BrickTracks: different curves, PF/9V compatible

[M_slug357]

15 hours ago, Rail Co said:

... while it worked it wasn't reliable...

I agree that the tape’s own adhesive is fairly weak in general, and is definitely the weakest at those junctions.

What helps with the longevity of those weak points is establishing a more permanent layout...

[fred67]

My problem with the tape I used (both copper and nickel, which is supposed to be stronger) is simply that it wears out relatively quickly.  The tape, wedged between the hard edge  of the track and the metal wheels of the 9V motor makes it quite easy to cut through the tape, and once you lose that hard inner edge of the track, you're no longer getting electrical contact.

I don't know how long you've used them, but I put them on my Christmas layout and they didn't last even hours.

 

[M_slug357]

@fred67 I can’t say that I’ve used the tape on a whole layout or in a  seriously long-term setup... but the kind of tape I’m using is on the thicker side— its actually a tad difficult to bend into shape to be honest. I’m confident it’ll last a decent amount of time, but I should probably do some testing regardless.

[CSW652]

Been awfully quiet here.

[Matt Dawson]

On 3/13/2019 at 12:34 AM, CSW652 said:

Been awfully quiet here.

We're waiting for @coaster to pipe up...

[coaster]

Nothing to report yet.  First test pieces are scheduled to sample next week, but there will probably need to be tooling modifications from there. 

Don't take my silence for inactivity.  Things are quite busy around here.

[M_slug357]

8 hours ago, Matt Dawson said:

We're waiting for @coaster to pipe up...

Yeah @coaster feel free to sprinkle this thread with details (a bit more often, plz & thnx)

[wes_turngrate]

On ‎3‎/‎21‎/‎2019 at 6:55 PM, coaster said:

Nothing to report yet.  First test pieces are scheduled to sample next week, but there will probably need to be tooling modifications from there. 

Don't take my silence for inactivity.  Things are quite busy around here.

Great news - can't wait to hear more!

[CSW652]

Just about April and waiting for any new news.

[coaster]

I have nothing new to report yet.  I'd like to share more, but both myself and Tom from 4DBrix have been burned by a certain other company stealing ideas and beating us to the market.  That's the advantage of just 3D printing stuff over building molds, but as the expression goes, good things take patience; crap comes right away.  As such though, I have to keep my cards a bit closer until we're ready to release. 

[M_slug357]

5 hours ago, coaster said:

... I have to keep my cards a bit closer until we're ready to release....

Ah, that makes sense.

Even little text updates such as this are much appreciated!

Keep up the good work @coaster !

[Matt Dawson]

That's sad news @coaster. 

[Ludo]

On 3/29/2019 at 10:03 PM, coaster said:

I have nothing new to report yet.  I'd like to share more, but both myself and Tom from 4DBrix have been burned by a certain other company stealing ideas and beating us to the market.  That's the advantage of just 3D printing stuff over building molds, but as the expression goes, good things take patience; crap comes right away.  As such though, I have to keep my cards a bit closer until we're ready to release. 

@Coaster,

I would rather say disadvanage of 3D printing, as this is much cheaper to make and faster done than coughing up the cost of an expensive mold.

Sorry to read this too.

Then it easy to understand that you don't share a lot of information.

Keep up the good work, still wondering what's coming up.

Best regards from Belgium.

 

 

[coaster]

I can say that the T0 samples have been run.  These are the samples the mold shop runs to check the parts for surface finish and dimensional correctness.  They have a few minor things to fix, but then I should be getting the T1 samples (first run sent to me) sometime in the next couple weeks.  Assuming these are good, we will release the subsequent parts to them for the next set of molds.  This will take some time still, but work is progressing.

[Q3671]

@coaster succes 

[CSW652]

Are you going to have more axles available soon?  Any word on the new item yet?

[coaster]

Yes, material is on order for more axles.  I usually have safety stock on it, but @Cale wiped me out this time.  He's not sorry though.

Haven't recieved the new samples yet, so no news on that front.

[coaster]

If you will all indulge a little teaser, here's a sneak peak of what's coming.

We're going higher quality moving forward.  We're running a higher polish on the tooling and moving the injection points from the sides to the more traditional stud top.  Half a dozen things to tweak still on these parts, but we're moving forward.

[supertruper1988]

Im so excited. Can the couplers be next please please please?

[Capparezza]

Oh, nice progess, thanks for the update. Keep going!

[CSW652]

Still waiting on the axles to be available again and for news on the new item.

[coaster]

It's a special material to get the proper size for the axles, and the supplier has been backordered on it.  As soon as it comes in I'l have the axles again.

[Matt Dawson]

 

@coaster Please tell me you're not considering doing this monster...

Edited May 18, 2019 by Matt Dawson

[legoman666]

17 minutes ago, Matt Dawson said:

 

@coaster Please tell me you're not considering doing this monster...

Im printing these for myself for my Brickworld display. Pretty sure the worldwide market for R152 and R168 consists entirely of me. Scott has better things to spend money to create molds for.

[M_slug357]

@Matt Dawson @legoman666

What size diameter circles do those make? If I remember correctly, a circle of r120s makes a roughly 7’ diameter... so these r168s make like a 9’-10’ circle...?