Pilarski 7+R Gearbox Modeled in LDD by J Lucas

[DLuders]

On MOCPages, Josh Lucas posted his Lego Digital Designer (LDD) model of the Piotr Pilarski 7-Speed plus Reverse Gearbox ( http://mocpages.com/moc.php/210670 ). With the LDD .lxf Building Instructions, you can build your own real gearbox and drop it into your next MOC! Three beige photographs of the real gearbox appears below; it was previously mentioned on this Eurobricks post for possible use in a future Lamborghini car set. [NOTE: Piotr recently added a "Shrink Me" Modification of this 7+R Compact Gearbox to fit SMALLER CARS. Scroll down to the bottom of his MOCPages site above. A few bluish thumbnail pics of the compact gearbox appear below; go to Piotr's MOCPages site for full-size pics and narrative.]

The LDD .lxf building instructions file is available on this MOCPages site. Josh Lucas said that the only piece that could not be modeled in LDD was the 2853 Technic Engine Crankshaft part . He wrote, "...be sure to check Piotr's pictures to know where to put it (you need 2 of them)."

Here's the information about how to install Lego Digital Designer: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=39841 .

Edited July 11, 2010 by dluders

[TechnicJuan]

It is certainly different. The designer knocked a stud or two off of the width, but they seem to have been added to the height. I am very skepticle that this could be mounted into a 1/10 scale car as the builder claims. And that offset gear makes me cringe.

I have tried to build many transmissions that didn't have some sort of guide plate for the shifter and I have yet to find one that was fool proof and didn't have driving rings slipping around by being able to move when shifting from one gear to another without the original gear's driving ring not being totally unengaged. Especially those that I have tried to duplicate from other builders that used the linkage system with the single small liftarm on an axle being held into place by bushings and then sliding back and forth.

Edited July 12, 2010 by TechnicJuan

[Frequency]

i agree. was having a go at building this from the pictures last week and got as far as the shifter and driving ring mech when i felt it just wasn't working for me

that lack of a gated shifter really caused problems with the dog sliding off the rings and even trying to mock up a gate was going to add issues due to the gearstick's angular as opposed to linear movement

also that lower section continues to puzzle me - i feel like i must be missing something obvious why the half stud offset? just to allow the different gearsets to mesh correctly? and why the universal joint when i see other pics with it as a 3L axle connector w/ pin hole?

[TechnicJuan]

I am somewhat confused too as one picture shows the 3L universal joint with the offset gear and in another picture there is a 3L connector and the gear doesn't appear to be offset. If this is the case, why would he not have just done that in the first place?

[Silcantar]

Josh Lucas here. Thanks, David, for posting this here. I haven't actually built this in real life (I only have 2 driving rings), so don't ask me too much about implementation. I thought it was a great idea, though, to put the driving rings in a circular arrangement, rather than a linear one. It might be too bulky for most uses. I actually mostly build 1:15 scale supercars, so I don't actually see myself using this any time soon.

@Frequency: You might be able to solve the problem of the lack of a gated shifter, in part, by using old style axle connectors, which makes the driving rings ratchet, so they won't slide around.

@TechnicJuan: Piotr needed the output axle offset by 1/2 stud for the model he was building. I couldn't tell you any more than that. I omitted the offset because, one, it's impossible to do in LDD and technically illegal, and two, because, most likely, no one following my instructions would need the offset.

[Free_Frag]

Most of the questions asked here will be answered if You just visit this guys page. The posted photos come from two different designs.

The original one comes from a gearbox that was a part of a MOC that he was building. Thats probably why some axles are placed in a funny way. The second one was described and build just because a lot of people asked about a smaller version. As I've also said in another topic I've fitted it in a 599 Fiorano which is 1/10 :D

Whats also important is the fact that other gearboxes that I've tried to fit in a GTB were just too big (looked funny - especially when they were too 'high'). This one looks OK for me. Oh and one more thing - the driving rings are of course placed on the 'old style' axle connectors which shape allows the gears not to 'jump out'.

I've built it and placed it in an actual set so go ahead and ask me some questions if you want. I don't have an digital camera though, so sorry in advance but no pics from me :P

[TechnicJuan]

Most of the questions asked here will be answered if You just visit this guys page. The posted photos come from two different designs.

The original one comes from a gearbox that was a part of a MOC that he was building. Thats probably why some axles are placed in a funny way. The second one was described and build just because a lot of people asked about a smaller version. As I've also said in another topic I've fitted it in a 599 Fiorano which is 1/10 :D

Whats also important is the fact that other gearboxes that I've tried to fit in a GTB were just too big (looked funny - especially when they were too 'high'). This one looks OK for me. Oh and one more thing - the driving rings are of course placed on the 'old style' axle connectors which shape allows the gears not to 'jump out'.

I've built it and placed it in an actual set so go ahead and ask me some questions if you want. I don't have an digital camera though, so sorry in advance but no pics from me :P

I have built this as well and the problem with the driving rings isn't so much as them slipping on the newer styled axle connectors, but it is the fact that it just isn't very fool proof as you can change gears too easily whithout disengaging other ones, then you have problems. I also posted in another thread that I would have liked to see pictures of this fitting into a 1/10 scale car. If you did in fact fit this into the 599 GTB, wouldn't there only be 4 or 5 studs between the roof and shifter? The design that I have built is the newer one and I have it built correctly but 1st gear and 2nd really seem to be rough. Still it is a nice idea.

Edited July 14, 2010 by TechnicJuan