How do I make a succesful Motorised Model?

[Joey Lock]

Hello! I'm new to the Technic/Mindstorms world and I was thinking of making a motorized tank for my German army. However, I'm confused looking at the vast amounts of Electrical Lego stuff.

Could someone tell me the list of parts and how to run one?

First I know I need a Battery + Controller, secondly I need motors to turn the wheels that inturn turn the tracks, And I also need a remote or something.

My tank I was considering is a small Panzer IV, It's main interior section is 16x8 but I'm not sure I can just about squeeze a Battery and motors in there.

Thanks.

[efferman]

how big would be the Tank?

i think the minimum of electric parts is the follwing

battery box 1x

PF-M 2x

ir remote 1x

ir receiver 1x

Edited May 8, 2010 by efferman

[DLuders]

Be sure to read Philo's "Lego Power Functions Presentation" ( http://philohome.com/pf/pf.htm ) and this Lego Technic webpage: http://powerfunctions.lego.com/en-us/WhatIs/Default.aspx . They will help you see how everything works together.

[DLuders]

For inspiration, be sure to check out Sariel's Lego Power Functions tanks: http://sariel.pl/category/military/ . He has built some REALLY FINE tanks! He shows some photo sequences to reveal some of his building techniques. Here are some examples from this Lego Master:

A fellow (vfourcade) created a Power Functions bulldozer ("My Rammer" or "Ma Dameuse" in French), and posted it on Brickshelf. It could be adapted into a TANK instead: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=413718 . There are enough photos to make the frame and mount the PF motors.

[Joey Lock]

Heres in Interior of Phima's King Tiger, what I am trying to achieve:

And here are some videos of it in action: Fast, Slow wall crash, Interior engine bay.

I would like something like that.

[DLuders]

I would like something like that.

Wouldn't we all like a Power Functions tank! It's going to be hard to cram in the various PF elements in a small Panzer IV model, like this (from gowonlee's Brickshelf folder http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=3142827 ):

[Joey Lock]

Wouldn't we all like a Power Functions tank! It's going to be hard to cram in the various PF elements in a small Panzer IV model, like this (from gowonlee's Brickshelf folder http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=3142827 ):

I was going to use Antonio's model which I have permission to:

But I have modded a design already, And made a full interior, So if I keep the interior ones, and make a slightly larger Panzer IV, It could fit. But the Motors are 6 studs long, so is this tanks interior width.

[dhc6twinotter]

If the interior is 16x8, I think you would have to buy the rechargeable battery box since it is much smaller than the AA one. Downside to the rechargeable box is that it is much more expensive, and you would have to buy the transformer as well. Some dimensions for the parts you would need:

The AA battery box is 11x8x4 (including switch), OR The rechargeable battery box is 8x4x?.

Each M motor is 3x6x3.

The IR receiver is 4x4x?.

How tall is the interior of your tank? If you have enough height, you may be able to place an AA battery box lengthwise on the left or right side. Stack the two M motors on top of each other and place them on the opposite side of the battery box. This would give you a footprint of 11x8. You would have to do some gearing to get your drive shafts in the correct location, which would be really tight in the remaining 5x8 space you have left. I think it could be done though. If you set up your motors and battery box this way, you would need at least an 8 stud height, plus a spot to mount the IR receiver.

Now, you could use the smaller rechargeable battery box ($$$), and place it widthwise towards the front of your tank. Behind your battery, mount your two M motors in front of each other, with one motor pointing left and the other motor pointing right. You would have to add some gears at the end of each motor to get the driveshaft in the correct location, but this would be very simple. Your total overall footprint, including the gearing, would be 12x8; and whatever the height of the battery pack is. This leaves just enough room for your IR receiver.

It really depends on how much height you have available. The AA battery box would be cheaper, but it would take more room and be a bit more complex to build. The rechargeable battery is more expensive, but would offer a more compact design (and no batteries!).

If you need me to put together some examples, let me know.

Just my $.02.

Daniel

Edited May 8, 2010 by dhc6twinotter

[Joey Lock]

If the interior is 16x8, I think you would have to buy the rechargeable battery box since it is much smaller than the AA one. Downside to the rechargeable box is that it is much more expensive, and you would have to buy the transformer as well. Some dimensions for the parts you would need:

The AA battery box is 11x8x4 (including switch), OR The rechargeable battery box is 8x4x?.

Each M motor is 3x6x3.

The IR receiver is 4x4x?.

How tall is the interior of your tank? If you have enough height, you may be able to place an AA battery box lengthwise on the left or right side. Stack the two M motors on top of each other and place them on the opposite side of the battery box. This would give you a footprint of 11x8. You would have to do some gearing to get your drive shafts in the correct location, which would be really tight in the remaining 5x8 space you have left. I think it could be done though. If you set up your motors and battery box this way, you would need at least an 8 stud height, plus a spot to mount the IR receiver.

Now, you could use the smaller rechargeable battery box ($$$), and place it widthwise towards the front of your tank. Behind your battery, mount your two M motors in front of each other, with one motor pointing left and the other motor pointing right. You would have to add some gears at the end of each motor to get the driveshaft in the correct location, but this would be very simple. Your total overall footprint, including the gearing, would be 12x8; and whatever the height of the battery pack is. This leaves just enough room for your IR receiver.

It really depends on how much height you have available. The AA battery box would be cheaper, but it would take more room and be a bit more complex to build. The rechargeable battery is more expensive, but would offer a more compact design (and no batteries!).

If you need me to put together some examples, let me know.

Just my $.02.

Daniel

It is 5 Studs tall, The main chassis. I'm not so sure whether its anywhere big enough.

[dhc6twinotter]

Yeah, 5 studs isn't going to be tall enough for my first suggestion with the AA box. Second suggestion with the rechargeable battery should fit though.

Heres in Interior of Phima's King Tiger, what I am trying to achieve:

I would like something like that.

You could do a layout similar to that with an AA battery box, but if you want to add an extra M motor for any steer function, you would have to enlarge you interior to at least 18x8, or possibly 19x8. It would remain under 5 studs tall though.

You would also have to find a place for the IR reciever.

Edited May 8, 2010 by dhc6twinotter

[DLuders]

There is another possibility. You could use the conventional, old-style 9V Lego Battery Box 2847c01 ( pictured on Bricklink http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2847c01 and on Peeron http://peeron.com/inv/parts/2847c01 ), and add a 60656 Power Functions Extension Cable ( http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=60656 ) to bridge between the "old" and the "new" systems. You put one end of the Extension Cable on top of the old battery box, and connect the other end to the 58123cx1 Power Functions (PF) Receiver's cable. Perhaps the long-and-skinny 2847c01 battery box will work better than the short-and-fat 54950c02 PF 9V battery box, or the small (4x8x4) 8878 Rechargable Battery Box.

The combination will look like this:

One does not HAVE to use Power Functions motors in a Power Functions-enabled, motorized MOC. One can use the 60656 Power Functions Extension Cable with the old-style 43362c01 9V motors (that are shorter than the PF Medium Motor). The 43362c01 motors ( http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=43362c01 ) usually appear in a Light Grey color (and not black, as pictured below). One end of the 60656 PF Extension Cable can connect to the old-style 9V battery box, or to the old-style 9V motors, and the other end connects to the modern PF Receiver's cable.

Edited May 8, 2010 by dluders

[dhc6twinotter]

^^^Good idea. Would the 8x4 sized 4760c01 battery box work as well?

[DLuders]

^^^Good idea. Would the 8x4 sized 4760c01 battery box work as well?

Yes, it would since it's 9V and the electrified studs on top accept the 2x2 plate of the Power Functions Extension Cable. Click on the larger image at Bricklink to see a clear picture: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4760c01. The fuzzier Peeron image appears below:

[allanp]

There is a NEW battery box coming in the new train sets. At first glance I thought it was the rechargable battery box (it looks almost identical in size). However, inside it houses 6 AAA batteries.

[mahjqa]

And here's the emergency siren;

WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP WHOOP

You CANNOT simply use the old 9v batteryboxes to power the PF receiver.

Take a good look at the PF plugs. They have four contacts. If you have a PF batterybox and turn it on, two of those contacts are used to give power to motors or lights. These contacts can be reversed to make a motor run the other way, for example. They can even be varied, so motors can run at different speeds or lights can shine at different brightness levels.

There are also two other contacts on the plug. These give continuous power. Always. These are used to power a PF receiver.

For safety reasons, the 9V - PF connecting cable only connects the first two contacts, never the second. This means that if you hook up an old 9v batterybox to a 9V-PF conversion plug, you CAN run motors. However, the receiver will not work.

Unless you do some tinkering, as described here:

http://technicbricks.blogspot.com/2009/08/...f-receiver.html

Hoping to have spared you some misery, I shall remain.

[DLuders]

Mahjqa is correct. Sarafiel's shortcut outlined on TechnicBRICKS ( http://technicbricks.blogspot.com/2009/08/...f-receiver.html ) seems simple enough. To make a mini-tank, one would have to use a 9V battery and the "aluminum foil technique" to save space and weight. Joey Lock, if you click on the two "mini tank" hyperlinks in the second paragraph of the TechnicBRICKS article, you can see how small a Power Functions-enabled Lego tank can be.