Jump to content

Ankoku

Eurobricks Counts
 View Profile  See their activity

  • Posts

    1,062

  • Joined

  • Last visited

 Content Type 

Everything posted by Ankoku

  1. Ankoku
    That control unit does look cool!
  2. Ankoku
    The main thing to remember is that the additional bracing only brings the far right arm (left in the image above) inline with all the other arms. So it evens it all out. I managed to replicate the issue with only 1 ball being present. It is a really weird thing to see. With the version in the Maico, the grabbers are pressing against the base, so it is not as though they could go down any further. It seems to be that there is enough give in 2 axis for the arm to move when it comes against resistance, that it fails to grab the ball. It is really weird how it can grab without issue most of the time, but then suddenly decide that one ball is kryptonite.
  3. Ankoku
    Okay, it is not a ball placement issue. I think it may be a bracing issue. That one arm, isn't braced at the back like all the others. So I have extended the bracing to include it and it seems to have pretty much cured it. Will run another test, but I need fresh eyes to watch that many more balls. Anyway, the bracing makes sense to me and answers the issue as to why it is just that one arm. The L lift arm isn't necessary, It was just a piece I had with me at the time and kept it all braced since no single lift arm is long enough to do all of them. The important bit is the left hand red circle.
  4. Ankoku
    Just now, I managed to reproduce it once. If you look at the video above, I think it is the ball which is back and right which is causing it somehow. e.g. when I reproduced it, it seemed to be down to the balls around it. The moment the offending ball was removed, it grabbed it without issue.
  5. Ankoku
    There is a new machine:
  6. Ankoku
    This shows an phenomenon with the Catch & Release that I have encountered myself. Where at the 12:45 mark, the far right arm has trouble grabbing the orange ball. It only manages to grab the ball on the 4th attempt. I thought this was an issue I had created with the shortening from 12L to 11.5L, but it seems not. I don't seem to notice it with the other 3 arms. Have yet to work out what is causing the issue though. I thought it may have just been elastic band placement.
  7. Ankoku
    As requested. I managed to find some transparent red and blue of the right piece. Ugly, but allows it to run. Smoothness for me, is mainly about hand cranking it and seeing if there are any torque peaks. I am pleased with where I have gotten this to now. And yes, that is Technic propping up an orchid which was grown into a rather unfortunate shape.
  8. Ankoku
    Will do one when I get enough of the Bionicle part to do all 8.
  9. Ankoku
    Although NXT, this looks like it could be interesting. Always love a good over flow system.
  10. Ankoku
    I can see this being very popular at GBC events. Lots of action to watch. I really like the ball split at the start to load the two shooters. Very satisfying to watch. Get the feeling this one is even more impressive seen in person.
  11. Ankoku
    Found that the smoothness was being unsettled when the balls are released. Moving the Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 3L with 2 Pin Holes up a bit works, but I wanted to find a solution which didn't involve things being very precisely positions. So in the end, I went with some Bionicle 1 x 3 Tooth with Axle Hole and they work a treat. Smoother operation and still releases the balls without issue. Just noticed. Bricklink etc. doesn't distinguish between old black and new black. e.g. you have Dark Bluish Grey and Dark Grey. I feel as though there should be Bluish Black and Black. You can certainly see the difference between the two Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 3L with Center Pin Hole. As you can see, quite a bit of my LEGO is rather old. I have three different thicknesses of pins.
  12. Ankoku
    You would probably have to ask PV-Productions on that one if you have bought the instructions off them. The best advice I can really give you, is to build them and then start experimenting, see what you can up with. That is the beauty of LEGO. Welcome to the forums!
  13. Ankoku
    I am not a fan of it as I like things nice and smooth. That said, he was running it at an event.
  14. Ankoku
    I will add the book to my Christmas list! :) In a previous video post, someone mentioned they liked the mechanism of one of the machines in it. Seems we now have a video of the machine in question.
  15. Ankoku
    Okay, so I have been modding the Catch & Release module. I switched it over to a worm gear, but I don't think it makes any difference. It was for my own curiosity more than anything. That said, I did change the grabbing arms from 12L to 11.5L to stop them from hitting the tiles below and pushing against the supporting frame. Amazingly, with half a length less, they still basically touch the tiles. You could potentially changed it down to 11 for a really simple change and it still work. Okay, just checked. 11L really does not work. 11.5L works perfectly.
  16. Ankoku
    If you are not into doing instructions, then make sure you take lots of photos along the way!
  17. Ankoku
    Yeah, for me, it isn't about reliability in that respect. I just like them running smooth as can be. I am guessing, the linear actuator placed where you say, helps with the wobble of the supporting frame as well. Might be worth bringing the issue up in the Akiyuki Train GBC thread. That is where most of the train guys are!
  18. Ankoku
    Arranged it in the same formation as Akiyuki does it and it is smoother. The whole system suffers from what all 4 cylinder systems suffer from. Lack of overlap.
  19. Ankoku
    I fail quite hard at times :P
  20. Ankoku
    I noticed ones with linear actuators on them at various events on YouTube.
  21. Ankoku
    The name will stick. Are you planning on any instructions? Thanks for all the photos!
  22. Ankoku
    I really like the motion in that one! Great work!
  23. Ankoku
    The ratchet is an Akiyuki addition and I too have no idea why it is there. I will probably just remove it. I am wondering about changing the gearing to a worm cog. I can get the ratio to within 1 and it might smooth out the motion a bit. Also wondering about putting counter weights on the grabbers. Doubt they will stick, since it takes away from the aesthetics and makes it look overly complex. That said, I am just curious about if it can be made smoother. I also noticed that the crank shaft alignment is different to Akiyuki's. e.g. his is 1 = 0°, 2 = 180°, 3 = 270°, 4 = 450°. (Degrees are to indication position, not amount moved.) In the instructions, it is 1 = 0°, 2 = 90°, 3 = 180°, 4 = 270°. This creates a wave, appearance, but also periods where the on the left are in basically the same position, whilst the two on the right are in a similar, but opposite position. Spent some time looking into the most favourable configurations in Inline 4 cylinder engines, but they are usually only ever set 180° from each other. e.g. 1 = 0°, 2 = 180°, 3 = 180°, 4 = 0° From a balance / vibration point of view, I don't think it matters at the speed it runs at. So it is more about appearance. The wave formation is pretty, but you don't get as much distinction. My first real change though, will most likely be trying to brace the wall supporting the grabbers. It wobbles a bit, which I think could be reduced. I also dislike how one end of the offload shoot just flops around, not fixed to anything. Thanks for the images! I have already replaced the Technic Bush 1/2 Smooth with normal size black Technic Bush on the grabber arms.
  24. Ankoku
    Just noticed, with the instructions, the arms are each offset by 90 degrees. In all of the Akiyuki versions, the first two are offset by 180 degrees. Then the middle two are offset 90 and the last two are offset by 180 degrees again. I think this keeps with the balancing, but provides clearer distinctions between the arms in terms of visual appearance as they run.
  25. Ankoku
    Just finished building the Catch & Release machine and obviously, there are a few changes from the Akiyuki version. Below is images of the Akiyuki version between 2011 and 2016. 2011: 2012: 2013: 2016: So, as you can see, it has changed a bit over the years. The gearing moved from one side to the other, gear choice changes and a ratchet added. This is reflected in the instructions provided here. That said, there is additional stuff added to the catch and release arms. It mainly adds symmetry but also adds weight. I am wonder what people think to those additions? Does it make the machine run more reliably?
×
×
  • Create New...