Adjustable SMARS Track System
Description
This track is part of the SMARS_LCV variant, but I'm uploading it as a separate thing because the adjustable track system can be used on any current SMARS version. Original SMARS is designed by Kevin Thomas and so far it's my favorite robot here on Thingiverse which is why I've spent a lot of time finding ways to make it work for more people on more different printers! I want this robot to work for ANYONE on any printer so I've been exploring methods to make that happen. Problem: Across various printers and filaments, reports of the original SMARS track being too tight abounded...sometimes it was too loose and it would skip the tread on the slave wheel enough to become jammed. A designer has no way of knowing or accommodating this reality that some printers will overextrude, some will print with bad filament, etc... some people's printers will create a track that is too tight and some a track that is too lose. It has to be just right or robot will not function. Remixed Chassis and tracks abounded but all required printing new wheels or tracks depending on how "off" your track tension was. Wasted time and effort was the result in some cases including mine. I just could not get the thing to work like it did in the videos. Solution: Create a super loose track piece that is 2% larger, but increase the pin hole size so that a larger pin could fit in and take up slack in the track. Make your whole track out of this and you can then adjust to any tension by replacing just the pins, not the whole track or wheels (or, heaven forbid, the entire chassis). Method: Print 32x of this track piece your SMARS. Print 16 or so of these 1.9mm pins. Assemble your track with 1.75mm standard PLA spikes. Due to the larger Y-axis of this track, the track will not be too tight but either functional or too lose. Replace several 1.75mm spikes with the 1.9mm spikes until your tension is perfect. If the 1.9mm pin does not fit, simply use the openscad file to change the 1.9mm to a different size and and print the size you want. The principle is that you can adjust your track from original SMARS tightness (too tight in most cases) to very loose using these pins and this track. Any questions let me know. P.S. - If this or the original smars track is too tight and you do not want to reprint the entire track, try using the openscad file "SMARS_track_tensioner_pins.scad" to generate some pins SMALLER than 1.75mm and it should loosen your track, without needing this custom track piece. Just the pin. Explanation Videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbcbW5KyKAs (note, this video references a scad file name that you can substitute the one on this Thing for) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5IWcJb7sAs
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