XRP Fully Printed Track System (2 Versions)

This are 2 different track systems for your XRP. What's the right one for you? Here's a short summary that should help you pick the system of your choice. Further down you'll find a detailed instruction for each system. Also you might like my XRP Boat Mod. :)

I mainly provide the STL as preview, you're better of just downloading the zip, so you got the right files for the right system all together.

This kit requires the latest chassis which is currently V1.5.3MF. This version offers a hole next to the motor shafts, so you can connect wheels outside the frame.

For older Versions you would have to modify your chassis. I do provide the XRP Axis Hole Finder For Older Frames, that will help you to drill the hole in the correct position, have a look at my models. 

In a nutshell

Update

I'm reworking my models to improve them with everything I did learn on my journey and also the Track System deserves some TLC. This does not mean you got to reprint anything. It's just improvements for easier printing, easier assembling and some finetuning of components. If you have the feeling tho to upgrade to the latest version, I did list the parts that have not been touched, there's no need to reprint them at all. The original model is still available as v1.0 to be downloaded along with the instruction in case you need spare parts. For everyone else I recommend to go with the latest version.

Changes

Real World Track System

• Improved Safety Rings
• Added Safety Ring Tool
• Reduced Axis Length
• Reduced Side Plate length to better fit 220mm beds
• Added Stability frame orientation notch
• Reduced tolerances for Stability frame to make it bind stronger
• Improved the transmission shaft

Untouched parts

• XRP.RWTS.Drive.Sprocket.Connector
• XRP.RWTS.Drive.Sprocket
• XRP.RWTS.Transmission.Gear
• XRP.RWTS.Track.Link
• XRP.RWTS.Track.Connector
• XRP.RWTS.Drive.Sprocket.with.Gear
• XRP.RWTS.Track.Safety.Locks
• XRP.RWTS.Drive.to.XRP.Clip
   

Print Friendly Track System

• Added 5 print in place links
• Added Safety Ring Tool
• Improved Safety Rings
• Merged Transmission Disk with Shaft
• Reduce Axis Length
• Reduced Side Plate length to better fit 220mm beds (rotate them by 15 degrees)
• Added stability frame orientation notch
• Increased transmission disk resolution

Untouched parts

• XRP.PFTS.Frame.to.XRP.Clips
• XRP.PFTS.Wheel.Spacer
• XRP.PFTS.Link.Single

New parts added

• XRP Rain Cover with 4 clip sizes
• XRP Track System Rail Extension

Real world track system:

This system is heavily inspired by real life track pictures. It's appearance is beefy and imo just awesome. This system tho consists out of almost 200 parts. It's quite an assembly job with little room for errors like warping etc. The assembly is imo really a satisfying task and it's my favorite system. But it clearly is more assembly work and more error-prone than the other track system.

Printer friendly track system:

This system has been created with the focus on less parts and less fiddling. It offers print in place chain links to even minimize assembling work. E.g. the chain consists of 30 parts rather than the 150 parts of the real world track chain and with print in place this is just 3 parts to connect for the full chain. It's the easier system and less error-prone, less fine tuning needed.

Optional Upgrades

XRP Rain Cover

Print one XRP rain cover for some environmental protection. Select from 4 different clip sizes, pick the ones that fit the best to your project. you need 2 for the cover.

XRP Track System Rail Extension

Extend your XRP with more rails for more sensors. Use the clip that came along with the system. The long notch along the rail has to face towards the side plate. I know it would look cooler the other way. But the sensor rail has a certain shape and it's not flat, so for best functionality it has to point inward.

Real world track system (RWTS)

Print List (per side):

• 30x Track Links 
• 60x Track Safety Locks
• 60x Track Connectors
• 3x Drive Sprockets
• 1x Drive Sprocket with Gear
• 2x Drive Sprockets Connectors
• 2x Axis
• 4x Axis Safety Rings
• 1x Transmission Gears
• 1x Transmission Shaft
• 6x Transmission Shaft Security Rings
• 2x Drive Side Plates
• 1x Drive Stabilization Frame
• 2x Drive to XRP Clips

Optional, recommended

• Soldering Iron / some glue
• Zip Ties
• Flat Pliers

Zip ties because, don't forget the rails are actually intended to hold a sensor of like 10g :D

Print settings

The track links file contains already a small brim to ensure flawless printing. The outer parts of the track links are quite sensitive. If you got issues while printing, it's good enough if you use e.g. a modifier cube and reduced print speed for only those sections.

Same for the axis and the shaft, slow down the parts where a lot of overhang / sensitive structure is, you can also use variable layer height to increase details.

Also rather than printing e.g. all safety locks on one go I made better experience to use “by object” printing rather than “by layer”. Due to the very low height of the connectors and safety locks I could almost ignore the extruder clearance radius and set it to a very low value. But this might require some trial and error. I would not recommend using a brim, ain't that funny to remove it from that many small parts.

But you do you, you know your printer the best. :)

Also ensure the clip's seam is not inside the clip. this will drastically decrease how good they'll hold on your frame.

Assembling Instruction

There are also pictures that might help you visualize how to build everything together.

Safety Ring Tool

The safety ring tool can be used to place and remove both types of safety rings. It is also useful to remove the track brim and when you're disassembling the tracks you can use it to remove the locks and push out the connectors.

Assembling the track

I would recommend to start with just few track links, safety locks and connectors to see if everything fits well together with your printer settings. Once this is done you can start printing all of them and assemble them.

The track links contain a small manual brim that needs to be removed. It's the small part between the two cylinders on both sides. It can easily be removed with the safety ring tool

Start:

Put 3 track links next to each other, the structured part has to face down. Use 4 connectors with the teeth facing up to connect all the pieces together. Now put put two safety lock on the middle link from the top. I would recommend to use some flat pliers.

It was actually really helpful to have some small boxes where I did place all the separated parts for assembly. Especially when I did do the two colored version. You can find some nestable boxes and stackable boxes in my other models.

Adding more links:

Put another track on the side facing down, use the connectors facing up to connect the links. Use a safety lock on the link that is already part of the chain.

Let the last links unconnected for now.
 

Be careful:

• The links always shall face down.
• The connector teeth always got to show upside.
• The safety lock is always applied to only one link, it does never connect 2 links.
• Don't put the connectors first and figgle then the other link in there.

Assembling the wheels

For one wheel put together 2 drive sprockets with the drive sprocket connector.

For the second wheel put the remaining drive sprockets together with the transmission gears facing inside.

Use the safety link tool to prepare the 2 axis with one axis safety ring on each side, keep the other one aside for now.

Assemble the track system and mount it to the XRP

Put the second transmission gears onto the transmission shaft. Secure it with the the gear safety ring using the safety ring tool in position. Also put another safety ring on the same side on the outer position. Put the wheel with the transmission gear into the slot close to the transmission shaft opening. Put in the axis from the bottom side. Put in the transmission shaft and align the gears. Put the second wheel between the plates and put the axis in from the bottom side

Put in the stabilization frame into the slot. It does only fit into one direction. There's no top or bottom side. It is a tight fit. Put the cut out edge on the opposite side, slide it towards the corner with a slightly rotating movement. It should have a firm sit after this.

Close the track system with the second side plate and secure the axis with the axis safety rings using the tool.

Place now the track system next to your XRP. Put the shaft thru the motor hole. Use the clips to mount the track system to the XRP.

Highly recommended: Use zip ties to secure the clips in place.  

Put the chain under the wheels. Make sure the teeth got a good grip on the chain links. Pull the chain together and put on the last connecters and secure it with the locks.

Optional

If the everything is in place and working you can consider using glue or an soldering iron to permanently connect some parts together. They have only been separated to make them easier to print and don't require support.

The following parts could be permanently connected if you got the feeling it has too much wiggling for your print

• Stability frame to the side walls
• Clips to the side walls
• gear to the axis.
• sprockets with the sprocket connectors

This will minimize the failure search if something is not running smooth. The system consists of almost 200 moveable parts. Minimizing potential failures will do you a favor. For my test setup I did not connect anything permanently, to ensure it can also runs without permanent connections. 

Test run:

Try the system first by hand to see if everything is running smooth. If you notice that the chain gets stuck at the same section over and over again, inspect the chain closely to figure out what part is causing the issue. Warped connectors, missing locks, etc can cause the chain to not run smooth on the sprockets. If you got issues in general ensure the sprockets are not wobbly and might misalign. The side plates are flexible enough to take some stress, but usually they should not be under a lot of tension. Ensure the transmission system is working properly. 

If that's done, let the motor do a test run. If everything works smooth give it a test ride and you should be done.

Attention: With the transmission system the driving direction will be reversed. 

Printer friendly track system (PFTS):

Print List (per side):

• 3x Links 10 - Print In Place
• 1x Wheel With Transmission Disk
• 1x Wheel With Spacer
• 2x Axis
• 4x Axis Safety Rings
• 1x Transmission Shaft with Disc
• 2x Transmission Shaft Security Rings
• 2x Drive Side Plates
• 1x Drive Stabilization Frame
• 2x Drive to XRP Clips
• …x Links Single (optional, e.g. if some pins break)

Additionally needed:

• 1 Rubber Band

Optional, recommended

• Soldering Iron / some glue
• Zip Ties
• Pliers

Zip ties, because don't forget the rails are actually intended to hold a sensor of like 10g :D

Print settings

The print in place track links contain a small support in the model. No support needs to be enabled at all. 

I made good experience by printing “by object” rather than “by layer”. It reduces the travel times and by that vibrations and the likeliness to e.g. knock of safety rings from your bed or not printing the high axis properly. 

But you do you, you know your printer the best. :)

Assembling Instruction

There are also pictures that might help you visualize how to build everything together.

Assembling the track

Remove the support, it's 2 small “triangles” at the end of the track supporting the link pins. Then place the link pins above the pin mounts of another chain part and I would highly recommend to use pliers to press the pins into the mount. The pins are quite fragile and you might twist or bend them otherwise. Finish the loop so the chain is completely closed.
 

If you don't have pliers by your hand you can also put the link pins on top of a link mount and “open” and “close” (rotate along the pin) the link while applying some force to push them together. this will wiggle them in place. But be careful. It's also my recommended way to disassemble 2 links put with pulling apart while wiggling.

Assemble the track system and mount it to the XRP

Put the two wheels inside the chain, with the spacer / transmission disk facing up. Align the chain so the teeth are inside the chain link and not between them, put them as far apart as possible with both being aligned with the chain. 

Take the 2 axis and put each a safety ring on one end using the safety ring tool. Put them thru a side plate, so the safety ring remains on the outside.  Put the plate on a table so the axis are facing upwards. Lift the wheels with the chain and put them over the axis. The side of the plate with the additional hole for the motor mount shall face to the wheel with the transmission disk.

Put the stabilizer frame in its place, it is a tight fit. Put the cut out edge on the opposite side, slide it towards the corner with a slightly rotating movement. It should have a firm sit after this.

Put a shaft safety ring on the side without the motor mount hole. Place this side facing down into the side plate. The motor mount hole has to face upside. Put a rubber ring around both transmission discs. The rubber ring shall have a tight fit.

Close the system with the second side plate. this will straighten the axis that might point apart, and put tension on the chain. Secure the axis now on the other side with the axis safety ring using the safety ring tool. 

Put the transmission shaft thru the hole and attach it to the motor. Secure it with the remaining shaft safety ring in place. Use the two clips to secure the drive to the XRP.

Highly recommended: Use zip ties to secure the clips in place.  

Optional:

If the system sits all together and works smoothly you can use glue or an soldering iron to permanently connect the safety frame with the side plates. You can also permanently connect the clips.

For my test setup I did not connect anything permanently, to ensure it can also runs without permanent connections. 

Test run:

Give it a test run. If the tracks should not move check that you can move the wheels by hand and if your rubber band has a good grip on both transmission disks.

Attention: With the transmission system the driving direction will be reversed.