Worldwide_build

Darn... That sure is a bad way to build a reputation... I hate it when businesses handle people like that. Now I understand why people would be skeptical about this... Anyhow, I aim to not do it the way they did. It does make it harder for me to get the project going though. Especially as I do not have the funds to make many prototypes to show you. For me, I guess it would be good luck then if people start funding. If people want me to tell them who I am in order to gain trust, I would happily do so. If people do fund, I will make sure it will not turn into a fiasco of its own.

Well, that's a lot of information. You are right about the efficiency stuff, it's inefficient. It's more of a prestige thing. But, due to the use of an electric motor per axle, it could achieve more pulling power. I am looking into the source of the electrical energy required to create enough pressure for the pneumatic engine. PE-Drive is not supposed to be as efficient as electric or batteries. Mainly because it is based on Diesel-Electric systems. The idea is the same but executed differently. I am considering the use of a low-voltage system that powers a very small compressor, hopefully, capable of at least 30 PSI. The Kickstarter project is not for the PE-Drive and E-Drive systems, but rather for my Larger and Smaller engine pieces. These are specialized pieces for both show and pneumatic engines. Special valve heads allow for a different way of building LPE's, much more resembling actual ICE's. I have real prototypes of these pieces, excluding the valve head. Starting with the larger pieces, I'll work my way down to bringing the system to stud-wide cylinder bores if possible. The Fiasco of ME Models metal rails? Haven't heard of it... Would you like to tell me a little more about this?

Hello all, It's been a while. But I am back. I am writing this message because I am creating a Kickstarter Project for this. I will post a link to the Kickstarter page as soon as it is ready.,

Update: I decided to create a Kickstarter project. This project primarily covers my earlier idea of smaller and larger engine pieces. But as those pieces concern this idea too, I am posting an update in this thread as well. I will post a link when it is ready. :)

Update: The very first prototype is being 3D Printed. This prototype is part of Revision 1 on these trucks. It features three axles and all axles run on 7mm roller bearings. The trucks are tunable, meaning you can opt for more torque but slower speed or less torque but high-speed. Weight will play a role here, the weight of your train determines the maximum speed of your train. Making the wheels rotate at the same speed as those from LEGO (2000RPM) and your three-axle truck could generate nearly 40 times more torque compared to LEGO motors. (142.8Ncm compared to 3.6Ncm torque) I'll keep everyone updated on this project. By the way, should I turn to Kickstarter for this project?

I will build a test bench rig first, to see if it works correctly. If it pasts the test and confirms my theories, I'll build a locomotive around it to showcase the functionality. Everything will be prototyped first. Oh, and by the way, these systems are designed for 8-Stud wide trains. 6-Stud wide is simply too narrow. At least, right now it is.

It would likely be inefficient, but so is a modern-day diesel engine. The auto-off switch is most likely not required as the compressor won't get a high enough pressure at a high enough rate for any danger, the PE would consume the air too quickly. The pole reverser is a must though. As for being noisy, so is a Diesel-Electric locomotive and this system is designed to mimic that. Hard to control can be solved by using clever tricks. I will provide a manual with the final product that teaches the user how to use the system correctly. I see a lot of potential in this, it's hard but when the right techniques are applied it would be decent enough to run a high powered LEGO locomotive. Remember, it's all theory. The compressor will likely be a turbine design, to minimize space used and to maximize the volume of the air tank. P.S., Some models could have 'turbochargers' to reduce the amount of air lost by using the exhaust air to drive a turbine, which sucks in additional air. This would be experimental though, first need to get the proper equipment up and running.

You're nearly there. The V20 is an air-motor that drives an electric generator. The power that the generator generates goes to the rail trucks to drive the wheels. On-board there is a lower voltage system that powers the controller (think about a stepper motor to control the airflow) and a small electric motor that powers a very compact air-compressor located in the fuel tank area. These two systems are independent of each other, the only relation being to control the motor and the compressor. All-Electric trains are on a completely different level, as the effort required to design this compared to the Pneumatic-Electric system is much higher. It's still feasible though, but I'm going to focus on my expertise first, industrial pneumatic systems. Feel free to ask more questions if you like, more than happy to answer them and to talk about this. :)

The solution is beneath the frame of the locomotive; The fuel tank. If I can make an air-compressor small enough to fit it beneath the locomotive, the locomotive would have its energy-generating source on-board. I found 3V electric motors, I could potentially use those. It would run off the same electronics that power the controlling modules of the locomotive. Still researching this though.

Hello all, It's me again. I have been offline for a while. However. I am developing a worthy replacement for Power Functions and Powered Up! train tech. I am going to build all-new train trucks, two and three-axle with one motor for each axle, running at 12 volts or more. These train trucks are not compatible with PF or PU. Instead, they use a new system. This system, in theory, allows for more pulling power and more speed for your LEGO train. The standard LEGO traction motor creates 3.6 Ncm of torque. A three-axle of my own design could generate 10x more torque while running 4x as fast. Sounds impressive, but man how are you going to power that? Well, thanks for asking. Some people may know of a post I placed a while back which discussed larger and smaller Pneumatic Compatible engine pieces. Build a small scale pneumatic V20 and hook a slow turning electric generator to it. This should generate the electricity needed to power the train trucks. This would make for a Pneumatic-Electric Locomotive, hence the name PE-Drive. Another method is an overhead live-wire that receives power from your wall-plug. But wait, doesn't that mean my train would run at 230v? Nope, a transformer takes the voltage down to either 12 or 24 Volts AC (not sure which electric motor I'll use yet) and it's not like the classic 9-Volt system. Each train is remotely controllable, just like PF or PU, or SBrick, etc. You can use as many trains as you want as long as your electrical grid can handle it. The electric live-wire is the reason why the all-electric system is called E-Drive. A long term plan is to make very advanced train trucks with real suspension in it. I wonder how you think about it.

Just so that everyone knows, I'm still working on them! The first prototypes have been printed a while ago, though I ran into some issues. As to be expected with the first prototypes, you learn from those little design mistakes!

Hey there, I wonder if this cool long-term project is still alive? Would be sad to see it cancelled as I've already designed a few things with this coupler in mind. Ah, I see... If I bother anyone I'll quit asking for updates. :) Kind Regards