coaster

I can say that the T0 samples have been run. These are the samples the mold shop runs to check the parts for surface finish and dimensional correctness. They have a few minor things to fix, but then I should be getting the T1 samples (first run sent to me) sometime in the next couple weeks. Assuming these are good, we will release the subsequent parts to them for the next set of molds. This will take some time still, but work is progressing.

I have nothing new to report yet. I'd like to share more, but both myself and Tom from 4DBrix have been burned by a certain other company stealing ideas and beating us to the market. That's the advantage of just 3D printing stuff over building molds, but as the expression goes, good things take patience; crap comes right away. As such though, I have to keep my cards a bit closer until we're ready to release.

Nothing to report yet. First test pieces are scheduled to sample next week, but there will probably need to be tooling modifications from there. Don't take my silence for inactivity. Things are quite busy around here.

R72s and R88s are on hold for later this year. Wanted to have them last year, but had an opportunity to do something else and diverted funds to that.

Being patient is the hardest part of what I do. Not yet. But I will tell you it's only the first of 5 molds for this project.

Yeah, you guys are blasting through my supply of R104s. Just got a shipment in and it's already almost gone. If you mean on the molds, no. Not only are injection molds expensive, but they take a long time to build. I won't see the first parts from that mold till sometime in April.

You guys are getting warmer...

Nope, not the R72 or R88 curves either. As important as those are, something else has taken priority.

Nope, it's not the couplers. Sorry to disappoint, but they still need a lot of work to get them where I want. Don't worry though, I am working on it.

Reviewing new mold design. I wonder what's inside! Looks good; time to start cutting metal.

Patience! New tooling is in the works.

The idea's been kicked around for a while: mold 2x8 sleepers that slip over code 250 or so rails. The problem is we'd have to bend the rails and assemble the tracks ourselves. Would be a hell of a lot of work. Also, would not be compatible with any existing track. Possible, yes. Worth it, doubtful.

Thanks! I was dropping a teaser about a new product, but the response this weekend was incredible, so I need to get a new batch of the existing track going asap! I only have 1 box of R104s left, but if someone wants a circle of them, shoot me a message and I'll honor the sale when I have them in again.

Forgive the bump, but we're doing a Black Friday sale now through Sunday with everything buy 3 get 1 free. Need to clear some room for new stuff...

That's because it's a design issue. Wouldn't matter how it's made, the switch requires special curves to fit properly.

I have gotten a chance to play with some of the TrixBrix switches, and can't say that I was overly impressed. The technique of assembling the slider mechanism is fairly clever, however, it introduces a problem where the slider over-travels and thus stops beyond the natural open or closed position. Not really a problem in operations, but I suspect stresses the printed spring mechanism, and likely results in the higher tension on the point others have observed. The surface finish was as expected. Clutch power on the studs was hit and miss, but overall not terrible. Bottom clutch, however, was non-existent. The ties are oversized, which actually kinda works because you can just wedge plates in between and call it ballasted, but I don't believe this is intentional. I've said my piece on printed tracks before, and I haven't changed my mind: works for prototyping or as a stop-gap, but not as a permanent solution. The track gap Tony shows is typical for doing a siding like that, but if you wanted to turn out in a circle, you'd have a bigger problem where the curves interfere by as much as that gap is, so you would really have to stress your tracks to fit the curve properly. Their geometry is really only conducive to crossovers. As for the BrickTracks switches, it'll be sooner than you think. I could say when, but that would ruin the surprise.

Sounds like you guys want this thread: One of too many projects I'm tackling at once.

Macreme and Me, a Memoir by coaster.

I don't have anything new to add. Got a lot going on behind the scenes though. You wouldn't want me to ruin the surprise, would you? :)

How long it takes is up to customs on the receiving country. I usually ship same or next day, but arrival times are pretty variable. However, I shipped a few packages to the UK last week, and both show as having processed through customs already and are either waiting for pickup or are out for delivery. So if you ordered before the weekend I think it quite likely they'll be there in time. Oddly enough, it's about the same cost to ship to the UK or AUS (looking at my cost sheets, it appears the UK actually costs me a little more). So up to you where you want it to go.

@BurkusCircus These help?

There's nothing yet that converts the Power UP (PUP) system to the older 9V or PF systems. However, if you mean to use the PF IR reciever et al, then there is a PF-to-9V adapter cable LEGO produced, so you could go from the receiver to the 9V port on the old motor and subsequently the headlights. Might take a bit of modding to make room for the stack of connectors (or use one of those 2x4 electric plates from back in the day), but it should be doable.

The tracks are prone to distortion. Put them against a flat surface and check their relative flatness. If it's off, then you may just need to force it a bit. I'd use a couple plates at the connections to pin it down.

No, it was easier to just recreate the LEGO parts in CAD. Of course, if one wanted to create such Ldraw parts, how might one go about doing it?

The problem is the numbers would have all been really high, even dropping some of the components. Even at $80k, we were only halfway there. But, despair not, we are hard at work at an alternative. Thanks Captain! Your tracks are already packed and waiting for the post office to open in the morning. In other news, I made some instructions for ballasting the new R56s. You can find them on our Flickr page right now: https://flic.kr/p/2atUyWk We'll make similar ones for the other tracks and post them on our site once we finish.