How to Build Custom Brackets
Some applications exist where no brackets will fit, but where there is room to mount your alignment system (OPTALIGN PLUS, ROTALIGN PRO, etc.) if only the brackets where different. Here are some guidelines to follow when designing/building custom brackets:

1. Risers (support posts) must be parallel, 2.202" inches apart center-to-center (56mm).

2. The plane forward by the risers must be approximately normal, or square, to the centerline of rotation.

3. The centerline of the riser pair must pass through the centerline of rotation.

4. The risers must be rigidly attached to the rotors.

5. The laser risers must be in phase with the prism or receiver risers.

6. The standard risers are 8mm SS tubing (0.315"). Where 8mm tubing is not available, 5/16" tubing or drill rod can be used.

7. Include a mounting place for the inclinometer in the design, which should be parallel to the risers (±1°). Only necessary for OPTALIGN.

8. Distance from laser beam to shaft centerline can be zero, positive, or even negative. This fact is useful mostly when designing I.D. brackets for hollow shafts.

9. Risers protruding 8" and over need anti-torsion bridges to ensure torsional rigidity and accuracy. Only necessary for OPTALIGN

Belt Bracket Adjustment - Are your belt brackets loose?
Having loose brackets can produce poor readings and discrepancies when checking for repeatability.  The support posts should be inserted all the way to the stop* in the bracket, and when pressing down on the short locking levers they should not go easily all the way down to where they touch the shaft.  If your locking levers do touch the shaft, or seem to not tighten up when moving them down, then adjustment is needed. The proper steps to adjust the brackets are:

1. Remove both threaded pins from the indexing wheels.

2. Be careful that you don’t lose the belt separators.

3. Turn the left indexing wheel clockwise and the right indexing wheel counter-clockwise to increase the locking force. One or two notches is generally enough to properly adjust the bracket.

4. Reinstall both threaded pins making sure that you also re-attach the belt separators.

This procedure re-adjusts the cam locking mechanism within the brackets to allow for firm tightening of the posts within the bracket, and locking of the bracket and belt on the shaft. Remember to always make sure you have inserted the belt the right way into the bracket (smooth part against the shaft), and to not overtighten the tall tightening levers when installing the bracket.

*If your brackets are of the older design, and do not have the stops, they can be easily modified by LUDECA.

How to Set Up the Chain Brackets 
Each bracket is set up as illustrated below.

They may be attached to a shaft, a rigid hub, or any other rigid part of the rotor assembly that is rigidly attached to the shaft. Eccentricity, surface finish, and rotor assembly defects do not affect the system accuracy.

The laser/detector bracket and the receiver bracket must be installed in phase. When looking along the shaft, the support posts must be at the same angle. In other words, when sighting along the shaft, one set of support posts should be hidden by the other set. An inclinometer can be mounted using the anti-torsion bridge first on one bracket then on the other in order to accomplish straightening up the brackets.

Insert support posts of the required length into the bracket (step 1) and tighten firmly with the Allen screws on the face of the bracket (2) (use the 4mm (5/32") Allen wrench supplied). Now insert the threaded spindle that is attached to the chain through the swivel piece in bracket and screw the knurled tightening nut onto the spindle (3). Then bring chain around the shaft and insert into the bracket from below (4), using the extension attached to the chain for this purpose. Hook the chain over the stationary chain hook in bracket (5) and tighten the knurled tightening nut firmly (6). Use the extension piece at the end of the chain to lock excess chain into itself. Simple push the end clip firmly into any link until it clicks. This will keep the loose end from flopping about (7).

You may also bring the chain around the shaft and hook it over the stationary chain hook from the outside, instead of coming through the bracket from the inside. This may gain you a few extra links of length when needed, or simply make it easier to mount.