Main Entrance Rebuild - Part ONE

To move the doors as discussed previously, this entire module will need to be rebuilt.  While I am add it, I decided to also redo the wiring as much as possible.  So lets get started.

First I took lots of pictures of the module from all angles. Mostly I needed to make sure that I keep the dimensions the same and that all interface to other modules remain the same.

Then I started removing in the biggest chunks possible of the top structure.  

Until this was left.

And this is the bottom side view.

While the blue base plate was a good solution at the time, it did not provide enough support.  So I changed it to this.

While this design provides much better support, it is not the final version.  I am still working on power distribution throughout the module.  So I suspect this is going to change.  This is made up of two 16 x 16 plates on the front of the module and then two more on the back.  Then there are two 6 x 16 plates in the center.  Unless I want to drill through these plates, some things will have to change.

Doors on Main Entrance - A Beginning

 

The Blacktron Logo has always been on door that was suppose to open.  In this case the doors were on hinges and would swing open to the back.  The door had to be at least two plates thick, the color tiles to form the logo and the backing plate.  As precise as the Lego pieces are, this was never going to work. AS the doors open, they crash into each other as the prototype shows.

That meant that the doors were going to have to slide apart.  That also means that they will have to move back for that to happen.  And finally, that means a rebuild of this module.  This was always going to happen for other reasons.  

This is the first attempt at making sliding doors. Right now only one side is connected.  The simple implementation would be two motors, but I want to see what I can do to reduce down to one motor.  

In order for this to fit in the current storage box, this is going to have to be an attachment in some form.  That will come from the module rebuild.  

For now here is a short video showing the one side working.

 

 

 

A Different Configuration

 I have been looking at different configurations, some of it driven by the weight /table issue.  Also to just change up the appearance of the display.  This configuration entails placing the entrance module at the corner of an L-shaped table arrangement, facing out over the table corner.  Then a two new modules will turn 45 degrees followed by the two long extensions of the hangers, dining area, maintenance control, bar, etc., to then run down the two tables.  

One idea is this will put the large weight of the entrance module on the corner over the legs of the table.  This should give it more support.  While this will not completely solve the table sag issue, it should provide some relief.

The first order of business was locating the relative postion of the entrance module and the next module in the line.  These three pictures show the idea that the front of the modules would line up.  The 45 degree turn would happen at the entrance module.  For this to happen, would require that the entire slice (front module, cliff and hanger) would have to slide back.  This is in the last two pictures.  There is still an extension to the plateau that is not installed.  

This did not make any sense.  Next attempt was to slide the slice forward.  Making the back of the hanger platform even with the back of the entrance module.  This leads to the turn happening somewhere in the middle of this new joint.  The next set of three pictures shows this arrangement.

These pictures show the iterative approach of finding the correct place for the hinge joint that will hold the turn together.  This connector piece I wanted to cover the space between he cliff and the front of the display.  If I had been more diligent about putting more of the display into Studio, I might have been able to design this in studio.  But that did not happen.  So it is trial and error to find the best fit.  What you can see here is that this provide a large flat surface to deal with.  And right now I have no idea what would go there.

While I have not tried this, I suspect the cliff and module will merge into one piece.  This will fit where the open diamond space is.  This will be more like one of the cliff connectors and there will be some storage space, small work shop, power distribution, etc.

 

The small observation stand that is attached to the main module may have to change.  You can see this in the above picture.  This is a plug in module, so changing this is not a big deal.  It probably will be modified to connect to whatever the diamond shape object becomes.

This is probably as far as I am going to take this for now.  I am looking at adding two to four more transportation boxes to accommodate this.  While I like this configuration, in some venues this will take up a lot of floor space and will require a lot railing to go around an L shaped table setup.  If it is part of an existing setup, the typical box configuration with tables on all sides, then seeing the back is difficult. 

New Year 2025

 

Break time is over.  We wish all of you a Happy New Year for 2025.

So what did not happen last year that I wanted to do.  But It looks like only one thing did not really get done.

• I need to revisit my solar panel on the outdoor shed

Here are the upcoming topics and plans through at least May.

• First Module needs a new motor, the big Power Functions motor is to power hungry
  
• More detailing: pictures, screens, signs, etc etc
  
• Get the large door to work on the Main Entrance
• Start the people mover
• Update the ongoing war with the Flash Aliens that inhabit the dwarf planet
• Look at a new layout that is a 90 degree bend
  
• Lego Conventions this year
  
• Android updates
• Train updates
• Update all the electronic projects

Once again this sounds like a lot of work for someone retired.😋

So I guess I better get started!

 

 

Motors from Amazon

 

I bought four of these motors from Amazon as a set of four for just under $30.  They are the equivalent of five plates thick and are the same as a 2 x 4 brick in footprint.   Other people in the reviews have said they are 2 x 4 bricks, but they are two plates thicker than that.

Below are the videos that I took of testing these motors.  The first test is a very light to no load test.  The only load is an axle and large gear.  In the second test, I used one of my demo platforms which is driving a a gear as a cam and a rubber band to pull back the platform.  So in this test the load is the large cam and the rubber band.

After about five minutes the motor on the upper right start to slow down.  At first this gave the appearance of an increasing load.  Then it started getting more and more inconsistent, like it was having a hard time getting over a spot on the rotation.  Eventually it quit running.  The motor was a little warm.  The other three kept running at full speed, at least it appeared to be.  I did not measure the rate of rotation, only what my eye could see.

I only tested one motor on the demo display.  Again this started out fine, but after about five minutes it started to slow down.  Then it became obvious that it was having difficulty pulling against the rubber band.  A few minutes later it stopped.  Again the motor was warm, a little warmer than the no load test.

In all test cases, after a few minutes of being off, they started working again.  My guess is that there is a PTC type resetable fuse inside.  As the motor heats up the fuse increases in resistance, thus slowing the motor down until the voltage drop across the fuse is so great that the motor cease to work.

One test I did not do was to try and control the motor speed with a PWM signal.  Since the observed performance was not that good, I decided not to try.  If I decide to keep them, this will be something I will try.

My conclusion is that these might be good for limited light duty that is not continuous. They have limited use in any thing else, especially anything that is continuous and loaded.  I have not decided if I will return these or not.  I may a use for them in some small, lightly loaded, lightly used module.

  

Landscaping Detail

This is what sets your MOC apart from others.  Being a HO train builder, building detailed scenes is part of the hobby.  The idea is to build a low level (or detail)  background.  Then add extreme detail in areas that are about one eye glance apart.  This forces the observer to move from one spot to the other.  While building a theme across the whole area is the preferred implementation, it is not really necessary.  Each vignette can stand on its own.

Here is a sequence of three pictures on one slice of the Space Outpost as the detail is added.

Here is another three picture sequence.

I use the plant material and rocks to form the low level background.  Then I use the minifigs to focus the observe on what is happening.

As has been stated before, we have a list of "Easter Eggs" to look for.  Some are hidden in plain sight in this landscape.  We have had multiple people stare at the item they are looking for and not see it.  If you watch their eyes very carefully, you can see them jumping from one scene to the other.  That is exactly the effect I am looking for.

 

 

 

Another Brick Pile Run

 

Actually it was a few runs to get more bricks for the stash.  

Basically this was some tan pieces and then alot of black and grey.  These were mostly to replenish used up pieces.  Plus a Bricks and Minifigs had a half price sale the day after Thanksgiving.

After washing them, I let them dry out on a towel in the bathroom, it is winter.  In the summer I would take the pieces out onto the patio counter and let them dry out there. When it is 90F+ and less than 15% humidity, doesn't take long.