[MOC] RC Scania R450 with Trailer in 1:45

[Ts__]

Hello!

Today I would like to present my first foray into the city theme. This truck started out as a load for a planned train (rolling highway), but I also wanted to know: can I build a trruck that can be driven by remote control? Without hiding the electronics in a Container box....

Yes, I can!

The little one is fully roadworthy: 1x Cicuit Cube HUB, 1x Circuit Cube motor as drive motor and 1x CaDa MicroMotor for the steering (here the PF plug had to be exchanged for a Circuit Cube plug, soldering skills helpful).

And because it's nicer: front/rear light in the truck ;-)

A matching semi-trailer was also built, of course with a prototype. I like the north of Europe, so I often see the semi-trailers of the Freja haulage company and my daughter is also called Freja (only in the German spelling). So it was obvious which haulage company would serve as a role model for me. And the logo was a great snot job: approx. 200 parts per logo....

 

 

The trailer has a retractable/extendable pillar, operated by hand via a gear wheel at the front. It's hardly noticeable there and could also be a ventilation detail...

 

I also built a manual version of the truck with “Hand of God” control: no soldering, just drive, no foeign parts required....
.... and with twin tires. I'm still missing them on the RC version and have fallen victim to the lack of space.

 

 

And because only pictures of moving trucks are boring: I have created a (attention, longer^^) video of the development and with many detailed explanations (but in german, sorry) : have fun watching it:

 

I hope you have as much fun watching the photos / videos and reading here as I had building ;-)

Thomas / Ts__

 

Edited May 8, 2024 by Ts__

[Ts__]

I just see that maybe the subforum “LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling” would be better for my moc. I would be happy if an admin can move the topic. Thank you!

[supertruper1988]

17 hours ago, Ts__ said:

I just see that maybe the subforum “LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling” would be better for my moc. I would be happy if an admin can move the topic. Thank you!

Unfortunately the Technic folks feel that 1:45 is too small 

I really like your truck! I love that its motorized too. 

[Ts__]

Thank You!

 

2 hours ago, supertruper1988 said:

Unfortunately the Technic folks feel that 1:45 is too small 

But I have used Technic parts, kept to a scale and even used more details than some large Technic trucks ;-)

Okay, fun. The post can stay here for all I care.

 

Thomas

Edited May 8, 2024 by Ts__

[supertruper1988]

1 hour ago, Ts__ said:

Thank You!

 

But I have used Technic parts, kept to a scale and even used more details than some large Technic trucks ;-)

Okay, fun. The post can stay here for all I care.

 

Thomas

Yeah there was some drama surrounding it because scale modeling at "minifig" scale not exactly city and not exactly technic. There was a scale modeling sub-forum for a while and the moderators decided that it had to be a large scale like greater than 1:20 or it had to be a very small scale like less than 1:150 or something. I personally thought that any scale model made of LEGO elements should have been included but I and others were strongly out voted.

I watched your video (with auto translated English subtitles) and it was unclear what might be needed if I only cared to have the driving and steering portion of the controls. I have several models of American trucks in a similar scale and I would like to make one or more of them motorized as you have done. 

You also mentioned (I think) that you had not seen someone else do this and the only similar occurrence I can recall is a person that made a motorized truck but the power for the driving and battery was housed in the trailer only using a micro motor for steering in the tractor unit. Your use of the Circuit Cube is quite ingenious to make it all fit in the tractor unit. 

[Ts__]

Strange definition of scale. I would consider anything that tries to maintain a scale to fall under it. But never mind ;-)

The following electronic parts are installed in the RC version:

Tenka Circuit Cube Bluetooth HUB
Tenka Circuit Cube motor
Cada MicroMotor

Your question is probably aimed at the control system:

- simple option: smartphone with the Tenka Circuit Cube APP. However, it can be difficult to operate the steering properly here. You have to throttle the power of the steering motor (CaDa MircoMotor).
This can be done via the BrickController 2 APP on an Android smartphone. However, I only have an iOS device available, so the BrickController 2 APP does not connect to the Circuit Cube Bluetooth HUB. Therefore I can't try it out

- My variant: I used the Lego PU remote control, which is paired with an M5 Atom lite microcontroller via Bluetooth and the microcontroller with the Circuit Cube HUB. You need a program on the microcontroller that translates the commands from the remote control into commands to the motors.

Steffen / @Asper has presented a program for the M5 Atom lite here on Eurobricks, which I have used as a basis.
Steffen has published his program on GitHUB.

I have modified Steffen's program for my purposes, but since I did not write the entire program, I have not published it. I can publish my changes, but I would discuss with Steffen how best to do this. In any case, the topic with the M5 Atom lite is more for people who can also program.

For first attempts, the smartphone solution with the Circuit Cube APP is the simpler one and that's how I started (you can see my tablet in the video during the first attempts)

If you are only interested in the steering and not the electronics, you can take a look at the manual version, the steering is the same except for the steering motor.

1 hour ago, supertruper1988 said:

I can recall is a person that made a motorized truck but the power for the driving and battery was housed in the trailer

Yes, I know some solutions in this way. But I know no other solutlion only in the tractor unit in 1:45. This should be new thing.

Thomas

[supertruper1988]

So in the final version the trailer does not disconnect remotely? I saw that you had tried that in the early versions but I did not quite follow the auto translate through to the end where you use the cheese slope to hold the kingpin. 

[Ts__]

I am currently turning a gear wheel by hand on the trailer as shown in the video, this extends the support on the trailer and it is lifted over the top of the cheese slope in the truck unit.
You could also install a second Circuit Cube in the trailer and use this to extend the support (and for a rear lights on the trailer). I plan to do this, but haven't built it yet. Then it would be possible to hitch up/unhitch completely with remote control.

In an older version, I had a latch in the truck on the saddle plate that could be opened/closed with a motor. But this made the drive in the truck too weak to drive well and the trailer would also need a brake so that it wouldn't be pushed away when you saddled up.

Thomas

[LEGO Train 12 Volts]

No way... 

How did you get this truck powered? ...perfect and incredible work!

[Ts__]

Thank You!

 

10 hours ago, LEGO Train 12 Volts said:

How did you get this truck powered?

 

;-) I shrunk the parts so that they fit inside^^

Thomas

[supertruper1988]

17 hours ago, Ts__ said:

I am currently turning a gear wheel by hand on the trailer as shown in the video, this extends the support on the trailer and it is lifted over the top of the cheese slope in the truck unit.
You could also install a second Circuit Cube in the trailer and use this to extend the support (and for a rear lights on the trailer). I plan to do this, but haven't built it yet. Then it would be possible to hitch up/unhitch completely with remote control.

In an older version, I had a latch in the truck on the saddle plate that could be opened/closed with a motor. But this made the drive in the truck too weak to drive well and the trailer would also need a brake so that it wouldn't be pushed away when you saddled up.

Thomas

Ahh ok that was what I saw and then there was some discussion given about rubber bands and I was failing to follow how it worked in the final version. 

Thank you so much for your help!

[LorisWave]

Amazing model. I have a question: why do you use CaDa MicroMotor instead the circuit cube motor for the steering?

[Toastie]

On 5/7/2024 at 8:54 PM, Ts__ said:

I just see that maybe the subforum “LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling” would be better for my moc. I would be happy if an admin can move the topic. Thank you!

Hi Thomas,

I absolutely second this - you should summon some mods ... like @Jim and @Milan

It is called the "... Mindstorms ..." sub forum. And scale? Of course, when something is to scale, who can possibly care about the numbers in the scale?

And using an Atom M5, the PUp remote, BLE code, IS SO Mindstorms. This post belongs exactly in the "... Mindstorms ... Scale Modeling" forum!

OK, that was that.

Wonderful scale model - as all your models are!!! And these Tenka hubs/motors are so cool, I love them!

Wow, another marvel ...

Thank you very much and all the best,
Thorsten

[Milan]

On 5/7/2024 at 8:54 PM, Ts__ said:

I just see that maybe the subforum “LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling” would be better for my moc. I would be happy if an admin can move the topic. Thank you!

31 minutes ago, Toastie said:

I absolutely second this - you should summon some mods ... like @Jim and @Milan

It is called the "... Mindstorms ..." sub forum. And scale? Of course, when something is to scale, who can possibly care about the numbers in the scale?

Hi guys,

In the Scale Modelling Forum, as per the rules, scale models have to be 1:20 and larger.

Other than that, this truck is really something!
I like it very much.

 

[Toastie]

11 minutes ago, Milan said:

scale models have to be 1:20 and larger

OK, it is what it is, but when I am posting in that forum (my electronics stuff virtually nobody is interested in, and that is totally OK), my "MOCs" are certainly not to any scale, but are Mindstorms related. Which is Thomas' truck as well, isn't it? Besides a nice enclosure, there is some advanced electronics at work here.

But: It is up to Thomas, of course.

Thank you very much for taking your time responding, highly appreciated!

Best,
Thorsten

[Milan]

On 9/26/2024 at 11:07 PM, Toastie said:

OK, it is what it is, but when I am posting in that forum (my electronics stuff virtually nobody is interested in, and that is totally OK), my "MOCs" are certainly not to any scale, but are Mindstorms related.

Your MOCs are Mindstorm related, which is a part of the "Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling" forum, and hence, same as Technic models, they are not restricted by scale or size.
For Scale Modeling, we had to draw the line at 1:20.

On 9/26/2024 at 11:07 PM, Toastie said:

Thank you very much for taking your time responding, highly appreciated!

Sure! We are here to help and to make things as smooth as possible

[Ts__]

On 9/26/2024 at 11:44 AM, LorisWave said:

Amazing model. I have a question: why do you use CaDa MicroMotor instead the circuit cube motor for the steering?

Thank You. For your Question: Space ;-) The CaDa MicroMotor main body is only 3 studs long (the 4. stud is smaller as the main body). The Circuit Cube needs full 4 studs in length.

Regarding the forum area: Yes, I agree that my little RC truck doesn't really feel at home here ;-)

At Bricking Bavaria, he once visited the large Technic area and also took part in the Technic truck parade (until the other large trucks were too fast and drove off^^)

 

Thomas

 

 

 

Edited November 30, 2024 by Ts__