Subject:
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Re: Sumo-Train Competition
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto
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Date:
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Wed, 8 May 2002 15:49:10 GMT
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Viewed:
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534 times
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All right, I'm piping up. It sounds like a great idea, and a good excuse
for me to get some train parts. I'm not clear on what Ben meant about
the track configuration though. I was thinking that it could have two
tracks in parallel, and they could be loops, but the rails would not join.
For the train heads: Does a cross rail (a "t") make any kind of
electrical connection? What about a switch? And, can you get level
crossings at angles other than 90 degrees? If so, the track could be a
folded figure-eight.
Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Frank Filz writes:
>
> > Larry Pieniazek wrote:
> >
> > > In lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto, Benjamin Medinets writes:
> > >
> > > > I was thinking this morning how cool it would be to have this kind of
> > > > competition.
> > > >
> > > > Imagine this:
> > > >
> > > > RCX controlled train...3 cars, first car would have the train motor (train
> > > > engine car), second car would have the RCX (coal car), and the third car
> > > > would have the mechanism to knock off your buddy's/competitor's train off
> > > > his/her tracks ("crane car")
> > > >
> > > > Tracks would be generally parallel in a "large-size" double loop.
> > > > The tracks would not be "powered" only by the power in the RCX.
> >
> > One problem with a parallel double loop is that with only one curve
> > radius, you don't get a real "parallel" curve.
>
>
> True, but that's a problem for the crane arm designer to take into account.
> Done properly it may actually be something to take advantage of!
>
>
> > > > Points would be 20 points for knocking off the engine or crane car. 30
> > > > points (for increased difficulty, more tension and torque) for knocking off
> > > > the coal car.
> > > >
> > > > So how does this sound for a future competition.
> > > > To me, it sounds like fun and generally not too complicated.
> > >
> > > This sounds absolutely hilarious. One suggestion I would have might be to
> > > have two crossovers so each competitor spent 1/2 of its time on the inside
> > > of the "oval" and 1/2 on the outside. My suspicion is that the crane boom
> > > swinging packs a lot more mo when swung outwards as you're rounding a curve
> > > than it does when swung inwards.
> >
> > A double figure 8 would easily get an "even" fight.
>
>
> Do you mean the kind that has 4 crossings? I'm thinking you could do it with
> just one crossing if you sort of fold one lobe over the other (around the
> outside... LMK if you need a .tdl to see what I mean), but that of course
> means just one speed reg. Your idea allows for independent control.
>
>
> > You then start each
> > train on the outside track of one of the lobes. I would also say that
> > the train which collides into the side of the other train at a crossing
> > loses 50 points or something.
>
>
> Well, that's not what they do with figure 8 schoolbus racing (yes, Virginia,
> there is such a thing in real life, it's done in Florida of all places).
>
> In that sort of race, there's no penalty for collisions, just the
> consequences of hitting/getting hit. If you can't get across the cross fast
> enough, too bad for you, you get corked. Maybe you keep going and maybe you
> don't. School bus bodies are somewhat like tissue paper (in some ways) at 60
> MPH. Depending on where you were struck it may not matter at all, except for
> increasing the breeze that the operator feels.
>
> Note that this does not make me feel at ALL good about the fact that both my
> kids ride school buses to school every day, but I digress.
>
> We may be veering off into off-topic.something.or.another... Especially if
> none of the actual rtlToronto-ers pipe up in support of the original post's
> original idea from Benjamin.
>
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Message has 1 Reply:
 | | Re: Sumo-Train Competition
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| (...) That's what I was thinking in the original "spirit of the game". (...) The track (I think) is electricly isolated from each end...if there was a electrical connection, then the track would short out due to polarity. What about a switch? I (...) (23 years ago, 9-May-02, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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Message is in Reply To:
| | Re: Sumo-Train Competition
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| (...) True, but that's a problem for the crane arm designer to take into account. Done properly it may actually be something to take advantage of! (...) Do you mean the kind that has 4 crossings? I'm thinking you could do it with just one crossing (...) (23 years ago, 8-May-02, to lugnet.org.ca.rtltoronto)
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