# Belt drive conversion on 550w mini mill



## don-tucker (Jun 17, 2010)

Thinking about the belt conv,on my mill,wifey doesn't like the noise.I have looked at the commercial one and have plans to make my own,but seems a lot of hassle getting materials etc,is there a supplier of a kit in the UK.
Don


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## HS93 (Jun 17, 2010)

RGD tools prob have some pulleys that will do you what model mill is it ? X1 X2 X3 ?


Peter


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## don-tucker (Jun 17, 2010)

Hi Peter,it is the X2 with larger motor and longer table ,sold by Warco.
Don


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## don-tucker (Jun 18, 2010)

That's all sorted thanks to a kind member who put me in touch with someone who had most of the bits,pulleys,belt and motor plate for sale.
I should have them tomorrow morning.
Don


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## don-tucker (Jun 26, 2010)

Well that died a death,the bits were no use as with the larger motor everything is different,had my money back on good old e-bay.
Thought I would mention it in case someone else has the same idea,I shall give my misses a pair of ear plugs untill I have the time to make something up.
Don


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## Lykle (Jun 30, 2010)

Hi,
I have converted my mill myself.
Was not to hard to do. If you want my plans, just tell me. Oh why bother. I'll attach them for you.

They are metric, and for a Real Bull X2, which has its control box in a different location then the "normal" ones.

Lykle



View attachment Belt conversion.zip


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## don-tucker (Jun 30, 2010)

Thanks very much for that Lykle.
Don


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## Corvus corax (Sep 28, 2010)

Sorry for the thread bump.
I have an Einhell MBF550 which is also a 550 Watt Mini mill and I suspect similar. As of yet I haven't broken the plastic gears but I would like to do some fly cutting and from what I have read that will end in tears.

I have heard repeatedly that the kit from LMS won't fit the Einhell so I suppose I will have to make my own.

It's great to see some metric plans! Can I just ask the following:
What angle are those V pulleys and what belt was used in the conversion?


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## Anko (Sep 28, 2010)

Hi

I too own a Einhell mini mill

i have done the belt-drive myselft, not too hard to do, i based my desing in the LMS common design

but have to move the circuit box a little to make room for the bottom plate, doing this there is no more room for the torsion spring arm so I done the air spring mod simultaneously







I dont remember well..the slower speed was arround 2000 RPM and the higher 4000 RMPS

The belt i bougth from LMS is a Truflex 0130, the angle cant remember either, but i measure it directly from the belt in my hand and a protactor jajaja :

now im planning to change the beltdrive for some other drive design that allow me to have more torque, reducing the spindle speed to ranges like hi-torque 0-500 rpm, normal-torque 0-1000 rpm and high-speed 0-2000 rpms

but thats ir more future from now

anyway Corvus how long habe you owned the Einhell mini mill?

i wish to comparate my mini mill with some other of the same kind, to see if the problems that have showed mine are common or just i got bad luck jajaj ;D


Saludos


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## tel (Sep 28, 2010)

I had tro space out the control box exactly the same as that Anko, as the plate fouled it otherwise. Here are the parts for mine in, roughly, their working position relative to each other. A very simple project really.


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## John Rudd (Sep 29, 2010)

I have the pdf plans of the belt mod by Jerry Rollet of Yahoo groups.
The pulley angles are 38 for the large and 34 for the small...The mods are such that the box doesnt need a stand off from the head but does make a neat job...
If it is permissible the plans could be placed in the dowloads are...

Could some one tell me if thats ok?


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## Corvus corax (Sep 29, 2010)

I've had mine just over a year and a half now and I'm pretty happy with it. I have used it on steel, brass and aluminium. I worked with an old Hungarian guy who had had one for longer and actually used it semi commercially.

What problems have you had.

Biggest problems I had are:
The infernal Z axis, which I have now learnt to work my way around by pressing upwards when adjusting the dial. I mounted a Dial indicator on the column so it's not really an issue any-more.

The MT3 Collet set that came with the mill is not that great and has about 0.03mm runout tested on both the mill and my lathe.

I was lucky that my column actually was correctly aligned, I know that's a miracle with all these mini mills.

I haven't broken a gear yet but then I was used to light milling cuts on lathes. 
I just baby it more than I would an industrial machine. Like I said previously, I'm tired of flycutting on my lathe and I would also like to use a slitting saw on the mill so the belt drive is definitely the way to go. 
The old guy I mentioned above had metal gears for his Einhell, he had made by a company that used to make gears for the workshop we worked in. 
Personally I would prefer the belt myself, less chance of catastrophic failure.

I guess I will look at ordering a belt before I turn the pulleys, that way I have less chance of having to redo do them because I got the angle wrong.
Nowhere, here in Austria, can I find a small belt like that. 

I have to admit that I like the idea of using timing belt pulleys, like in the Fignoggle designs conversion.


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## Corvus corax (Oct 12, 2010)

John Rudd  said:
			
		

> I have the pdf plans of the belt mod by Jerry Rollet of Yahoo groups.
> The pulley angles are 38 for the large and 34 for the small...The mods are such that the box doesnt need a stand off from the head but does make a neat job...


John I see in this old thread:
http://www.homemodelenginemachinist.com/index.php?topic=6508.0
That your Chester mini mill seems to be very similar to the Einhell. Can you say what changes you had to make to the plans to get them to work?
Lastly, where did you get the belts? That seems to be my biggest problem, but if there is a UK source it would be great.

Since these are the 550 Watt motors I'm searching in vain for a schematic of the controller board, so far no joy.


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## John Rudd (Oct 12, 2010)

C-c,

The main adjustments made were to the bores of the pulleys...Seems the spindle dimensions vary from manufacturer...

The belts I got from a local bearing factor. in fact I bought some more for a friend recently who did the same conversion...

I have a diagram for the speed controller too, if you want a copy....mail me or pm me your email addy...


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## don-tucker (Oct 12, 2010)

I have decided to leave the conversion untill I have finished my current project,but have saved all the info kindly donated for use later.
Don


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## Corvus corax (Oct 24, 2010)

Thanks John! PM on the way.


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