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Post by foamieninja on May 21, 2022 3:42:23 GMT
I'm making an assumption here, that this area is akin to a... Miscellaneous RC/off-topic area... Hopefully my assumption is correct. On that note, I figured it would be a good idea to make a short post about something I've been mostly putting off for a couple years due to laziness. I've finally decided to unarchive it for the third (and final) time and finish the thing. After much planning, and burying it in the corner repeatedly... I've settled on a dual (formerly quad) barreled paintball turret instead, for now. Keeping in mind that the turret assembly is all going to be modular, so I can swap it out in the future if I so desire. She has working headlights, taillights, a horn, and possibly a smoke system for the stack on the front... If I feel like going that far with it. It's driven by a pair of old hub motors that were passed to me by a friend of mine. It seemed like the perfect use for them, so why not? I'm looking at a wet weight of approximately 80lbs when finished, and loaded. She measures 42" long, 24" wide, and an estimated 32-36" tall, with the finished turret assembly. Estimated top speed of around 20mph, likely going to have the output limited to around 5mph, because it's supposed to be a (semi) scale vehicle. I'm currently designing an adjustable trigger circuit for the two mounted paintball guns. I'll be able to adjust the rate of fire, as well as fire mode. The turret will be controlled (switchable) by a headtracking system. I'll have it so I can toggle to a set of knobs, if i don't feel like wearing goggles, yet want to cruise it around events and such. I should be able to realistically reach 1200 rounds/min without taxing the triggering hardware too much. Not that I'll ever need it to fire that quickly. I'm borrowing a section of the UHF band (roughly 432-450mhz*) for control, and a portion of the 3.3ghz band for the video feed. I may go to the extent of having the turret stabilized on the pitch axis, as to mimic modern tanks... No real reason for this. It just looks nifty when the turret stays level when traversing rough terrain. I'm also adding a sound system, so that I can play properly themed music for whatever occasion it needs. ( that one pivotal track from the first Red Alert game would be a nice touch) I posted progress (at least to the point where I ceased working on it again) on my Imgur feed... It will do more justice for it than posting the mass of photos here and taking up tons of screen space with it. Should be able to see the post here. One final note. This was actually a power wheels vehicle. Big Jake, to be specific. The second PW conversion I've done. The first one involves an ATV, and Donald Trump. If you were at the last official Toledo Show, you've probably already seen it. So, yep. That's pretty much it, at least until I can finish the parts for the turret assembly, and rig the final bits together. It's definitely going to make combat more interesting.
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Post by Burkeomatic on May 21, 2022 14:54:03 GMT
That's amazing! I just scrapped my kids powerwheels (I don't know if the pink kids mini cooper would have been good for anything). Do you go to any RC combat events or anything like that (is there even such a thing)? The more I look at that the more I see the potential.
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Post by ratcheeroo on May 21, 2022 15:07:20 GMT
I'm making an assumption here, that this area is akin to a... Miscellaneous RC/off-topic area... Hopefully my assumption is correct. On that note, I figured it would be a good idea to make a short post about something I've been mostly putting off for a couple years due to laziness. I've finally decided to unarchive it for the third (and final) time and finish the thing. After much planning, and burying it in the corner repeatedly... I've settled on a dual (formerly quad) barreled paintball turret instead, for now. Keeping in mind that the turret assembly is all going to be modular, so I can swap it out in the future if I so desire. She has working headlights, taillights, a horn, and possibly a smoke system for the stack on the front... If I feel like going that far with it. It's driven by a pair of old hub motors that were passed to me by a friend of mine. It seemed like the perfect use for them, so why not? I'm looking at a wet weight of approximately 80lbs when finished, and loaded. She measures 42" long, 24" wide, and an estimated 32-36" tall, with the finished turret assembly. Estimated top speed of around 20mph, likely going to have the output limited to around 5mph, because it's supposed to be a (semi) scale vehicle. I'm currently designing an adjustable trigger circuit for the two mounted paintball guns. I'll be able to adjust the rate of fire, as well as fire mode. The turret will be controlled (switchable) by a headtracking system. I'll have it so I can toggle to a set of knobs, if i don't feel like wearing goggles, yet want to cruise it around events and such. I should be able to realistically reach 1200 rounds/min without taxing the triggering hardware too much. Not that I'll ever need it to fire that quickly. I'm borrowing a section of the UHF band (roughly 432-450mhz*) for control, and a portion of the 3.3ghz band for the video feed. I may go to the extent of having the turret stabilized on the pitch axis, as to mimic modern tanks... No real reason for this. It just looks nifty when the turret stays level when traversing rough terrain. I'm also adding a sound system, so that I can play properly themed music for whatever occasion it needs. ( that one pivotal track from the first Red Alert game would be a nice touch) I posted progress (at least to the point where I ceased working on it again) on my Imgur feed... It will do more justice for it than posting the mass of photos here and taking up tons of screen space with it. Should be able to see the post here. One final note. This was actually a power wheels vehicle. Big Jake, to be specific. The second PW conversion I've done. The first one involves an ATV, and Donald Trump. If you were at the last official Toledo Show, you've probably already seen it. So, yep. That's pretty much it, at least until I can finish the parts for the turret assembly, and rig the final bits together. It's definitely going to make combat more interesting. Can't wait to see some footage of that in action, very cool.
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Post by foamieninja on May 21, 2022 21:04:11 GMT
That's amazing! I just scrapped my kids powerwheels (I don't know if the pink kids mini cooper would have been good for anything). Do you go to any RC combat events or anything like that (is there even such a thing)? The more I look at that the more I see the potential. [/span] That's the second time I've seen that exact vehicle referenced. xD The original thought was inspired by a nebelwerfer/panzerwerfer... So that's fair. But yeah, I'm aiming to stir up some nonsense at FliteFest this year... As per usual. Not to go off tangent, but there should definitely be an event subcategory. Would be fancy for making those aware of happenings around the area, and such It would make it easier to organize meetups and such at said events as well. Though, I think I mentioned that already... On that note, I should be getting the paintball stuff tomorrow. I'm going to whip this thing out asap. I should have had it finished a year and a half ago. :/ I still have to get a high pressure tank, and compressor. I'm aiming for 4500psi. Since I have to feed two of them, I should benefit more from the increased source pressure. Not sure how I'm going to keep the tank protected. When in doubt, wrap it in foam. Else it risks becoming a giant frag grenade.
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Post by Admin on May 21, 2022 21:51:46 GMT
That's amazing! I just scrapped my kids powerwheels (I don't know if the pink kids mini cooper would have been good for anything). Do you go to any RC combat events or anything like that (is there even such a thing)? The more I look at that the more I see the potential. That's the second time I've seen that exact vehicle referenced. xD The original thought was inspired by a nebelwerfer/panzerwerfer... So that's fair. But yeah, I'm aiming to stir up some nonsense at FliteFest this year... As per usual. Not to go off tangent, but there should definitely be an event subcategory. Would be fancy for making those aware of happenings around the area, and such It would make it easier to organize meetups and such at said events as well. Though, I think I mentioned that already... On that note, I should be getting the paintball stuff tomorrow. I'm going to whip this thing out asap. I should have had it finished a year and a half ago. :/ I still have to get a high pressure tank, and compressor. I'm aiming for 4500psi. Since I have to feed two of them, I should benefit more from the increased source pressure. Not sure how I'm going to keep the tank protected. When in doubt, wrap it in foam. Else it risks becoming a giant frag grenade. Done!
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Post by foamieninja on May 23, 2022 23:55:29 GMT
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to sneak this in as a sort of mini-build log of sorts, but... The primary hardware for the turret arrived, albeit later than expected.. because the amazon driver did something weird. inb4 parking a mile from the house for almost an hour, and driving the opposite direction. On that note. I have no idea how I'm going to hide the hoppers. They're HUGE. I mean, I don't really need to hide them, but... You know. xD I guess It's now a mobile AA vehicle... Or will be, soon. xD I only need the tank, compressor, and high pressure hoses/fittings to get the ball fully rolling.
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Post by Burkeomatic on May 24, 2022 0:13:56 GMT
I'm not sure if I'm allowed to sneak this in as a sort of mini-build log of sorts, but... The primary hardware for the turret arrived, albeit later than expected.. because the amazon driver did something weird. inb4 parking a mile from the house for almost an hour, and driving the opposite direction. On that note. I have no idea how I'm going to hide the hoppers. They're HUGE. I mean, I don't really need to hide them, but... You know. xD I guess It's now a mobile AA vehicle... Or will be, soon. xD I only need the tank, compressor, and high pressure hoses/fittings to get the ball fully rolling. Absolutely! I love it. Anytime you put simulation weaponry on something RC I am in. That is excellent. You know, actually, today I was thinking about your project, the broken powerwheels laying in front of my house the trash dudes won't haul off until I hack it up, and a little known piece of history. Do you know about the snow cruiser? We built it right before WWII to explore the Antarctic. It was diesel electric and carried a plane.... Sounds like a fun project. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antarctic_Snow_CruiserAre you going to be able to remotely site and aim the paintball turrets? Some lucky soul would get to be the gunner! If you wanted to, you could get some PVC pipe for the "rocket tubes" and house the paint guns in the lower ones, and the hoppers in the ones above, and boom, there you go!
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Post by foamieninja on May 24, 2022 1:32:26 GMT
That's unusual. Electric to boot. For some reason, I feel like I should know that vehicle exists, yet I don't. On that note, I wasn't planning on separating controls. I would be driving, as well as handling the gunnery. Probably going to have a ladder in the viewport, so I can see my inclination and such, as well as some other nav stuff. My head will do the targeting, while my hands do the driving. I do like the thought of a stacked assembly over the hoppers. I could do something similar to the Phalanx CIWS. I'll have to ponder yet though... not sure where I'll go with it. The paintball guns have a nice little feature I'll be taking advantage of though. I'm going to pop the pneumatic bits off the grip, and integrate that into the housing. Have something that bolts through the base of the grip and secures it to the frame, in addition to barrel support. No point in the valve stuff being there anyways, since I'll be connecting them directly to a tee to the tank.
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Post by Burkeomatic on May 24, 2022 2:22:25 GMT
That's unusual. Electric to boot. For some reason, I feel like I should know that vehicle exists, yet I don't. On that note, I wasn't planning on separating controls. I would be driving, as well as handling the gunnery. Probably going to have a ladder in the viewport, so I can see my inclination and such, as well as some other nav stuff. My head will do the targeting, while my hands do the driving. I do like the thought of a stacked assembly over the hoppers. I could do something similar to the Phalanx CIWS. I'll have to ponder yet though... not sure where I'll go with it. The paintball guns have a nice little feature I'll be taking advantage of though. I'm going to pop the pneumatic bits off the grip, and integrate that into the housing. Have something that bolts through the base of the grip and secures it to the frame, in addition to barrel support. No point in the valve stuff being there anyways, since I'll be connecting them directly to a tee to the tank. Ha! Made me think of this meme. Given the theme of your vehicle, if you wanted to go full on turret, I am thinking along the lines of the USS Monitor. It was the first turret ever used in naval warfare! Sure did give the CSS Virginia a hard time! Though neither ship could sink each other, and were lost to pretty lame circumstances. I think the CSS Virginia ran aground and they scuttled it, and the USS Monitor got lost in tow.
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Post by foamieninja on Jun 1, 2022 22:54:55 GMT
I've re-decided on a method for mounting the guns. A bit of large diameter all thread, and a bit of precision double-nutting for mounting the pods. Fun fact, tightening two nuts against each-other is a remarkable way to secure things. I'll use the nut pairs to vertically align the gun pods. Once I get them level and secure, I'll use an EDM drill to bore between them, and tap a pin in to (semi) permanently lock them together (If I feel like going to that extreme.. ). I'll do the same thing for the control arm for the vertical axis. Two nuts, tightened against an aluminum arm. On that note... Those empire halo hoppers are absolute garbage. They were the source of the paintball breakage problem. I swapped them with a pair of Dye LT-R hoppers, and it fixed the issue. Though I still get barrel breakage, because the paintballs are cheap. Those don't cause malfunctions though, the next ball just blows out the paint left in the barrel. I also got lucky. I found out grease gun hoses are a cheap pre-made alternative. I've found them rated all the way to 8000psi. In summary: much progress has been made. I still don't have the stupid rear tires mounted properly yet though :/
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Post by Burkeomatic on Jun 1, 2022 23:10:35 GMT
I've re-decided on a method for mounting the guns. A bit of large diameter all thread, and a bit of precision double-nutting for mounting the pods. Fun fact, tightening two nuts against each-other is a remarkable way to secure things. I'll use the nut pairs to vertically align the gun pods. Once I get them level and secure, I'll use an EDM drill to bore between them, and tap a pin in to (semi) permanently lock them together (If I feel like going to that extreme.. ). I'll do the same thing for the control arm for the vertical axis. Two nuts, tightened against an aluminum arm. On that note... Those empire halo hoppers are absolute garbage. They were the source of the paintball breakage problem. I swapped them with a pair of Dye LT-R hoppers, and it fixed the issue. Though I still get barrel breakage, because the paintballs are cheap. Those don't cause malfunctions though, the next ball just blows out the paint left in the barrel. I also got lucky. I found out grease gun hoses are a cheap pre-made alternative. I've found them rated all the way to 8000psi. In summary: much progress has been made. I still don't have the stupid rear tires mounted properly yet though :/ heck yeah! I was wondering about your progress on that. I am glad you got that stuff figured out. The double nut method does work well. I've only had it fail me a couple of times, and that was on a course thread pitch. (Double hose clamps work well for securing hoses to sketch nipples too). Cheap paint can ruin your day for sure. I was an avid paintballer back in the day when tippman stuff was all the rage (not sure what is cool now). I saved up when I was 14 and trying to save for a car to get a tippman 98 custom. I miss it. Scraping up my pennies to buy a case of cheapo paint at walmart lol.
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Post by foamieninja on Jun 3, 2022 3:00:29 GMT
More updates. Still making progress. Drew up the tower, and gunpods. Likely going to cut them out tomorrow... The hoses and tee will be here tomorrow as well, so I can start rigging the pneumatic feed for them too. Quick and dirty drawings The tower bits... with interlocking reinforcement pieces for the base. ...And the gunpod box. It's nothing special by any stretch. It's simply an enclosure. The trigger solenoid will either hang from the rod, or mount directly to the trigger guard... Unless I decide to do something else. And a few pieces. Tower bits, and rod. Fun fact, that servo is strong enough to lift me one inch off the ground, according to the spec sheet. And, let's not forget the initial fitment. It seems I made a minor oops with the top plate. Must have miscalculated the spacing. :/ So far so good though, even if I did derp a couple of pieces. xD
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Post by Burkeomatic on Jun 3, 2022 5:16:08 GMT
spectacular progress! I can't wait to see how it turns out. Thanks for keeping us posted.
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Post by foamieninja on Jun 12, 2022 21:57:01 GMT
More things down the pipeline. I may have almost talked myself into doing a single paintball gun... I may revert to a single barrel setup sometime soon. On that note, the steering assembly is set, and the turret base is ready to receive the gun pods. Still can't get over the size of the servos. The power output for the price point is fantastic. It used to cost me $200 for servos of this caliber. (See PS-050) A lovely steel mounting point for the horizontal axis. Slightly expensive, but saves me some effort. Also, note the new "control panel" face. I may cut and fit a panel in the front bit too. There's a recess, which had an oddball sticker in it... Might as well make use of it. The only thing that annoys me is the way the front wheels are hinged. I don't feel like chopping and pushing the entire assembly in. It would take far too long to fix. Perhaps, that will be something for the future.
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Post by Burkeomatic on Jun 13, 2022 2:13:43 GMT
More things down the pipeline. I may have almost talked myself into doing a single paintball gun... I may revert to a single barrel setup sometime soon. On that note, the steering assembly is set, and the turret base is ready to receive the gun pods. Still can't get over the size of the servos. The power output for the price point is fantastic. It used to cost me $200 for servos of this caliber. (See PS-050) A lovely steel mounting point for the horizontal axis. Slightly expensive, but saves me some effort. Also, note the new "control panel" face. I may cut and fit a panel in the front bit too. There's a recess, which had an oddball sticker in it... Might as well make use of it. The only thing that annoys me is the way the front wheels are hinged. I don't feel like chopping and pushing the entire assembly in. It would take far too long to fix. Perhaps, that will be something for the future. Doesn't look like it would be that hard to fix the front wheels. But I feel you, when you are knee deep in a project like that, little piddly stuff like that starts getting annoying. That pic is too small for me to see the full details of it though. I can be pretty creative with a sawzall/welder. If I ever find the G-body for the price/condition you will see.
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