Anti-backlash for Artillery X1 and Genius

thingiverse

Easy anti-backlash system for Artillery/Evnovo Sidewinder X1 and Genius. The factory anti-wobble mechanism compensates for bent or misaligned lead screws, but it introduces vertical slop. The weight of the X carriage (AKA gravity) takes up most of the backlash, except when the extruder is all the way to the left: the weight of the extruder plus the X stepper can make the carriage see-saw, sometimes lifting the opposite end. This system helps gravity hold the carriage down against the main lead screw nuts, eliminating backlash in the threads and slop in the anti-wobble device. (Most off the shelf anti-backlash nuts I see seem to be installed with the spring below, which means the spring is holding the gantry up, working against gravity. That's less than ideal.) You'll need a couple of normal T8 lead screw nuts, and a pair of 14mm x 19mm(ish) springs. Once assembled and installed the amount of spring tension can be adjusted by lifting rotating the main body in 90 degree increments. I set the tension by moving the z-axis downwards at full speed and listening to the noise it makes: it kind of rattles/buzzes if there's not enough tension. With the correct tension it sounds about the same whether it's moving up or down. I've found that the left side (X-axis stepper end) doesn't need much tension at all, but the right side needs more (especially if the extruder is all the way to the left, making the X gantry see-saw). Works better if your leadscrews are straight and aligned: remove the belt, pulleys, and top bearings, then watch the tops of the leadscrews while you move the Z-axis up and down. If they wobble then you'll need to tweak the Z-axis stepper motor angle and/or the couplers until the wobble is minimised.