Silly_donkey
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Posts posted by Silly_donkey
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Sounds like most people that would be interested are looking for replacements for dead or broken motors. I know repairs to the existing 9v motor are not super easy. Opening the case and finding motors that fit is troublesome. PF motors can be donors if you don’t mind sacrificing them.
The new drive that I’m thinking about will have a 12v motor installed with generic gearing. Not a replacement for the 9v internals but a new stronger motor.
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Bluetooth is great. Batteries are not.
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Wasn’t it metal strips with negative studs? That’s what attached to the tiles.
1 minute ago, supertruper1988 said:You will want to look at what FX Track is proposing. You will need a complete package. For anyone still on 9V they likely have motors and backups. Everyone else moved away around 2010 when LEGO stopped metal track production.
As Coaster said, there is no real market for it.
In the last 10 years there have been four systems for Lego trains that include motors, batteries and connections. Some play together and some don’t. Backwards compatibility for 9v is starting to disappear. Just like it did with 4.5/12v. I don’t know how long Powered up will last. Model trains have been using metal rails since 1906. More than a hundred years. Seems like there would be a market.
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55 minutes ago, ivanlan9 said:
I'd be very interested, but note that ME Models and its track is dead, dead, dead. And even if they came back, I would avoid them strenuously--too many horror stories and too much ill-treatment of paying customers.
I'm of the opinion that the only way we're likely to get 9V track is for someone to make injection-molded ties of various sizes with grippers to slide onto code 250 rails. Then we could make our own track!
You'd need regular ties, plus shorter and longer ones to allow for turnout ties, as well as crossings, 90° and otherwise.
Metta,
Ivan
Yes ME Models is gone. You would need a rail bender for what you are proposing. I think that was part of the ME Models issue, getting decent clutch to have the whole assembly stay together. BrickTracks looked like it solved that problem but... too much money.
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7 minutes ago, JopieK said:
I did experiments with DCC but there is an other problem, LEGO trains are not heavy enough: the signals are not really reliable. So your best option would be to use powered up.
I respect everyone on this forum. I have gained some real insight from your experiences, experiments and investments. You guys have really put in the work. I know this. And maybe that’s where the “just give up and use Powered Up” mentality comes from. You’re tired of trying to make 9v work. I believe it has followers still, though, as coaster acknowledged. Thanks for your supporting words coaster.
Powered Up can still be used with power pickups or a 9v motor drive. Who wouldn’t want a 9v bit of track to charge the batteries so you don’t have to rip the powered up battery pack out? You could do that. Weight is an issue, but Lego trains have been weighted before. And if metal wheel sets are available, not unlike what coaster has worked on, it becomes less of a problem.
Has anyone besides coaster mocked up a truck that would hold standard model train wheels and axles?
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Just now, coaster said:
It is a new system because it would require everyone to replace all of their PF track. Granted, some LUGs may still have a few ballasted 9V track sections, but overall you'd be asking for them to rip it all up and relay their tracks.
Unfortunately, we're all about 20 years too late to this party. The time to get this done would have been before 9V was discontinued and still ubiquitous in the field.
I'm not trying to be a downer or discourage anyone from pursuing it. It's a phenomenal idea and exactly what the community needs. There just aren't enough of us. I'm really not kidding when I say you are talking about a quarter-million dollar project, if not half-million.
If 9V tracks do come online, then there is a chance. If it does, I will restart my power pickups project, which, if you haven't seen it, looks like this:
Old version, but illustrates the point.
I get it. 9v is dead, blah blah. I know you have spent a lot of time energy and money on trying to revive it and now have given up. I’m not arguing that Lego has moved on and modelers have embraced plastic track. I just want to know, would you buy it as an option for the 9v track you have?
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3 minutes ago, coaster said:
Considering how many builders don't use the normal train motor, this would be a poor venture. A better approach would be a power pickup wheelset that could feed directly to a motor, an IR reciever, or a DCC node.
We made prototypes of a power pick up wheelset, but it would be costly to tool. We would also need Fx Bricks to come through on 9V tracks. I hope they do, but we abandoned making them as we just couldn't justify the cost.
It's a fine idea overall, but there aren't enough of us to make it viable. You're talking about a huge capital investment without enough of us LEGO train nerds to warrant it. Not to mention, it'd be an entirely new system, so you'd have to convince everyone to effectively start over, which will be a tough sell.
Ok so then you are saying a dummy drive with no motor just metal wheels and pickups in an enclosure would be more desirable?
I don’t see it as a new system per se, more like a supplement to everything else out there. Want to connect it to a motor? Not a problem. Want to use it as a battery charger? Not a problem. Want to connect it to a PFx brick, S brick, DCC node, IR receiver or a laser cannon? Probably not a problem.
The resources are there in the model train world. The two worlds don’t intersect well, but an off the shelf application from the model train world might fit the lego community.
What about the other way around? An O gauge drive to mount Lego on?
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Aftermarket 9v track is becoming available again. ME Models, Ok Brickworks, FxBrix, BrickTracks all are trying. But nothing has really been done for the motors/drives. What I’m thinking would be something similar to the 9v motor that is already in existence. It’d be a “drive”. 4 metal wheels on 2 axles that are geared with a motor. 4 wires on the motor so you can add DCC or charge a battery, add lights or whatever. All in an abs enclosure.
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1 minute ago, GianCann said:
Why not?...
That’s my thought. But as always, there’s cost and time that limits manufacturers willingness to make a new product. I’m seeing if enough interest can convince them.
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This is just a feeler question, how much interest would there be in a third party 9v motor made by a known model train manufacturer? Metal wheels for pickup and DCC ready. What do you think?
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I really like this taxi and the theme you have created! Love to see this keep going. And instructions/parts list!
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Love to see it in a Blacktron III set! Nice ship. I love the colors of Blacktron.
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Hello. I just read your comic and I loved it. I think you put a large amount of effort in and it shows. The story is great and has everything that a sci fi story should have. I can't wait to see the next episode. I hope it doesn't take long! With that being said, some time may be able to be cut from the construction of scenes you may want to do in the future. It seems that in the first episode you built the ship with the interior and made it a working model. You might save time if you just build shells of rooms or landscapes you need to take the photos then deconstruct or rearrange as needed. I do appreciate your highly detailed models though. The ship is well put together and highly detailed. Another option is doing extra ships or buildings that may only be in one scene in something like LDD. That way you don't have to buy parts and build things that don't see much screen time. I think you have a knack for storytelling and should continue with this project. Keep up the good work!
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I got my lantern figure today. Took it all apart and found out I could take the handle holder out his hands. Also popped his arms out and shaved the tabs off that keep them locked in place. So now they rotate completely! Head turns too. I'm happy with him.
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It definitely does. It shows how the arms on the alarm clocks are pretty much scaled up versions of minifig arms. Useful for having multiple poses. I'm on the search for some affordable clocks and lanterns. I think the clock will be a donor for arms since the lantern looks like it's arms and hands are molded in place.
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I'd say use bricklink and order the heads, torsos and legs separately so you you can pick a wide variety of parts. Throw in some hair and hats to make it fun. Find a local seller to save time and shipping costs. You can grab some minifigs at Legoland too. They may not have 400 on hand and you might end up with many duplicates but you would save on shipping. Another idea is to purchase blind bags of the Collectible Mini Figures and open them for parts.
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I like the size of the clocks and lantern mini figures. Or maxi figure? Or mega figure? I'm not sure what to call these. The led dynamo torch is a smaller scale, at around 7.5" high. I think I might go with the lantern minifig. Anyone have a lantern? Can you take the handles out of his hands?
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If it is for a mould of a big fig I know the construction torch fig has a removable hat, no force necessary.
I forgot about those. My search only brought up the smaller led flashlight. The led dynamo torch is a smaller size than the clocks. But I did find the lantern, which is similar to the alarm clocks. But are the lantern figs arm stuck in the up position? That might not be a problem if I can adjust them for the mould.
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I think this would be cool, especially for classic sets. It would be a great way to display these sets. I always liked the castle and town catalog backgrounds from the 90's.
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That's what I was wondering. Do you know, in the case of Boba Fett, if its all molded as one piece?
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Cool discovery!
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I'd like to make a mold of the big alarm clock minifigs, so I'm wondering if hair, hats or helmets are removable? And by removable, I do mean by force if necessary! I'd like a generic cast, and the mummy is the only one that comes without something on its head. Anyone have experience with removing accessories from the head of these big minifigures?
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Awesome train. Love the Back to the Future theme. It has it all!
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The monorail is sorta legendary, to me at least. Never got one but always wanted one. I would welcome monorails back!
New 9v motor
in LEGO Train Tech
Posted
I’d love to see those pictures. They weren’t working for me.
I’m going to be submitting schematics for my original idea. It will basically be a 12v motor with metal wheels and power pickups for L gauge. Open wires for any customization. We will see where it goes.