Belt drive pully

thingiverse

This component was crafted as one-half of the extremely high-ratio belt drive system in a hobby wind turbine. The turbine unfortunately turned out to be somewhat ineffective due to problems with the generator, but the pulley operates flawlessly. It features a decent flange for keeping the belt securely in place (I encountered numerous issues with belts slipping off while I worked out the most effective solution). The upper flange is a 'crenulated' design - they all blur together when printed, but it simplifies the overhang a lot easier to print. That's my original innovation - I doubt anyone else has thought of that technique. One crucial piece of advice though: Rubber bands do not last long. They deteriorate over time. Get a proper drive belt if you don't want to be replacing it every month. *The textbooks are misleading: You can use a DC motor as a generator, but they perform poorly.