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Jon Fitness' average 7mm signals workbench.


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It's interesting that you're thinking abut relay cases Jon.  One of the team is making a couple of masters for Midland style wooden cases that we intend to resin cast for Green Ayre.  It's a part of the railway that is often forgotten but the really add to a scene.

 

Jamie

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'average 7mm signals workbench.'  Really?

 

If your work is average, Jon, I look forward to seeing 'good'. This is a great thread, with a lot of inspiration in it. 

 

Yes really!. It helps me to keep the bar firmly within reach!

 

JF

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Today's work was fixing the dolls in place, routing the lamp wires neatly (which involved hacking some slots in the top of the dolls!) and adding post caps. I also made up and fitted the framework for the staging...

post-7179-0-82204300-1414967919.jpg

Supports for the 4 servos under the baseplate next.

More soon

JF.

Edited by Jon Fitness
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Jon's work is very defiantly in the average camp, I have seen it up close,

 

 

 

It's

 

 

 

 

 

Jaw dropping brill, please keep up the good work. 

 

OzzyO.

Thanks OzzyO, although I think your first comments nearer the mark!

JF

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Thanks all. Sometimes I think I take too many lazy shortcuts and I'm my own worst critic too. I suppose I have to make compromises to make sure that they work. The building of the signal tends to be the easiest bit. It's making the things work properly that's difficult!

JF

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Fully agree with your comments Jon. Building them, burning your fingers is easy. The linkage and making them work is another issue but luckily for me your teachings via your postings on here have helped me considerably.

 

The next phase for me is painting and how to do it so all the fiddly little bits that you don't want to get clogged up with paint stay moveable.

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Right..having done the easy bits it's now time for the difficult bits. I always struggle with the linkages as not having a logical mind I usually end up creating complications for myself :O .

I am pretty sure that I wont be able to neatly produce a 4 wire bell crank linkage so I've decided to split the action between cranks and levers. The L/H doll will be cranks and wires, the R/H doll will be levers within the cross trimmers...

First, the servo mounts were soldered to the baseplate and the servos fixed with 12BA nuts&bolts.

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The 2 operating levers were made from brass strip with bearings/spacers from 0.6mm internal diameter brass tube supported on a lace pin through the trimmers.

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The rather convoluted wire links down to the arms. The main post will have to have plenty of supports for the 0.5mm drive wires from the servos!

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Probably a rather dodgy engineering effort but it should work when it's all adjusted and set up properly!

Crank system for the L/H dolls next... :scratchhead:

Soon. 

Jon F

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The linkage on the left doll will be by 90deg cranks and rods across the trimmers. Now, I'm sure that someone out there does some nice small-medium sized etched cranks but I haven't found them yet so in this instance I looked to my scrap etch bits for something to use. A spare mounting plate from a gantry signal yielded 4 90 degree corners of the right size. I drilled them and snipped them off the scrap and trimmed them up.

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4 cranks, a bit makeshift but they'll do the job. They are mounted on 14BA bolts to allow dismantling for painting and any repairs as necessary

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To aid setting up the drive rods I made a jig and fitted the cross wires. I can also park them on it while I paint the rest of the structure!

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After a few frustrating attempts I managed to link the arms up and get roughly the required movement. I won't be able to do a proper mechanical test until the thing is fully finished as the arm stops act on the backblinders rather than the arms and these will be the last things soldered on at the end.

After fitting some non-working weightbars (who said lazy git? :lazy: ) this is how the thing looks tonight... 

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Next up will be the doll shoes (the little brace/brackety things that join the dolls to the cross trimmers). After that it'll be ladders and handrails.

More soon

JF

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It's shoe time folks!.......(well I thought it was funny :beee: )

 

These little brackets as shown on the drawing are simply a strengthener for the doll/trimmer joint.

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I made 4 of them from square brass tube cut lengthways with a couple of boltheads added with the rivet press. A bit of work with a file gave them a bit of a profile...

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These were then fitted with the RSU but it now means another link rod from a rocking lever to an arm will have to be changed as it now catches on it!

post-7179-0-81623600-1415831036.jpg

Next up was handrails and ladders. 2 ladders were needed as the weight bars are up on the main post and would need to be reached by the S&T for maintenance.

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I'm getting there slowly but it's still a complex little so&so.

More soon

JF

 

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And some on the structure too

The open ends of various bits were filled in and the shaped base added to the post with plasticard.

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Long way to go yet but you get the idea...

More soon (cough)

JF

Edited by Jon Fitness
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Hello Jon,

 

saw these and thought of you,

 

http://www.technobotsonline.com/miga-nanomuscle.html

 

Any use to you?

 

OzzyO.

Thanks Ozzyo,  I think you've pointed out these before and although the site has loads of interesting goodies, I think these nanomuscle things are memory wire based. Been there before and not keen. (bit 'spensive too!)

Cheers anyway.

JF

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