RC Locomotive 'Diesel-Electric'

[WRM]

I guess you could adapt an Airplane (prop) drive to the (shaft) Generator, but it would be a challenge. You can't simply put a coupling between the crankshaft and Gen shaft, because most airplanes use the prop/spinner to start them.

Some (all?) of the buggy engines have a fan and ducting built-in, so you might not have to do anything but make sure it has enough free air around it? I'm not "recommending" this engine, simply linking so you can see the fan/ducting.
https://www.amazon.com/FLMLF-Standard-Monster-Fighter-Kingmotor/dp/B07MGSPJDQ

Throw a clutch bell/pinion on there and mount a spur gear on your generator shaft.
https://rovanrc.com/product/rv85092/

 

[Roog]

Thanks @WRM fear not I welcome all suggestions it’s easy for me to become stuck in my own little world.

 

[WickedFog]

Tbose bumpers are sick dude!

 

[Roog]

Tbose bumpers are sick dude!

I had to concentrate proper. Sat on my desk, they make a fair fidget toy!

 

[Roog]

Motors and VESCs arrived, they look solid bits of kit. It has dawned on me that spinning up an out runner is a bit more involved that my other motors

 

[Roog]

I feel like I've been lacking in progress lately i seem to be waiting for so many things that impact on the final design. Materials for the generator cradle have arrived and also the aero engine.

But i did get around to making a couple of motor brackets seen in image above

And here it is with the motor propped on top of a truck. The wide angle exaggerates the size of the motor, that said the motor diameter is greater than the wheel rim. “Thinks….i hope I've got this right,”

Note I have switched to two separate belts for motor drive and axle to axle transmission as we discussed just recently. I suspect that this will be a good move, best guess at belt lengths made and belts on order.

I'm going to start ‘running in’ the engine on a prop so I'm looking for a 16 x6 prop, sounds frightening especially when ill be running it in my shed. Don’t suppose the neighbours will be very happy, hopefully they will just think I’m running a weedwacker or chainsaw.

 

[Doom!]

I'm going to start ‘running in’ the engine on a prop so I'm looking for a 16 x6 prop, sounds frightening especially when ill be running it in my shed. Don’t suppose the neighbours will be very happy, hopefully they will just think I’m running a weedwacker or chainsaw.

They would be right, that 16" prop could probably be used for both!

 

[WickedFog]

I feel like I've been lacking in progress lately i seem to be waiting for so many things that impact on the final design. Materials for the generator cradle have arrived and also the aero engine.

View attachment 275312

But i did get around to making a couple of motor brackets seen in image above

And here it is with the motor propped on top of a truck. The wide angle exaggerates the size of the motor, that said the motor diameter is greater than the wheel rim. “Thinks….i hope I've got this right,”

View attachment 275313

Note I have switched to two separate belts for motor drive and axle to axle transmission as we discussed just recently. I suspect that this will be a good move, best guess at belt lengths made and belts on order.

I'm going to start ‘running in’ the engine on a prop so I'm looking for a 16 x6 prop, sounds frightening especially when ill be running it in my shed. Don’t suppose the neighbours will be very happy, hopefully they will just think I’m running a weedwacker or chainsaw.

I don't think a 16" prop is going to sound like a weed whacker bro

You want scary...
At Applied Composits, when we made a carbon fiber prototype prop that was about 30" long, they wanted to test it. So they made a mandrel to mount it in the spindle of the CNC router. One of the stupidest things I have ever seen done in the machining world. They spun it up to 30,000 RPM's. They had 6" thick tooling board stacked up around it, only after I told them what kind of damage it could do. Tooling board is like 2' x 4' x 6" thick sheets of body filler type plastic.

I made sure I had at least 3 concrete block walls between me and that stupid ass setup, and it still felt inadequate. Even with the heavy steel machine walls and the tooling board stopping any flying debris. It sounded like a WW1 Bi-Plane. I was like - this is sopposed to be a prop for a military drone? You'd hear it coming from miles away. It held up. But so many bad things could have easily gone wrong. I am 100% certain it would have made it outside the machine.

 

[Roog]

I don't think a 16" prop is going to sound like a weed whacker bro

You want scary...
At Applied Composits, when we made a carbon fiber prototype prop that was about 30" long, they wanted to test it. So they made a mandrel to mount it in the spindle of the CNC router. One of the stupidest things I have ever seen done in the machining world. They spun it up to 30,000 RPM's. They had 6" thick tooling board stacked up around it, only after I told them what kind of damage it could do. Tooling board is like 2' x 4' x 6" thick sheets of body filler type plastic.

I made sure I had at least 3 concrete block walls between me and that stupid ass setup, and it still felt inadequate. Even with the heavy steel machine walls and the tooling board stopping any flying debris. It sounded like a WW1 Bi-Plane. I was like - this is sopposed to be a prop for a military drone? You'd hear it coming from miles away. It held up. But so many bad things could have easily gone wrong. I am 100% certain it would have made it outside the machine.

Yeah sounds terrifying, seen lost of crazy stuff done in the name or research including me strapping myself inside of a large rotating machine to take current readings! Similarly in the world of model aeroplanes I’m amazed at the number of people who seem happy to lean over a model aero engine and rev it. No need nothing to be gained, just pain and worse if it does go wrong, and whilst I’ve never seen it go wrong I do know of someone who had to be bundled off to hospital with half a wooden prop embedded in their arm. Probably the least bad outcome under the circumstances

 

[WickedFog]

Yeah sounds terrifying, seen lost of crazy stuff done in the name or research including me strapping myself inside of a large rotating machine to take current readings! Similarly in the world of model aeroplanes I’m amazed at the number of people who seem happy to lean over a model aero engine and rev it. No need nothing to be gained, just pain and worse if it does go wrong, and whilst I’ve never seen it go wrong I do know of someone who had to be bundled off to hospital with half a wooden prop embedded in their arm. Probably the least bad outcome under the circumstances

I ran a 26' VTL for awhile. The chuck spun at 3 RPM. The material was hard to get a chip to break, so it always created a huge rats nest in the center of the fixture. And getting that huge ball of stringy twisted shavings out of the fixture was a nightmare because it was 4' tall. Even when using the crane was no fun because it tried to pull the fixture off the chuck with it.

So I started standing on top of the fixture, 4' off the table that was 4' off the floor. Walking the 1' wide top plate overhang while trying to avoid toe clamps 8" off the fixture. I walked around the table staying next to the tool head while pulling the chips as I went.

I ended up getting a sh1tload of walking in during a shift. But I never took my eyes off the chip as it liked to wrap around your legs if you weren't paying attention, and I bet you could pull a pickemup truck (Ford Transit for you guys) with one of those curly strands of metal.

I did have a control for the machine that could swing to the center of the chuck. So I alwas had an E-Stop in my hands. That monster lathe could turn a part 22' diameter and 12' high if I remember correctly.

Here's one of the bigger machines. They could make this truck in one part if they wanted to. Not even the biggest machine there

The first machine I ran there was a gantry mill that had 100' of travel in X-axis

 

[Roog]

I ran a 26' VTL for awhile. The chuck spun at 3 RPM. The material was hard to get a chip to break, so it always created a huge rats nest in the center of the fixture. And getting that huge ball of stringy twisted shavings out of the fixture was a nightmare because it was 4' tall. Even when using the crane was no fun because it tried to pull the fixture off the chuck with it.

So I started standing on top of the fixture, 4' off the table that was 4' off the floor. Walking the 1' wide top plate overhang while trying to avoid toe clamps 8" off the fixture. I walked around the table staying next to the tool head while pulling the chips as I went.

I ended up getting a sh1tload of walking in during a shift. But I never took my eyes off the chip as it liked to wrap around your legs if you weren't paying attention, and I bet you could pull a pickemup truck (Ford Transit for you guys) with one of those curly strands of metal.

I did have a control for the machine that could swing to the center of the chuck. So I alwas had an E-Stop in my hands. That monster lathe could turn a part 22' diameter and 12' high if I remember correctly.

Here's one of the bigger machines. They could make this truck in one part if they wanted to. Not even the biggest machine there
View attachment 275472

The first machine I ran there was a gantry mill that had 100' of travel in X-axis

Now that does sound scary

 

[Roog]

The moment i have been looking forward to bonding the wheels to the axles. Interference fit’ was too much to expect from the Rube Goldburgh of machinists so at the recommendation of my model engineering colleagues i have put a smear of Loctite 638 and if that doesn’t work i have Loctite 660 as back up!

Comes in a funny bottle must be extra gooey

 

[CertifiedMike]

I don't even know what to say! I know its turned metal and all but that looks more like fancy art than (soon to be) dirty, under train parts!!!

I am ultra impressed!!!

I am curious, is one of those locktite compounds any easier to 'unlock' than the other for ease of maintenance in the future?

I have received tubes of 1:1 auto grease in a similar accordian shaped bottle. I bet that locktite is like paste!

Rube Goldburgh is my favorite brand of nonsense!!!

 

[Roog]

Hi @CertifiedMike I think it takes significant heat to loosen 638, I expect @WickedFog knows, I think it falls into the category, ‘parts you don’t want to come apart’ but nothing is forever!

Ha ha I learned about Rube when my American clients were over in 1986 to see how we were getting on and the topic of our make do test rig came up and I described it as a bit Heath Robinson and one of the guys from the US told me about their/your equivalent and it stuck. :0)

Whilst I quite liked the look of the meniscus of green goo where it touched the wheel, I decided to clean it off just in case it got in the way

 

[WickedFog]

Hi @CertifiedMike I think it takes significant heat to loosen 638, I expect @WickedFog knows, I think it falls into the category, ‘parts you don’t want to come apart’ but nothing is forever!

Ha ha I learned about Rube when my American clients were over in 1986 to see how we were getting on and the topic of our make do test rig came up and I described it as a bit Heath Robinson and one of the guys from the US told me about their/your equivalent and it stuck. :0)

Whilst I quite liked the look of the meniscus of green goo where it touched the wheel, I decided to clean it off just in case it got in the way

Yeah, those higher grade Loctite formulas are only removed with heat. They are more of a glue than reguar Loctite and are meant for slip fit parts. It isn't even meant for screws, but one of our test rigs we made for GE used the 660 on the bolts of a 12" 718 Inconell boss that was desiged as a shrink fit, which is like a slip fit, but is only a slip fit when the internal component is chilled to -100°F or so (-78.5°C). That boss was held into the main part by about twenty 1/2" bolts with that 660 on the threads. They REALLY didn't want that boss coming out because they also used safety wire like this:

Such a kicass project bro!

 

[Doom!]

Seriously, have to agree with @CertifiedMike, these are works of art.

 

[Roog]

Yeah, those higher grade Loctite formulas are only removed with heat. They are more of a glue than reguar Loctite and are meant for slip fit parts. It isn't even meant for screws, but one of our test rigs we made for GE used the 660 on the bolts of a 12" 718 Inconell boss that was desiged as a shrink fit, which is like a slip fit, but is only a slip fit when the internal component is chilled to -100°F or so (-78.5°C). That boss was held into the main part by about twenty 1/2" bolts with that 660 on the threads. They REALLY didn't want that boss coming out because they also used safety wire like this:
View attachment 275752
View attachment 275753

Such a kicass project bro!

Doesn’t look like it will come apart without a proper fight!

Yes the bottles of this 600 series loctite suggest that they are bearing retainer, I have some 603 too, I guess that is slightly less ‘forever’.

I wonder how long it takes to set/harden?
Edit: AI says 10mins to set but wait 24hours for full strength.

 

[Roog]

Chassis frame and trucks have been cleaned, roughed up ‘keyed’ and primed. And yes there are a couple of massive runs! I hate painting , I am always impatient and put too much paint on. Well it can sit in my shed to harden for a week before i do anything else to it

Note high spec ‘dog food delivery box’ spray booth

Opps, forgot the buffers!

 

[Roog]

Ok its got paint on so hopefully it won’t go rusty now and i can get on with doing proper things, lots of bits have arrived including belts, fuel pipe (who knew you can't use silicone pipe with petrol?) Big gauge wiring purchased in AWG weird! And batteries for rc and engine ignition. My wallet is looking thin, like marriage threateningly thin.

 

[CertifiedMike]

Ok its got paint on so hopefully it won’t go rusty now and i can get on with doing proper things, lots of bits have arrived including belts, fuel pipe (who knew you can't use silicone pipe with petrol?) Big gauge wiring purchased in AWG weird! And batteries for rc and engine ignition. My wallet is looking thin, like marriage threateningly thin.

View attachment 276225

I carry a picture of my RC's in my wallet where the money used to be.
Sounds like you're doing this right.