GBC General Discussion

[Frequenzberater]

As already commented on Facebook this is again, a lovely module! 

I really like the sequential movement of the steps. 

Edited June 19, 2019 by Frequenzberater

[dunes]

Nice module @Berthil.

Im gonna build this for sure.

[dunes]

On 2/3/2019 at 11:25 PM, RohanBeckett said:

I was thinking of maybe framing the whole thing a bit more - but still leaving the mechanism exposed.

done.

and included a Hobson's joint in it.

 

[Ankoku]

Does the torque gear get looser over time?

[dunes]

Dont know. Havent done a show with it.

[RohanBeckett]

I've used it at 3 shows since January.. running all day... Clutch gear doesn't seem to be affected!

[Ankoku]

Good to know.

[Ankoku]

It is a shame this isn't seen at more events:

 

[sed6]

On 5/26/2019 at 7:27 PM, Ankoku said:

You need to align your Universal Joints.

e.g. make sure the slots are on the same side as each other.

For real? Does that matter, beyond aesthetics I mean?

[Ankoku]

It makes a huge difference. I never knew about it either. There is actually a thread on here about it and a video on YouTube.

 

[RohanBeckett]

excellent video Mr Froden!

although rather than direct off the first gear, it would be good to see one, where the red indicators are at the end of 2 differentlly aligned universal joints...

[Ankoku]

I came across the issue when fixing the Ball Factory issues. I couldn't work out why my conveyor belt was variable speed, when it wasn't in the video. It was a universal join alignment issue.

In the end, I replaced the universal joints with a chain driven approach to remove any aspect of variance.

Generally, where possible, using 2 universal joints is better than one, if correctly aligned.

[dabo]

9 hours ago, Ankoku said:

It is a shame this isn't seen at more events:

 

Wow love that module.

[Frequenzberater]

Would be more impressive using a pure mechanical solution. 

@sawyer klegr maybe a Job for you? :) 

[Splat]

9 hours ago, RohanBeckett said:

excellent video Mr Froden!

although rather than direct off the first gear, it would be good to see one, where the red indicators are at the end of 2 differentlly aligned universal joints...

Thanks Rohan.

I actually made two separate (yet similar videos).

Constant Velocity (from motor) to Variable Velocity (when universal joints are misaligned):

Constant Velocity (from motor) to Constant Velocity (when universal joints are aligned correctly):

The descriptions on each video on the YouTube page has more information.

I first came across this 'variable velocity' issue when building 8043, where misaligned universal joints would make the bucket shake around a bit.

I do plan on making another video explaining these a bit more and also comparing to CV Joints... one day.

PS. Here's the link to the other thread discussing universal joint alignment: https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/49999-universal-joints-question-for-technic-experts/

 

[sawyer klegr]

13 hours ago, Frequenzberater said:

Would be more impressive using a pure mechanical solution. 

@sawyer klegr maybe a Job for you? :) 

Hahaha, thanks ;) I have always wanted to make one of those but I don't have any of the minifigure legs with springs in them.

[Ankoku]

They are pretty cheap, since few people have a use for them:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=x494&idColor=43#T=S&C=63&O={"color":63,"iconly":0}

I like the fact that I am not really interested in whether the ball goes in the basket or not.

I don't mind the EV3 in this case.

[Lego_GBC_NL]

On 1/9/2019 at 11:29 PM, Ankoku said:

At the minute, I am going to commit to doing The Sun in Studio 2.0 and get instructions out of that.

 

@Ankoku, posted a while ago, but I was wondering if you ever managed to work on a 3D model and/or building instructions for "The Sun" GBC module by PG52?

Really liked this one ever since I first saw the video and would certainly like to build it myself one day and add it to my GBC collection 

I know the module is also part of "GBC 30 Fun Park" by PV-Productions, but those instructions are quite expensive 

[Ankoku]

@Lego_GBC_NL Does this answer your question?

The keen eyed will notice the bottom feeder ramp is actually incorrect. Since doing anything at funny angles in Stud.IO is a royal ball ache, I hadn't attached it all together and thus got the length wrong.

So I am waiting for my next BrickLink order to fix it. Once fixed, I will test it and then set about creating the instructions. Everything is currently in one HUGE step, which means there is quite a bit of work ahead for the instructions.

I started working on some other projects, fixing things, learning how to do the step stuff in Stud.IO based on how others have done their instructions.

Unfortunately, fixing the Cup-to-Cup Type 1 has become a thing and thus I won't be doing a BL order until I have worked out the digital file for that.

As it stands, it works perfectly, other than that bottom ramp, which is wrong. There, it can pop balls out on the far right and it needs X amount of balls to push 3 into the shifter, since the ramps left end is a bit too low. All of which should disappear once it is at the right length and thus the correct angle.

I enjoy it as much in real life as I do in the video and I was either really lucky or the thing basically self syncs as you build it. e.g. no syncing is required to make all the elements work in time with each other.

PG52 helped with some additional photos of it which really got the ball rolling. Unfortunately, it seems life as got in the way, but I managed to pretty much work out the upper part.

I have only made 2 modifications. One is with the elastic band at the back. The other is with how the top ramp is supported at the top, which PG52 felt could be changed. My change is basically to force it a bit further away from the wheel. I am just leave the instructions as it was in the original version though, as it is incredibly minor.

Oh and I actually removed the ratchet system. My wheels may be stickier, but it just seemed redundant and made a lot of noise. Again, I may leave this in the instructions to keep it true to the original, especially since it is only 9 pieces and they aren't uncommon.

It really is a beautiful piece of work and I hope he does find time to convert it so that it can be used in a GBC event. It may just be me, but I kinda like it when the original creators do these conversions. If he does, I will obviously do a new version.

Apparently the "The Sun" sign at the top is no longer a thing, but I like it and it provides some useful weight to help the elastic band do it's job.

As for PV_Productions, I thought their original lack of credit toward PG_52 was a bit lacking. So it is nice to be able to let people be able to build this without having to pay for it.

[skppo]

Considering how popular GBC seems to be, do you think Lego will ever explore the concept in an official set?

Maybe not with the fan standardized module based system. It would probably be a bit too expensive. They have done kinetic sculptures and GBC is quite close to that in my opinion.

 

Sorry if this has been discussed before, this thread is quite long.

[Lego_GBC_NL]

10 hours ago, Ankoku said:

@Lego_GBC_NL Does this answer your question?

@Ankoku That's great to see! Perhaps I missed some of your posts, because I didn't even realize you had already finished the model in real life. Looking forward to seeing your video one day, I'm sure you'll get it to work perfectly 

Also thanks for the extensive explanation and your experience gained during the building process. Much appreciated and it's always nice to hear about this personal aspect and the mods that have been made!

Nice to read that PG52 provided some additional pictures and that the original designer is "on board" when it comes to instructions being made for the module. By the way, I have been wondering about the lack of giving credits by PV-Productions, always had some doubts on how this went down...

I fully understand making step-by-step BI is a lot of work. I notice these days that more and more downloadable Stud.io 3D models look great and are qualitatively speaking really good, but often contain only one huge step. Sometimes I take the time to work on step-by-step instructions myself, but I agree it's time consuming and I too need to learn more about it and get the hang of it.

I didn't even pay attention to the ratchet system in the video of PG52 until I read your comment just now  Indeed I would leave it in the instructions to keep it as close as possible to the original design, if other builders wish to remove it, they can...

Always like GBC modules that are self syncing! (Akiyuki's Ball Factory...? hehe )

Do you mean "The Sun" sign at the top is still there in your build, but just without the rack and pinion mechanism making it move up and down? Cannot really tell by looking at your picture.

[Ankoku]

@skppo I don't think GBC is popular with the masses, it is mainly just popular to see at events. That said, do I think that LEGO will do an official set one day? Sure. It will most likely be something which only moves a few balls around though, since balls are expensive.

@Lego_GBC_NL The Sun worked great straight out of the box to be honest. It was only my own mistakes in reverse engineering it which has created issues. @PG52 did a great job designing it.

My main issue with the Step thing is that it is not how you naturally work. So in many respects, it is very much a post design thing. e.g. I created all the steps properly for Cup-to-Cup Type 1, via following the instructions. That said, the moment I started making big changes to bring it in line with the now current version, the whole step thing has become a giant mess.

Stud.IO needs a step editing mode. Where it is much easier to move the elements between steps.

I always knew about the ratchet system, as it is one of those things where I wanted to change the colours. That said, some of the colours are not available in the colours you want. In the end, I realised my build of the model (Maybe not as loose and smooth as it could be) didn't need it. Unfortunately, it is not as easy to remove from a fully built model as you might hope :P

I was hoping for more photos of the sign at the top, which says "The Sun", but apparently it no longer exists. Not sure if it got cannibalised for parts or took up too much space for storage/transport etc. It is an almost purely cosmetic aspect of the module, but I like it and it does add a bit of counter weight, but it isn't really required and probably makes the motor work harder.

The additional images are on BrickShelf on his page.

I didn't really post about building it, as there isn't much point. I certainly wasn't going to release instructions until I had built it and tested it.

[ozacek]

I was finally able to build Akiyuki's Catch & Spin robots (thanks @Doug72 for making its existance known to me). Works perfectly - even using two of the new 28T gears - and it's quite possibly the greatest mechanism I have ever seen. Though I couldn't understand through what magic the small adjustment gears on the side have an effect on the robots' grasping power..

[Ankoku]

Alway good to see people's own builds of various models out there.

I like how people keep changing the colours of the pickers!

[Ankoku]

Interesting video. Worth reading the description on YouTube for the vid: