GPS Atlas Floating Sheerleg/Crane Barge

[patch66]

Here I will show you my entry for the Technic Crane Contest:

The original GPS Atlas is a "swimming crane" with a load capacity of 400 tons.

The model is build in nearly minifig-scale 1:45 an has a length of 120 cm, a width of 40 cm and a high up to 210 cm,

it is able to lift at least 5 kg (tested), but i'm sure more is possible (never tested :) )

Two batteryboxes are powering 9 different motors for propellers, rudder and several winches,

all ir-controlled with 4 controllers.

The building time was about 4 months and the model contains about 6000 only and original lego pieces.

Is there anything missing to take place in the contest ?

Best regards, martin.

Edited October 25, 2015 by patch66

[Kelkschiz]

That is quite an awesome contest entry you have there, congrats. Big fan of floating material!

[L3gonut]

That's an Impressive build. Especially the scale. This will surely humble other entries.

[Kristof]

5 kg load? Wheew :) Impressive model. Any chance you will be making better pics?

[rhplus]

Wow that's great! The mast looks like real

[Milan]

Hi Patch,

First, welcome, and hey, impressive crane you got there!

Regarding your question about the entering to the contest, here is a list of the elements your entry has to have:

• Entry name
  
• Short summary of the functions.
  
• One or more images
  
• Video (mandatory)
  
• Link to the discussion topic
  

Also, one of the requirements is that your entry is new, never posted anywhere before.

[patch66]

Thanks all for the replies.

Overviewing the elements for entering the contest, i see that only the link to the discussion topic is missing.

Unfortunately i cannot find that topic, only the entry and the information topic for this contest.

Can anybody please help me with this issue ?

Either my old camera nor my handy are able to make better pictures, but on thursday there will be a camera on sale at a local store.

I will by one and shot some more and better pictures. Is there a limit in size for the pictures here ?

Best regards, martin.

PS.

School is very long ago and my english is not the best, so please be kind in cases of misunderstanding formulations.

Edited October 26, 2015 by patch66

[Jim]

Thanks all for the replies.

Overviewing the elements for entering the contest, i see that only the link to the discussion topic is missing.

Unfortunately i cannot find that topic, only the entry and the information topic for this contest.

Can anybody please help me with this issue ?

Either my old camera nor my handy are able to make better pictures, but on thursday there will be a camera on sale at a local store.

I will by one and shot some more and better pictures. Is there a limit in size for the pictures here ?

Best regards, martin.

PS.

School is very long ago and my english is not the best, so please be kind in cases of misunderstanding formulations.

Don't worry about your English, it's fine!

Picture size is 1024 max wide.

A suggestions for making better pictures with your handy is to take your model outside and shoot in broad daylight. This will significantly increase the quality.

This is the entry topic. I will add the necessary information shortly:

http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=114321

It's a very cool creation by the way.

The latest picture does suggest you've already shown this model to an audience. I'd like to know the details, since it's only allowed to use a model never shown before.

[Captainowie]

The latest picture does suggest you've already shown this model to an audience. I'd like to know the details, since it's only allowed to use a model never shown before.

That's what I thought, but I couldn't find reference to that in the Rules and Regulations (either the contest-specific ones or the general ones) so I assumed that requirement had been relaxed.

[Jim]

That's what I thought, but I couldn't find reference to that in the Rules and Regulations (either the contest-specific ones or the general ones) so I assumed that requirement had been relaxed.

It's in the general ones:

"Entries need to be new (never posted anywhere previously)"

Actually, it's one of the most important rules.

[Doc_Brown]

WOW that looks really cool, I'm loving all those cables!

[Milan]

i see that only the link to the discussion topic is missing.

Unfortunately i cannot find that topic, only the entry and the information topic for this contest.

Can anybody please help me with this issue ?

Discussion topic is the topic where you present your model, it is the topic where we are now. Once you finish the the model, you need to post it in the Entry topic, and, beside other elements, put a link to this topic, so the voters and judges can have more information available.

[patch66]

Picture size is 1024 max wide.

A suggestions for making better pictures with your handy is to take your model outside and shoot in broad daylight. This will significantly increase the quality.

The latest picture does suggest you've already shown this model to an audience. I'd like to know the details, since it's only allowed to use a model never shown before.

Hello Jim,

at first I will thank you for all the hints.

Yes, i've shown this model some weeks ago at an exibition here in germany called "SteinHanse 2015" and posted some early pictures at "1000Steine_de"-forum.

I have seen the rules, but i guessed that it was ment, that the model has never shown here at eb-forum before and not in general.

Does this now mean, that i can't take place in this contest ?

@Doc_Brown

actually there are about 120 meters of cable built in the model and additional 30 meters will be added tomorrow.

@Milan

thanks for the explanation ! :)

Best regards,

Martin.

Edited October 26, 2015 by patch66

[Jim]

Hello Jim,

at first I will thank you for all the hints.

Yes, i've shown this model some weeks ago at an exibition here in germany called "SteinHanse 2015" and posted some early pictures at "1000Steine_de"-forum.

I have seen the rules, but i guessed that it was ment, that the model has never shown here at eb-forum before and not in general.

Does this now mean, that i can't take place in this contest ?

You're welcome.

I'm afraid it does mean you can't join the contest. At least not with this model.

One of the basic principles about our contests is creating a new MOC. Sometimes people get lucky because they've already started building a MOC. When they haven't shown their progress, they can enter the contest with that model. That's the "grey area", while you are definitely in the "black area"

Nonetheless; you have created a fantastic model and I would love to see some more pictures!!

[patch66]

Thats really a pity... :(

But rules are rules...

So i have to disassemble this model and build an new one ?

I prefer to build be the - never ever shown in Lego - GPS Apollo, the sistership of the GPS Atlas.

Don't wonder about the similar pictures, because they are twins, look nearly exactly the same and often operate together.

Will that be ok ??

Best regards, martin.

[Jim]

Will that be ok ??

As much as I'd like to say yes, I think you already know the answer

How about you focus on shooting some better pictures and a video, so we can all enjoy your MOC even more.

[patch66]

Yes Jim, i already know ;-)

And another yes: As I wrote above, I will buy a new camera on thursday and will then shoot some more and detailed pictures.

I'm not sure if I can manage it to shoot some outside pictures, but i will try my very best.

so long, best regards, martin.

[Good old Lego builder]

It is a very nice build! It reminds me of the Taklift 4, which was build at the shipyard where my late father used to work. Very impressive MOC!

[patch66]

Hi GoLb,

yes you're right, the Apollo/Atlas cranes are very similar to the Taklift IV in construction,

the only differences are the capacity and size/dimensions.

While Atlas and Apollo are 400tons class, Taklift IV is 800tons class.

Btw. The former name of GPS Apollo was Taklift II and GPS Atlas was Taklift III. :)

Regards, martin.

[Good old Lego builder]

Haha, former Taklifts! Good to know!

[patch66]

I told you that I will try to make some new and more detailed pictures and here they come:

The pics today are without the additional flyjib (they follow maybe next weekend), just with the main boom.

Nevertheless I hope you enjoy them.

Any hints, comments or ideas for improvements are very welcome ! :)

At first a total view:

Following by a pic of the main boom and it's support, who will fix the boom in working position:

and some more details from the head:

There are several working positions (inclinations) of the main boom. Before the hoist, the right inclination is calculated (depending on the weight of the load and the high/widht needed)

The boom is moved to this positions by the neckstrap, which has two winches, both driven together by one motor below the deck:

Here are some details of the aft section:

Amongst other things, you can see the 4 ir-reciever built into the machine-houses.

By this time, the anchor-winches are only optics, not driven and not prepared to be.

One minimotor is driving both rudder via some gears:

The motor is also below the deck, located aprox. between the anchors.

and two old technic motors are driving the propeller more ore less directly, only diverted via z-gear:

Returnig to the bow, to see the bowthruster. Actually not driven, but prepared to be, just the motor is missing.

On the real crane everything is controlled from the bridge:

Hoisting is done by several winches:

The main winches who are lifting the hooks at the main boom are behind the bridge (see some pics above).

Each of the winches is driven by a rc-motor below deck, which also drives the appropriate capstan via some gears and axles.

The other 2 red and blue coded winches in front of the bridge are lifting the main hook at the flyjib, each one has it's own L-motor below the deck.

Another winch (yellow/orange) lifts a small hook (original 5 tons) for a working cage or something like that, which can be mounted at the main boom or the flyjib (actually main boom).

This winch also has it's own l-motor below deck.

The 2 grey winches in front of it all are not yet driven, nor prepared for.

When i someday redesign the electric layout and get some more motors, they maybe will be.

Actual controller-layout, from left to right:

- red - left main winch and capstan

- blue - right main winch and capstan

- red - left flyjib winch

- blue - right flyjib winch

- yellow - "helping" winch

- grey - neckstrap (luffing main boom)

- grey - rudder

- grey - propeller

Two battery-boxes powering 9 motors in total.

Here are some inside views.

On this pictures you can see one of the batteryboxes below the hatch, the rc-motors who drives the right main winch and it's capstan and some gears:

Some outside details:

For sure, the railings and the bollards, some hatches with counterweight and closure, the boat-stands...

One of the small cranes for watering the rafts, loading supplies or whatever...

It has three manualy operated functions and all of them are possible simultaneously ! ;-):

raising/lowering hook

raising/lowering boom

turn whole crane (it's mounted on one of this small turntable-plates. I'm not very happy with that, cause it's very wobbly, any better ideas ??)

Some more facts:

At first i constructed the main body, the barge itself, it is built manly out of technic-bars and 1*x plates. The bars are mounted from left to right and from bow to stern alternating for better stability.

Motors and gears are squeezed somehow in between the bars after that.

With only the main boom installed like above, the crane weights around 22 kg, with the additional flyjib it is around 26/27 kg.

And no... it is not able to swim.

Still missing (so strictly speaking it's a WIP) are the 2 chimneys, two machinerooms and some smaller details here and there...

My main focus was to build it fully functional (depending on my demands, goal reached) and as true to original as possible with my available lego-parts (goal nearly reached, i guess )

also was it important for me, to build everything in scale, without loosing functionality or stability.

Due to the fact that lego only has 4 ir-chanels and my limited knowledge about what is possible with that, the actual electric layout is quite simple.

One battery-box powers two ir-rec. for the 4 main winches and another battery-box powers the other 2 ir-rec. for yellow winch, neckstrap and propulsion.

Meanwhile i think about changing the electric layout for having more possibilities. i ponder about 2 independent ir-circuits in order to have 14 functions running (1 chanel for switching between them).

It's just an idea and i don't know if i can manage to do this.

Now.. thank you for looking at and reading this posting.

Feel free to ask, if you want to know anything more about this model.

Best regards, martin.

[Edwin Korstanje]

Best @patch66,

Nice model you made, but missing a lot of details on it.

At your first post you said that the model is aprox 6000 parts and in your last post 27 kg .

Do you juse leaded bricks

[patch66]

Best @patch66,

Nice model you made, but missing a lot of details on it.

At your first post you said that the model is aprox 6000 parts and in your last post 27 kg .

Do you juse leaded bricks

Thank you for your answer :)

Yes I know, some details are missing, and maybe some or most of them will never be done,

cause my main focus - as i wrote - was the technical part of the crane/construction and not the life-like detailing things.

Second thing is, this is more or less my first ever created MOC and so i am not so familiar with designing in/with lego.

Needless to say, that I am very far away from being as good as you in creating or detailing lego-models :)

When I have to compare... You are building premier league, i build district league...

To the parts/the weight...

I have never counted the part, i used. maybe with alle the small pins and axles there are 7000 or 8000 parts in this model, i don't exacly know.

Actual weight 6 minutes ago like configurated above, with batteries = 21,4 kg

Additional flyjib + Hooks and rope 1,5 kg

4 IR-controller 0,5 kg.

Ok, to be honest... 23,4 kg in total, sorry

Kindest regards...

[Good old Lego builder]

It 's a beautifull build. I like it very much. Love the functionality.

[2LegoOrNot2Lego...]

Impressive build and really original as far as I can tell! To bad you couldn't join, but fair though... :-(

Those new pictures are way better! You have improved swiftly... :-)