Chains or cable for different machine configurations

Hardware
16

The reasons not to go with larger chain are

  1. it’s heavier, so the chain sag problem will be larger, and at some point we
    end up with the weight of the chain applying more pull on the sled than the
    minimum we want

  2. it’s bigger, so the sprockets are bigger. which means you need more powerful
    motors, higher resolution encoders, etc (or at least higher gear ratios)

  3. it’s probably more expensive (although using bicycle chain may be slightly
    cheaper). the cost of the chain is currently not a large part of the machine
    cost, somewhere around $1/ft when purchased in bulk, so <$25

David Lang