Armand, I saw the video, it is pretty cool. It is also very smartly done, the arm has only two hinges and its motion looks like it has more articulation than with two points. The controls for this could be straightforward and should be easy to do. I have been wanting to do this for a while but I am still hunting for a nice Z scale excavator. Do you have a source for the excavator? For many reasons I do not want to use the serails one. It will be the next one after the warehouse I am working on now. I can make more for folks interested. What will be real cool is If the truck moves to a different location, Dumps the load and comes back to pickup more... it is doable.... Kim
Been scrounging for parts for the animated warehouse/forklift. After having enough time to think about it here is the plan. The warehouse door opens, the forklift comes out drops the load (maybe, this is a little painful given the size) does a 180 degree in the reverse, not just spin around but in a arc like the real one, goes back the the warehouse , does a U turn and stops, door closes and a bunch of combinations of these sequence Here are the parts, probably use the smallest one, I used the same one for the garage/Car animation. These are pulled from CD players and DVD players. Probably I'll use only 3 servos, for the door, load pickup and drop and turning in an arc.
Hi Kim, From the excavators, there exist an N-Scale Model. It should be a small engine, but if you take away the cabin and etch or adapt a smaller one, you have a big Z tool ! Somebody did it already in the ZFE Forum. The photo is from Sven, the (very nice) guy who made the animated locksmith, I think that he was having the original idea. Over all it has already 3 articulations in the arm. It exists in red and blue, but place for bashing is there enough, like you see on the pictures. It cost in general about 10$.
Awww come on if your gonna make one, make it steam powered!!! : ) [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oz1hD0T8fFg"]YouTube - Digging with steam power[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hjDv_-r88U"]YouTube - Steam Shovel in Action[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-qZ3rNxZoI"]YouTube - Steam Power in Action[/ame]
Hi Chris, We are a smokefree home :rn-laugh: Hi Kim, I think that on the Wiking dozzer it should be necessary to replace the inner articulations with little smaller metal rods to have easy movements. When you fix between 2 metal plates with outer half from both hole little smaller diameter, is easy to bore. For animation should be possible to fix 2 servos on top of each other, and on top from all the excavator.
I love steam but the steam excavator was pretty funny. It reminded me of a horror movie (kind of) where one of this antique machine is under a lake catching people who swim.... I wanted to check the excavator so I went to the local hobby shop 'The train Shop' and looked around sure to buy something 'n' but the hobby shop had nothing in 'N scale' The owner has gone back in time he carries only HO and G. I asked the shop keeper for N scale construction equipments and he looked at me like I was asking for Z scale construction equipments. He advised me to use the HO mini, he also told me many folks modify that and use it in 'N'. I looked at it and it will be bigger than a mine excavator in Z. I'll have to get it some place online. Kim
Kim, If you want I could provide you the Wiking engine from here, easy to find in the color that you want and the quantity also. The red color is a little bit candy like. I just found that it exist in white also now from 10/2007 ! And cost 7,68 Euro in Lokshop. 9,14$ for export. Lokshop, Modelleisenbahn von A bis Z mit ueber 100.000 Artikeln im Online Shop) WIK094603
Armand, That will be great if you can send me 2, any color. I can send you $$ via paypal I'll cover all the costs, or trade for some kits. I checked Lokshop and found only one type in N scale available but no picture. For small orders it is too expensive to get them from Lokshop, There is min shipping costs, additional % of charges for outside EU, my CC charges extra for foreign currencies etc etc everyone in the loop takes a bite, as big as they they can. Kim
I will order some, white and blue. Kim, if somebody in contact with you want to join, let me please know. I will just send all this to your address.
I have not posted pics of progress but here is the video of the first run, to get you thinking a little bit. [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RFn3Zq1ptc"]YouTube - animated forklift -1 in Z scale[/ame] [ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gqZD22qpukU"]YouTube - Animated Forklift-2 in Z scale first run[/ame] The forklift is half done, I just wanted to make sure it was practical to do this... I am looking for pics of a nice looking track side shed with roller type metal door. All the ones I have seen are just box type buildings, no fun building that.. I could replace the door if the storage shed is nice looking. Any pictures will help. More detail pictures of the insides to follow soon. Again the idea here is to have a shed that rolls open the door, forklift comes out with a load , drops the load, backs up and turns, goes back to the shed, shed door rolls down, the next time around the forklift pickup up the load..... Kim
Unbelievable. How small are you going to be able to go? There goes 1:220 and here comes 1:600 engines. Joe had better tighten down the track making machine tolerances. ...don
Kim, About the forklift...wow! Did you use a magnet to do that? This is an old favorite of mine from the NG&SLG. Nn2 but still small: http://picasaweb.google.com/ErieChris333/Nn3/photo#5119087725741574866 http://picasaweb.google.com/ErieChris333/Nn3/photo#5119087798756018914 (sorry I can't figure out how to post them as photos here) It fills the cars up with sand in the building, runs around to the other side and dumps the load into the bunker.
Wow, this is a great idea. How will you deal with the surface to not warn out by the lift passing at the same place? Or there are mini wheels turning and I don't see them? Ben
Chris, All these motions are from magnets. the 2 foot train is pretty cool if it can fill on one side and dump the other side does it have something in the bottom that picks up the sand and transfers it to the other side so it can cycle for ever? do you have more pictures or a video. For the picture I just right clicked on the image on picasaweb-> properties and inserted the link as a image. Kim
Ben, The best would be to have the wheels turn, still working on that but not on this one. I have three screws that can move the base up or down which will allow me to move it away or close to the magnet, I'll move it high enough that the forklift moves smooth without any jerking motion and has minimum downward force. I also keep both surfaces as smooth as possible. I am not sure how long it will last but the car garage has been to a few shows running all day and I see some sliding marks and nothing much, I think it will last longer than I would want to run it. Kim
Here is the insides [ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=43t5m2DR9hE"]YouTube - Animated forklift -2 in Z scale Inside[/ame] [ame="http://youtube.com/watch?v=XyYjsdCekYo"]YouTube - Animated forklift -1 in Z scale inside[/ame] Kim
Kim, I wouldn't worry about any wear marks. Paint up the floor to look like concrete and make some graphite powder tracks. The tow motors at work tend to leave a "track" of dirt/dust. Actually if I was making a static display I would still make some sort of wear pattern. About the pic, why didn't I think of that? Those are from a magazine I haven't found any other info on it. The article says when the car under the bunker is full he picks it up, lifts the roof from the building and dumps the sand back into the holding bin. Probably bot the smallest in the world, but I think it is a cool little layout. The etched brass loco & dump car are from Railino and are meant to be ran from underneath with a magnet.
Hi Kim and Chris, I have the Railino Kit here, its now distributed by Hammerschmidt and awaits to be converted to Park-train. Concerning wheels and wear. You could totaly eliminate this if you take for wheels 3mm ball bearings, and for track teflon in sheet. I know just a german source for Teflon : http://www.gerd.neumann.net/v2/deutsch/teflon.html The wheels from the Railino are unusable, so I get some old parts from Freudenreich with 3mm wheels for the track, but still some job.
