--- Tony Duell <ard(a)p850ug1.demon.co.uk> wrote:
... I learned
to use an engine lathe, shaper, milling machine...
...I am certainly not going to trust one who doesn't know what a lathe
is, and what it's used for.
The topic of machining make me ask if anyone here can tell me how to
measure a gear to shop for a replacement. About all I know is that it
has 14 teeth and it approximately 0.125" in diameter and length. It
is one of the two smallest gears in a Commodore 1520 plotter - this
particular one fits on the shaft that when rotated, causes the paper
to move up and down past the pens. There is another of the same size that
is the smallest in the chain to move the pens from side to side. Both
of mine are cracked parallel to the axis and do not grip their shafts
tightly enough for reliable movement (the paper stalls vertically and
the pens don't meet the pen-change finger with enough force to rotate
the pen carriage).
I would love to buy a small bag of replacements (I have this 1520 and
an Atari with an identical mechanism) I know from other discussions that
this part is the weak link and breaks under stress eventually, so with
two plotters, I'd be happy to have 4 gears and at least 8 spares. If
I have to buy a minimum order from some place, so be it. I can always
make them available to others to spread out the costs.
What I don't know how to do is what to measure so I can see who might have
a replacement. I am not an ME and have had only little experience with
gears (beyond basic modelling in my one and only FORTRAN class). I know
they have parameters like pitch etc., but I'm just not sure what numbers
are the critical ones for ordering a replacement.
Thanks,
-ethan
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