon Stratis]

FYI... I was looking around on AndyMark's site to see if there was something we missed (like ordering incompatible encoders or something), and came across this page:
http://www.andymark.com/product-p/am-0174.htm

It includes this installation tip:

Installation tip:
If the encoder wheel slides loosely onto the 1/4" shaft, then follow this procedure to make the inside diameter of the encoder wheel collet to be slightly smaller:

Use a medium-sized pair of pliers and gently squeeze the collet portion of the encoder wheel. This is the longer protruding part of the encoder wheel with the parallel slits in the body. If you gently squeeze the sides together, equally, in 2 or 3 different locations, you can make the inside diameter of the encoder wheel slightly smaller. Then, the wheel will fit on the new shaft.

So, we're working on doing that now. I wanted to make sure to post it here incase anyone else has the same problem and comes across this thread!

[Cynette]

Thank you, Jon! We discovered this issue and I decided to look on CD first to see if it was a known concern before I went to Andy Mark! You made my job a breeze!

[Ether]

Originally Posted by Jon Stratis

Use a medium-sized pair of pliers and gently squeeze the collet portion of the encoder wheel.

Don't scratch the encoder optical surface.

[Tom Line]

Be very careful. We've had this same problem and some overzealous team members bent the retaining fingers only to find that they are extremely brittle and break very easily!