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New Vekoma-Drop, turn, and loop 1/21/18

custom train vv

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#1 YolosweggLord

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Posted 13 November 2017 - 03:32 AM

I wanted to hold off on a thread until I the lift, station, and brakerun were all completed but I couldn't resist sharing these pictures with you :)
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Edited by YolosweggLord, 21 January 2018 - 10:47 AM.


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#2 SCM

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Posted 13 November 2017 - 09:06 PM

I like the lift hill tunnel. :) It's fun to see VV coasters with dark blue rods. 



I'm not done building yet. 

Glimpses

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#3 YolosweggLord

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Posted 16 November 2017 - 03:17 AM

New coaster time!
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For this project, I will be making a Vekoma launched coaster. The idea behind the ride is inspired by several of Vekoma’s newer-generation coasters, including Lech Coaster, Battlestar Galactica, and Formula. The tentative plan as of yet is to get an Arduino or Raspberry Pi, a couple of motors, solenoid valves, reed switches, etc. and create a fully automated roller coaster.

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This image shows the lift hill design. The train will begin climbing the hill at a normal pace, then accelerate into a launch a la Hulk and Battlestar Galactica. The tunnel is just there for aesthetics, and it may feature a programmed light display later on if I’m able to get the appropriate light strips.
Edit: apparently it’s stupid sideways picture time again

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Here is the unfinished gearbox for the lifthill. There is space for motors on either side of the tan rod, though none are hooked up yet. I plan on adding variable speed motors here as part of the control system.

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Here is an overview of the brakerun and station area.

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Here are some station pictures. The station uses curved pieces from the Mecha Strike building set for the curved wall and roof. Beneath the station, there is another gear on another tan axle, though I can’t get a good shot of it. Again, I’ve left space for a motor.

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The train inside the station. Oh yeah, did I mention I’m using the custom train from the quick pic? ;)

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The brake system for the roller coaster. The brakes will slow the train down through friction between the tubing and the side of the wheelbases. They will be movable by means of a simple linkage and solenoid valve system.

Obviously I’m missing all of the electrical components, but I am planning on purchasing either a Raspberry Pi or Arduino to control the roller coaster. If anyone reading this has experience with such project automation, comment below on which one you think is a better choice for a K’nex project. I’m extremely good at coding and have a decent knowledge of basic electricity already, so learning how to code either system shouldn’t be a problem for me.

Edited by YolosweggLord, 16 November 2017 - 10:36 AM.



#4 G Force

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Posted 16 November 2017 - 03:17 PM

Custom trains look great, extra details like that and the station really give the coaster more character.




#5 Batwing

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Posted 27 November 2017 - 09:51 AM

Love this! Vekoma's new generation sit-down loopers are really exciting and perfect for VV, so I'm really interested to see where you go with this.

Nice work on the custom trains, the tunnel and I'm liking the look of the I-305 style supports too!

 

How are you lubing your wheelbases by the way?


Edited by Batwing, 27 November 2017 - 09:57 AM.


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#6 OddlyCreative

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Posted 27 November 2017 - 07:32 PM

Is the speed conservation of the custom train good?




#7 YolosweggLord

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Posted 28 November 2017 - 12:18 AM

I haven’t actually lubed these wheelbases yet. For the past week and a half I have been too busy for Kknex, with visiting family and a ton of working hours. I have looked around at posts from the past though and I think I’ll end up using motor oil as a lubricant. We might have some 2-stroke oil somewhere in the garage, but if not, I can probably order some low-weight motor oil off of Amazon.
Speed conservation seems pretty great since 2 of my wheelbases are brand new and the others are almost as good. I had a small test track which I used to test all my wheelbases, and the finished train showed promising results on that track. The true test will come when the train is running at high speeds over track built with 2 or 3 flexis as a spine.
Update on the electrical components: I’m definitely going with an Arduino, though I’ll probably have to wait until Christmas to get it. I still need to figure out what kind of motors I’ll need for the launch though, as it takes a bit of force to propel that train up the lift. I think what I’ll do with those is have them draw power directly from an AC wall plug (I expect a standard 12V converter should be plenty enough power) while using transistors to turn the on/off, and get a premade pulsewidth modulator to control the speed. If I can set the motor up with an H-bridge as well I’ll maybe add a prelaunch backwards crawl to build suspense.

Edited by YolosweggLord, 28 November 2017 - 12:32 AM.



#8 YolosweggLord

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Posted 21 January 2018 - 10:46 AM

I've got the drop, first turn, and most of the loop done at this point.

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And finally, here's a closeup of the spine I'm using:

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The track on the spine and drop are a bit undersupported, so I'm going to try adding more supports to the drop and adding more flexis to the spine on the top of the loop.

 

I got some sewing machine oil yesterday and attempted to lube my cars, but I don't think they're broken in yet. They're performing worse than they were beforehand. And yes, I applied the lube to the axles and not the wheels. I also wiped off all the wheels and track to remove any potential oil.

On the bad side of things, I ran out of ladder connectors, and I have an astonishingly small amount of several other pieces. I think I'll be able to buy myself some more pieces in bulk from knex.com or Ebay or something since I have my own job and make my own money now. This was not the case with the Intamin Accelerator I attempted a few months ago.

 

After this loop, I plan on moving on to a dive loop, then some sort of spiral inside of the first turn and drop. Maybe I'll thread the loop with a corkscrew or drop.

 

edit: You may have noticed that the launch tunnel is laying on the ground and not the lift. Don't worry, it's not going anywhere. This just makes it a lot easier to get the train up the lift by hand :)

 

Thanks for reading, don't forget to leave a comment!


Edited by YolosweggLord, 21 January 2018 - 11:03 AM.



#9 SCM

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Posted 21 January 2018 - 03:31 PM

That loop could definitely look better on the top. It's disfigured. I know it's not done yet and further supporting could change the shape, but it's something worth pointing out. Also, you should really layer your flexis. You would be able to get away with using little to no ladder connectors, and, the track would be smoother... of course, there would be times when the flexi rods would end at an awkward time, but you could work your way around that. Regarding the pieces, it's financially better to buy them from not the big bosses themselves. One more thing: those upside-down V supports would be better at supporting if they were at an angle. If the loop is swaying back and forth... than this will lessen it. 

Either way this is looking real noice. :) 



I'm not done building yet. 

Glimpses

Speed Coaster Master


#10 FrIeDeGgS

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Posted 23 January 2018 - 10:45 PM

I didn't expect something this good out of you considering I don't think I've seen anything you've built before! The station and tunnel look really awesome and could go well with some kind of space theme. The first drop and the way it transitions to the loop is really cool and shaped nicely. The top of the loop looks pretty weird, but you'll pretty much just have to shape it with your hands after you have the rest of the loop supports how you want them since you're using a flexi rod spine, or use a different spine for the top section that shapes the track into a consistent curve and have it transition smoothly from your flexi rod spine. I agree with SCM that you should layer the rods, and I think you should add rods in the middle as well so that the spine won't be as weak when a rod ends and another begins.



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#11 Batwing

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Posted 25 January 2018 - 02:15 PM

Nice work again! Lovely shaping on the drop, but as SCM and Fried have pointed out, the loop could use a bit of work. However, don't forget that the newer-style Vekoma loops are quite different and are more circular anyway (rather than the classic teardrop/clothoid shape), so you're actually pretty close.

 

Supports look really solid, but it's important that you impart that strength to the track itself. Flexi rods can make great backbones, but you need to make sure you support them properly, otherwise they'll do exactly what they're designed to do when the train passes - flex! You've said you want to add a few more supports - but you probably need to add a few more than you think to take the Flexi rods into account.

 

As for the shaping - just bring the final piece of track forwards a little bit and it'll be golden! Can't wait to see where you go from here!



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#12 YolosweggLord

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Posted 26 January 2018 - 12:37 PM

That loop could definitely look better on the top. It's disfigured. I know it's not done yet and further supporting could change the shape, but it's something worth pointing out. Also, you should really layer your flexis. You would be able to get away with using little to no ladder connectors, and, the track would be smoother... of course, there would be times when the flexi rods would end at an awkward time, but you could work your way around that. Regarding the pieces, it's financially better to buy them from not the big bosses themselves. One more thing: those upside-down V supports would be better at supporting if they were at an angle. If the loop is swaying back and forth... than this will lessen it. 

Either way this is looking real noice. :)

Thanks for all the tips! I've angled the first of those supports and I'm in the process of extending the base for the other one. I found a simple grey rod connecting the vertical portion of that support to the previous one with ball joints helps to solidify everything together, so the loop entrance is pretty much rock-solid now. The reason I didn't layer my flexis was that I was afraid of weaknesses where one flexi ended and another began. I mean I could just order a bunch of those tan short ladders which should help but I don't want to spend more money than I need to on this project.

 

I didn't expect something this good out of you considering I don't think I've seen anything you've built before!

Thank you, this part meant a lot to me.

 

The station and tunnel look really awesome and could go well with some kind of space theme. The first drop and the way it transitions to the loop is really cool and shaped nicely. The top of the loop looks pretty weird, but you'll pretty much just have to shape it with your hands after you have the rest of the loop supports how you want them since you're using a flexi rod spine, or use a different spine for the top section that shapes the track into a consistent curve and have it transition smoothly from your flexi rod spine. I agree with SCM that you should layer the rods, and I think you should add rods in the middle as well so that the spine won't be as weak when a rod ends and another begins.

Yeah space theme is what I was going for here with the custom train design. When the loop is finished it'll have another two layers of flexi rods on it so it'll be much stronger. I don't really think a third layer of flexis is possible at this point without a complete spine redesign, which I'm not prepared to undertake. I can definitely shift one side forward a yellow rod's distance though in order to offset the start/end points of each flexi. I think I'll try your tip to redo the top section though because it's currently the shakiest point on this coaster.

 

Nice work again! Lovely shaping on the drop, but as SCM and Fried have pointed out, the loop could use a bit of work. However, don't forget that the newer-style Vekoma loops are quite different and are more circular anyway (rather than the classic teardrop/clothoid shape), so you're actually pretty close.

 

Supports look really solid, but it's important that you impart that strength to the track itself. Flexi rods can make great backbones, but you need to make sure you support them properly, otherwise they'll do exactly what they're designed to do when the train passes - flex! You've said you want to add a few more supports - but you probably need to add a few more than you think to take the Flexi rods into account.

 

As for the shaping - just bring the final piece of track forwards a little bit and it'll be golden! Can't wait to see where you go from here!

I've already taken the top off of the loop so I can rework the loop's entrance, as the banking transition was a bit sharp previously. Shaping is a huge problem with VV track but I'm trying to do the best I can with what I have. This means I may need to sacrifice banking in some places to get better shaping and speed conversion. I'll take your tips into account and focus on the loop shape a bit more.



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