Just got my TOM, ordered 5/3/011. The instructions say that if the pulleys don't slide on easily, sand the shafts down a little. I've been at it with a little piece of sandpaper for a while and at this point I'm fairly convinced my pulleys aren't meant for my motors. I know there was a motor change-up a while ago, but I'm wondering if that affected the pulleys.
The new motors are 5mm shafts but the pulleys are 3/16th inch bore. you must drill them out using a numbered drill set starting with a #8 and then step each number up to #12.
In case i'm wrong, drill with an 8 first, go the 9 and see if it fits.
Interesting, I have the new Moons motors (ordered my TOM on 4/25) and my pulleys fit without a hitch. You've loosened the set screws in the pulleys, right?
Yep, I took the set screws all the way out to make sure I wasn't going crazy. It seems kinda odd they would purposefully include the wrong sized pulleys in a kit and make no mention of it in the instructions. I guess I'll have to hunt down a drill set. Thanks for the help.
Most hardware stores aren't going to have a 5mm reamer and a numbered drill set is about as close as you can get with resonable expectations somebody might have one or be able to get one.
BTW, Harbor Freight (no matter how you feel about them) is good for a cheap source on something like a numbered drill set. Sure, they aren't the longest lasting bits, but numbered drill sets are not intended for everyday abuse-they are for drilling that precision hole when you need them, and this being aluminum, they will work forever.
Also, I must add that more than once (I have a lot of bots) even the correct pulleys were tight on the motor shaft due to the "crimp" which holds the top and bottom belt sheeves and ended up reaming them with a 3/16 (for the old motors) after I had removed the set screws.
These are $7 pulleys so "perfect fit" isn't to be expected.
Ok, and before we get too far into this, MBI gets the pulleys from SDP (same place I get mine), and SDP has been out (not even listing) the required 17tooth GT2 2mm belt pitch by 6 mm wide (tall) pulleys with the most important 5mm bore. They have 4mm and 6mm bore but not even listing 5mm bore. You must have 17tooth pulleys or else you would need to change the thingomatic.xml for the X and Y steps per mm.
As always, jetguy, you deliver great and easy to understand info. Thanks a lot! Theres's a harbor freight brick and mortar store down the street from my house. I'll stop in on the way to work and pick up a set.