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Subject: 
Re: has anyone made an at-at out of lego?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.starwars
Date: 
Fri, 9 Jul 1999 18:57:49 GMT
Viewed: 
1000 times
  
In lugnet.starwars, Shaun Sullivan writes:

3)  The legs are two bumps across, as viewed from the front.  I haven't
finalized the height yet, as I'll want the entire model finished to
adjust for scaling.  I've thought about what it would take to gear the
legs and make it walk.  First of all, there would have to be some
technic-type beam supports in the legs themselves.  THe feet are large
and heavy enough that they will fall off otherwise: not too hard to
implement.  As for the actual drive system, I was envisioning a single
compound mechanism that would swing the leg forward at the hip joint
while bending the knee, and then straighten the knee, then swing the hip
back.  That way, the leg would move forward, plant the foot, and pull
the body ahead slightly.  I pictured the ankle and toe flaps as being
free, so that they always swing down due to gravity as the leg moves.
By doing this with all four legs (maybe in a 1-3-2-4 pattern, with front
legs being 1 & 2, rear being 3 & 4, numbered clockwise), I think it
could be made to walk ... slowly :)  Now, for the gearing, I figured
that with some scotch-yoke machanisms for the forward/backward swinging,
and some cam system for the timing of the knee bend, and of course tons
of gear reduction and wormgearing to get the torque up ... well, I think
it's possible, though intimidating.  One major design flaw I can
envision is the transmission between the hip region, which is fairly
straightforward, and the knee, which is well removed by a long thin
leg.  Unless there are LEGO timing belt I'm not familiar with, I'm
guessing a belt would slip - maybe the timing chain from the likes of
8880?  If not, then a ridiculously long gear trin might suffice, but I'd
be worried about the combined tooth stresses deforming the pieces, or
just ripping the assembly apart:  that a long moment arm with a
relatively large weight at the end.  Plus, the sum slack in all those
gears could make for a pretty loose system ... In any case, it would
definitely be more easily done if the minifig amenities were done away
with, and it was primarily a Mindstroms model only.

Have you considered trying the flex system for the knee joints?  I kinda have
an idea, lemme try to explain it.  It would involve either a cam or a wheel to
pull the leg back when it begins a step and straighten it out as it finishes.
Do you think that might work?

Jeff
- "This is definitely *not* an ordinary spell!"



Message is in Reply To:
  Re: has anyone made an at-at out of lego?
 
Hi Luis, Thanks for the ego-boost :) I'm glad you like the AT-ST ... to answer your other questions: 1) I'm planning on taking some pictures this weekend of the components I'm pleased with so far ... that is, the feet, the legs, the head, the (...) (25 years ago, 8-Jul-99, to lugnet.starwars)

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