Whats Lying on your Workbench MK IV

[arbit]

53 minutes ago, MechTech said:

So, the score's not so good. Three dead circuit boards to one working.

I think you were sold some bum circuits. I get one dollar boards from China on Ebay and never got a bad one yet, although I always expect to.

[MechTech]

Thanks Arbit; I think you are right! Maybe that's why the toys were on sale so cheap!? I've NEVER blown anything electronic until now. Updated score...

SCOREBOARD

SHIP      ME

4           0

I finished wiring up and testing the hangar door. With the remote, it was like a REAL garage (hangar) door opening and closing. I showed my wife and she was like, "That's cool!" After dinner I went to show my children and only the LED blinked. I checked everything and nothing works. There's a second motor on there for other stuff. It's dead too! How frustrating! I tested it again tonight - still dead! Of course this happens AFTER everything is glued in place! Oh well. I have radio control (vs IR) controlled boards I can use. The transmitters are just more bulky and radios can receive interference. I'm going to have to mess with it some more. - MT

[arbit]

1 hour ago, MechTech said:

Thanks Arbit; I think you are right! Maybe that's why the toys were on sale so cheap!? I've NEVER blown anything electronic until now. Updated score...

SCOREBOARD

SHIP      ME

4           0

I finished wiring up and testing the hangar door. With the remote, it was like a REAL garage (hangar) door opening and closing. I showed my wife and she was like, "That's cool!" After dinner I went to show my children and only the LED blinked. I checked everything and nothing works. There's a second motor on there for other stuff. It's dead too! How frustrating! I tested it again tonight - still dead! Of course this happens AFTER everything is glued in place! Oh well. I have radio control (vs IR) controlled boards I can use. The transmitters are just more bulky and radios can receive interference. I'm going to have to mess with it some more. - MT

Ha ha! Funny stuff. I love your scoring system. For me it's more like a grudge match, and I need to beat it into submission even after 10-0.

Even funnier is that of all the things I've ever done, the only thing to really get a sparkle out of my wife's eye was also that quirky garage door roller!!!!!!!!  ROFL!

My advice to you single guys: give up the sci-fi, and stick to houses and doors to impress the ladies 

Edited December 4, 2019 by arbit

[MechTech]

That's funny Arbit! Picking up chicks with garage doors!? I can have fun with that one! "So baby, are you a roll-up, slide to the side, or tilt-up canopy type of garage door lady?" (I had to look those up)

UPDATE: So, I got out the other Hexbug just to check it with the treansmitter and I noticed I flipped the notch I made for the switch. The switch has three positions, I only made the slot big enough for two so it would always stay on the same channel (A or B). In all my wisdom, I reversed that! Duh! So for the heck of it, I opened up the slot to get both channels working. I think being able to power cycle it fixed it! So now it works. So the new score:

SCOREBOARD

SHIP      ME

4           1

The ship gets to keep that one for getting the better of me and for me making a dumb mistake, but I'm taking a point (and impressing my wife) - MT

[arbit]

29 minutes ago, MechTech said:

The ship gets to keep that one for getting the better of me and for me making a dumb mistake, but I'm taking a point (and impressing my wife) - MT

Oh man, I love dumb mistakes. They're the kinds you can actually fix, and then tell everyone how dumb you are. 

[MechTech]

Hi guys! The Hexbug remote basically has two channels on it. They both go forward and reverse. One channel will power the hangar door (previous drama in the last few posts) and the other will trigger both lights and the radar.

I got 10- 9gram micro servos cheap on Ebay. Two will be made into mechanical switches for the lights and radar. The servos have a shaft that runs down into what used to be the potentiometer so the servo knows where it is turning. I put a cam on that shaft which "pushes" an on and off push button switch (you can see them in the photos-one is open, the other is pushing the button). I'm doing it this way instead of a relay or other electronics because this requires no power to keep the accessories turned on. To make one channel into two, I'm cheating. The one photo with the wires and soldering exposed shows the diodes (the black cans soldered to each servo motor). Sorry, it's blurry. If you notice the stripe on the diodes, one is facing towards the motor and the other is facing in the opposite direction. For those not familiar, diodes allow electricity to only flow in one direction. So when I push forward on the controller, only one servo switch will be allowed to work and the other won't and then visa versa. It kinda makes two channels for the price of one. Now they just have to be wired up to the accessories. - MT

[arbit]

Mechtech, I had thought you were going to use the servo gear and arm attachment to hit a switch. I didn't know you were going to gut the servo and use the internal shaft to hit the switch. I assume the servo motor will go forward and reverse using the 4-wires?

But how on earth did you come up with that? Is repurposing servos typical? I'm just happy if they run right and know where the heck they are, which they never seem to do.

[MechTech]

Hi Arbit! The gears and motor are the only original guts. Two wires power the motor and two go to the switch. Push the transmitter for a bit and a little rotation activates the switch. There's no exact on or off, just "hit and miss tech," but its simple. The motor will only go in the direction the diode allows it to. One servo only will go when forward is pressed and only one will go reverse when reverse is pressed. I hope that makes sense? - MT

[Urashiman]

On 12/8/2019 at 10:36 PM, arbit said:

Mechtech, I had thought you were going to use the servo gear and arm attachment to hit a switch. I didn't know you were going to gut the servo and use the internal shaft to hit the switch. I assume the servo motor will go forward and reverse using the 4-wires?

But how on earth did you come up with that? Is repurposing servos typical? I'm just happy if they run right and know where the heck they are, which they never seem to do.

Repurposing servos is something that is done for a long time. In the 90's I used servos as "mini" gearboxes. Check the resistance on the pot, remove the pot and solder in fixed resistors. Et voila, mini electric speed controler with mini electric motor and gearbox. This technique is mostly used for 1:87 RC cars/trucks. Nowadays, people tinkering around with makerboards use it too to create easy 360° movement servos instead of using expensive stepping motors.

Edited December 10, 2019 by Urashiman
grammar

[arbit]

Thanks Urashiman. Interesting background. 

[MechTech]

Yeah, I was doing that back in the 80's That's when servos were MUCH bigger. -MT

[Urashiman]

17 hours ago, MechTech said:

Yeah, I was doing that back in the 80's That's when servos were MUCH bigger. -MT

Yeah, frikkin' C05 varioprop Graupner Servos. They were huge...

[MechTech]

He he!  I dreamed that someday radio gear would get small enough to fit in tiny stuff. And 30 years later, it finally happened! - MT

Edited December 12, 2019 by MechTech
Update

[Thom]

Currently finished dropping the slats and flaps on an Academy 1/72 Superbug. Next stage is paint!!

 

[Salamander]

And the end of a project:

Someone seems to have pimped their grandparent's old three-wheeled truck in their garage...

Base kit: Arii Daihatsu CM-10T diorama kit. Scratch: garage, minor improvements to kit including wooden truck bed. From the spares box: Some chromed bits left over from an Aoshima kit. Other bits: CMK/Verlinden/AK/Yen Models/etc. Paint: Tamiya spray cans for the main truck colors, everything else Tamiya acrylics by hand.

Edited December 14, 2019 by Salamander

[pengbuzz]

14 hours ago, Thom said:

Currently finished dropping the slats and flaps on an Academy 1/72 Superbug. Next stage is paint!!

 

Wow! Some sharp work there Thom! Really looking forward to seeing this bird finished up!

That reminds me: I found a tutorial on painting/weathering Navy craft a while ago on ARC forums that I have yet to use!

[electric indigo]

This thread is buzzing as the year comes to an end!

I got a long awaited letter from Moscow last week. Paint tomorrow if the sun shows up.

[derex3592]

That thing really does look like it belongs in Macross honestly! 

[Thom]

From Moscow with love!

[electric indigo]

Na sdorowje!

[derex3592]

Your painting is just a thing of beauty.  Always looks like a manufactured product. 

[MechTech]

The Superbug is looking good Thom!

Great diorama Salamander. The details really make it! That car reminds me of the three wheelers in England and Italy. Choice rides for pickin' up chicks in!

Electric Indigo, that thing does look like its from Macross! Maybe that's where they got the look from? The paint scheme is looking cool! - MT

[derex3592]

This is only my 2nd attempt at lighting.....and the 1st was very rudimentary. So here we go... Phase 1 complete. 

[joscasle]

Advance un my 1/48 Tamiya F-14A VF-21 Freelancers

https://i.imgur.com/vTVfyCO.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/bewOFTL.jpg

https://i.imgur.com/1TfLhUa.jpg

Edited December 16, 2019 by joscasle

[505thAirborne]

Sorry for the not so great pic but I decided to start building one of my 1/72 VF-19 Advance kits. 

This is going to be a fun custom, don't expect to see Isamu piloting it. 

 

[anubis20]

Final stretch on the YF-19 K-40. Started panel lining last night and will try to decal this week but have too much family stuff going on due to the upcoming holidays 

 

[HardlyNever]

This is on my "virtual workbench" I guess (is there a thread for 3D printing stuff?):

I'm trying to make a 1/48 DX vf-1 TV style-fist, that started as a scan of yamcadia TV style fist.  Still definitely a WIP at this point, but I should have the first prototype printed out tomorrow.  I'm not sure how much of the bumpiness will be captured by the 3D printer, so I'll refine it from there.  I'm also pretty sure the ball joint is a little too small, but I should be able to adjust that pretty easily.

This was definitely harder than thought it would be when I got the idea (I'm a complete noob to 3D printing).  Props to the guys that make all those detailed models and extra pieces on Shapeways and the like; this definitely isn't easy.

[Mazinger]

22 minutes ago, HardlyNever said:

This is on my "virtual workbench" I guess (is there a thread for 3D printing stuff?):

This was definitely harder than thought it would be when I got the idea (I'm a complete noob to 3D printing).  Props to the guys that make all those detailed models and extra pieces on Shapeways and the like; this definitely isn't easy.

When you are finished with it please do share the STL on shapeways, thingiverse or some other site, and post a link somewhere on MWF to it when you do.  I have a few simple parts replacement files I'm also working on for older 80's toys and will post them when they are ready.

As for topics, there's a couple so far:

 

 

[Gabe Q]

2 hours ago, HardlyNever said:

This is on my "virtual workbench" I guess (is there a thread for 3D printing stuff?):

I'm trying to make a 1/48 DX vf-1 TV style-fist, that started as a scan of yamcadia TV style fist.  Still definitely a WIP at this point, but I should have the first prototype printed out tomorrow.  I'm not sure how much of the bumpiness will be captured by the 3D printer, so I'll refine it from there.  I'm also pretty sure the ball joint is a little too small, but I should be able to adjust that pretty easily.

This was definitely harder than thought it would be when I got the idea (I'm a complete noob to 3D printing).  Props to the guys that make all those detailed models and extra pieces on Shapeways and the like; this definitely isn't easy.

I've always wanted to design a 'hybrid' between the SDFM and DYRL valk hands. While the valk design has aged like a fine wine the past decades, the TV hands have not. These hybrid design fists could update the classic TV valk look without looking too out of place. 

[UN_MARINE]

New project! Who's into 40K?

It'll be in 1/12 scale when it's done. Tomytec Little Armory M2HB for scale.

[Urashiman]

On 12/18/2019 at 1:02 AM, HardlyNever said:

This is on my "virtual workbench" I guess (is there a thread for 3D printing stuff?):

I'm trying to make a 1/48 DX vf-1 TV style-fist, that started as a scan of yamcadia TV style fist.  Still definitely a WIP at this point, but I should have the first prototype printed out tomorrow.  I'm not sure how much of the bumpiness will be captured by the 3D printer, so I'll refine it from there.  I'm also pretty sure the ball joint is a little too small, but I should be able to adjust that pretty easily.

This was definitely harder than thought it would be when I got the idea (I'm a complete noob to 3D printing).  Props to the guys that make all those detailed models and extra pieces on Shapeways and the like; this definitely isn't easy.

Now there is a thread for 3D printing - thanks for the idea

 

 

 

[Thom]

Some nice looking builds guys! Finally finished mine and it is off onto its new home.

[505thAirborne]

Beautiful Super Hornet Thom! 

[pengbuzz]

1 hour ago, Thom said:

Some nice looking builds guys! Finally finished mine and it is off onto its new home.

WOW!!!!

[MechTech]

Merry Christmas everyone!

Nice n clean Thom! It looks great!

Been working this week on the crane for my ship. Its a hydraulic style folding crane. Its all styrene except for hollow brass hinge points and aluminum tubing for the hydraulic shafts. Still has more detail to be added. - MT