Model Boat Mayhem
Mess Deck: General Section => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: tigertiger on July 01, 2008, 11:31:42 am
-
May be of special interest to PMK
http://nz.youtube.com/watch?v=HUUdFXwAYRs&NR=1
A new type of modelling perhaps ???
-
Stunning. My kind of music. :D
-
Neat video. Now if only I could animate the band on my party barge.
-
some people O0 {-) :D :o
if i only knew more about computers
-
Bigford, you're on here - what more does anyone need to know?! O0
Andy
-
Neat video. Now if only I could animate the band on my party barge.
Actually towboatjoe, that is not hard.
Lots of antique kids toys and the old fairground carousels did this using cams or wheels and pushrods or wires. Even the little monkey banging the cybals and the dancing trumpet players. OK so you can see the rods, but that never bothered the Muppet show.
Getting it synch with music is harder, but we have all seen actors pretending to strum guitars in films (out of time), and at the scales you are using nobody would really notice.
-
Lots of antique kids toys and the old fairground carousels did this using cams or wheels and pushrods or wires. Even the little monkey banging the cybals and the dancing trumpet players. OK so you can see the rods, but that never bothered the Muppet show.
[/quote]
True, but the hard part is doing it in 1:48 scale. The party barge above is 1:87.
-
Towboat, you could use the strands from 30amp wire, or co-axial TV cable core.
The motors from lego tech, or other slow turning motors could be used. You need about 30 rpm, and generate very small movements.
The joints of the little people could be articulated with a cloth hinge or piece of rubber. This is crude but a 1:87 it will not be that noticable. You will have to sacrifice something to achieve the movement.
I think I could do it, it would be a fiddle and a bit of a learning process, but the mechanics are simple and would scale down to .
When I finally get back to my workshop I will maybe have a go. But that will not be until October.
-
"When I finally get back to my workshop I will maybe have a go. But that will not be until October."
I'm gonna hold you to that, because I for one would love to see how it turns out.
Going back to that YouTube vid', I think the man deserves a medal. Okay, okay, so maybe it looks a tad Heath Robinson and maybe a bit rough around the edges, but the idea is there. And there's no doubting the man's flair for the unusual.
Did you see all them solenoids there? They look similar to those found in washing machines, etc. Dead clever how he manages to sync them to the music... which, incidentally, is no easy feat. It must have taken him hours and hours to program each and every sequence.
Excellent video, Tiger.
(I can hardly wait for October to come around).
TowboatJoe, is there a chance you could up a few more photos of your party barge?
-
"When I finally get back to my workshop I will maybe have a go. But that will not be until October."
I'm gonna hold you to that, because I for one would love to see how it turns out.
Hi PMK
Anychance you can help me out with a small motor that turns at variable rate at around 30 rpm.
And if anyone can point me in the direction of some 1:87 scale figures. Cheap ones.
Towboatjoe, did you purchase your band as a set, if so where from? Or are they modified pieces?.
I would be much abliged.
-
TT 1:87 scale people :
http://www.ontracks.co.uk/index.php?page=catalogue&cat=1045&toplevel=1
O0
-
[/quote]
Towboatjoe, did you purchase your band as a set, if so where from? Or are they modified pieces?.
I would be much abliged.
[/quote]
I modified all the figures and made all the instruments and sound equipment.
It's been sitting on a shelf for the past ten years. I quit working on it because I decided to build it in a bigger scale with sound tracks of the band I perform with.
Here's some closer photos of the band. The left handed bass player I made to look like me.
-
Here's a layout drawing.
Now, let's find some more of those robo musicians on YouTube.
Has anyone seen james Taylor's drum machine made entirely from wood.
A cabinet maker friend helped him build it. It's a mechanical marvel.
-
Hi PMK
Any chance you can help me out with a small motor that turns at variable rate at around 30 rpm.
Sure. But when you say small, how small? I got a few of these in the junkbox -- plenty of torque at low speed. They operate from around 3 volts up to 6 volts. Any good? (I used one in conjunction with some gubbins robbed from a defunct CD ROM while experimenting with deck lifts). No problem to cobble together a circuit to have them running at 30 RPM.
Lemme know what you think - I'll bung a couple your way.
(That there is a AAA-sized cell, by the way).
Nice pics, Towboat.
You say the bass player was made to look like yourself? In that case, is the name of your band ZZ Top?
Even the keyboard player has all his black and white keys in their proper place. Nice touch!
-
The band I've been working wit hthe past couple of years is named KYOVA
The band looked a lot better, but years of sitting on the shelf has took it's toll. {-)
-
Hi PMK
Those motors would be fine thanks :D
I have PMd you
-
PMK
Just up the road from Dude Ranch is a place called Clevedon. A guy called Mike Mayhew operates from there, trading as Waverley Models. Apart from his stunning paddle steamers and boat renovations, animatronics is a specialty of his and he's one of the nicest blokes you'll ever meet. He'd cheerfully show you round his workshop and if you can help him out with a few ad-hoc electronicky bits then I know he'd really appreciate it. 01275 546772 should find him.
FLJ
-
What, you mean this chap?...
http://www.waverleymodels.co.uk/
Well I'll go to sea! He's only about 25'ish miles from here (as the crow flies).
Thanks for that. But this is Tiger's baby, so rather than go stepping on his toes I'll see what he has to say about it first before I go jumping in.
Mind you, I'm tempted to give the man a call anyway - just to have a chat and see what's what. Do you mind if I mention your name?... to let him know how I found out about him?
While we're on the subject of motors.......
Do you remember the other day when I pestered you for that piece on motor rewinds? Dig this...
I found out just last night, purely by accident, that your reply was there waiting for me all along, only I didn't realise it because somehow it had gone directly to the mailer's junk folder. (No, I don't know how it happened, either). For a spooky moment there I thought I might have said or done something to hack you off - wondered why I hadn't heard from you sooner.
ENNYway... Thanks a million for that. I got me a whole load of mag' wire. I'll let you know how I get on.
(It's gonna be my first ever motor rewind, so I'm treading new waters here).
Tiger:
Message received loud and clear.
I've just been called out for a job (all the way down Brixham, dammit). Not sure what time I'll be back, but keep an eye on your PMs.
(By the by, what do you think of those figures in the link that Richard suggested? Nice, eh?)
-
.......Nearly forgot.......
Towboat:
Thanks again for the pics (and the barge dimensions).
Some real nice ideas there - tt certainly is food for thought.
Later............
-
Hi PMK
If you want to got to see Mike Waverly and add to this thread, go for it.
I tried to visit him last time I was in UK but I missed him twice. I don't know If I can get down there next time.
I will watch my PMs.
-
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7487645.stm
and here is the audience
-
Jeezus Kriced! Have you been sniffing Mary Jane again? What in hell's bells is that 'music'??! :o
That circuit board you wanted is all but ready to go. I even found a couple more motors, only these are a bit better (runs @ 1.5v to 3v with slightly more torque).
Tell your bro' to expect a package any day now.
Nearly forgot...
I tried calling Mike W. on the blower yesterday. No joy - the phone just rang and rang and rang and rang and rang and rang and.......
Panic ye not, though - I'll try again today.
Will keep you posted.
-
I know mike isn't always there to answer the phone.
His mobile number is now always ansered either.
-
FLJ was good enough to let me know that Mike is not in his shop on the weekends. It's Sunday and there's no way I'm going to pester him on his day off, so I'll try again on the morrow.
Here's your circuit board.
I intended to send you a wee sketch along with the package, but my printer is out of action. By the time you get here you might have forgotten what wire goes where, so you might want to save or print them off, for future reference.
I taken the liberty of stuffing a beefy FET in there. It means you can run at least few millions motors without anything breaking into a sweat. But if the motor runs opposite to what you want, reverse the yellow and blue. Don't reverse the red and black, else the chip may go blooie. There is no input polarity protection. On reflection, I should have stuck another diode there. There's plenty of room for one, but I didn't think to do it until AFTER I stuck the double-sided foam tape on the underside. So make sure you stuff the red up the positive.
Don't feel at all guilty if you get a sudden urge to send me 1 x pint of scrumpy.
-
At HO scale, hand and arm movement might not be very noticeable from more than a couple of feet away, apart from the drummer. Perhaps just oscillating the standing members to give the impression of looking out for the next incoming beer bottle?
Maybe control the motor from the music via a filter and level detector?
-
Hmm... from what I gather, I think Tiger is after general animation - not necessarily animated musicians. I should imagine that getting a scale figure to dodge a beer bottle would be no mean feat. Though, you could be on the something regarding making them jiggle with the music. That wouldn't be too hard to do. Leastways, electronic-wise.
Tiger is the one taking care of the hard part. All I'm doing is itching to see what he comes up with.
Tiger, my conscience got the better of me. I stuck that extra diode there now.
All it means is nothing bad will happen should you get the battery polarity wrong. In fact nothing at will happen... which is a good sign that you either got 1: reversed battery polarity, or 2: the trimmer might be set fully zero, and/or 3: both.
And if you're wondering why I stuck a 2-way screw terminal there instead of just soldering the red and black wires directly to the board, it's because those wires you see in the photo are only good for a couple amps. If you're gonna be playing with juicier motors means you're gonna need an easy way to swap out the skinny wires for fatter ones.
By the way, for this trick you will need........
1 x electrolytic capacitor (anything between 2uF and 100uF - preferably rated @ 3 to 6 volts).
1 x Red alligator lead.
1 x Black alligator lead.
1 x 12-volt battery (gel-cel = perfect. 2 x gel-cell even better).
1 x stupid mate.
Take one end of the BLACK 'gator lead and stick it on the POSITIVE leg of the capacitor. Stick the other end of the Black 'gator lead to battery NEGATIVE. Now stick one end of the RED 'gator lead to the NEGATIVE leg of the cap', then get your mate to stick the other end on the battery POSITIVE. Give yourself time to stick your fingers in your ears before giving him the nod.
Maybe you could adapt it for one of your anim's.