Help With Bike Chain

[Apachebot]

We are using a linear elevator for our robot, and have come to the stage where we need to attach bike chain to our pulley system. We were able to separate the chain and line up with the link which provides the best tightness, but we are unsure how to reconnect the links using the Hitachi ANSI-35 connecting links our mentor gave us (he is at work today.) How do you recommend we reconnect the chain? Any help will be appreciated - Team 5241 most definitely knows how much of a time crunch other teams are in - we are definitely stressed for time ourselves!
P.S. We do have a chain breaker tool, if that information is at all pertinent.

[Alan Anderson]

Are you sure you have "bike chain"? Bicycle chain is likely to be ANSI #40. A master link for ANSI #35 might be made to fit the chain, but it isn't going to fit the sprockets.

[MrForbes]

Bike chain is not #35 chain. the link spacing is different. Maybe you have #35 chain, and just are calling it "bike chain"? Anyways, first you need to make sure just exactly what you have.

Then you can remove the wide links from the ends of the chain, and connect the two narrow links together with the master link. It's kind of hard to explain how to do it with words. You might find an instruction video on youtube.

If you're having some specific problem, it really helps a lot if you can take pictures and post them here, so we can see what's going on.

[Apachebot]

Yeah, I was just calling it bike chain because that is what it looked like. It's Vex #35 roller chain that came with their linear elevator. We were able to get it attached, it just took the help of pliers.
Thanks for all the help, I will keep taking pictures in mind next time we have a problem.