Inspired by this belt gauge by Tom Anderson. My solution addresses the problem of consistent reference tension by adding an adjustable weight. The weight is a bottle filled with water. The water bottle weight is easy to adjust by using a spray bottle to add more water and a cheap $10 kitchen scale to measure the weight accurately. Here is a brief summary of the steps needed to use the gauge:
- Using a kitchen scale and spray bottle, set the total weight of the tool to 200g. Note depending on your printer this might be different but this should be a workable starting point.
- Lock the X gantry and X carriage so that both belts of your CoreXY are the same length. and won't move when the tool is applied. The X carriage clamp I include below was designed for my BLV Cube CoreXY printer.
- Measure the center line for your longest belt runs. Left and right sides of my printer.
- Put the printer on its side if your belts are vertically oriented (See pictures).
- Attach the gauge, including the weight, and adjust the belt tension until the belt appears in the middle of the gauge.
- Repeat for your other belt.
Link to more detailed instructions
James
