Here Kitty Kitty...
 

I started a new project last night. For you island guys, I was wondering where the best place to order the track drive chain and sprockets would be. I spoke to Western Equipment this morning but they have yet to return my call with any pricing or time frame.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

A few more pics. I found out the price of the #35-K1 chain... OUCH! Anyone on the island have 6 feet of it kicking around that they want to sell? It's a good thing that I'm building this in 1/10 scale because the tracks will cost about 1/10 of a real set!HAHA

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Thanks to Greg's tip I was able to locate some track pad material at Rona and cut it into 84 tiny pads. I still haven't ordered any chain but I guess I will have to soon. Here is a short video of my progress on the bucket so far.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ppb3...yer_detailpage

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Wow, that's a new aproach to building a 4n1 bucket! Thank's for sharing!
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

It's powered by two hytek 645 servos. It doesn't have a huge amount of power but I think it will do. Now the hard part is trying to make it look like its hydraulic.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Aaaaaand finally I know where we are going =)
Great!

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

I've had a little time lately to do a bit more work to my 955. I cut out the main boom pieces and made some fake rams for the bucket. For those who are interested I've posted another short video on my YouTube channel. I'll post some pics soon.
I

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Some updated pics. I bought a servo reversing Y adapter made by Expert Electronics and its already stopped working. Do any of you have experience with these or other servo reversing devices? I need two for my project and I don't know if this was a lemon or if I should try to buy something else.

Thanks

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

not shere but if you get digital servo you should be able to reprogram. plus i think you can slow them down so to look more scale speed but still get the full travel. looks good to me what you youtube?

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Yesterday I figured out that you can program the radio (DX8)to run two servos off of two channels with one as the master and one as the slave so that is what I'm doing now. I have the bucket fully functional and have started working on the frame. I'll try to post some more pics soon. Thanks for the reply and for checking it out.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

I use a Hitec servo programmer hooked to my computer to reverse digital servos. Also to slow the transit speed down in the servo so I don't have to mess with the radio settings.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

I managed to sort everything out by using the mixing in the DX8. I slowed down the servos as well. The next thing to do for it is some sort of screw drives for the main lifting rams. Servos fit nicely in the space that's available but I'm not completely sold on using them yet. This thing is pretty heavy and I'm concerned that they will not be powerful enough if I use the drill bit method or too slow if I use threaded shafts.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

You may want to check out these

http://rctruckandconstruction.com/showthread.php?t=1846

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

The kyosho hanomag loader used small all-thread for the hoist and dump. I think it was about 1/8" diameter. I have the manual, but no loader.
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

I bought some 3/16 ready rod the other day so the plan is to build screw drive type rams for sure I just haven't decided how to drive them yet. I want this thing to have a lot of lifting power so we'll see what works best after some trial and mostly error. I have an idea to try before servos but....

Thanks for the input!

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Pm me if you need a copy of the kyosho manual. It may give you some idea's?
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

I finally have some time to play again so I'm gonna put my head down and get this thing finished. I cheaped out on the K1 chain and decided to TIG some #4 40 nuts to the standard #35 chain. It seems to work fine and saved me more than $250 so I think it was worth the extra hour and a half it took me to weld on the nuts(it would have been nice to just use the K1 though). I managed to find weld on spockets at Princess Auto for $4.99 each so that was a savings as well, too bad the ferry ride from the island costs so much! I have a ton of work left to do on the 955 not to mention the fact that my Euclid isn't really finished yet. Anyway here are a few new pics.

Thanks for checkin it out

Reg

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

That's some great progress Reg, its really take shape now! :cool:

Have you weighed it yet?

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

looking good did you tig the nuts on i figger that would be nuts to try and weld them all on?

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Yes the nuts are all TIG welded to the links. I made a small jig so that I could do both nuts on a link at the same time. It took me about an hour and a half to do it... 156 nuts later I was done!:D

Yesterday I focused on the track frames and got them close to being finished. I'm waiting on some motors and a speed control so today I will try to build the main lifting rams.

Oh, I haven't weighed it yet but I'm guessing it will be at least 30lbs when finished. The boom arms are 3/8 flat bar and the bucket has 4 servos to operate it so those parts alone are quite heavy.

Thanks

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Wow. The bare bones chassis and loader looks great. How do you cut your parts out? Did you bush the pivot points of the bucket and boom? Everything is looking very nice. I'm very interested to see this project completed.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Thanks! The main pivot points on the bucket and boom are the servo motors themselves. I didn't bush the pivots on the dumby rams because there isn't any load carried there other than weight of the rams and linkage. I just finished the main lifting mechanism so I'll take some pics or a video of that soon. I ended up making a single screw drive that runs in the belly of the machine so the lifting rams for the boom will be dumbies as well.

I use a modified wood cutting bandsaw(geared down) for cutting the aluminum and a file or grinder to clean it up. Oh yeah and I also use a file... did I mention I use a file?;)

Reg

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

A few pics. Hopefully these two will be working together within the next few weeks...

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Nice progress! Waiting for more!
Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Here are a few updated pics. I've spent a lot of time with this thing lately so It's been progressing fairly well I think. I ordered motors and a sabertooth speed control a while back and paid the extra money to have it here by the 10th and I still don't have the stuff...:mad::mad::mad: but then it is Canada post so.... Boom and bucket are now fully functional and with some fine tuning I hope they will work fairly well. Hopefully my drive parts will show tomorrow so that I can see all my hours of work function. Lots of work left and then the part I like the least... painting.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Fabulous fab work Reg, just like your dump trk. :cool:

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

This afternoons progress... so much more to do...:cool:

Reg

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Look's great!!! I used to go and watch those 955's dig basement's after school in the seventie's, when I was a wee lad. Thank's for sharing.

Later, Neil#2 aka doodlebug.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Very nice work- Do you have a full size machine to look at for your dimensions or pictures?

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Thanks for the positive feedback guys!

Yes we have a machine here that I can take the measurements from. I don't know how many times I've gone and looked at it and then forgot to measure something:confused:... good thing it's close by:o

I'm hoping that my parts will come in the mail today. Our mailman seems to be the only one in the area that doesn't get the mail delivered in the morning:mad:

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Hey Reg, that's a nice piece of work you got there. Keeps the pics coming.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Motors and speed control arrived and are installed.:D Seems to function well and have good power. I think I should have opted for a the higher amp sabertooth as the 2x12 goes into protection mode long before the 17rpm motors slow down let alone stall out but I think it will work for now. I have to make all of the small idlers for the tracks yet so when I get those done and the tracks stay on:o I'll post some video of it in action.

Thanks for the complements!

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Hey Reg, the dozers looking really good and I'm sure it will have the power to shove a lot of dirt. Do you think it will be done for the Port truck show on Labour day weekend.
I'm really looking forward to it as I haven't had much time to myself lately and it will be a fun weekend. I think that Lou, Greg and myself will be staying Sat. and Sun.
Rob

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

It should be done for Port I think. I'm not sure if it will be painted but...

Do any of you have experience with servo strechers or mods that accomplish the same thing? My DX8 allows me to adjust the travel of my hytek 645's to 150% but it still isn't nearly enough travel for my bucket and is no where near 180 degrees like the servo strechers claim to achieve. I don't need 180 degree movement but I don't think I'm getting 90 degrees now and it's not enough to properly dump the bucket when the boom is up.

Thanks Reg

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

RCP57-sounds more like a mechanical issue than servo travel. 150% travel seems to be more than enough. You probably need to adjust your pivot points to get more movement with shorter strokes. But remember that will take more power. Just a thought

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

The servos are mounted directly to the bucket and boom and have no issues with travelling the correct amount before hitting their internal limits but when powered up they do not come close to rotating as far. A servo strecher is supposed to fix this but I don't know for sure. I guess if I had known all this before I could have ordered servos that are modified to rotate 180 but live and learn.

Thanks

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

Wow, awesome work! The entire machine looks great. So cool to have a loader and dozer on one machine.:)

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

What you are saying makes no sense to me. How about some pictures. Remember you are using servos for a job that is supposed to be hydraulics so it make take some adjusting and experimenting. Any time you move the pivot points closer together it should take less travel. Maybe I just don't understand. Pictures would help.

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

The servo motors are the pivot point so the travel is only limited by them. The servo body is mounted to the bucket and the output shaft is mounted to the boom so there is no linkage at all. The rams and linkage that you see in the pictures is all fake and does nothing. If the servos would rotate more than 80-90 degrees my problems would be over, hence me asking about the servo stretcher or mods that accomplish the same thing.

Thanks for the props Smallhaul:)

Re: Here Kitty Kitty...
 

If you put 7955tg hitec digital servos on there they can be programed for almost 180 degrees of rotation and they have over 350oz of torque! They'll easily lift it for you but, the catch is they are $99 a piece. When you consider the price of one hydraulic cylinder though the $99 price isn't that bad.