I started a thread on an RC enthusiast site.  I've been having some conversations there that I don't want to try to re-post here.  Here is a link to the thread there:

http://www.quarterscalelegends.com/bb/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=2818

The latest news, and some notes.

There is some new developments to the radio control truck project.  First and most significant change is that it will no longer be a tractor trailer, but instead a large Ford F150 style pickup.  The reason for this change is quite simple:

It was free!!

I was given this fiberglass body by someone who was commissioned to make copies of it, but the customer never made final arrangements or returned calls.  The glasser was going to toss it in the dumpster or try to get $10 for it.  I showed interest and he said I could have it.

In the picture, it is simply propped up on a hand-truck (a.k.a mover's dolly, etc.) with a couple extra wheels propped against it for the front and a floorjack to hold the handtruck level.


[Edit:]  I've been saying F150 but after accidentally finding a picture on WikiPedia, it's most definitely an F250 from around '85.  Here's the pic right from Wiki:

There are some measurement notes after the jump just for a place to keep them.  They aren't worth reading.

My next LED/DCC project

My next project will be a B'Mann (trainset) GP38-2.  It's going to be my decoder tester since it is 

A.) basically empty inside, 

B.) has a real easy body to lift off, 

C.) (now) has a 9-pin wire harness and an 8-pin socket (also custom made from 1x40 IC header pins), 

D.) is simple enough that I don't think I could possibly damage it with a bad decoder, and 

E.) is cheap enough that I don't really care if something does happen.

I am going to install F0F and F0R, of course, as well as the functions that go with purple and green wires.  I was also going to install an LED on the board inside the loco with two header-pin-sockets and make a pair of jumper wires.  I could plug the jumper wires in and use them as probes to check functions that only have solder pads and do not connect through the harness.  It will still be more good practice installing LEDs and soldering in the tight places, etc.

Pictures to come; now that I have a better camera than I had, I will try to take more pictures more often.

Mike, at DieCastoms

Successful LED install

This is my first, successful LED install and I wanted to share it because I am proud of it. This is practice for installing LEDs in my 4 or 5 locos...

I'm sorry that I didn't bother to take progress photos.

Pics and a little more info after the jump..

FS: Lionel FasTrack and CW-80 controller and more!

Thank you for allowing me to join your group!

I have several items and their descriptions to list. Please read the whole post.

I have for sale 1 Lionel CW-80 80-watt AC controller. This control is listed on Lionel's site for $149.99. Please note, this control DOES NOT include a box or printed instructions of any kind, but LOOKS brand-new! A DVD is mentioned in my ad below.

http://www.lionel.com/Products/Finder/ProductDetail.cfm?ProductNumber=6-14198&expandBranch=0&Keywords=&CategoryID=40&RailLineID=&CatalogId=

I also have one complete circle of FasTrack plus two straight sections that I assume are 10 inch.

The only documentation for the power pack or track is an included "Ready-To-Run Train Set Instructional Digital Video Disk." On the back of the disk's cardboard sleeve in the upper-right corner is a number "71-4208-200"

Also included are 4 poseable figurines. All four figures can turn their heads, and have jointed hips, knees and shoulders, no elbows!

These appear to be the figures from the Polar Express set and are priced $29.99 on the Lionel site. Note that these figures ARE NOT in a box!

http://www.lionel.com/products/catalogs/Catalog.cfm?CatalogUID=B211F19C-B0D0-205D-B7B0CE8B175C46BE&PageID=1675

http://www.lionel.com/products/ProductNavigator/_ProductImages_590/C765_6-24203_p11_Figures.jpg

I also have what appear to be two thick rubber traction tires, about 1 inch in diameter.

Please ask any questions about these items ON-FORUM so that others may see the questions and answers. Please send your bids to me OFF-FORUM.

I will wait 48 hours to give everyone a chance to get their bids in. The highest bid will win it all! Winning bidder is to pay exact shipping charges for his or her preferred method of shipment.

Digitrax Equipment for sale or trade:

Any reasonable trade will be entertained. No trade will be accepted within 48
hours of the offer, to give others a chance to make offers (unless it is simply
an irrefusable offer!) Shipping will be paid by the original owners of the
equipment, please keep that in mind.

Thanks for looking.

Michael

---------------------------------
Items OFFERED:
---------------------------------
Unless otherwise noted, all items are:
~ used, but less than 10 hours run-time
~ WITHOUT their original boxes or packing materials
~ INCLUDING original instruction manuals

(2x) DT100IR throttles (with approx 7-foot cables)
(1x) UR91 No Longer Available.
(1x) 4-foot yellow loconet cable
(1x) UP5 (This is a NON-DIGITRAX generic UP5 equivelent panel from
tonystrains.com
(1x) MS100 (NEVER used, no packaging, no instructions, almost 9 foot cable with
ferrite supressor)

---------------------------------
Items WANTED:
---------------------------------

(2x) UT4 throttles ( Can be either UT4 or UT4R, but not UT4D )
(1x) Locobuffer ( must have USB connection )
(1x) PR3
(1x) DTxxx throttle (Any DT throttle will do)
(?x) decoders**

**Decoders can be any size, any flavor, but preferably Digitrax. I will take
decoders with burnt functions if they still operate reliably for their remaining
functions. Please note which functions are damaged and how they got damaged, if
you know.

[Edit, 2/23/2011] Removed UR91

HO scale vehicles list

This post is my list of vehicles that I have received through various trades and other sources. I will edit this from time to time so the list will change. Whenever I edit it, I will leave a comment for what was added.
PLEASE If I have acquired a vehicle from you and have listed it incorrectly or incompletely, COMMENT and CORRECT ME! I would hate to sell a Trident for $.50 because I didn't know!!

The list is in several sections, 1:80 Matchbox and Hotwheels etc., and 1:87 HO scale stuff. Those lists are broken down into what I will offer for trade, what you might get me to trade, and what I will not trade (this listing is for my own reference too!) If there is something you are interested in or something you want to offer for trade, feel free to comment!

The list is after the jump... (now that I figured out how to add jumps ;) )

Newly acquired HO equipment

I do not have a camera worth anything, so you will have to live with photos found online of these items.

First, I have managed another of my "nothing for everything" trades and traded a sinle Life-Like N Scale GP38 for a Bachmann HO GP40-2 from a department-store trainset. The GP40-2 came to me 'equipped' with a Digitrax DH140 4 function decoder.



As shown in the image, the GP40-2 also came with a low gondola and a caboose, all in UP flavors. The two vehicles also have a UP badge on them and are true HO scale, not Mathcbox or Hot Wheels, which are 1:80 scale, not the correct 1:87. Those two vehicles are "Trident" and from the old price stickers on the box, were $15 each 10 years ago.

---

I have found a flea market a few miles from my home which seems to have been there for years and I simply didn't know.

I went rummaging through there over this past weekend and found a jewel (at least I think so..). One particular vendor has a number of HO pieces of various health. I looked through them and popped the shells off each one that I could. One had fly wheels and all-axle drive, the others had trainset motors (all in one truck).

The hobby-grade loco was the only one without a price on it. I asked and was told that it didn't run, so he was only asking $5. I figured even just for the 5 pole skewed motor and flywheels, it was worth it.

Turns out, I was right :D The loco is an Athearn Blue-Box FP45.


(stolen from an ebay listing.. sorry seller >.< )

The reason it does not run is because there is supposed to be an electrical wiper clipped to the top of the motor which rides on pads protruding from the top of each truck. The chassis is all metal and carries the power to the other side of the motor. The wiper is missing.
While working on the loco to try to clean it up a little, I tried pushing the press-fit motor mount out and it crumbled in place... I asked on a friendly website and wsa helped to find a source of replacement parts and can get both the wiper and the motor mounts for less than I paid for the loco! $4 for both items, plus shipping. I await my birthday money on the 28th ;)

--

The deal I mentioned for the GP40-2 modified itself to become a FAR LARGER deal and now includes a multitude of unlisted "as-is" vehicles and random HO 'stuff' as it is shipped to me in exchange for work done to install decoders into the other party's N scale locomotives. As I receive those vehicles I will TRY to catalog them. I want to start trading them out for either locomotives with or without DCC (with, preferred as I cannot run analog with my DCC command system), or loose decoders of any make (preferably TCS, preferably not Digitrax) with any number of functions (the more, the better ;) )

I had intended to add the catalog of vehicles to this post as well but now that I have it typed up, it is realllly long, so I will give it it's own post and keywords and will update it via comments as time passes.

Mike from DieCastoms.

"Ruby Basin" HO Timber Trestle Kit

Keeping with my tradition of waiting far too long between posts, it has been far too long since my last post.

I have changed my colors, first of all. I've switched from N scale to HO scale, for various reasons. The MAIN reason is, I have moved from Georgia to Connecticut (from my wife's home to my parent's home) and had not expected to stay up north as long as I have. I left ALL of my N Scale stuff in Georgia.

The next reason is that after buying a loco and then a DCC control system (Prodigy Advance detailed elsewhere in my bolg), I was never able to afford a DCC decoder and installation (since I accidentally bought a loco that was not DCC ready).

I came into a deal that I could not refuse and landed myself an HO locomotive with DCC installed. The deal was, that loco (in original packaging) to me in exchange for a single hand-built flat car made by myself (my first EVER, mind you..).

The loco is a Roundhouse 2-8-0 with ATSF roadname and numbers (599). The loco includes a Train Control System's (TCS) T1 DCC decoder. I also have an extra TCS T1 that is burnt out and TCS has said that they will replace it for me. I do not have photos of the loco currently, but when I eventually do, I will edit this post.

Here is the HO scale "Ruby Basin Timber Trestle (AHM 5824) that I just bought off of Craig'slist for $15 + $5 S&H. The trestle is over 20 years old and is complete and still in the original box, with no visible shelf wear.


Max finished dimensions are:
1 real inch = 7.25 scale feet
26" = 188' long
11.5" = 82' high
5.25" = 38' wide

There are 24 'bents' or legs for the trestle that range in height from 1.5 inches to 11.75 inches. There are also 3 water barrels for fire control and three ladders for escaping fires.


I haven't any glue yet so I can't do much with the trestle just yet. I intend to make a diorama out of solid foam to mount the finished trestle in and display it and a locomotive I have.

Match Stick Trestle, a test of strength

Since I intend to someday start building trestles in G scale (and maybe O if there is a call for it) I wanted some hint of how sturdy trestles are.

The one in the photos is built out of match-sticks and white all-purpose Elmer's glue. The trestle was not built to any specific scale, but does loosely follow plans found on the internet. It was built solely for the purpose of piling measurable weight on it until it was crushed.

I don't have pictures of construction, I didn't think of it. I also don't have pictures of many of the small tests that I did.


Pictured with an U.S. Quarter (round circular blur laying on top).

I started out thinking that it wouldn't take much to crush it, figuring that the glued joints would fail quickly. I put the section on my mother-in-law's diet scale, which was capable of 2 pounds. Being only interested at the weight at which the trestle gave out, I did not keep any results as I added circular steel scraps that I got from my Dad. I do not know how much each weighed. I was able to pile all of them on without affecting the trestle.

I got ballsy and decided to skip ahead (bad practice, I know) and placed the section on the flat kitchen counter and used a cutting board on top of it for a flat surface on which to balance a 3 litre bottle of soda-pop. Based on water weighing 8 pounds per gallon, 3 liters = .792 gallons , therefor 3 liters of water = 6.6 pounds. This amount of weight also had no affect on the trestle.


Close up of 6.6 pound, 3-litre bottle on trestle.


Mid-length shot of soda bottle on trestle.


Long Shot of bottle on trestle, showing the weight being taken ONLY by the trestle. Getting this to balance was a task in itself!

Once I had proven at least 6 pounds, I skipped ahead even farther, and took the section outside to the front porch. I placed the section on the railing and balanced a 26.5 pound cement block atop of it. Unbelievably, this also did not seem to affect the trestle. I snapped a picture or two but my arms were not long enough for me to show that the entire weight of the block was being supported by the trestle and that I was only providing balance.


The only useful shot I was able to get of the cement block.

When I tried to maneuver myself to show that nothing other than the trestle section was supporting the entire weight of the block, I inadvertently produced a small amount of lateral twist which resulted in a catastrophic failure of the structure. In layman's terms, I squished it. NO, you sadistic pest, I do NOT have pictures of the aftermath!

I can't wait to build a trestle in G or O scale out of Western Red Cedar. The timbers will be 1/2" square and significantly stronger than the matches..

I eventually intend to build one out of bamboo skewers too, for the sake of crushing in another strength test.. When the time comes, I will post photos.

Till then, I hope you enjoy this batch!

Mike.

Why?

That's all I can say.... Why?

If it was a legitimate accident, I feel sorry for the owner who loast what was a nice Civic...

If the owner was driving recklessly and cause the accident him or her self, then I say HA!!!! SUCKAH!

walking robots, SumoBot, and other fun stuff.

So, I wanted some way to be certain that all of the parts from the radio control system stayed together and nothing got damaged or tangled etc.

I looked on the internet for any project I could find involving two servos.

The first thing I found was this walking robot on Instructables:
"http://www.instructables.com/id/A-Servo-based-4-legged-Walker/

This walker uses a micro processor to control it and therefor simply walks forward at a set pace. Since I don't have the Adruino processor, I used the radio system in it's place, hoping that I would be able to control the thing "by hand." As it turns out, it was extremely simple to control. Move one stick on the controller all the way in any direction and then rotate the stick in a counterclockwise direction around it's limits, and the thing will walk forward. Rotate the stick clockwise and it will walk in reverse.

I will add a video once I get it off the camcorder.

I played with that for a while but got quickly bored with it, and decided I wanted to investigate the continuous rotation mod for servos...

Here is a tutorial:
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-modify-a-servo-motor-for-continuous-rotatio/

As it turns out, modifying the two servos that I have was not as difficult. I did not have to glue any gears together and I did not have to cut the top off the pot (double click 'potentiometer' for a definition). All I had to do was sand off the 180 degree stop tab and slip a piece of plastic out of the output shaft.

Now that I had two continuous rotation servos and a complete radio control system, I simply HAD to build a crude, two-wheeled sumobot.

I will add a video once I get it off the camcorder.

It worked but I wanted to try different things so I destroyed it and started over several times. I have used several different wheels including some MASSIVE washers, wheels off a child's toy, and considered CDs.

I think the next step will be a much wider base with CDs for wheels and the entire body of the 'bot hanging beneath the 'axle', devoid of a third wheel.

I will keep you posted.

Mike from DC.

Turkey Day

No, not my birthday, that's the wrong turkey!

Just wanted to wish those few people who actually watch my blog:

HAVE A VERY WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!!

Michael and Christina, from DieCastoms!

Magum Opus has a radio!

Two things..

First, a friend referred to my project as my "Magnum Opus" the other day. It means one's "greatest achievement." I thought it sounded really cool so I think I might letter it on my truck. It will be in red fancy lettering, looking like a signature or autograph, under the window on the driver's door. "S. Christopher" will be in the same place on the passangers door, that way I will always be traveling with "Saint Christopher," the Patron Saint of Travelers at my side.

The other thing is..
I HAVE R/C NOW!

Dad brought home an old Futaba airplane transmitter and receiver, servos, battery packs, and a charger. For those of you who may know something about the equipment, here are the specs:

Transmitter (Tx)
FP-T4NBL "Attack 4"
4 Channel, 72.630MHz (channel 42)

Battery Pack (Tx)
Futaba NT-8JY
9.6VDC - 500mAh

Reciever (Rx)
Futaba FP-R114h
4 channel digital proportional, 72.630MHz

Battery Pack (Reciever)
Futaba NR-4J
4.8vdc - 500mAh

Charger
Futaba FBC-8B(4)
9.6VDC - 50mAh (Tx)
4.8VDC - 50mAh (Rx)

Servo
Futaba FP-S148

Servo
Aristo "Elite-1"
ARI-03-400

The system is currently set up for channel 42, 72.630MHz, which is for air use only and not legal to be used on land or sea vehicles. It will be fine for now for testing and whatnot but the channel WILL have to be changed before I can start making appearances with the truck. I SHOULD be able to just buy a pair of quartz crystals and plug them in to change the channel. That shouldn't cost much.

Either of the servos included will run the throttle, but neither are strong enough for much of anything else.

Long awaited videos of the truck engine running

Here are a few pieces of video I took about two weeks ago of the engine for the truck.

The engine is an X6 Pocket Bike engine. It is 49cc 2-stroke and is running on about an ounce of 40:1 two-stroke mixed fuel. The engine is being started with a set of "self contained jumper cables" or a "jumper pack" in some shots, and pull started in other shots.

Several times during the videos, I lift the engine off the ground and it promptly stalls.. This is because the fuel is gravity feed, thus the engine runs out of gas any time it is higher than the gas tank. In the final build, the gas tank will be mounted inside the top of the sleeper cab. This will provide the same gravity feed that was present in the motorcycle (X6 Pocket Bike) that the engine came out of originally.

In the video the exhaust port is open so you get the full sound of the 2-stroke, but with the muffler in place the engine is surprisingly muted and quiet. I have no clue if I will make any attempts at manipulating the sound or not. I was considering injecting motor oil or "smoke oil" into the exhaust to simulate a hard working diesel engine.

Hope you enjoy these videos!



By the way, the large silver item to the right of the engine is an 8:1 reduction "Constantly Variable Transmission" or CVT. It is from the pocket bike and houses the clutch. There is also another reduction between the secondary pulley and the chain sprocket output shaft. The total reduction is unknown at this time, but so is the engine's total RPM so I can't do any calculations anyway. The rear tire on the pocket bike is roughly the same diameter as the tires on the truck so I expect the same speed if nothing else is changed. For this reason, I want to add MORE reduction to the drive train to generate more pulling power and less overall speed. My target is a top speed of 15 miles per hour, and as much as it can possibly pull.

Here is another video:

OMG! SERIOUS SPONSOR!!!!!

I have just had an offer from an old friend to donate LABOR AND MATERIALS for a CUSTOM COMPLETE Fibreglass body for the truck!!!!

In exchange for his services, C will be getting his business name (of his choice) lettered on the cab doors!!!!

I will have to build the chassis and fit the engine and build a wooden form for him to glass over. He has offered to do opening doors as well. I will be doing all fitting work, but he will be making the cab itself.

This is one of the BIGGEST contributors to the truck to date!

I will write more on this post after C and I work out some more details.

Please note that those of you on the email list will NOT be notified of edits to posts, so always check the blog directly when you see that a post has been made. I have a nasty habit of posting and then editing.

THANKS C!

Mike from DC

SSSPROOIING!!!!

So I got this box... plain brown cardboard, not even large enough for a hard cover book... The Post Office stuck a tag over the return address so I have no clue who it is from.. Let's open it...

SSSPROOIING!!!!

I HAVE TRUCK SPRINGS!

Ok, ok, so I opened it three days ago and am just now getting around to posting. Hush.

I had no idea how stiff a 43# rate spring would be, but now that I have one, i can tell you that I can just barely compress it all the way in one bare hand. All 6 were in the box and all are identical. I may slightly redesign my suspension for their use, but they are almost perfect for my application.I think I whould have ordered them just a little longer, but I can deal with it.

Pictures to follow when I get around to taking some.

Mike from DC.

Live Help and IRC Chat rooms added to DieCastoms.BlogSpot.com!!

As a sort of experiment, I have added a Live Help!!!! function to DieCastoms. It only will work when I or my wife are logged into the system, but feel free to try it! We would love random chats from our visitors even if you aren't in need of assistance!! A permanent link to the Live Help!!!! feature can be found at the upper right of the page, below out logo.

We also have added an IRC channel to the BOTTOM of the page. This is a Java applet and has an expired security certificate. I am aware of that. I got the applet from a trustworthy friend, however, who has been using it for several years. It is safe.
For those of you who have other IRC clients that you would like to use, our room/channel is #DieCastoms and is on the server centralchat.net

We look forward to hearing more from our readers!

Thanks for visiting DieCastoms!

Mike, from DC.

Just a quick post,

the fan in my Toshiba Portege Laptop has crapped out. I cannot run the laptop WITHOUT the fan (because my wife won't let me), so posts here may be few and far between... as if that would be anything new...

Ah well. Them's the breaks.

Mike, from DC.

Airtrax Omni Directional Wheels

In a simple effort to make more posts to keep people interested in my blog, I have decided to start making some tech posts too.  this post will be one of those.

I have long known what an "OmniWheel" is, having seen them on toys years ago.  An OmniWheel is a wheel and tire assembly designed in such a way as to be able to travel in any direction without stopping or changing the orientation of the wheel.



I was watching a TV show this evening called "Prototype This" in which a team of engineers attemps to build prototypes of far fetched ideas, such as Virtual Reality controlled 12 foot tall "Rock-em Sock-em Robots", and cars that can lift themselves into the ait and drive above other cars in traffic or parallel park above other cars.

It was in the latter episode that I was introduced to the "AirTrax" Omni Directional Wheel. The team goes to AirTrax and is given a demonstration of AirTrax's "SIDEWINDER ATX-3000" lift truck.



The SIDEWINDER ATX-3000 Lift Truck (fork lift) is currently the only Omni-Directional Lift truck commercially available worldwide. Click on the image to read more about the ATX-3000 Lift Truck.

Some other resources:
http://www.airtrax.com
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f_x0RgVzfc

I might also suggest looking up WowWee's "Rovio," the mobile webcam.