19 replies to this topic

[KirbyCoast]

After I took a little break I wanted to try building something very different from what I normally do. 4D coasters have always interested me but I wasn't sure how it would work with VV tube supports, but then Intamin came out with their new Zacspin model, and I decided I might try it out. The main differences between model and the old zacspin are that it does not have a vertical lift, it uses an LSM launch (I'm just going to be using a normal chain though), and the layout is different with it only having 3 levels instead of having 5. So it's a bit more like the S&S free-fly but with a slightly longer layout and a different lift hill. 

 

So far I've made all 3 support structures and I've completed the top two layers of the layout. I also still have to do the chain lift, station, and break run though, so I still have a while to go before I finish it.

 

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I've also started building a custom winged 4D car for this, but I'm not done with it yet.

 

Comments are appreciated 

 

EDIT: sorry about the photo quality, I couldn't find the SD card for my camera so I just took these with my phone...

Edited by KirbyCoast, 20 February 2017 - 03:04 PM.

[dylan]

This is beautiful!!

[SCM]

I really like the double-sided track lift - oh these 4D coasters are so weird-looking.  

[Muzz135]

I really like this! VV definitely pulls off a Zacspin better that SS in my opinion. Looking forward to seeing more

[Inswerver]

reminds me of a coaster i built a while back. it was aid to be the first micro 4D knex coaster. maybe you should check it out?

 

but enough with my bragging, this looks awesome and i cant wait to see it run.

[Spaghetti]

I find this very interesting. Can you provide a close-up of the motor set up?

[Muzz135]

^ Guys, check the date....

[KirbyCoast]

^ Guys, check the date....

 

It's fine, I haven't ignored this yet, I've just kind of left it up for a while with not much work done on it.

 

 

reminds me of a coaster i built a while back. it was aid to be the first micro 4D knex coaster. maybe you should check it out?

 

but enough with my bragging, this looks awesome and i cant wait to see it run.

 

Your ride actually gave me the inspiration to do this! I had wanted to build one for a while but I hadn't really seen very many VV Zacspins until you made one.

 

 

I find this very interesting. Can you provide a close-up of the motor set up?

 

Here you go Spagoodles

 

I'm having a lot of issues with this setup, the chain is breaking a lot, which I can understand why because there's a lot of stress on this gear. If anyone is good with gearbox stuff I would like some advice.

 

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Lift hill

 

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I made some small improvements to the existing layout.

 

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And I've started the next layer.

 

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Also I've been playing around with this recently, I'm probably not going to use this on a K'nex coaster yet. I wouldn't really need it at all on this ride anyway, but I'm hoping to use it in the future.

 

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Here's an outdated test that I forgot to post last time:

 

https://www.youtube....h?v=SoUow61xhoU

 

Sorry for the long wait, unfortunately there will probably be more time until the next update because of finals but once summer starts I'll start working a bunch on this.

[SCM]

The tube support arrangement looks really nice, as does the color scheme. 

[GER Seano]

amazing looking micro! love the tube support, too. Would like to see some arduino action because my brother owns one ( doing nothing with it). 

[Inswerver]

i feel you with the breaking chain. maybe try adding on one more link. or have it loose fit with a tensioning gear (a geat that slides up and down rods with weights or rubber bands to keep it tight to the chain).

 

but this looks great so far! keep up the good work.

[KirbyCoast]

i feel you with the breaking chain. maybe try adding on one more link. or have it loose fit with a tensioning gear (a geat that slides up and down rods with weights or rubber bands to keep it tight to the chain).

 

but this looks great so far! keep up the good work.

That loose gear thing actually sounds really smart, I might try that. As for the one less link thing, I tried that and it's too loose, But I could add one more rod to make it somewhere in between for tension.

[KirbyCoast]

I finished the layout *finally*. Here's some pitctures for you guys:

 

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Test Video: https://www.youtube....h?v=CX0EYPdTw8k

 

Even though the ride is technically "done", I never was able to get the chain to work. I tried rearranging the gears, loosening it, and even guiding it with my hand. But it still breaks after a few seconds. I think it probably just has to do with the design of the lift hill in general, so to change it I would have to take apart the whole thing. I don't think I will make a final video for this ride, but I might make a model database page for it and make one last video for it showing more camera angles. Unless you guys have any suggestions for things I should add, this will probably be the last update. It's been so long since I've started something new that I'm really wanting to take it down and build another coaster (possibly for summer heat).

[rgarner42]

Took you long enough

But it is very nicely done. A very neat, well executed coaster, shame you couldn't get the lift working. Would it work if you split the chain into 2 circuits, one for the lift and one for the station, instead of the continuous one you have now? 

Edited by rgarner42, 05 July 2017 - 05:37 PM.

[KirbyCoast]

Took you long enough

But it is very nicely done. A very neat, well executed coaster, shame you couldn't get the lift working. Would it work if you split the chain into 2 circuits, one for the lift and one for the station, instead of the continuous one you have now? 

Haha this took me way longer than it should have. I probably could have finished it within the first week of summer but I had kind of forgot about it. I was so busy with school work that I was only working on it around once a month.

 

As for the chains, I was thinking about doing that but the space is way too tight. Unless the point where the two circuits were right next to each other the car might have a hard time going from one to the next since it's only one car (so it would go off the chain and after the connection left the chain, there would be nothing else to move it forward. There is actually enough speed that I could have had just one circuit, being the lift hill. But I would have to take apart a lot of the structure to do that. Thanks for the suggestion though

[FrIeDeGgS]

Very nice coaster! It looks very nice with the spine that you used and I like how you used the track to make the shape of the crest of the lift hill. Maybe the lift hill would work if you moved the top gear (heh) towards the right? Or maybe having the chain go below the 2nd gear at the bottom instead of on top?

[frank]

very nice, cant wait to see the final video!

[Spaghetti]

Who cares about the lift, it looks great! The micro track looks realistic for the type of coaster.

[CW5X]

As long as you can fudge it for the video (never done that before... ) and make it look good, I don't think anybody's going to mind. Certainly not on YouTube anyway. This coaster looks really neat .

Edited by CW5X, 10 July 2017 - 04:08 PM.

[KirbyCoast]

https://www.youtube....h?v=GOku4YgpNJo