Jeroen Ottens

Thanks for all the comments, much appreciated. I used 8x 19L, 2x 16L, 5x 12L, 2x 11L and 1x 7L flexaxles. Of those only the 16L is getting rare/expensive. I am planning on making a video, but that will take some time. I have a pretty busy schedule the coming weeks.

For me it doesn't But seeing the number of WIP topics appearing I would indeed wait until August 1st for a EB contest

Hi, Here is my entry for the build the Porsche of your dreams contest. It is a remote controlled, lightweight Porsche of an undefined type (unless someone recognizes this instantly as a particular Porsche type). The model weighs 1.5 kg of which 300 g is 12 AA batteries. It is powered by 2 L-motors that have each their own batterypack. Steering is done with a servomotor. The steeringwheel inside is functional as well (as in, it turns also when the servo turns): I tried to minimize weight as much as possible, so I used both the motors and the battery packs as structural elements in the construction. Changing batteries is now not something you want to do . I always wanted to make a model without paneling and since this model needed to be lightweight it was the perfect excuse to finally build a completely open model. I particularly like the top view. Here you can really see how the lines flow on this model. Something that I find difficult to capture in the other shots. As usual comments and questions are highly appreciated. Leg godt, Jeroen

I just couldn't resist the challenge...

Well, I suppose that if you would pay the Porsche dealer $153600 for a car that can only pushed around he'd feel he had the better end of the deal

That is a nice chubby looking plane packed with functions. A prime example of how to cram as many functions as possible in a space as small as possible and still maintain (relatively) good looks.

So I'll join the choir in singing your praise. This is an absolutely brilliant model. Great looks, great functions, sleek design. It reminds me of Madoca's SUV in terms of the polishedness of it. Every element seems to be just functional, necessary and the minimal solution which is usually the result of endless optimizations. :wub: I normally absolutely hate telehandlers, but this one has won me over

The tooth is connected to this piece: This piece is then connected to 2 4L thin liftarms. At the other end of these liftarms is a balljoint with axle. The rod is connected to the balljoint. I hope this is clear enough.

Amazing build I never would have thought it would be possible to put so many functions in a motorcycle... Incredible

In post #46 the gearbox is explained in more detail. The gearbox in post #58 is just the barebones version of the inner workings.

thx for all the replies and kind comments Next update will take some time I'm afraid, I first have to do a (considerable) bit of sorting before I can start building the chassis

Very nifty & compact indeed. Don't be surprised if something like this shows up in my DB11...

I use pin-balljoints on both sides. In practice there is enough slack in the elements to account for the small distance difference of 0.2 studs Thx, I did try to maximize the space below the steering column The steering column is based on this Bionicle piece (which isn't available in LDD): I used it also in my Liebherr LTM11200. It looks extremely versatile, but in practice it is not often very useable. But in this case it was. I think you have deciphered the paddleshift mechanism correctly. The two bionicle teeth are completely indepedent. If you pull the right paddle only the right tooth will move and turn the knobwheel. The left bionicle tooth sits low enough not to be touched by the rotating knobwheel. I use some elastic bands to push the paddles backwards and thereby the bionicle teeth downwards. In my Hommage I used the old drivingrings with the smooth axleconnectors. That mechanism worked flawlessly 100% reliable with 90° rotations. So I assume that the new 3L smooth connectors will give the same behaviour. I do am a bit worried about the slack in the gearing of the knobwheels and CV-joints. So I might have to either move the limiter (aka lock-the-knobgear-at-90°-wheel) to another knob gear (for instance the lower one at the steering column), or add a second limiter in the back of the car. The point is that you need a limiter near the paddle shifters because the bionicle teeth will only move the knobwheel a bit beyond the 45° point. The limiter will push it to the full 90°. On the other hand you also need the levers that operate switching mechanism to be quite precise in the 90° orientation as well (as we know from the Porsche). So it will all depend on the slack in the system if a single limiter is enough, or that I will need two.

Another update. I have made the first chassis that contains the steering (with ackerman & caster), the suspension setup, the gearbox, the flappy paddle system and is reasonably stiff (I hope). The rear wheels are higher than the front wheels by half a stud, so that will either need a correction, or that is solved by the weight distribution. I have tried to make the central column (the long white structure in the middle) an integral part of the stiffness of the frame by connecting it at both ends to rest of the frame. Next step will be to build this IRL and test whether or not it actually all works out like I have it in my head. @ Didumos: I actually used the 8448 rims to test my first diskbrake models, assuming the inside diameter of these rims would be comparable. But I totally dislike the rims, so no go on those for me So here is the chassis (piececount is ~800 now):

Mesmerizing as always

Ah, I missed that part. Than it makes sense. But you lost the 3:5 gear reduction as well now, or did I overlook something more?

Doesn't the steeringwheel now turn the other way?

Amazing contraption! And amazing indeed that we are still inventing concepts for situations that have been in a status quo for ages. Somebody must really have taken it personally

You can use the same mechanism as was used in the 8043, but that does require 4 motors, one for switching and 3 to drive the functions. Another option is to use the shifting mechanism of Sheepo's sequential gearboxes. On those you can engage one switch at the time. Of course you'll have to change the gearing to route power to different functions instead of to one output with different gear ratios.

Very inventive! I especially like the fact that you can only select reverse from first gear. I might have to steal that idea for my DB11... :)

I am afraid I have to ditch that feature , I have tried to make a break work with the existing hubs, but I have not found a satisfying solution yet. Furthermore the space near the rearwheels is fairly limited now, so that will make it even more challenging. So for now I asssume I will not succeed in adding diskbrakes (nor multilink suspension in the rear). But I haven't completely given up yet. If I get the new hub & rims I will give it probably a final try IRL

Thanks all for the positive comments. When looking back through my files to answer sm1995's question I also found my first sketch of this gearbox. This is only the core, it doesn't have the switching mechanism, nor the D+N+R switch, but may make it even easier to understand how it works: Only 20 gears for 8 speeds... that should keep the friction away

Interestingly enough you get this message when you try to claim this as a missing piece: We’ll need proof of purchase before we can send you the part. Please provide this by entering the 7-digit number from the back of your Building Instructions booklet. This is only for the rims. The tires, the printed panels, the new orange parts all don't have this message. But all new parts are out of stock (also on the buy bricks section)...

Thanks! I'd appreciate that. I guess you have answered my second question already though. From what I understand there is not an internal mechanism in the cube that will ensure that the output of the cube is always locked in 90 degree increments, right?

Do you ever get feedback from the community as a designer?