Had a trip into town this morning and got some plastruct I beams and a couple of switches, then this afternoon had a session in the shed and built my sliding door. First I glued a couple of strips of plasticard 300 long x 20 wide 1mm thick to give the I beam better grip with solvent rather than glue. Next up I fixed the smaller I beams either side of the door, I had to glue a shorter piece across the top of the door as it had bowed slightly. Tried the door in place and it glides up and down nicely, even just under its own weight, I thought I may have to put a bit of lead flashing at the bottom but it seems fine. I have fixed the electric winder in place and made a support bearing at the end of the shaft, although it might have worked without ok, still belt and braces.. Tied a short length of string between the top of the door and the winder, soldered the new switch in place of the old one so now I can turn it off as well as winch the door up and down. I'm using a battery, well 2, AA's, though if I can find one, I will use a 3v transformer, quite pleased with it to tell the truth, despite it making enough noise to wake the dead . Next job, tidy up the wiring, then start assembly. Cheer's, Pete.
I'll second that. Lip looks a very neat fit. Nice and simple as well. I could see that being copied regularly. ...... Erm ....... I don't know by who like. ....... Where did I put me plastistruct Well done Pete
Thanks chaps. Toto, the switch is a double pole double throw centre off DPDT On Off On, miniature toggle. Dead easy to wire as they need to cross over to get the reversing function, I'm sure someone will come up with a graphic shortly to explain . Cheer's, Pete.
That's great, The wiring I get. The positive and negative are wired to one end and cross over when linking to the other end, The centre contacts are the common that go to the motor. Switch one way .... The motor runs forward , switch the other, the polarity reverses and the motor travels in the other direction. You've given me a bit of an idea with your pulley. Cheers Toto
Very nice Pete. Looking forward to seeing this in action. (video... ) Toto, here is a wiring graphic (Pete asked for it...) for the DPDT switch... Cheers, Gary.
I am going to attempt similar on the coal drop gates Pete but my motors will need to be placed to the rear of the building which means a 90 degree bend via a pulley wheel. I think I will add a bit weight to mine to keep the pulleys tight. I have the same motors as yourself. I found them tonight even though I've just sent for two others yesterday. Anyway, Paul had explained similar to me before but I'm a bit thick ...... I need to see it to understand it. This thread has rammed it home. Cheers. Looking forward to see it in action. Toto
When I was working out how to do it, I thought I may need to include a pulley in the string run and considered two 00 wagon wheels glued face to face to make the pulley, they come with a shaft,(axle) and bearings, if needed, are readily available. Cheer's, Pete.
Great solution there Pete, I like it......it`s amazing what lies behind some models and it`s simpler than we often think it is. http://www.clickGormo
Done some more on the factory/workshop building, I have glued the ends, front and roof in place, it has taken an age because of the shape of the front walls and the physical size, some parts I could clamp while the glue sets, but after a while I had to resort to using screws to hold the bits together until the glue dried. Anyway the pics should show the assembly. Before I glued the ends in place I coloured the channels on the inside, I didn't want to paint them so I used a black permanent marker pen and a Sharpie pen to get into the corners, I was a little worried the solvent in the pens may attack the plastic but all seems fine. I have also painted the door and weathered it with washes and powders. Well that's as far as I can go for the moment until the glue has dried and I can remove the screws, then I can start on the cladding. Cheer's for now, Pete.
Coming along a treat Pete and looks very sturdy. Looking forward to seeing it clad in it's iron clothing... Cheers, Gary.
As I want the buildings on Wheeldon to sit in the landscape and I want the trackwork filled in up to the rail top level. So I've started digging up the old groundcover where its going to be concrete, I have also started raising the ground level up by gluing thick card down between the tracks. I will post up some photos later of where I am at. Not going mad with it, I still have to build another baseboard for the new fiddle yard and lay some more track before committing to the scenics. Cheer's, Pete.