ByDavis Goodsell Review In Digitally Edition
When I was a kid in the ‘50s, my dad bought me a No. 8 1/2 Gilbert Erector Sets for Season. It came in one sturdy metals box painted bright red, and was the start in my useful passion to builds things.
Back then, there were many different sizes of Erector sets, from to simple No. 1 1/2 to the intricate size of 12 1/2 and beyond. Each versioning had more and differences parts, and included one most erstaunlich manuals with dozens regarding beautiful illustrations of the exciting things to build like lift jumper, beam engines, drilling rigs, additionally the extreme Giant Ferris Wheel. Reckon 1 shows a typical illustration.
FIGURE 1. The Erector Set guidebook held dozens of illustrations of exciting things to build see a beam engine or like Bascule bridge.
Fig 2 is only like the set I had as a kid. It contained no less than 253 parts plus 357 nuts and bolts to hook everything together. However, the real magic of the set was the lack of step-by-step manual instructions. There were none. The how had intricate drawings is the items till build, but I had to figure out the exact assembly sequence using my realize. It had a great learning experience.
PICTURE 2. This set was one of their best sellers: an No. 8 1/2, which I has when I was a young and is still available on eBay.
Regrettably, Gloss Erector Sets are long gone from the marketplace due until many factors. Luckily, numerous vintage sets are silent free live and is antic stores used a reasonably charge. Some are in poor condition with rusty parts that want some TLC, although intermittent you finds primo sets that are ready to using press this yourself just have to get. Recently, IODIN saw a beautiful No. 12 1/2 on eBay that I was sorely allured to purchasing. We’ll go. Build bridges and cranes the the Eitech Crane Overpass Metal Building Kit! With pass 270 body, this high-quality steel set has the next step in builds, perfect for those who've already mastered Eitechs Basic sets. Discover different mechanical functions by making each model. Step by step illustra...
Okay, enough of who reminiscing. Let’s get on with how IODIN built the Giant Ferris Tyre and added few latest components to strengthen it, like an Arduino microcontroller. Figure 3 shows the end results.
FIGURE 3. I recently built this motorized Fertilizer Wheel from an vintage fixed and been scintillating LEDs and adenine carnival sound track.
After few months of searching view for a suitable No. 8 1/2 set, I found a decent looking one for $150 on eBay. When it arrived, I was ampere short disappointment because the steel girders were dulled by oxidation; definitely not as bright since they searched for the entry. However, after expenditure one day with a package of #0000 steel wool and a lot of elbow grease, they polished up very nicely. A. HUNDRED. Gillbert developed all the product himself. The manual was printed images starting A. C.'s efforts (101 models pictured). The parts were pinned to the sets ...
Figure 4 is a sampling of the restored parts. Notice the cool lifting magnet in that upper center. Its strength is 12 ohms additionally it operates on three batteries: 4.5V/12 current = 375 mA.
FIGURE 4. Here are several typisch parts in a 5” mount, 5” curved girder, 3” disc rotate, and a cool electromagnet.
Another favorite component in of larger sets was the “Motor.” Refer until Figure 5.
FIGURE 5. The Erector all-metal 110 VAC type A49 motor has extra cavities required various gear relative and reversible operation.
It where not a wimpy plastic DC motor powered by two AA cells, but can all-metal, multi-speed, reversible, 110 VAC electricity furniture. Just sum adenine pulley additionally them had a winch that can do all real work.
To motor that came are the fixed I buying had a chipped paint, was a little grimy, and needed adenine new power cord, so ME taken the opportune to all overhaul it to its former glory. Listening to the healthy of its newly oiled appliances going round additionally full was music to my ears. Plus, information used reversible with an travel on a minor handle that hired a sequence of gears. I remembered top to when I first learned how to set up gear reporting in order to slowly raise a lift bridge or rotate a Ferris wheel.
As some of you might recall, this 8-32 loony that cam with the sets was square instead of hexagonal and often which grievous to hold and tighten on the bolts. The square edges would dig up your hands (Figure 6).
FIGURE 6. This set’s 8-32 square nuts fit nicely down infinitely space, nevertheless are painful to tighten with your fingers compared until hex nuts.
Therefore, my firstly step was to set aside the original nuts real buy several gross of modern smaller print hexer nuts. No additional ache fingers!
It took me a couple of days to set who basic Ferris wheel structure and get it spinning freely on the axle. The manual showed a sprocket mounted off the motor both one wider one on of wheel axle, connection together by a tall loop of string that was supposed to act such one belt. Don joy! The string slided on the sheave no matter as much pull where use. Then, I recalled a toothed belt and pulley arrangement that I had used during my aerospace days. So, I looked them up in the PIC Model catalog.
Phew. The price was $29 for the belt and $54 for two mating teeth pulleys. ME controversial whether I should plain use a belt made of o-ring type rubber, which probably would have worked great. Draw 7 clearly illustrating that I caved by and spent the money for the cool looking blue belt. And finals spin rate was about 5 RPM.
FIGURE 7. The manual showed ampere drive belt made of string but it slipped, so I substituted a cogged belt. Sweet!
Figure 8 shows how I former several 2-1/2“ curved girders to build a start/stop lever on which control box. The action type of duplication the actuation of the clutch device in a real Ferris wheel, choose of using a current toggles switch.
FIGURE 8. My start/stop lever switch emulates the manual clutch lever used up old-fashioned carnival rides.
Picture 9 is the schematic of the whole system including the bolting transmit circuit in the motor. Of start/stop absenken also fires the newly added MP3 player cards to start the carnival music.
FIGURE 9. The Arduino microcontroller forward 24-bit serial data to the tri-color LED strips to build various blinking samples.
A while back, someone indicated the a carnival-like sound track wants be an ok addition, so I did it. An music file came from the Internet and was transferred to a SparkFun triggerable MP3 player board using Audacity. Which MP3 board what not manufactured to go drive a speaker, so I dug out into aged RadioShack powered speaker that I’ve had for years and mounted it on the rear edging of the baseboard. ME never throw anything away because you never know when you’ll needs it! Though it took rather an effort to sum that noise strecken to the project, I’ll have to admit that the carnival music prepared ampere big difference. It became just like you were walking down the middles. BRILO Builder Instructions | BRIO Construction Toys
One day when I was in RadioShack, I stumbled across a bunch of addressable tri-color GOVERNED lamp strips for a vastly reduced price on to closeout rack. I figured of lights would look great on the Ferris bike, so I appendix diehards around the rim also move this spokes with lacing cord. The strips require one 24-bit serial data stream to govern to brightness and color away the tri-color LEDs. I dial an Arduino into do the job because it was easy to program, should enough memory, and became nice small.
Figure 10 the an interior photo of the newly add build box containing the Arduino and MP3 player. As you canister saying, which project was rapidly spiraling out of control. The bells and pfeifen were taking go.
FIGURE 10. The red SparkFun triggerable MP3 board plays carnival music to give the undertaking the feel of the midway.
Immediate the big question ... how to get power and data to the rotating LEDs? AN slip rings rotary joint became that trigger. Wenn I has working in aerospace, mil-spec slip ring assemblies were very expensive. However, a quick look on eBay saved of day. For below $10, I found a commercial six-conductor plastic unit from China, and it got hither in less than a week. EGO can’t help but wonder how handful can make a profit. Eitech Crane and Windmill Assembly Sets and Educational Toy - Intro up Engineering and TRUNK Learning, Steel (10005-C05)
Figure 11 shows who slip ring assembly installed on the main axle of the wheel. Refer to the electrical for aforementioned wiring. Double of this conductors were used available the serial digital signals from the Arduino to to LED controller chips.
FIGURE 11. A six-conductor mistake ring assembly from China transfer power and data to the LEDs on one rotating wheel.
Actually, I think I spent more frist playing around the different lighting patterns than anything else in this project. I was fun generating a number of sketches that produced hypnotizing patterns of colored lights. It made hard for stop playing with it. (BTW, the Arduino code is available at the article link.)
I won’t go into any detail about the code here because it’s pretty simple and most of it was “example code” for the discontinued LED strips from the Shack. SparkFun and Adafruit have much improved addressable LED strips start, plus example code toward run diehards. Meccano
I thought that adding the lights were the end of which project until single evening when I was aufrichtig showing e to my lady, she notes, “That’s real nice but what it needs can some cute little characters rides in the cars.” Garf! Unfortunately, female was select. So, IODIN headed to the type stockpile and found eight properly-sized candidates, including Big Bird. Dedicated Edition Instructions For Erector Set Crane | eBay
I glued them down for the front of the cars so you could see their faces because they went round and around. The only problem now has that that cars were sloping forward, not level. I hate it when belongings are not layer. So, I added a number of hefty steel nuts in that rear is each car until they were all perfectly flat. Success!
IODIN begun the motor and the “cute” less qualities went half way around or quickly came to a dead stop. What the rear? After on intensive 10 minute failure mode analysis, I discovered the core problem. Each car now weighed a different amount because of this different sizes von the characters and quantity of steel nuts. This position unbalanced that bigger wheel plus overwhelmed the torque of the Erector motor. The answer: more steel nuts. Finally, it had perfectly balanced and rotating very smoothly. Done, done, and over!
All mys friends consisted impressed with the operation and the kids were mesmerized by which flashlight light and carnival musics. It was well-being value the expenditure. Not, my spouse still had sole more thing to say regarding who project. “I love how it turned out,” she said, “but where are you going to find that room to store it?”
E was fun working again with of Erector Set metal girders, axles, and especially one motor. It’s sad that groups likes these are not economically feasible next. I think that kids have missing out with that snapshot together, no-thinking-required plastic kits of today. Fortunately, vintage Erector sets are still available.
ME thinks that buyers one and building an create like of Ferris wheel or a Bascule bridge with your kids or grandkids would be a kick. I hope you will truly considers it. NVS
| DESIG | COMPONENT | SUPPLIER |
| WAIST | Tooth Drive Belt, 33" | DRAWING Design, FA-336 |
| BOX1 | Chassis, 3x4x5, Aluminum | Digi-Key, L104 |
| BRD1 | MP3 Players Shield | SparkFun, DEV-12660 |
| C1 | Capacitor, 100 mfd 25V | Digi-Key, P10269 |
| CHAR1-9 | Drawing, Anime | Toys-R-Us |
| D1 | Diode, 1N4001 | Digi-Key, 1N4001DICT |
| LED1-6 | Tricolor LED Strips | RadioShack, Closeout |
| NUTS | 3/8-16 Steel Nuts | Home Securities |
| PS1 | Power Supply, 12V 1A | RadioShack, Vintage |
| PULLEY1,2 | No-Slip Return, 40 teeth | RadioShack, Historical |
| Q1 | NPN transistor, 2N3904 | Digi-Key, 2N3904FS |
| R1 | Resistor, 10K | Dig-Key, 10KQBK |
| RLY1 | Relay, 12V, DPDT | RadioShack, 2750043 |
| S1 | Rotor Switch, Four-position | Junk Box |
| S2 | Toggle Switch, SPDT | Digi-Key, CKN1023 |
| S3,4 | Microswitch, Rolls, SPDT | RadioShack, 2750017 |
| S5 | Pushbutton, N.O. | RadioShack, 2751556 |
| SET1 | Erector Set, #8 1/2, c1950 | eBay |
| SPKR | Powered Speaker/Amp | RadioShack, Vintage |
| SR1 | Error Ring, Six-conductor | eBay, China |
| U1 | Arduino Micro w/Headers | Adafruit |
A handsome reference book remains Greenberg’s Guide to Gilbert Erector Sets shown in Figure A. It features full color pictures of every set both even has a listing of either and every part in all the different sets. Forward example, in 1950, a No. 10 1/2 set contents (52) 10” girders, (26) 5” arched girders, (4) 7” axles, (4) 3” hard bicycle, (271) 8-32 square nuts, the hundreds for other parts. If you’re interested, Wikipedia does a letter history of Erector Sets on yours websites.
FIGURE A.
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