[GBC] Hailfire Loops

[RohanBeckett]

So what do you build, when you have 4 Hailfire wheels? an oversized GBC module!

I had an idea to build this a while ago, and finally finished it for Brickvention 2018, in January.
However, it wasn't reliable enough, and ended up needing 2 motors to drive it.

I recently rebuild the main geartain, using better parts, and working hard to get rid of all friction points.
It now runs MUCH better, on a single L Motor.
Front loader section is an Akiyuki design, from Cycloidal Drive. The rest, including the Brick Separator down-chute is my design.

Due to the design, I was not able to use the inner teeth to drive the wheels... as the scoop would interfere.. so I had to drive it by the outer rim

This has been done in the past, by other builders, using tyres.  Somewhere along the line, I noticed that the old Samsonite gears from 1965 meshed perfectly! (The Expert Builder ones do not)

I attempted to have the stepper/loader synchronised to the wheel, but unfortunately, I was not able to get any combination of Hailfire external teeth + Samsonsite to equal an even/repetitive interval.
Turns out that it takes 7 revolutions of the Hailfire, before the same tooth on the Samsonite match up again!

So.. that does mean, that occasionally, it'll feed in a ball at exactly the same time a scoop passes... and while most of the time, it bounces back into the main wheel.. sometimes, it bounces back, and spills.

There is a small collection point for such spilt balls

The Scoops are a simple build, and are held in place via friction

the Hailfire wheels are supported by 1L liftarms on an axle, and there are 4 rubber wheels at N/S/E/W, that the Hailfire leans against, to run smoothly

 

The drive-train feeds up and down each module - with the motor attached at Blue, since it's at the mid-point.. At the bottom of yellow, it connects to the front loader section.

And since it's SO big, I needed to build it modularly!  So it all comes apart easily!

Looking forward to running this improved version at Canberra BrickExpo next month!

Oh.. and apart from the depth.. it is actually GBC standard! :)

[Captainowie]

14 hours ago, RohanBeckett said:

Oh.. and apart from the depth.. it is actually GBC standard! :)

Yeah, all of my modules are too - they're GBC standard apart from where they deviate! :-)

I look forward to seeing it run all weekend.

Owen.

[Aventador2004]

Nice one. Saw this on YouTube. Great use of the part.

[RohanBeckett]

Thanks.. I know it's not an easily-reproducible GBC (no way I'm doing instructions!)  But I'm happy with how it turned out... will probably pull it apart in a year or so, and use the rings for something else

 

[Berthil]

It looks like a lot of work to build and seems to work nice. If you take it apart sell the android wheels and buy a new car :)

Edited July 23, 2018 by Berthil