After waiting for 5 weeks, Robot Digg figured out that my order was ‘lost’… so I am resourcing a few things.
A regional US supplier for belts I found is reasonable if you consider how they are made- the endless best are extruded like a giant piece of macaroni. Then the tube is sheared at the proper width of the belt that you order. B&B in LaPorte, IN. So the little bit extra goes to help the local economy I guess. 2-3 day lead time to be safe.
Thing is that they have a minimum order of $35. The 186mm belts are ~$4, the 986mm belt ~$7. So to hit the minimum, its basically 2+ sets of belts. I did not check the prices for the belt sizes for the HercuLien, but I would assume on the same order.
Anyone interested in a spare belt or 2? Otherwise I will order enough and take my chances and ebay them…
it looks like they make a lot of timing belts, and only timing belts. imperial and metric. pulley stock, tensionsers, idlers, ploy-v… MXL, XL, L, H, XH, XXH pitches, powerhouse and powerhouse HTD, GT2, 3, 5, 8 &^ 14… i mean a LOT of belts. when i called, the rep explained to me why the minimum and the process. the minimum cover the guy walking out to the floor, pulling the belt/tube stock and then cutting to size.
The skiving experiment seems to have worked well enough that I can turn the motors and move things. The skiving part was easy, sanding drum on a dremel made short work of it all. I used super glue to join the ends and that joint is a little stiff. Alignment is critical, so print out the guide plate and clamp it carefully in the plate to align the teeth.
Skiving attempt V2.0 worked much better- its critical that you test fit everything i the alignment block before you glue. i used superglue gel pen, but i think any thicker glue will work. I also sprayed a little kitchen spray on the block to release in case of glue leakage. So I have 2 hort belts for X & Y to test mechanics out.
