fongalv

Eurobricks Vassals
  • Content Count

    14
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Everything posted by fongalv

  1. The "unadulterated" look is also my starting point, especially since I find the model really futuristic and cool looking. I've now tried to attach the counterweight back to the main chassis and I do think that there will be less space than expected due to the way the counterweight slides open. Without doing extensive re-modelling, the only effective space that can be used are the 2 sides of the counterweight(where the decorative engines were in the original model). I now see why you mounted the pump and motor there. I have since rotated the pump so that the piston is exposed outside the counterweight body. It is now much easier to operate, at the expense of the thick piston sticking out(I am planning for 2 of them later). With the drone sitting atop, I think it is still not that bad? Also subsequently tried locating the switches similar to where you have put them but couldn't really figure out how the 2 switches can be securely fastened underneath the 5x7 frame since there are only 3 pin holes on each side. I have originally wanted to install the switches at the top of the counterweight but with the pistons changed to the top, I do not think there is any space left without compromising the drone fixing. I think I found the next best location at the back of the counterweight(I actually prefer this location now). While it can only fit 2 new style switches, it almost blends in seamlessly and all I need to do now is to create more clearance for the hoses on the interior. The construction of the original rear almost seems to be designed/built to integrate the new switches!!! I intend to keep the 2 old style switches up front(where you had them) to operate the 2 front functions while the rear 2 switches will operate the 2 rear functions. This should make it more ergonomic/intuitive for the kids with this layout. Meanwhile, the wait is still on for the BL parts!
  2. Gee thanks for the encouragement! Its probably because I was trying to restrict myself to keep at least the shell of the counterweight intact by fitting everything within. Most of the functions are still not installed yet(hoses/switches/etc) so I am not sure if the final model can retain this look. I did think about having an external hand pump like the one here, but since this was meant for the kids to play with, I thought it would be more authentic(and durable) if everything could be contained within the model. Ultimately I still aim to motorise it so it can be operated/played with more effortlessly. Have to admit though, I tested running 2 small pumps off an L motor and it still felt a tad too slow to raise the main arm and I'm now considering ways to improve this. Its actually quite clever and interesting how you attached the motorised pump to the existing internal beams of the counterweight. I intuitively removed the unnecessary long beams to free up as much space as possible, only to find that a standalone motorised compressor will unlikely fit inside due to the extension beams holding the counterweight to the main body. I do think that a manual pump system should be quite easily achievable now, and targeting to fit 2x 11L pumps and an air tank within the counterweight. I've read somewhere that air tanks are more suitable for manual pumps while a motorised system works better without a tank(something about a tank taking longer to pressurise with small pumps after depleting vs the much larger manual hand pumps). I've come across quite a few automatic motorised compressor systems that automatically switches on/off the motor to maintain pressure and have been quite fascinated with them. I hope to achieve something similar for the final version of this model, any thoughts on this?
  3. Alright, so I have been tinkering quite a bit the last week since most of the BL orders are slow to arrive, here are some of the things I've explored. 1) taking out all the gears and drivetrains can be quite liberating. these really took up alot of space! 2) have fitted in my current 2x11 cylinders into the lift arm and also the tipper so that I can achieve the same extension/full movement as compared to the large LAs. 3) gutted the counterweight including the 13/14L gear rack which gives the counterweight abound 9L of movement latitude. Since a 2x11 cylinder extends only 6L, it is not really possible to achieve a similar extension with 1 cylinder. Will look further into this once I get the tank. 4) Was trying really hard to keep the original form and have the manual pump concealed and operated with a lever. While this works for me, my kid struggles to operate the pump without stressing the counterweight portion which is now much weaker without its guts. I have decided to further modify to simplify to a vertical pumping motion with the semi exposed pump. 5) as the additional hoses, air tank and some misc parts haven't arrived yet, I've started doing some research on a motorised compressor and have tried putting together an auto compressor thats as compact as possible. While this was a pretty educational experience, I've since realised that no matter how compact I make it, it will unlikely fit into the counterweight. After relooking at mpj's photos, I've realised that its probably best to fit the motorised pump into the existing frame of the counterweight.
  4. Personally, this is my first foray into pneumatics and that's why I'm willing to put in a little more effort as it will be a good chance to learn about them. As I already have battery packs and motors around, I just had to get a couple more pumps(ordered an additional manual and small pp), some tubing and an air tank. Kinda overkill I know but it's part of the fun(for me anyway). I also ordered some additional cylinders for upgrading the 42053 so I should end up with 2 souped up models at the end of the day :-). It did seem logical to put everything into the counterweight since there is space in there, but when extended I was a little concerned about pumping down away from the main frame. Could it be "slow" because you were using one small motorised pump to operate the large cylinders? For a start, I am planning to use 2 manual pumps, either daisy chained together for more/faster pressurisation, or independently for different functions. Most likely the latter for a start because I believe it will be a much simpler circuit for me to figure out all the pipings. Can't wait to start modifying it!
  5. Finally broke open the 42053 set and there actually is a small blue pump as well as a manual pump! I think I will experiment with the manual pump first before attempting to motorise it. Currently waiting for some additional hose pipes I ordered as I didn't want to touch the sealed pack of hoses from the 42053. Just out of curiosity, is there any otherreason why you preferred the manual pump? Wouldn't it have required several pumping actions before it can perform a particular movement? I was studying the model and it seems like the most stable portion of the model is where the hog steering is and was thinking to install it there but was worried it interferes with steering operation. Where did you have the manual pump?
  6. Many thanks for the links, they are very helpful! I've got the 42043 which is another Volvo set (not 42053). Its my first pneumatics set which I purchased last month and hence not built yet.
  7. Hey, no problem. Wasn't really looking for instructions, just more details on the pneumatic parts and will try to figure the rest out myself(that's half the fun for me). I'm not familiar enough with pneumatics to know what 2 large and 2 medium cylinders are exactly. My inventory tells me I have parts "1x5 cylinder with 2 stepped inlets" and "2x11 cylinder with 2 stepped inlets", "pump 1x6 stepped outlet" and "large pump 11L". Also have got some pneumatic switches(are these the valves you refer to?) All are from an unopened 42053 I got recently so if these are usable, I will break them out of the box!
  8. Very nice! Just finished assembling the Zeux with my kid(I was doing most of the heavy lifting) and we do find the manual control gears requires a little too much effort to operate. As I personally like the look of the Zeux and intend to leave it assembled and played with(as opposed to my other technic sets), is there anyway/anywhere I can get more details so I can attempt this on my own?
  9. For anyone also wondering about this CADA remote, I ordered one on a whim since it was really cheap from the Chinese sites. I haven't really had the chance to compare it directly to my buwizz but I ordered this because of it being 2.4ghz, and mainly wanted a transmitter was a manual remote for my kids to play around with. Unfortunately my biggest gripe with the remote is that the 2 main controls only have a slight click up and down in movement latitude, about 1mm up and another 1mm down which means it does not allow the remote mod to fix a steering wheel to it to allow for various degrees of control.
  10. Just received the buwizz within 3 days, and the last L motor have also arrived and it is probably the most challenging(at least for me) to fit in the front L motor after having the chassis already fixed together. Took a while to tinker and finally got everything to fit, except for the buwizz. I believe this is due to how my connections were arranged to make use of all 4 channels on the buwizz, and the pf connectors made the buwizz block too thick to fit into the compartment? From reviewing your videos, I believe you managed to fit the buwizz in because you only connected a SBrick to the buwizz? Without wanting to tinker anymore this evening, I just stuck the buwizz on top so that I could fire up the crawler for a quick spin with another set of wheels I found in my parts bin. True enough, the speed/power was on another level, and maneuvering is also much much better with the front motor. The power together with the grip of the tires allowed it to "crawl" up my cabinets and stay in position! As this is also my first experience with buwizz, and after some experimantation, I've found that it was easier to control by setting up the 2 RWD motors(one in reverse) linked to the vertical slider for the left thumb, and the FWD motor+stearing motor linked to a small joystick on the right thumb. This way I can control the FWD and RWD separately and still have easy control to steering. So far only tested it within the confines of my room, but I've already been looking for things to "throw under the wheel" ! One question though, the flexible hose at the back is really taut and is already on the brink of disconnecting/bending 90deg. I've reviewed the LDD and couldn't find any mistakes and yet yours appear to have a smoother and more gradual curve to it? Did I get the hose length wrong? Once again, many thanks to PTNYC for the fun build!
  11. Hi PunkTacoNYC, Thanks for the reply! Yea, I suspected just as much, but also had some fun in trying to figure out what went wrong. Didn't realise that my 2nd photo wasn't posted, here it is showing a LBG 15100! BTW, I'm really new to this, but I believe the 2 rear motors should be connected to the same(one in reverse) remote "channel" while the front motor should be to another "channel", and the last being the steering motor right? As I still do not have the buwizz(on order, black friday deal!), and still short of 1 L motor on the front, in its current configuration(2 L motor for the rear and 1x M for steering the front, I am having quite a lot of difficulty maneuvering it via a AA battery pack+ remote control. Is this to be expected with the weaker power source+lack of FWD? I also found the current setup rather challenging to steer indoors, and a little slow on flat ground and I am not sure if it is because it was meant more for crawling, or do I just need more practice :) ? I find the turning radius a little wide and have the tendency to cause the LA to clip/clutch about 75% of the time when I'm trying to make a not so tight turn. Kinda frustrating right now but then again its not fully complete yet so I'm not sure if its worth "practicing" more in the current configuration?
  12. Hi PunkTacoNYC, First of all, may thanks for the design and instructions. I've been somewhat a smalltime technics parts collector a few years ago before going into into a dark age until I chanced upon these RC crawlers recently. After looking around abit, I've found that your Cactus Crawler seems the "easiest" to get back into the game since it came with instructions(great video btw), and did not require too many parts compared to other alternatives so I decided to give it a go. Here is what I have right now, mostly with parts from my old(circa 2013) collection. After 1 order from BL, I'm now just missing a buwizz, some nicer wheels, 1 more L motor, and possibly a few more parts to get it a little more colour coordinated. I must admit, this took a little longer than I expected, especially seeing that this is my 2nd try at PF(the first involving santa and some reindeers :o), and this is what I have got now. Just thought I should highlight that there seems to be a part error when importing the LXF into LDD/Rebrickable. There is this green axle/pin connector that is also oddly present in both the rebrickable inventory, as well as the LDD model: I then tried connecting the green piece to the suspension only to get a suspension that flexes before it could compress, the suspension refuses to compress when I pushed the body of the crawler down. I tried reviewing your video several times but this part was somehow always hidden or in shadow. I started to change around the mounting points to see what the issue was and finally realised that the "angle" the crawlers body pushed down onto the suspension seems wrong. I then tried a few different parts from my bin and finally found the 15100 Technic Pin Connector hub which then fixed the problem!
  13. Hi Everyone, I've only had experience with Lego PF parts and would like to give the more powerful(and smaller) Sbrick controller a try, mainly because of its compactness, range and LOS. I understand most people like the BT interface on a smart device, but is there anyway to control the Sbrick from a physical remote(similar to the good ol IR receiver) so that I can continue using the IR transmitter (instead of a smart device) to control the Sbrick?
  14. Hi everyone, Just received the instructions from Anio and am taking a quick look through, really quite some feat this is! Was wondering if anyone who re-created this set has done so with a stock 10221 and bricklinked the remaining parts? As I'm currently starting with almost nothing(apart from a few spare technic bricks/pins), I'm not sure if it might just be "cheaper" to buy a local 10221(~430 Euros) and start from there? The last time I ordered a 1000+ parts from a seller in Europe, it cost me 200+euros after shipping(already one of the cheapest seller I could find) and if the 10221 is good for 2000+ parts, I think it might actually be worth considering? From what I have read in the last few pages, most people recommend starting from a 10030, but I don't have one lying around and they are also currently priced out of my budget, so I'm not even considering it. Any advice will be welcomed!