Moira Rose is DEAD!
I took a risk and printed the paybox all in one, as in, with the window frames apart of the design, Ill be honest, im not impressed with the print quality.
I think im gonna reprint it without the frames, then adjust the frames to have a little tab that will let me glue them in place.
I dont know how i did it, or how i didn't notice until just now, but when i printed the posts, apparently i forgot to add the top mounting hole for the roundings and what not, So i have to reprint the posts again😭
oh and i had reprint the pinwheel, because somehow the diameter of the holes changed to 2.5mm, which is way to big for 2mm dowels, i just really hope there isn't somewhere else that value changed without me knowing it.
I took the frame apart to rewire it with the thicker gauge wire, but i think i might have left the wires that go into the paybox a little too short, hopefully not, but if it is to short, i can just add a connector or something, at least then i could remove the paybox completely without having to unsolder the connections, but i would prefer to stick with directly soldered wires, i have a distrust for connectors 😒
Something else i noticed when taking it apart to rewire it, i should have added some holes in the frame for wiring to thread through, that way i dont need to zip tie it and it reduces the risk of the wire being snagged by the platforms.
I reduced the hole in the post at the bottom used for connecting to the sleepers, it was a little lose before, so when the pins were glued in, they didn't sit straight, which caused issues with clearance with the gate.
I think thats all 😂
Finally just finished installing the new, slightly shorter hinge bars.
Haven't tried it on the ride yet, but when i was constructing it i realized i could have increased the offset from the platform to the wheel a little bit more, that would help with the scraping on the walkways without having to trim the pin all the way down.
oh well🤷♂️
Ive updated the site to have pagination, it was getting a bit long for a single page 😭
I have no idea how im gonna keep the pcbs bent correctly to fit the windows, i think im just gonna glue them im place, they shouldn't ever need to be removed, unless an led dies, but rides are full of dead lights, so it will make it look more authentic😂
Oh and incase your wonder, i got sidetracked with the window thing, i haven't actually tested the new pinwheel and shorter hingebars
I have just spent FAR to long trying to work out how to export a flat 3d representation of the frame with the holes so i have something to work from for the pcb.
This is what i had to do in the end, just so i dont forget how to do it again😭
In fusion, select the surface tab and select create > offset
Then offset by some distance, doesn't really matter, i chose 1mm.
Export the created object as an stl.
Open that stl in Pepakura and click the unfold button, you should get something like this.
Export that as a DXF file and open it in illustrator
Delete the unneeded layers, Make sure everything that should be joined is, Like the circles arnt actually circles, they are just loads of lines. Make sure they are all "joined".
Export that as a DXF from illustrator and import it into fusion, everything should have there own profile
If it does, then the dxf is good, Now i can use that dxf in kicad to make sure my pcb is the correct size with the holes representing the led locations.
I have kinda done what i needed to do with the paybox window lighting, but i have no idea how this is gonna turn out after printing, assuming it even prints at all.
Im really not confident this will work at all tbh. Even designing the pcb, i will have to account for the curve, but im not entirely sure how to...
I keep thinking to myself, there HAS to be a better way, but i just cannot think of it.
I could print the window frames ect seperatly, so if they do fuck up, i can try again without having to print the entire paybox again, but if i do that, im not sure how im gonna stick the frame into the hole and keep it there.
I cant really explain it well
This is the paybox without the window frames / lights.
And this is with the frames in place, but not combined with the paybox.
A part of me doesn't even want there to be frames around the windows, but the ride im using for reference has them. I have been looking at other waltzers, and they almost all have lights bordering the windows, but without the frame.
I just reduced the frame thickness by 0.5mm and it looks a little better i think.
For reference, this is what the actual ride im working from has going on.
There is quite a bit of lens distortion on the video, so the proportions look.. odd, but you get the idea.
Oh, something else, that pinwheel design is not in anyway representative of the real thing, The real thing has towbar hitch type connectors
I have no idea how to accomplish that at this scale with 3d printing.
I love the way the real thing works and would love to do something like that, but this is the best i could come up with lol.
Ignore the silver things on the top, and the blurriness, but its a frame from a video of it running. The little red caps on the pins are shaped like a towbar thing🥺
I have increased the size of the pinwheel to 103mm diameter, which just fits inside the frame edges, and matches photos and videos ive found on the real ride.
It looks a little rediculous, i admit, but hopefully it will work.
If i still end up having trouble with the pins that hold the hingebar to the pinwheel, i could probably modify this new pinwheel to use a more robust connection fitting. Hopefully the current version of the pinwheel holds the pins more secure.
I had to shorten the hinge bars to account for the large diameter wheel, a plus side being that the hinge bars are less likely to flex now.
Im just printing the new hingebars and the pin wheel. I havent touched the paybox since the last post, im dreading trying to find a way to do what i need with the windows 😭
I am now starting to wonder if the pinwheel being so small might have worsened or even caused the issue with the wheels not touching the track in the valleys🤔
alright, i cant believe im doing this, but i have to rewire the rafter lighting, im not happy with the wires im using, im gonna use some heavier gauge wire.
And since im basically taking the ride down again, im gonna go ahead and increase the diameter of the pin wheel, This should make the ride easier to build up without having to touch the paybox, and be closer to real life size... hopefully.
Im trying to work out how the best way to arrange / put lights around the windows on the paybox.
I would like to use the same number as 'bulbs' as the ride im using as a main reference, but its just not gonna be possible, im limited by the size of the leds and FDM printing.
This is the outside of the front window.
This is the inside of the front window.
Im thinking of keeping that like that and designing the pcb to stick to the inside of the paybox, with each led being in its own little hole for light isolation.
I was originally going to have the lights and such be a separate piece that just attaches to the outside of the paybox, but im not sure it would hold up very well during printing.
The thing im really worried about, is the curved windows on the sides of the paybox, I can order some petty thin pcbs that should be easy to bend to shape, but i dont know how the solder on the leds will react to a fairly tight curve.
I should have made the pin wheel a bit wider, then i could hook the moving platforms when the paybox is in place, like the real ride. The moving platform sizes are fine, but i would need to reprint the hinge bars, and i really dont want to, simply because assembling them was a bitch😭.
I printed the motor mount and was fitting the platform and ended up snapping the fucking shaft😭
I was screwing the mounting screws in to help keep the paybox platform stable and not rotate, and it just broke at the screw point.
So i checked the CAD version and realized i changed the mounting from using m3 screws to the 2mm dowels, so when i screwed the m3 screws in, it just broke the joint😒
One problem with the motor mount is that it can only be printed in one way orientation, so the layer lines end up going horizontal across the mounting shaft, which ends up a weak point. Oh and i thinned the wall of the shaft to give a bit more room for cables, yeah... ive reverted that.
Im reprinting it, i cant be bothered to change the spool so its going to be grey.
You would think that reducing the height of the gates by 2mm would have given it better clearance between the moving platforms and the walkway, but its still a little tight, its functional, but tight. If i snip the hinge pin hook down a little it should be more than fine, i certainly wont be reprinting all the gates again.
I just briefly inserted the wires where they need to go on the motor mount and paybox.
They fit, but only just, and i mean only just, they was pinched and almost broke the coating on the wire, so now im just modifying that and the paybox platform so that they have a little more freedom.
The wires enter though the underside of the motor mount and go up through the main shaft holding the platform in place.
Then they come out of the top, which is originally where they was pinching.
What if, when you die, you have to choose one person to always see a live view of only there face, nothing else. That would be torture lmao, especially if they are bashing the bishop😂
Just looking at this for eternity, never being able to look away or blink.
ChatGPT post 2024 be like
