Cogs, bands, motors and servos

Other Hardware Motors, Mechanics, Power and CNC
1

Good day arduino world.

This is more of a practical question, than a technical one.

I'm looking to buy some cogs, and some rubber bands to attach to these cogs. The ultimate aim is to have a motor or a servo rotate a with a thick, durable rubber band attached to it, moving another cog. The purpose is that I have a circular, rotatory door lock; Im hoping to create an automated door unlocker.

The problem I'm having, is I cant find cogs or bands anywhere online! I think the problem is that I'm not sure of what the actual terms or names for these are. Have anyone out there got any idea of what I should be searching for, and if possible, some recommended places to buy them?

Thank you in advanced!

2

I Googled "toothed belts" on your behalf 8) and got, for example, this

3

Thank you JimboZA!

Belts seems so obvious now!

4

kirgy:
Thank you JimboZA!

Belts seems so obvious now!

What you are looking for (ie - toothed belts as mentioned) are also known as "cog belts" and "timing belts" (although the latter tends to refer to larger belts used in automobiles for the camshaft/crankshaft connection and timing, hence the name). Sometimes you'll also see them referred to as "gear belts". The pulleys are toothed or cog pulleys, timing pulleys, etc. Note that you must know what the pitch, etc specs are for your pulleys to match the belt too; there isn't a single type out there (more types exist than you can imagine).

5

There are also sets of belts and pulleys on eBay, mainly suited for kitting out RepRap and other 3D printers,
worth checking out to see if any offers there match your requirements.

6

Servo city is a good hobby source.

http://www.servocity.com/html/mechanicals___accessories.html

7

zoomkat:
Servo city is a good hobby source.

http://www.servocity.com/html/mechanicals___accessories.html

Holy cow... awesome looking place.... I need a supplier like that, but not an online one, one to walk around in and touch stuff 8)

8

Not having readily available parts makes one more observant and creative as to what is available or can be made to work.

9

sdp-si.com has a complete selection of belts/pulleys but their prices are higher (their market is professional/industrial).

10

Thanks everyone for the help, really got off to a good start here.

Belts is a whole new direction for me. I've worked with motors, servers and micro web servers to some good success before http://www.kirgy.co.uk/4sqclock, but this is a bit of a foreign field to me.

Can anyone suggest a good place to start with learning about using belts? I'm aware there are many different types, sizes, materials, also a lot of people on here talk about knowing the correct angles etc. As I am now a complete novice, can anyone provide with me some materials to train me up? Will things like angles be a real concern

Thanks again, this forum has been pretty damn awesome for this stuff :slight_smile: