Subject:
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Re: More Power Function MOC pics
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.technic
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Date:
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Fri, 2 Mar 2007 21:24:49 GMT
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Viewed:
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6802 times
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In lugnet.technic, Ondrew Hartigan wrote:
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In lugnet.technic, Mark Bellis wrote:
snip
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Well spotted Brian :-)
The electric elements are those that will feature in the new Bulldozer. The
rest of the MOC is parts from my own collection, NOT the rest of the
Bulldozer! (that many beams with studs would be too much to hope for :-) )
Two large motors (with great torque!) do the tank drive on channel 1, with
two smaller motors doing the stilts at the back, to tip the robot up for
picking up objects) and the grab at the front on channel 2. On a single
handset you change channel to select the different functions in pairs.
For automation, the centre of rotation of the handset levers is aligned with
one of the beam holes on the side, so you can have a motor controlled by one
handset move the levers on another handset. This means you can have
sequential automation and all sorts of fun! The system can branch too, by
having more than one receiver set to each channel number. It could also do
an “OR” function by having two handsets transmit on the same channel (OK as
long as the directions don’t conflict).
There is also my experiment in fitting the large motors to a walker chassis,
where the great torque comes into its own:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=226243
This robot has enough torque to buck if the legs are aligned rather than
being opposed, but it can make the 24-tooth cogs jump on the axles! I think
the large motors are what many fans have wanted for years. The jumping of
24-tooth cogs was why I used 12 and 36-tooth cogs for the rover.
More MOC pictures built with the bulldozer electric elements (battery box,
handset, receiver, large and medium motors) will appear in my Power
Functions Brickshelf folder (when moderated) as I build them, so this is the
space to watch :-) http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=226241
I advise saving up for as many bulldozers as you can carry! (BTW I don’t
have the kit).
There are some differences between the RCX, IR Train and Power Function IR
systems. I’m not an expert in that but Stefan Vorst has worked it out in
more detail.
There will be some compatibility of the Power Function system with the 9V
system, such that you will be able to drive a 9V motor or light from a Power
Function receiver or battery box if you use the right elements. I’ll say
more about that when I can. This compatibility is something we AFOLs have
pushed for and shows the benefit of us being involved.
Mark
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Wow mark, thank you for the info on this really cool controller and all of
the pictures we would otherwise not see. I personally can’t wait to get my
hands on 3-4 sets but until then I’ll have to keep wiping the drool off my
keyboard.
A few comments:
I’m not a huge fan of IR-rc because of its directional limitations but it’s
something I can live with and i think others agree. I can see this system
being used in several themes including TRAINS, as it is a pretty cool
solution the extremely limited train IR system. Now granted it’s still IR and
not RC as most would prefer, but I’ll take what I can get as it’s still a
cool product.
Some have commented that they don’t like the integrated wires but I see this
as a plus. There are a couple of reasons for this but for the large part it
will be nice to not have to hunt for wires to connect everything. Now I’m not
saying they shouldn’t offer extension wires but for compact projects and or
tight spaces integrated wires is a good thing.
inny’s!!!!! I was a very happy camper when the monkey set came out several
years ago with an inny for the output shaft on the motor and I’m glad to see
it stuck around. This seemingly simple design change makes the motor harder
to produce but it increases its usability by 100%.
That motor is huge! I’m not sure I’ll get much use out of it in the train
world but robot builders are going to love it. It makes me want to start
building techinc models again or at least that 1/16th scale M1 Abrams tank
I’ve wanted to build for years.
I’ll wait for Stefan Vorst to chime in for info on IR compatibility between
systems but I do have several questions I hope you can answer.
questions
- On the controller I noticed that there appears to be 4 channels. Is assumption correct?
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Yes, 4 channels, each controlling 2 motors at once. 8-motor RC MOCs for anyone
who buys 2 bulldozers!
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- Does this system act like an on/off switch or does it have some limited speed control?
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This one is on-off. I hope that a proportional control of some kind will
develop but I have no information and couldn’t tell you if I did! I have found
it OK to feather the on-off control of a tank drive robot in order to steer
accurately. It helps that my robot has the large motors geared down 12:36 nto
82mm wheels, which gives a good in-house controllable robot speed and enough
torque to run over an undulating duvet on a bed.
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- Does this system use 3 batteries or 6? i can’t tell from the photo • 3 AAA batteries in the handset and 6 AAs in the battery box.
- In set 4958 “dinosaur” which also uses the same IR control system, there seems to be something white that looks like either a small sound box or small motor. What is it?
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I think it’s a sound module. There is a motorbike one in some racer sets but I
think this one might roar.
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- Will extension wires be available?
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Yes, no word on a date though. Compatibility with existing 9V connectors will
be included in these.
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- Did you happen to check the range on the controler/reciver?
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No. This would probably be under wraps till the kits are in the shops anyway.
I expect the range is at least as good as the RC train. The range will depend
to some extent on ambient light conditions.
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- The hacker in me has to ask: is the receiver unit glued, screwed or snapped together?
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Screwed. I have opened one but of course I can’t tell you what’s inside :-) It
still worked 100% after I put it back together :-)
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- I noticed little black switches next to the main controls on the controller. Are these to fine-tune the controls much in the same way as RC controllers and if pushed to the extreme will the controller remain in an “on” position?
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They permanently reverse the direction commanded by each main lever (one for
each). This gets round situations of opposite rotation of the 2 channels in
tank drive models.
One advantage of the design of the handset is that a rotating axle could operate
the levers. Indeed the centre of rotation of the levers lines up with a hole in
the beam on the side of the handset. This has possibilities for 2 or more
machines controlling each other. Let’s say machine 1 receives on channel 2 but
transmits on channel 1 and machine 2 does the same with the channels swapped.
Machine 1 commands machine 2 to do something and as part of the task, machine 2
pushes a lever to send a command back to machine 1. The exchange of commands
contines, making a repeating sequence. A whole factory is possible :-)
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Ok I’m sorry that was a lot of questions. I hope you don’t mind. I’m just
extremely curious.
Again thank you for the photos and the info as It’s extremely appreciated,
Ondrew
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That’s OK. I’m quite happy to tell you what I can. I see the full set of
photos at http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=226241 is now visible.
I’ll have some more MOCs to post there soon.
I’ve added to my point mechanisms folder my successful test of the PF medium
motor as a switch point control motor:
http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=230517 It’s a good substitute
for a 71427, 43362 or 47154 motor.
Mark
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Re: More Power Function MOC pics
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| In lugnet.technic, Mark Bellis wrote: snip (...) Wow mark, thank you for the info on this really cool controller and all of the pictures we would otherwise not see. I personally can't wait to get my hands on 3-4 sets but until then I’ll have to keep (...) (17 years ago, 1-Mar-07, to lugnet.technic, FTX)
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