This is a chain conveyor I designed to remove poop coils from my X1C printer. It uses a NEMA 17 motor and a stepper controller driver to move poop from the printer discharge to the end of the table. Total cost is about $60US for the stepper motor, the controller and a 12-24VDC power supply. The sprocket gears, conveyor chain and drive system are all my own design. I have included all necessary .stl’s and .stp files for the major components for the CAD-capable. Enjoy and improve!

Please review the .PDF file for detailed parts list, printing parameters, assembly guide and videos. Happy pooping!

*2023-12-04 Update Oops, I forgot the motor mount in my profile. It's been added. STL and STEP files for it are in the download section.

*2023-09-20 Update I added a new trestle “Trestle V2” as both .stl and .stp. This is a stronger one piece trestle. The original two piece trestles could get a little wobbly, especially on longer spans. This new trestle should make the chain bed assembly stronger.

*2023-09-28 Update I have updated assembly and printing instructions in version 3 of the assembly guide. In addition I have added this information into the description below. I have been using this for several weeks now and updated the timing. I use .2 seconds on and 15 seconds off. This moves the belt about 20mm every 15 seconds. There is no need to run the belt continuously, but the on/off times can be programmed into the motor controller. Here is a new time lapse of the unit in operation. 30x speed, 30 s video is 15 min real time.

Video 3

I also suggest using the new V2 trestle for all chain bed joints. You still need the two drive end trestles ("Trestle Join Drive End (L)" and “Trestle Join Drive End (R)”), but the one-piece “Trestle V2” can replace both of the other 2-piece trestles. I have updated the print profile with the new trestle design.

All purchased parts links:

Stepper motor driver/controller. I selected this one because it has the stepper controller and driver in a single unit. If you are not familiar with stepper motor control, it is fairly straight forward. I have added the stepper controller instructions in the documents section.

Nema 17 stepper motor. Pretty much any old NEMA 17 motor will work. I chose a 2A version, but if you have some old MMU motors laying around, they should work.

Universal joint. I used a 6mm x 8mm universal joint, but a simple connector could be designed based on the motor shaft diameter.

8mm x 22mm bearings.

Power supply. I used a 24V 6A power supply. You could probably use a 12V power supply, just be aware of possible heat buildup if running the belt continuously.

Assembly and Printing Guide. (Also see .pdf in the documents section).