Doc_Brown

HAHA, but my desk and shelves are full! Ahh that is very good to know! Thanks for your interest.

Ahh cool! How well does the M motor stand up over time?

Thats looking really sweet! How well does that setup return to center?

I thought this looked a little too good to be true, and just following the link shows the mistakes in the video!!! It is clear that the input motors will be affected when under load so makes it kinda pointless lol. On a side note, as this is an Australian invention and took 1000's of hours to create, its worth pointing out that that converts to approximately half a million beers. http://www.gizmag.com/d-drive-redux/15120/ What we got wrong Firstly, the D-Drive as pictured in our video is not a complete infinitely variable transmission system. At best, according to the engineering report, it is a cheap, innovative and potentially very useful primary component of an IVT. The key problem here is that the D-Drive's control shaft needs to be driven at variable speeds in order to effect the final ratio - so effectively, you need a variable drive motor attached to the D-Drive before it actually works. e3k's engineering report goes so far as to say the control shaft could foreseeably be driven through an external CVT, using a clutch - which of course introduces not one, but two friction components to the system. One of the main advantages we spoke of in our original article was that the D-Drive got around the need for friction components and transmitted all power through gear teeth. Effectively, if mated with a CVT, the D-Drive outsources the friction components to the transmission of its control engine. The next thing we failed to pick up on, but that several commenters have pointed out, is what happens when you run the D-Drive under load. With the control motor running to decide on the final gear ratio, the input motor's power would be transmitted to the wheels, where it would meet resistance under load. That load would then be passed back through the gears to the weakest point - which would be the engine driving the control shaft, if it wasn't up to the job. So it's not possible to run the control shafts using a small electric motor as we said in the video - in fact, the engineering report is quite clear on the fact that the 'control' motor needs to be just as powerful as the 'input' motor: "Our designation of 'Input' and 'Control' shafts in this report is arbitrary in that both would conventionally be used to provide power. There is no inherent character of the mechanism that requires the input to be the dominant power-providing element. The torque provided by the control shaft will typically be of the same magnitude as the torque provided by the Input shaft... the Input and Control should be considered as parallel power paths rather than as 'power ' and 'control' elements respectively." What you got right You can certainly rely on Gizmag readers to think through an issue like this one - some of the technical discussion in the comments section of the original article - as well as the discussion threads on Slashdot, Reddit and elsewhere - was fascinating. The D-Drive does indeed operate as an epicyclic gearset. It does indeed operate in a similar way to the Hybrid Synergy drive on the Toyota Prius - and this is a matter of some pride to Steve Durnin, who designed it with none of Toyota's considerable resources behind him. It does require an external CVT or some other powerful drive component for the control shaft that will not yield to the torque of the primary input motor. So where does this leave the D-Drive? More or less where the engineering report concludes. The D-Drive is an innovative component that could be used in the design and manufacture of a true IVT for use in vehicles or anywhere else a variable drive would be required. It's not a 'holy grail' and there's no rabbits coming out of hats - and what's more, it can't forseeably operate with no friction components between engine(s) and wheels, or at least something like an electric motor that can be smoothly varied in speed. The D-Drive should, and will, be evaluated on its abilities inside this scope - and as such it may well still become a very valuable piece of intellectual property for its designer.

Great truck! I'm loving those rockets To link Flickr pics, simply click the share button (arrow bottom right corner) select BB code and choose the 800x option. Copy paste that link it gives you here and your done!

Nawww you forgot my buggy! :tongue: There seems to be a need for a cool buggy with more assessable parts, but the problem there is normal BB don't give enough power to make buggy's go fast and have torque. Where the RC unit does.

I'm not sure as I have never built 8475, but certainly has a lower center of gravity! haha. Thank you very much!

Fantastic job dude! Looks so good, loving the dark blue. Will there be a video some time? or not risking scratching those blues?

9:10 3:6 1:4 10:3 8:2 2:1

Thanks very much! It may be possible, I will look into it when I have some more time.

Thanks for the nice comments, unfortunately I'm doing the Expo now till Tuesday so no time at all, not even at my place, so no hope. haha.

So whose idea was it to do a LFA???? What a pain in the backside car to do. Well I gave it my best shot, just too darn hard to pull off. I had some bad luck with ever part of the model, nothing wanted to work. I have spend days, well over 40 hours on this and just can't get it right, I think its just this scale and lack of skills in the MT department. well I tried....I had planed to create stickers for the lights too. just don't have any more time, and short on white parts, and no red for interior. IMG_0133 by Doc_brown1, on Flickr IMG_0132 by Doc_brown1, on Flickr IMG_0131 by Doc_brown1, on Flickr Looking at the pics like this I can see the scale is off too compared to the wheel size, LOL.....

I have received a lot of messages asking when plans will be available, so just thought that I would let you know they are available now. Thanks guys for your patience! http://mocplans.com/designer/deadly-nightshade.html

I agree too, Sat or Sun. :D

I'm surprised that is how these designers build, on a desk like that. What I mean is most of us have work benches with an organiser or some kind behind like trays for sorting parts out with. I believe that is far more efficient way of building. Or do you think they "cleaned" up for filming??? :tongue:

That is really cool. I like how the wind makes it move. Good to see something completely different.

Sounds great but I'm at the wrong end of the country and never made a GBC before! Best of luck!

I reckon the closest you will get are Ansmann 1.9" tire which is what I use for a lot of my mocs as they are awesome tires! Measuring the tire in front of me I get 106mm dia, with a width of 37mm tho. Any 1.9" should fit the rim you are using tho. Hope that helps. Or perhaps this would work better. http://store.rc4wd.com/Rock-Crusher-II-XT-19-Tires_p_688.html

I'm very honored to see my creation blinged out! It looks so awesome! Fantastic job with the engine. :thumbup: The other mocs are incredible too, thanks so much for sharing, made my day!

That's pretty cool, I like how it folds no matter how many are torn off. Great idea! Funny bit in the middle of the video too.

Thanks for the great feedback guys! I do have 2 dampers from 8466 so will give that a try. Just weighed it more accurately and it is actually 904 grams! I wonder if lithium weigh less than standard AA. Yes they are 81 mm tires, my fave I think, best shape and size.

That is a good point, however with my model I have discovered another problem using 'retractable" exhaust steering, as soon as you go to push the model it slides back inside making it completely useless! haha however as a device to turn the wheels as a display model only, it works fantastic! So I have to ask myself do I want a display model or something that can be driven around? This could be endlessly debated!

Breathtaking car! :thumbup: My one and only fav Ferrari.

Thank you very much! Yes I agree, after playing with the chassis as is, so I have decided to abandon the idea of exhaust steering, and try to make something for the roof where that little antenna is. Also I'm going for white now, as I was surprised at how much I have from various sets. One good order should be enough. Also I'm going to try and puts some cool interior functions in as well. stay tuned!

That's a really good idea! I will look into that, I kinda like using pins as pipes but you will see the ends and might look a little odd.