Keeping the Belts on the Sprockets

[lingomaniac88]

Our team is planning on using a belt drive on our robot. We are using the belts and sprockets that came in the Kit of Parts. One concern that we have is trying to keep the belts on the sprockets. How are other teams doing this?

[Matt C]

For the wide ones, we used a hole saw to cut out circles of thin lexan slightly larger than the roller and attach them to the side, which keeps the belt from falling off the end.

[lingomaniac88]

Thanks for your input.

[Justin Stiltner]

Make extra sure that the shafts your pulleys are on are parallel, and that the pulleys are as perfectly lined up as you can get them. Try holding a square against the side of one pulley it should be lined up with the side of the other mating pulley if these are aligned properly, and the tension is correct you shouldn't have problems with them coming off.

[vivek16]

1. obtain makeshift compass (some thin plastic or metal with holes drilled slightly farther apart than the radius of your sprocket).

2. use makeshift compass on suitable material( we used some 1/16 polycarbonate but any plastic thin enough to cut easily and still not fail will work)

3. cut out with jigsaw, bandsaw, scissors, dremel, hacksaw, etc.

4. cut a smaller hole in the disc you now have, glue or screw it into your sprocket so that there is an even ledge around your sprocket.

-Vivek

p.s. works like a charm, we used button head 6-32 bolts.

[powerkane]

dang u beat me to it i was going to say put some sort of disk on it to keep it from slipping off

[powerkane]

i just remembered that we have a wheel that came in the kit that had sides attached to it did u not get one?

[MrForbes]

I think one size of small sprocket in the KOP has the flanges on it, but the wider belts don't fit on it! Adding the flanges is probably the quick and easy way to keep the belts on.

We ended up using chains for all our roller drives, mainly because of the availability of different sprockets and the fact that you can make chain be whatever length it needs to be pretty easily, no need to go shopping for just the right length belt. And it stays on the sprockets by design