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Jeroen Ottens

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  1. Jeroen Ottens
    Thx for the compliment The gearbox was developed in phases and had a couple of "flashbulb moments" The first one was when I realized that I only needed one selector mechanism to operate both the gearbox and the seats. I then took quite some time to figure out what the best arrangement of the mechanisms was. I started with a symmetric design (I am really a sucker for symmetry in my builds). So my second lightbulb moment was when I realized I could win space & performance by placing the gearbox a few studs to the right. The use of the microphone as a means to connect a 6L-link perpendicular to a knobwheel I would count as the third lightbulb lighting up. Before I though of that I was contemplating schemes with the knobwheels in a vertical orientation, but that required the knobwheels to be one stud lower (on a suspended chassis that is only a stud above the ground) to prevent asymmetric operation. I then had this moment that happens during any build where all pieces just seem to fall into place... I'm using the old switching mechanism, which means that there is a half stud offset for all parts that are connected to the shifting levers. However, at an earlier stage in the design I had already decided that the handlebar also needed a half stud offset to get the smooth lines in the rear section. This made for a natural attachmentpoint for the selectormechanism. And then the real hardache started... There is very little space between the gear box (located under & behind the handlebar) and the seats (touching the handle bar when in the aftermost position and only 3 studs apart). The mechanism had to fit in this almost zero-space, lock every 90 degrees and be motorized. The last breakthrough was the idea to split the locking function from the motorization. The locking is achieved through pressing two bionicle teeth against the middle knobwheel. I tried to drive this same knobwheel with some clever lever mechanism, but got always into trouble with the other two knobwheels meshing into it. Adding a second gear higher up the middleaxle finally solved this issue. It then still took over 10 iterations to come to the design I now have, but I would call that the normal design work ...
  2. Jeroen Ottens
    I have tried that, but it is actually quite difficult to get the attachment point just below the panel surface. The natural attachment point is so low that it interferes with the wheel. You can't really connect much to the inside of a panel...
  3. Jeroen Ottens
    Tilting the cabin is the function. For large cranes the cabs can tilt to enable a better view for the operator
  4. Jeroen Ottens
    I know what you mean, this part is bugging me as well, and I have tried a couple of curved pieces, but since they do not connect to the rest of the structure it makes it look even more out of place . So suggestions are most welcome. As for the gearbox: instructions will follow after the contest is over.
  5. Jeroen Ottens
    Sturdy! It is a bit yellow though, maybe the midsection can be done in another colpur ( LBG OR black)?
  6. Jeroen Ottens
    Yes, I only use one gear selector. So you'd better not try to adjust your seat while driving :)
  7. Jeroen Ottens
    Wow, that is a smooth criminal looking beast. I love the curved bonnet, you captured the lines beautifully Great mirrors! +RC +suspension in that scale... Very, very well done The only thing I don't like about it are those black wheel arches, they stick out too much and are too short for my taste
  8. Jeroen Ottens
    The Alfa is 44 cm long The 8070 is 48 cm long I don't know the length of the LeMans The Volvo is 59 cm long The Alfa has 2086 parts (latest version count, still tinkering though...) The 8070 has 1281 parts The LeMans has 1219 parts The Volvo has 1636 parts A more dense design than Lego standard for sure
  9. Jeroen Ottens
    You have been building some outstanding models. Keep 'em coming... That roof is certainly stronger than it looks. Well done!
  10. Jeroen Ottens
    If I recall correctly it should use the 1st and 3rd axle hole (counting from the thin side), the 2nd and 4th are unused
  11. Jeroen Ottens
    I'll have to change at least the description parts. The M and servo motor have switched function now. I'm not sure if I will completely redo the video though. The editing of this video cost me more than 8 hours, I'm not convinced that the effort of a new video is worth it. Visually hardly anything changed. I think you'd rather have me spending time on the building instructions
  12. Jeroen Ottens
    I couldn't find any, but if anyone knows a different solution I'd be happy to hear it, they are a bit too big indeed. I did have more time than usual at my hands these past four months (and my wife is starting to complain about my (non-)presence in the evenings... ). Future models will probably take longer again... The last month was almost exclusively spent on the gearbox selector mechanism. I think I spend the first month on the bodywork (at some point I had a complete outer shell with only two beams going from front to back inside. Even the wheels were just put on 12L axles at the right location. Once I had the outer contours right I started working digitally to get the inner mechanics right. That took the remainder of the time. Of course by the time I had finished the inner mechanics the outer parts had also changed numerous times. I had to go back and forth between digital and real-life building a lot this time (I use digital for the intricate modeling with lots of gears & axles, but judging shapes and testing functions can only be done in real-life in my experience).
  13. Jeroen Ottens
    Somewhere end september last year
  14. Jeroen Ottens
    Interesting cane and a good-looking resemblance in lego.
  15. Jeroen Ottens
    Hi, The threat of disqualification spurred me into yet another series of rebuilds of this model (I'm now at version 16 of the digital model). I haven't tinkered around with a MOC for this long since it was my job to do so. My conservative estimate is that I would have had ~100 versions on my desk if I had build all the variants. But I dare to say that I am ready now with the internal mechanisms & frames. The gearselector is working (I don't dare to say 100% reliable, but at least it is recoverable from a between-gears-situation and it is way up in the nineties percentage-wise). It is now driven by an M-motor, so the servomotor can do the steering again. On the plus-side the M-motor can never get stuck (which did happen to previous versions with the servomotor). On the downside it is up to the operator to ensure only one gear is shifted, powering the motor longer will lead to extra gearshifts 1-2-3-4-1-2-3-4-etc. This obviously can be remedied with an Sbrick and a smart app... I would like to thank everybody for their comments, questions and encouragement. And a special thanks to Jim for organizing this contest. It really adds that extra motivation to keep improving the car and its mechanisms beyond the point of just being a good-looking, but medium-performing car. Here are the answers to the questions I hadn't answered yet: @Epic Technic & Nicjasno: The engine is still a V4, that's the only one that fits in the space. Maybe with an Sbrick I could be able to squeeze in a transversal inline 4 cilinder, but than the engine-dimensions would be off quite a bit. So I will compromise on accuracy here. @ darksheep: Instructions are in the planning. @ PKW: I have some ideas for the remote tiggered by your comment... I'll see if I can get my third hand working @ Leocorno: Top speed is not that high I'm afraid. I guess it is more like 2-3 km/hr Here are the pictures of the model in its current state (the driver is a bit tired today ): I will make photo-instructions available for this after the contest is over. Until then any suggestions for further improvement of the looks, the lines or the colours are most welcome.
  16. Jeroen Ottens
    The first one I knew of, the second one is new to me... Now to think of an application for it... Hmmm... robotics? automatons (like the 18/19th century ones)?... Thx for the idea
  17. Jeroen Ottens
    Welcome to eurobricks That's a good car to start with, I like the curves The sides do look a little wobbly though, like the model could fall apart any minute. Looking forward to your next models
  18. Jeroen Ottens
    Unfortunately it is not... Look at 2:18 in the movie and you get a good shot of the side of the new cilinder. It has only a single pinhole at the end.
  19. Jeroen Ottens
    Darn! And I thought I stood a chance And to add injury to insult: the McPherson suspension uses 2 springs instead of 1 per wheel... So back to the drawingboard then...
  20. Jeroen Ottens
    Final update (allthough my 100% reliable gear selector is more like 50% reliable , so maybe, if I get a brainwave, I will improve that again...) Anyhow, the outer shell is finished I would say, so here is the video:
  21. Jeroen Ottens
    Great model (like all the others already said, but compliments are always nice ) It is amazing how you were able to convey the illusion of a black and white spaceship with so few black pieces. It must be because you mimiced the shape so well that my mind automatically fills in the black details even if they are not there. Very cunning satelite deploy system, at first I thought that gravity was extending the solar panels, but apparently they are driven too... Very ingenious...
  22. Jeroen Ottens
    Hi Another update. I have rebuilt the car (again)... New mudguards (with thanks to some members of the eurobricks community), new shoulders, new dashboard, new doors, new internal frame...
  23. Jeroen Ottens
    Don't you run the risk that the two batteries will deliver different voltages --> different power/motor (I don't think it will give a different RPM per se, but I could be wrong) --> more stress in the construction? I'm not an electrical engineer, so maybe one of them can chime in...
  24. Jeroen Ottens
    At first I thought: A nice little caroussel, good try, like the colourscheme Then I saw the video with the moving horses. That is really neat! Two things to improve maybe: Have a picture from a lower angle, it is all a bit top-down, that doesn't do your model justice. Mention the functions you have in the model in the post, this is after all a (dominantly) technic forum.
  25. Jeroen Ottens
    Hailfire droid?
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