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Captain_Quinn

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  1. Captain_Quinn
    Very cool. Can you leverage the pin-connections to the power functions motor to stabilise the frame? The challenge as far as I can tell will be the distance to the technic turntable and the amount of twisting that a technic axle can withstand if you're looking at a direct motor-turntable drive. After that, like you've said, it's a matter of friction, momentum, torque, etc. I was talking to my father and brother (both are mechanical engineers) about this challenge and they started talking about planetary gears as a solution, but placing multiple axles and cogs is going to be massively challenging in the confines of the current design. What's the position/alignment of the motors axle compared to the centre of the turntable? Aligned with the centre or off axis?
  2. Captain_Quinn
    oh mate... the heat has been merciless. More than a few days spent indoors with the aircon on and the Lego spread out. We've been giving our dogs ice cubes to help them stay hydrated and keep their temperature down. I'm not sure what's worse... extreme heat or extreme cold... although, I always thought it was easier to warm up by throwing on another layer. After all... there's only so many items of clothing you can remove before someone complains, or calls the cops I was concerned that the weight of each side of the habitat section was going to result in detaching from the rotating centre, so I designed a set of internal clips that connect the frames of each level, but in changing the internal structure to suit, I think I may have reduced the mass enough that it's no longer an issue (if it ever was one). That's one of the changes after the prototype build. I solved the engine sections gravity sag problem and came up with a way to connect the forward sections armor that is easier to build. In trying to sequence the steps to build, I've had to reconsider some choices in parts and design. Seems your advice on building before producing instructions was both sound and wise. On the upside, I could likely build one of these without even looking at instructions now. I'm hoping to have both the build and the instructions ready for April's exhibit. I seriously underestimated the time, effort and work that goes into producing instructions, as well as the importance of good planning in the early design stages. Photos will definitely be forthcoming. Thanks man. 7 years ago my kids saw how miserable my previous career was making me and I overheard them asking their mother why I was always sad... talk about a wake up moment. Changing from IT security and policy to allied health (training to become a physiotherapist) has undoubtedly been among the top 3 good decisions I've made in my life. Marrying my wife and reconnecting with my passion for Lego being up there :) I've resigned myself to a future full of study in staying current with qualifications and evidence basis.
  3. Captain_Quinn
    Over the summer I've been working on the instructions for this build, beginning with a functional prototype (usually, just colours are different, sometimes it's an aesthetic change, but always functionally equivalent), and finishing with a list of changes, build notes, errors and improvements. Along with that has been one very important lesson; don't over-engineer your design... sometimes, the simplest solution is the most effective. I had originally designed a set of locking pins to secure the rotating sections habitat decks, but as it turns out, clutch power was more than sufficient. What it's also spawned is a set of ideas on changes that will go into the next generation of this design, along with a few design ideas that have potential for future MOCs. But for now, there's a 4kg, 4700 piece, 1mtr long Lego Omega Class Destroyer sitting on my coffee table, along with the epic task of generating instructions whilst resisting the temptation to further tweak the design. Putting the instructions together will be a part time task as studies permit (I'm about to start my final year of studies where I'll be in clinical immersions 9-5, Mon-Fri, and swamped with a cruel and unusual amount of portfolio work after hours). Our local AFOL group is planning an exhibit in April, and I'm hoping to have a brick built version ready to display.
  4. Captain_Quinn
    Although, you've given me an idea on how I might be able to do an indirect drive on the rotating section. Just need to see about positioning and structure on the centre section
  5. Captain_Quinn
    The idea with the wheel/tyre is to combine with an inverted plate with pin on bottom (part id 2476)... The same wheel that is used for the forward guns... with it's tyre it just sticks out enough to make contact with the the guide rings and reduce the contact friction between that and the rotating section. I figure the rubber in the tyre will take the compression between the sections. That way the technic turntables are still taking the rotation load, but the wheels roll on the guide rings to reduce the friction. It's just an idea at this stage. Not entirely sure if it's viable, and if it is, whether it will work the way it's intended.
  6. Captain_Quinn
    With the dust settled on exams and some spare time finally at my disposal, I began the search through my spare parts and stocks... 80% of the build available in the correct part type and colours, with another 15% in alternate colours or size combinations. Off to a pick a brick sale tomorrow to grab as much of the remaining parts as possible. What this does mean is that I can start checking the build/instructions... and already, the stand, internal frame and central rotating plating is assembled. This process has actually given me another idea for the rotating section. I'm contemplating using a small wheel/tyre on the edge of the rotating section deck as a 'bearing' of sorts. I'll do a test build of that before I post anything further.
  7. Captain_Quinn
    Google hosted image should be visible now. 900 pages of raw LPub rendering down to just under 300... with an A4 page of errors and improvements to be made to both instructions and design. I have a workaround for the pan-and-scan/zoom-focus issue, it will just take a little more effort with a few more intermittent steps to produce those steps. The challenge now is creating an overall style theme based on B5 Earthforce terminal interfaces.
  8. Captain_Quinn
    Colour selected, sub-builds renamed in Stud.io so that they appear in colour when using the fade option in LPub3D. I've been able to shrink 900 pages down to just under 600 (and still have plenty remaining) but the problem now is one of model size and LPub3D's inability to focus on a particular area means that as I progress through the remaining steps, showing appropriate detail is difficult or not even possible. I'd love to be able to pan & scan or select an area to focus the camera on in LPub3D, if anyone has tips on doing that. The other idea I had was to collate the necessary sub-assemblies for each section into their own files and generate suitable step images from those.
  9. Captain_Quinn
    Well... a marathon 16hr session later, and the steps are sorted for instructions, with a few parts selection changes and a couple of design changes for stability and buildability. I'm torn between having non-visible pieces as a single hi-contrast colour with a note included saying that those pieces can be any colour, or selecting colours based on suitable build friendly appearance in the instructions. The first makes it easier to focus on the visible parts when buying, but the second option looks better and is easier for overall purchase. Any thoughts/advice?
  10. Captain_Quinn
    Might squeeze that into post xmas-pre new years down time...
  11. Captain_Quinn
    That Pegasus design is magnificent... another that I'll add to my list of builds in the future. I swear, Lego is likely going to send me bankrupt and to divorce court
  12. Captain_Quinn
    Ain't that the truth! Like many things in Lego, there will be a trade off between scale, detail, function and stability.
  13. Captain_Quinn
    Hi Ryan, thanks for joining the party... and for the feedback on the mods to the design. One of the objectives I had for my redesign was to see if adding power functions motors was viable, or if an extensive rework was necessary. So far, I've had 2 ideas on how this might work. First was to mount a power functions motor directly to the rear section frame, with a direct drive to the aft turntable of the rotating sections outer cage. For this to work, there would need to be sufficient clearance between the turntable gear and the panelling around the centre section. At best, this would require redesigning the centre section to either raise all of the panels in order to clear the gears, or a section 2 studs wide at the rear of the centre section adjacent to the guide ring. The second was to reverse way I've placed the turntable gears, and then slightly extend the centre section, to have gears extend into the area covered by the guide rings. This would require a redesign of the guide rings to provide clearance, but less than what directly gearing the current config would. It also affords the option of a chain driven arrangement that, if needed, could also employ multiple gear options to step down appropriately. In each of these there's a best and worst case scenario; best being a small modification of this design, and worst being that the proportions are completely distorted requiring either a change in scale or a from-scratch redesign with power functions from the get go. This is before considering the issues of weight, balance, wires and whether or not there is a wireless control option available that fits suitably. If the PF motor and battery boxes are small enough, and a wireless option is available, then another option is mounting them on the rotating cage either side of where the habitat decks attach. This could potentially introduce balance and harmonic issues if not done right. Mounting the motor inside the 6x8 Technic Brick with Open Centre (40345) in the centre outer cage is an option that would enable the most direct driving of the turntable, but space is likely going to prevent this. One idea I've been toying with is to remove the technic turntables altogether, and replace them with a built 'bearing' structure that would use round bricks, cylinder pieces and small rubber wheels, along with shock absorbers and other technic pieces, to construct a floating assembly. This would have the advantage of both being scalable and having less friction, but potentially at the cost of precision. Done right, it could still use the direct drive or chain drive ideas I mentioned, but would require some creativity in attaching the gears. My instinct tells me that a chain drive option would be better suited to this.
  14. Captain_Quinn
    Very cool. You've gotten the engines and primary hull pretty much spot on, and the landing bay pods look good when viewed from above. I especially like that you added the retraction function for the pods.... very nice. Looking at some of the source images online, the bow section here looks like it's got a slightly narrower central section, with wider side curves when viewed from the front. I love what you've done with the underside of the bow, though... that part you totally nailed.
  15. Captain_Quinn
    Nice work!! Very impressed with how much of the original you've been able to include in this... angles, proportions, colours and of course the ability to transform. Nicely done, sir! Nicely done.
  16. Captain_Quinn
    @manglegrat, quick question about the forward sections armour. Are there any weight issues with the lower sections pulling on the hinges? The lower section isn't connected anywhere else, so I'm considering redesigning that armour plate and how it attaches to the forward section so that the lower section attaches at both the hinge point and along the inner face of the plating.
  17. Captain_Quinn
    I think I've solved the 1/2 stud gap issue, but had to take some creative license with the transition between rotator guide rings and the hull for the non-rotating sections. Technically, the gap is still there, it's just covered by some additional greebling on the rotator guide ring. ok, now I have a dilemma... Do I clean up and publish the design file before brick-building the rest, or do I wait and build the remainder to see if there are any errors, conflicts or tweaks/improvements that can be made? Part of me wants to design a set of instructions for this (partly because I think they could be awesome, and also to teach myself how to use Scribus, an opensource DTP package).
  18. Captain_Quinn
    I think I've come up with a supportive reinforcement for the engines, but it has required changing the design of the engines slightly, along with the way they attach. The offsets shifted oh so slightly as to make the axle connection a stud height or less out of alignment. I've also used a combination of 3L pin/axle combinations, 4x2 thick liftarms and 6x1 technic bricks to both stabilise and strengthen the connection to the rear frame, and provide a solid mount for the engines. Here's what I've come up with (new pieces and changes in white); I'm experimenting with options for a more angular thrust vector I've also been able to come up with a simple solution for the rotator guide rings that not only fits, but secures the components of the connector between fore and aft sections. You can see the Technic 1x2 brick with axle hole on each of the side sections. These line up with and secure the axle seen in the third image. Each of the sides and upper/lower parts of the ring are built separately and assembled onto the frame to complete the rotator guide ring. The side sections lock the axle in place, and the top and bottom lock the sides and complete the ring.
  19. Captain_Quinn
    Ok, have edited my previous post to try get those images to display. Should be visible now if you want to check. An update on the design challenge around the rotator rings. As good as @manglegrat's solution is, with the changes I've made, a 180-degree flip fits them tight up against the rotating section, but leaves their internal workings open. I've had a few ides that have met with varying degrees of success. The only other modification that has been required was to adjust the location of the stand supports and holes in the ship. I'm working most of today, but when I get the next stage built and figure out why Google Photos is being so problematic (or upload everything to Flickr), I'll post a build update
  20. Captain_Quinn
    Babylon 5 was a pioneer in science fiction television as it was conceived with the idea of a long term narrative that played out over multiple seasons. Events that occur early in Season 1 have relevance and implications throughout all 5 seasons. It also pushed advancement in CGI, with early seasons using 3D rendering on the Amiga platform using Lightwave. It was rumoured that at the time the production team for Babylon 5 could produce 5 episodes for the same cost as a single episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, mainly because of the use of CGI. So, a quick update on the re-design of the internal frame for this MOC. I've reduced the use of the H-liftarms to just the internal connecting axle that joins the front and rear sections. The internal framing has been assembled in bricks and the rotating mechanism tested without external panels attached. The build withstands the mass and torsion that the rotating section currently has, so the next test is to add the panels and deck sections of the rotating section, as well as the adjacent ring structures, and see if the stand connects in locations that effectively balance mass and friction enough to allow free rotation. I have an idea for mounting a small gear to the underside of the rear section and connecting it by a chain to the rotating section, I'm just not sure how to avoid clashes with hull plating in that section at this time. Here's some shots of the build so far: I'm thinking the next phase should start with the stand, then the ring structures adjacent to the rotating section, then hull plating.
  21. Captain_Quinn
    Awesome. Think I've figured a workaround to keep using Google Photos at this stage. Thanks man. I Think the use of the larger turntables was the key, not just for inner radius but for the depth/height to provide the stud alignment. Yeah, I plan to try build a test of the ring structure as it currently is to see if anything catches, and if not, will likely leave the flat surface facing out to hide the detailed inner working side with the rotating section. I also started looking at the dimensions of the Warlock Class destroy and it's approximately 10% longer, so it will likely crack 1mtr in length if I stick to the same scale. Hopefully I can start doing some preliminary structural design over the next month.
  22. Captain_Quinn
    I think I'm just going to have to bite the bullet and setup a Flickr account.... Google Photos just isn't playing nice. Let's see if I can insert them this time.
  23. Captain_Quinn
    An interesting development in adapting all the hull panels and the position of the "ring" sections on either side of the centre of the rotating section... I thought that there might gaps or overlaps, and I was right. @manglegrat's design had tiles on the inside face, closing the gap between the ring and centre section. I thought that the change in turntable type would increase that gap, but as it turns out, if I remove the tiles, there is no gap when those rings are placed immediately adjacent. To prevent catching on any of the plating, I've flipped them, but now have the exposed inner construction and no flat face. The techniques used are challenging to adapt. The changes I'd made also required some framework/superstructure changes as well as hull panels... and somewhere along the line, I've shortened the fore and aft sections by 1 stud each (I think it's originally from the changes to those ring structures and moving them). Here's a few cutaways to show the progress so far.
  24. Captain_Quinn
    Grrr... Google Photos and it's permissions for sharing images is a right pain in the big behind. Can see why many prefer Flickr. Anyway, tonight I decided to complete the central superstructure design. I suspect that I've got changes to make to this, especially around the length proportions due to the use of older technic turntables. So, in the image below, Bright Light Orange parts can be any colour as they are not visible in the final construction. The white pieces are the choices/changes i've made so far. Eventually I'll consolidate parts where possible to manage the costs/part count. I've used some t-liftarms in the new areas adjacent to the rotating section, to help stabilise and use as weight bearing contact points for the stand. I suspect that I'll need to tweak that further Next stage will be to begin attaching hull plating to see if I've created gaps or overlaps
  25. Captain_Quinn
    ok, continuing on from over on the EAS Schwarzkopf thread about redesigning the rotating section... Last nights prototyping session revealed some unforeseen issues with my original design. The rotating/floating outer frame that the decks of the rotating section connect too worked flawlessly as designed, but I'm not sure what the next phase of design for that section will require. In your design, @manglegrat, were the liftarms going through the centre necessary to connect the decks on each side of rotational axis? Highlighted here in red: The centre structure was another story. My original design has a tendency to twist when turning each end, which loosens some of the axles/thin liftarm combinations and makes the internal structure increasingly unstable. I've redesigned it to incorporate t-shaped and h-shaped liftarms to prevent twisting. I've also come up with a design that I hope will work to attach each end to the frame of each section, although I have an idea on how to reinforce that connection. The lime coloured liftarm with perpendicular axle connectors could be replace with slightly longer 3L versions that have 2 pin holes. This fits inside and has more than adequate clearance during rotation. If the red liftarms connecting the opposite sides of the rotating section are necessary, I'll have to redesign the outer cage to incorporate that function, most likely replacing the white liftarms in the picture above (right)
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