[GBC] The Akiyuki Project (2010 - 2020)

[Ankoku]

Just when I thought I was done, there are more issues.

First off, there seems to be a blocking plate there which isn't in the instructions. Not sure why this was missed out, but I feel as though having it could be a bonus. It is still present at the 2015 event, which indicates it wasn't removed as there were issues with it.

Also, if you build the feeder ramp as shown in the instructions, it doesn't seem to fit. The grey channel pushes too far left if you have the 2x4 tile there.

Anyone else encountered this?

[Ankoku]

So, it seems the ramp is supported incorrectly, which is why it is too far right.

Here you can see that it is connected via:

And not a Technic, Brick 1 x 6 with Holes.

Replacing that should solve a few things.

[Ankoku]

Okay, so this section is very wrong. Kinda amazed that people got this bit built via the instructions. Surely there is some bending involved?

The instructions aren't very clear as to exactly where this piece is meant to go. What is clear though, is that it is a 7L piece.

Here, in a number of videos, you can see it is a 5L piece:

A 5 L piece and note how it is not attached to the main frame of the module. The 7L in the instruction is connected to the main liftarm above the motor.

When you remove that 7L, suddenly, everything fits into place okay.

Here is another view:

I am not entirely sure what this piece is used for. It looks as though it is used for bracing.

I feel as though he needed the Technic, Brick 1 x 2 with Holes and ended up with a spare hole that he felt he ought to use somehow.

[Ankoku]

It seems that the ramp that leads to the box is also different to the original.

Kinda ugly, but functional.

More attractive and removes the use of plates and replaces them with a few bricks.

So....

The box housing is completely different between the instructions and the original.

So much for finishing it off this weekend. Loads more still to fix. Might have to contact Akiyuki to see if he has any additional photos.

[rskamen]

I had no trouble building the Invisible Lift following the pdf instructions. What was helpful from time to time was referring to Therebrickers videos, especially his final video on setting up the modules and timing. My Lift runs extremely well, but every once in a while an 8t gear will slip out of place and throw off the timing. Keeping the clear antennas aligned is a bit of a challenge. All in all, a very satisfying build with good result. I am ready to begin @Berthil Rainbow Stepper. Looks relatively easy. Just awaiting a few more parts.

[Ankoku]

My issue isn't with the building, the timings are simple and although certain aspects are a bit of pain to put together, it is fine. Even in the ReBricker video, he admits that the order he puts things together is not ideal.

What I am doing is correcting all the bits which are wrong, reverse engineering wise, just like I did with the Ball Factory.

Some things I have corrected make no odds, I certainly wouldn't recommend people to do them if their machine is already built.

The addition of the tyres on the front right of the machine is just a straight up mistake which occurred between The Rebricker doing the video and BlakBird doing the instructions.

The way the stepper off-ramp is supported is just straight up wrong from the start and you can't build it the way the instructions suggest without something being bent. You can clearly see it is different in the photos and videos of the original.

Both of those two I would suggest to anyone to fix.

I changed how the ball box lifter is designed. I have no idea if what is reversed engineered is correct to the original or not, as you just can't see. That said, the fact that the box isn't in a fixed position and can rotate seems really bad to me and not what I would expect from Akiyuki, which is why I was willing to change it.

So that leaves me with just the ramp to the ball box left to do. You can't see what is going on, which is why I am going to message him.

As for antenna alignment, it seems that Akiyuki used bushes to brace some of his:

Light Bluish Grey bushes are a bit ugly, buy you could probably get away with the rarer black ones if needed.

So again, my issue isn't with following the instructions, my issues are with the fact that the instructions don't represent the original. Sometimes this is down to mistakes, misinterpretations or just plain guess work due to not being able to see the original. That is what I have been correcting and representing here.

[Innocity]

6 hours ago, rskamen said:

I had no trouble building the Invisible Lift following the pdf instructions. What was helpful from time to time was referring to Therebrickers videos, especially his final video on setting up the modules and timing. My Lift runs extremely well, but every once in a while an 8t gear will slip out of place and throw off the timing. Keeping the clear antennas aligned is a bit of a challenge. All in all, a very satisfying build with good result. I am ready to begin @Berthil Rainbow Stepper. Looks relatively easy. Just awaiting a few more parts.

It is very difficult to assemble the main rotary shaft of Rainbow Stepper.
This module requires up to 1/2 stud length of the technic axles, and I'm afraid that if this module is running for a long time, the axles of this module will be seperated.

4 hours ago, Ankoku said:

My issue isn't with the building, the timings are simple and although certain aspects are a bit of pain to put together, it is fine. Even in the ReBricker video, he admits that the order he puts things together is not ideal.

What I am doing is correcting all the bits which are wrong, reverse engineering wise, just like I did with the Ball Factory.

Some things I have corrected make no odds, I certainly wouldn't recommend people to do them if their machine is already built.

The addition of the tyres on the front right of the machine is just a straight up mistake which occurred between The Rebricker doing the video and BlakBird doing the instructions.

The way the stepper off-ramp is supported is just straight up wrong from the start and you can't build it the way the instructions suggest without something being bent. You can clearly see it is different in the photos and videos of the original.

Both of those two I would suggest to anyone to fix.

I changed how the ball box lifter is designed. I have no idea if what is reversed engineered is correct to the original or not, as you just can't see. That said, the fact that the box isn't in a fixed position and can rotate seems really bad to me and not what I would expect from Akiyuki, which is why I was willing to change it.

So that leaves me with just the ramp to the ball box left to do. You can't see what is going on, which is why I am going to message him.

As for antenna alignment, it seems that Akiyuki used bushes to brace some of his:

Light Bluish Grey bushes are a bit ugly, buy you could probably get away with the rarer black ones if needed.

So again, my issue isn't with following the instructions, my issues are with the fact that the instructions don't represent the original. Sometimes this is down to mistakes, misinterpretations or just plain guess work due to not being able to see the original. That is what I have been correcting and representing here.

Your efforts and achievements are great. Are you going to create and publish a modified invisible lift instruction? If so, someone will be able to compare The Rebricker's invisible lift and your invisible lift.

[Berthil]

1 hour ago, Innocity said:

It is very difficult to assemble the main rotary shaft of Rainbow Stepper.
This module requires up to 1/2 stud length of the technic axles, and I'm afraid that if this module is running for a long time, the axles of this module will be separated.

It has run without problems or 7 days straight during LEGO World this year. The axles cannot go anywhere, even when 1/2 stud in.

Edited February 19, 2020 by Berthil

[9v system]

52 minutes ago, Berthil said:

It has run without problems or 7 days straight during LEGO World this year. The axles cannot go anywhere, even when 1/2 stud in.

i am thinking of building it too, can a 32 stud axle be used?

[Ankoku]

@Innocity I am not going to do instructions, but I will create an IO file with all the stuff I changed in it. e.g. just the elements I changed. It will easily be enough to make whatever changes you want to encompass.

[Ankoku]

@Berthil With the Invisible Lift steppers for the hopper, how smooth (effortless) did you manage to get that? e.g. I am wondering where my expectations should be capped at. I used the axle tester, but I suspect one of the axles doesn't have a smooth surface. So the stepper runs up and down the axle perfectly if I move it by hand. When the mechanism lifts it though and you get that horizontal movement, that is when it seems to struggle.

It is not a design I am particularly keen on, but it is what it is.

[Ankoku]

Looks like Akiyuki made some changes to the hopper stepper mechanism:

I was trying to workout on the original if it was 2 thin bushes with a Technic, Pin Connector Round 2/3 L between the two, or just an Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L with Slot (Pin Joiner Round) like it is in the instructions.

My thinking being that a Technic, Pin Connector Round 2/3 L would provide less friction via rotation on the axle.

Here though, in the 2015 event video, you can see what seems to be a Technic, Axle Pin without Friction Ridges Lengthwise. Which I suspect is connected to a Technic, Pin Connector Round 2/3 L. This would allow for less friction, but causes other issues with connection being made between 3 connected pieces, rather than a single rigid axle.

It could potentially be a Technic, Axle 4 with Center Stop, but I don't think so.

[rskamen]

15 hours ago, Berthil said:

It has run without problems or 7 days straight during LEGO World this year. The axles cannot go anywhere, even when 1/2 stud in.

If an axle is only 1/2 stud in, why not take a  longer axle and cut it down so it is inserted the full 1L depth? Is this considered "legal" in the world of Lego? I've cut a lot of 8L axles into double the amount of 4L axles when I needed them.

[Ankoku]

From a LEGO purist point of view, that is complete heresy to do such a thing :)

 

Back to my Invisible Lift issue:

This from the Catch & Spin instructions seems to be the answer:

Edited February 19, 2020 by Ankoku

[Berthil]

17 hours ago, 9v system said:

i am thinking of building it too, can a 32 stud axle be used?

It's not about axle length but about a continues crank.

5 hours ago, Ankoku said:

@Berthil With the Invisible Lift steppers for the hopper, how smooth (effortless) did you manage to get that? e.g. I am wondering where my expectations should be capped at. I used the axle tester, but I suspect one of the axles doesn't have a smooth surface. So the stepper runs up and down the axle perfectly if I move it by hand. When the mechanism lifts it though and you get that horizontal movement, that is when it seems to struggle.

It is not a design I am particularly keen on, but it is what it is.

I had almost no problems with it but the middle lift relies on gravity to fall back along axles that have no attachment on top of the axles so it sometimes refuses to fall back. Only on a few occasions in 7 event days.

Edited February 19, 2020 by Berthil
typos

[waslos]

akiyuki 6-axis Robot Arm V760 Ver.2 is ready for software development.

Edited February 23, 2020 by waslos

[Ankoku]

Wow, impressive work!

[Nikopol]

On 2/23/2020 at 2:50 PM, waslos said:

akiyuki 6-axis Robot Arm V760 Ver.2 is ready for software development.

I would be super interested if you have any instructions for this specific model!

[waslos]

Unfortunately there is no building instruction. I used the 4K video to build the robot arm.

[goggel]

He has updated his robot and there are fairly detailed views included

[HRU_Bricks]

Hello Everyone, 

I have knocked up a Stud.io file for the new for Akiyuki's 3 axis wrist. There is a couple of modifications to motor placements, one gear change and some structural stuff in the main body. I plan to build it shortly to test it out. 

Bricksafe folder https://bricksafe.com/pages/HRU_Bricks/robot-arm-mindstorm--technic

Edited March 7, 2020 by HRU_Bricks

[Ankoku]

Any reason for the modifications?

[HRU_Bricks]

7 hours ago, Ankoku said:

Any reason for the modifications?

Perhaps a different perspective of the same idea  .... But mostly centering lines, strengthening the frame and simplifying. 

I also visualize how it will be constructed which then changes how it is designed. Akiyuki is a brilliant master builder and can create new ideas that out strips me however I have found that builds that he does that are not intended to have instructions for are more free build and need some review so they can be recreated more easily (this, the tracked robot arm  and the ball cleaner for example all of which I have built). The catch and spin was a perfect build that worked first time and didn't need MODing (apart from the new 20T gear in place of the turntable). 

Finally Akiyuki's build are a lot of fun to build and modify and make better so why not!  

 

Edit: On with the build and a few more changes. The turntable at Joint 4 with the black 5x7 frame was only connected at the top. There was no real way to add pins to the bottom of the frame because the supports for the gears were in the way. I have changed it to support the axles and gears with a red H beam and double pin/axle to connect the 5x7 frame to the turntable. This eliminates friction between the frame and turntable due to the cantilever effect.  

 

@Ankoku

This is my modified 4-axis version of Akiyuki's track robot. There is still a little work to get the ball bucket right but nearly there. If I get a second Ev3 or Lego releases extension cables I can mount the new 3 axis wrist to the tracked robot arm

 

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by HRU_Bricks
Build update

[Ankoku]

Good work.

The reason why I ask is that it is far easier to decide whether you want to implement a mod if you know why it was done. I have modded Catch & Release, Ball Factory, Cup-to-Cup etc.

For the Invisible Lift, @TheRebricker explains why he added a couple of pieces and you think: I 100% agree with that. So you also add it, knowing why it was done.

Also, the Akiyuki train system, right of the bat, was a modding fiesta. Which greatly improved it.

Where I stray from others a bit, is that I do prefer to try and make sure the Akiyuki module is true to the original before I start implementing and mods. Mainly because I like to make sure the mod isn't there just because the reverse-engineering isn't 100% accurate.

Thanks for putting the time in to take all the photos etc.!

Has to be said, robot arms do look great.

[HRU_Bricks]

21 hours ago, Ankoku said:

Also, the Akiyuki train system, right of the bat, was a modding fiesta. Which greatly improved it.

It sure was and that was where my GBC journey started. 

I have finished the build and it works repetitively well. I did have to use the new Powered Up/Control Plus motors as I dont have enough small Ev3 motors. The powered up stuff is not the best so it does have some latency problems but it does demonstrates the process well