Jonas

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Everything posted by Jonas

  1. Jonas
    Very nice modification of the original design. Seems more compact and more rigid. I guess that you must have enough modules (Akiyuki's and your own) now to run a large GBC loop.
  2. Jonas
    Looking forward to your video.
  3. Jonas
    This module is a nice example of very clever design by Akiyuki. I built it even though I had no use for it, just to learn how it works. The move from the first trigger to the second and then further is enabled by the two 24t gears (at the right and left side). Check that their axles have 1 stud off-set and that there are two 8t gears on pins in their neighborhood.
  4. Jonas
    Sorry, I am out of my home for several days, so I cannot send you my photos. But I remember I had similar problems like you. What helped me was watching Akiyuki's video and freezing it when those parts appeared in a proper angle. Then, everything was clear.
  5. Jonas
    Thanks for your feedback. Now I do not need to search for the red ones anymore. And what did you use as the counterweight?
  6. Jonas
    An interesting idea. No, I have not done it, yet. Instead, I disjoined the spring trigger mechanism, which allowed me to run and watch the rotation movement repeatedly. No progress, so far. I wonder if the problem is not due to the pair of 6542 gears that I used instead of missing (more modern) 18946 gears. They are part of the mechanical clutch (that shown in jetpro's photo above), which is the most intricate mechanism in the dumper.
  7. Jonas
    That is great. I had similar problems with all these switches and rubber pieces. I did not have the original rubbers so I had to try different replacements, add one or more knots, etc. In my case, the switches are OK now, but the problem with the rotation of the dumper remains. It is something that is really difficult for debugging because it happens only when the complete system (the dumper + the motor) rotates and you cannot slow it or stop it. I have great respect for Akiyuki as it had to be extremely difficult for design. (Imagine that you do design in a rotating 3D space).
  8. Jonas
    Congratulations! I have not been that successful, so far. Actually, I have given it some pause, now. My question is: How much sensitive is the mechanism with respect to the counterweight? I do not have the metal balls (as Akiyuki propose) so I had to replace them with other balast bricks of the same total weight. I played much with the counterweight weight and position but the rotation always had a critical angle where the gears slipped. When changing the balast weight up and down this critical angle was also changing, but it never disappeared.
  9. Jonas
    Nice to see it running.
  10. Jonas
    As promised, I have made the instructions for the Turntable module They are made in LDD and available here: https://bricksafe.com/pages/Jonas/train-turntable-module
  11. Jonas
    Just a question. Do you use the version of the reversing module that belongs to the loader/unloader, or that for the switch point? The latter differs from the former by the spring trigger mechanism - it triggers every 90 degrees while the former every 180 degrees. To avoid potential confusion I use different color schemes for the two versions.
  12. Jonas
    Nice to hear about your progress. The design of the turntable allows for an arbitrary turn angle. Turning is stopped when the lock (the red connector on both the ends) is forced to turn from the vertical to the horizontal position (e.g. by a peg as in my prototype). When it happens, the car leaves the 24t gear and the platform stops. I was also wondering about the true purpose of the shock absorbers because it seemed to me that the unloader was able to work without them. As I had two spare ones, I used them. I believe that Akiyuki knows the reason. Unfortunately, I have not completed the rotary dumper, yet. It is a really complex construction and rather difficult for tuning. I have built a lower (not that tall) version of the dumper and the elevator but it does not run properly. The rotation is not smooth as at some angles the gears get slipping, which further causes dissynchronization of the spring mechanism that is responsible for the car motor switching. Has anybody succeeded in completing this module?
  13. Jonas
    I used the soft (black) ones in all the modules and they do their jobs OK.
  14. Jonas
    I am afraid that you will have to pick up the elements manually from Akiyuki's PDF files. I did it in the same way. Unfortunately, I have no lists because I just looked for the elements that I had not had in my supply. The 'full inventory' will also depend on which modules (and in what numbers) you decide to build. Be prepared that the 'full inventory' will be quite large (and expensive), comparable to the biggest sets from TLG. So, be prepared for rather large costs. But the build is a wonderful process.
  15. Jonas
    I used the older one, with teeth inside (which are not utilized, though). I am going to prepare instructions in LDD but it may take a couple of days. So, be patient, please.
  16. Jonas
    The unloader uses 2 spring shock absorbers (SSA), but the loader has none. There is also 1 SSA in the Reverse unit. As I had only the soft (black) SSAs at home, I used them in all the modules and they seem to work fine. Later edit: Now, I realized that you may use a different set of instructions than me. I use the latest instructions (March 2018) provided by Akiyuki himself, which can be found on his web, e.g. here
  17. Jonas
    Type 2, definitely, is more advanced and more reliable. I have built almost all modules already (recently I am building the last one - the rotating unloader) and it is a perfect and enjoyable build. The instructions - for the first time provided by Akiyuki himself - are clear. Just, follow them carefully, as every detail plays an important role. Akiyuki is a genius and when he uses a specific element he knows why he does it. Almost always, when I had tried some replacements, I found it problematic in later stages. Some hints: When building the cart, you need to use the new type of transparent panels (those with the reinforcement). The older panels do not fit the jaws of the unloader. Routing the cart PF cables is really tricky as the space is limited and you must avoid conflicts with the side liftarm levers. I spent tens of minutes to find the best way. Just try and test. And whenever you change batteries, you have do it again. It is good to build 2 carts, definitely. The passing module is a must! I recommend to start with the basic modules and if you like the system, you can add the more advanced ones. Or, even more, you can start to build your own modules that are compatible with the system. I just made a prototype of a train turntable:
  18. Jonas
    This is one of the most amazing GBC modules. I am a technician (often working with signals) and hence looking at the spectral colours and the sine movement simply makes me feel happy.
  19. Jonas
    Thanks Blakbird. This is definitely the best and easy to make hack.
  20. Jonas
    Hi, I have just purchased a lego servomotor 88004. I tested it with a standard battery box (8881) and switch (8869) and it work well, i.e. it moved to one of the 3 positions -90, 0 or +90 degrees. It worked also without the 8869 switch when I used the internal switch on the battery box. OK. This is exactly what I need in my project, with only one exception: I need to use an external 9V power supply, not the battery box. I hoped that I could use the same arrangement like I had used with other (M, L, XL) PF motors, i.e. 9V train regulator (set up for max output voltage), extension wire 8871, PF switch 8869 and the servomotor. And ... it did not work. I was surprised because I had believed that for this simple non-proportional control no additional electronics is needed, which was proven by my initial test with the servomotor and the battery box only. I looked at Philo's excellent web pages to see the internal schematic of the battery box. I found what I was expecting, i.e. there is no electronics there. The box just outputs 4 signals (0, 9V, C1 and C2) where C1 and C2 are connected either to 0 or 9V according to the position of the switch. So the catch seems to be in the extension wire that does not transmit the C1 and C2 signals when powered from the 9V supply. Am I right? Do you know a trick how to overcome this problem, so I could control the servomotor by the 8869 switch, yet with the 9V train supply? At the moment, I see just one solution: an empty battery box used as a transducer between the external 9V supply and the switch. But it is not very nice. Anything more clever?
  21. Jonas
    Thank you, Philo, for this clear explanation. It seems rational and now I understand why the extension wire is produced as it is. OK, if I prefer a 'fully legal' solution I will use either of the (empty) battery boxes.
  22. Jonas
    Thanks for your responses. You helped to confirm my hypothesis. Maybe I should have emphasized in the title that my goal is the simple left-center-right control, not the proportional one. The core of my problem is: How to bring a 2-wire supply (0, 9V) from the standard 9V plug to the standard 4-contact PF plug (0, 9V, C1=0, C2=9V) as simply as possible. It seems that the battery boxes (AA or AAA) are the only official Lego components where the 2-wire-to-4-wire connection is made.
  23. Jonas
    Entry B - 2 points Entry A - 1 point Both the entries are well executed and immediately caught my eyes.
  24. Jonas
    I remember this problem from the building phase. Anyway I checked it and it is OK. I used only the outer tile. Usually, the lever disconnected when buckets got jammed. The problem was that the original lever could get disconnected in four places. Now, when jam occurs, the lever can still be disconnected (and it is good for global protection of the whole mechanism), but it will happen only in one place - the rightmost one - which is well accessible by fingers.
  25. Jonas
    Another critical point - at least in my realization - was the the bucket shift mechanism, and namely the rectangular lever. Sometimes, the parts making the lever disconnected and the shift mechanism stopped working. It always was a painful job for my fingers to repair it. I have made the lever stronger as shown in the picture. -> It does not look that elegant as the original but it works and it is hidden in the remote corner of the layout.