Prusa MK4 - Y belt idler as tensioner

A slight change to Y idler to be used as belt tensioner
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updated November 28, 2023

Description

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I don't like the need to flip the printer on its side to be able to change belt tension, and the tensioner attached to Y carriage is not easily reachable. Instead, I decided to use the idler for adjusting belt tension. However, the existing idler would allow only 1-2mm of range for tensioning (I'm thinking about future, if the belt gets significantly looser).

I've changed the Prusa's Y idler by extending holes to be able to use longer screws. I've cut the belt for two teeth, tensioned the under-carriage tensioner as much as possible, then I've attached the new idler and adjusted the belt tension using it. Now it's easy to adjust belt tension using the provided hex key, reaching above and below the LCD screen. If needed to remove the belt for whatever reason (some repairs for example), it's easy now: just unscrew the two screws on the idler (no need to flip the whole printer).

Screws required: two M3x16 (or M3x18, I think those would be fine too)

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Model origin

The author remixed this model.

Differences of the remix compared to the original

The holes for the screws are extended to allow longer screws and thus enable the Y idler to be used as the belt tensioner with more range.

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