MPMD GT2 Belt Mod - Monoprice Mini Delta

thingiverse

Notice: Some upgraded parts were recently shared by another user. I initially completed this mod without these components. I now strongly advise the improved idler pulley / belt tensioner part. I tested his modified carriage, but my ABS warped too much to make it practical. PETG may work better for that issue. If you try his carriages, ensure they still slide up-and-down the rails freely. https://www.thingiverse.com/bLITzJoN/designs I've successfully printed with this setup, but to my knowledge, no one else has used this exact part, so proceed with caution. I replaced the stock belts and pulleys on my Monoprice Mini Delta (MPMD) with reinforced GT2 belts and metal 16T pulleys. This mod isn't simple... or maybe it is now that I've provided a file and instructions. That being said, I went back and re-did mine to incorporate different parts and it was still a PITA on my second-go. Read through the instructions and decide for yourself if it's worth it. How this mod affects printer resolution: 1) This mod reduces the steps/mm and gives lower, but more even, resolution numbers (10 micron for 16x stepper boards, 20 micron for 8x stepper boards). Because of this, software truncation error build up due to too many trailing decimal numbers is eliminated. 2) Optimal Layer Heights - Stepper motor half steps are more accurate than microstepping, so for the stock 1.8 degree motor w/ the modded 16T pulley, your optimal layer heights will now be 0.08, 0.16, 0.24, etc. 3) Experimental Layer Heights - Now that the microstepping resolution is more even, you may be able to print more successfully at smaller increments in layer height (0.01 mm for the 16x stepper board or 0.02 mm for the 8x stepper board). With any 3D printer setup, overall setup/calibration of the machine has a large effect. Other than that, this mod eliminates truncation error buildup as one source of error, so the rest depends on how well the stepper motors can handle small microstepping increments. CONS: -You may void your warranty, or at the very least, increase the difficulty of returning the stock. -I'm not going to say this is an expert-level mod, but it's also not nearly as straightforward as I thought it would be. -Because you changed the belt, belt tuning by ear, musical note, guitar tuner, etc. will no longer work. You will need to use some sort of tension gauge (linked later).