[GBC] The Akiyuki Project (2010 - 2020)

[Ankoku]

Looks like he is keeping busy of late!
 

 

[9v system]

@Courbet do you have a bsx file for the steering cup module? i noticed the part list is at the end but i cant find the brick stock file.

[Jonas]

This is my version of Akiyuki's Peanut module. I call it Trefoil.

 

[Ankoku]

Looking good. It has been far too quiet in here of late!

[Courbet]

On 9/19/2019 at 7:18 AM, 9v system said:

@Courbet do you have a bsx file for the steering cup module? i noticed the part list is at the end but i cant find the brick stock file.

I have uploaded it on Bricksafe :

https://bricksafe.com/files/Courbet/akiyuki-project/Steering_Cup_inventory.bsx

[9v system]

30 minutes ago, Courbet said:

I have uploaded it on Bricksafe :

https://bricksafe.com/files/Courbet/akiyuki-project/Steering_Cup_inventory.bsx

thanks

[Maico]

 

[Ankoku]

Don't believe anyone has posted this.

It is pretty insane. Basically the creator has combined a bunch of Akiyuki modules into a giant GBC tower!
 

Kinda hope he posts here about it.

The bucket wheel tower segments only being supported on one side really messes with me! :P

[dunes]

it is insane. saw it 1st last thursday and Im still amazed. and the size. 195cm high.

[Ankoku]

Should be a popular one at events.

I like the fact that he provided links to Akiyuki pages.

[dunes]

yepp.

the only module I dont like in this tower is the cycloidal drive cos I cloudnt get it run properly. Motor stalled often.

[Ankoku]

I haven't bothered with either cycloidal or harmonic, as there is an awful lot of LEGO which doesn't achieve a whole lot. I love the fact that he did it, his ability to take a mechanism and apply it to a GBC, but it doesn't give me a desire to build it and run it myself, like many of his other modules do.

(I am somewhat hypocritical on this one, as I plan to build @Rick Katsumata Orbital Overlap, which has a whole lot of LEGO, not doing much, yet I love the motion too much not to build it.)

I will be doing the Invisible Lift before too long, which fills me with dread.

My biggest disappointment thus far, is the stuck ball module. Love the module, love the concept, sadly it ejects balls left, right and centre and has no real way to fix it.

The fact that he uses the hammers on the fork-to-fork surprised me. I never understood why Akiyuki used them in the first place and in later iterations, he has replaced them to be the same across all forks. So still seeing them on peoples fork-to-fork modules is somewhat triggering for me.

[9v system]

@Ankoku have you thought of changing the input part of the stuck ball module to this input with the two agitators?

also @Courbet the screw type 1 works with the panels with side supports, i tested it on my old build before ordering all new parts for the rebuild

Edited October 5, 2019 by 9v system

[Ankoku]

The input isn't the problem really. Yeah, balls end up hanging around there, but it is the fact that as the arms go up, the balls can be ejected out the side. This often leaves balls in the undercarriage or balanced on some of the moving parts. You see this at every event it appears at, including the ones which Akiyuki attends.

[9v system]

11 hours ago, Ankoku said:

The input isn't the problem really. Yeah, balls end up hanging around there, but it is the fact that as the arms go up, the balls can be ejected out the side. This often leaves balls in the undercarriage or balanced on some of the moving parts. You see this at every event it appears at, including the ones which Akiyuki attends.

this video has one that has about 100 balls under it

[Ankoku]

Yeah, it is a seriously flawed design in that regard.

I think, if I was going to try and fix it, I would redesign the way the balls are fed into the arms. Have it so it each one is independently fed and only allow balls in at certain timings.

The issue occurs when the ball lands just as the pump is reaching a ball's width from the end, thus it traps it before the ball is sitting between the liftarms. As the arm raises, the pressure increases and since the ball isn't secured properly, it just fires out in a random direction.

The machine works perfectly, if the timing is roughly okay. You don't want the timing perfect, as it is nice to see the ball sitting in there for a moment or two, doing nothing, or with another ball, it triggers almost instantly. That said, for the period where the arm is close to or past the width of a ball, the ball shouldn't be allowed to enter.

[9v system]

4 minutes ago, Ankoku said:

Yeah, it is a seriously flawed design in that regard.

I think, if I was going to try and fix it, I would redesign the way the balls are fed into the arms. Have it so it each one is independently fed and only allow balls in at certain timings.

The issue occurs when the ball lands just as the pump is reaching a ball's width from the end, thus it traps it before the ball is sitting between the liftarms. As the arm raises, the pressure increases and since the ball isn't secured properly, it just fires out in a random direction.

The machine works perfectly, if the timing is roughly okay. You don't want the timing perfect, as it is nice to see the ball sitting in there for a moment or two, doing nothing, or with another ball, it triggers almost instantly. That said, for the period where the arm is close to or past the width of a ball, the ball shouldn't be allowed to enter.

i havent really had this issue with mine since i rebuilt with brand new parts, but i see what you mean,

how did you go with fork to fork?

[Ankoku]

I am going to change the axels on Fork-to-Fork. I have built myself one of @Berthil's. Not exactly the same, but I worked with the pieces I had to hand :P So, once they are replaced, I will see if it runs smooth as silk. If not, I may also change the gearing arrangement on it.
I feel as though it would work better with an even number of forks, rather than odd, but I am guessing dodgy axles are the main issue.

[Ankoku]

Finally finished off Cup-to-Cup v1.2

Finally got around to sorting the exit ramp. It is only a 30min hack of what was there before, but it gets the job done and it is a lot more rigid. The Akiyuki version had bits which rotated and all sorts, which I am not keen on.

Runs they way I imagined it would, which is pleasing and it doesn't leave behind any balls in the hopper.

The keen eyed viewer will notice that the spiral lift is a bit wavy in motion. I actually had the universal-joints aligned incorrectly. So I have fixed that since and replaced the axle, with a straighter one, whilst I was at it.

Is the spiral life super smooth like the rest of it? No. Since it is now furthest away from the motor and is at the end of all sorts of gears, it is not perfectly smooth, motion wise. That said, when it comes to watching it in action, I far prefer the cups to be the smoothest part of the system and you don't really notice the spiral. Also the spiral motion is impacted by the friction caused by lots of balls in the hopper.

I may well replace that one bush in the gear system with a black one.

The way the balls slowdown midway along the 2nd ramp is amusing. This is an issue you have with this style of doing ball channels. Since the ball doesn't touch the bottom, just the edges, they rotate really fast. Thus, by the 2nd ramp, it is a fight between gyroscopic rotation, gravity and friction. I kinda like it as it adds an extra novelty to the module.

Will adjust the 3D model so it has the new off ramp, instead of the old one and then set about doing the instructions. Most of the instructions are identical to the original version, so hopefully there won't be too much work to do.

[9v system]

@Ankoku my stuck ball runs nicely in this video

[Ankoku]

hehe. Mine can run perfectly on occasions. Other times, it is like a roid-rage baby in a cot full of toy. It ain't taking no prisoners.

[9v system]

Just now, Ankoku said:

hehe. Mine can run perfectly on occasions. Other times, it is like a roid-rage baby in a cot full of toy. It ain't taking no prisoners.

have you tried running it slower? my works better when run slower as i dont follow the standard anyway

[Ankoku]

Slower will make it happen less often because it is running.... slower. In fairness, due to how the issue manifests itself, it will actually occur less often at slower speed, but it will occur.

I will give it a shot at slower speeds, but I am almost 100% sure it will still occur.

One of the interesting things, is the fact that the way it fails rarely ends in it self destructing. The balls just end up in weird, unobtrusive locations.

[Ethan M]

@Ankoku

I own a copy of the Akiyuki “Lifter Triggered By A Stuck Ball” as well. I have issues where the balls get trapped under the arm and then the arm can not go all the way down to load the next ball causing a jam. I’m probably not going to mess with mine. I just like to have it in my module collection. If you or anyone else in here finds any modifications to be proven reliable and helpful please post them here. All help is appreciated! 
 

[Ankoku]

Have to admit, I have never gotten a ball stuck under an arm. I guess it could shoot out of one arm and land under another if the other arm was risen at the time.