Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Anybody want to take a guess at what this is? :confused: (I guess no one cares). I have the controller finished and I have a few pictures but if there is no interest in this I will delete this thread.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Potentiometer for the control. Ceramic?

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

A rheostat!

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

You are both right-It is a 25-watt potentiometer or rheostat, depending on how it is wired.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps607f95bd.jpg

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

I started the modification by lowering and enlarging the pivot holes, and making the rotators-

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps0eb82193.jpg
After lowering the holes I had to put a small extension on the handle-

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps60ed7f74.jpg
Then I re-assembled the controller and this is how it looked-

http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps1ae4e9ff.jpg

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

The pot needs to rotate 160 degrees each direction so I put a 3.5 to 1 gear ratio on it.
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps5a448aca.jpg
I needed a 4 to 1 ratio but the pinion would have been to small to fit the pot so I just have to move the joystick a bit further which is not a problem.
I made some changes on the back side of the controller and was able to eliminate these parts-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...pse296e502.jpg


This change also gave my better angles on the return springs and now they go back to neutral consistently-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psc6cd4288.jpg

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Don't delete this thread!! Too many of us just set back and watch and learn from your builds and rebuild. Your ingenuity is always nice to see what you come up with.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

I need to do some wiring on the transformer and hook everything up and it should work. In that 1st. picture of the pot. I will be wiring this as a reversing power pot and this will be my swing speed control. More later.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

tc1cat-thanks a lot-my parts are rougher than 3-nights in jail but I am more concerned with how they work than how they look and so far they are working great. These parts will all be hidden inside the control box and only the handles will show.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Nothing wrong with the new joystick, they look great!

Cheers, Neil.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

I have decided to change my controller again. :confused: The swing mode just didn't feel right with the springs plus the springs were not strong enough to return the handle to neutral. I removed the springs and it feels much better. But....with the pot set up as a reverser it has to be centered exactly to keep power from going to the motor. I put a 1/4" strip of epoxy on the pot to give a bit of center dead band but with the over gearing the stick still has no wiggle room and must be perfectly positioned. So I made this detent assembly that solved the problem-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...psd0f17743.jpg
Here it is assembled-
http://i305.photobucket.com/albums/n...ps5eee44f1.jpg
As you can see it is adjustable so I will have to play with it a little to get the tension correct on the detent.
I think the problem is more with the operator than the controller but my hands and fingers are not as sensitive as they once were so I had to make it comfortable for me to operate. I think this will be the best solution.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Looks good!

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Did you figure this out yet Tom? I was talking to Jim B last night and he was talking about the problem with centering you were having. What are the micro switches used for? A cut out in the circuit? That would be a way to keep them centered by turning off the voltage.

.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Hi steve-the dragline is finished and working good. The detent took care of the centering problem. There are no micro-switches. I am having a little problem with the drag ropes getting out of the sheaves on the fairlead but I think it is a design problem. Oh well :confused:

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Put up a video of her working.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

I haven't felt like working on this project for a few months but I decided I needed to get the house back on it and attach all the small parts before they got lost. Small pcs. seem to disappear in my shop, never to be seen again. I made a short video of the testing. Everything is working good, except the operator :(.
https://youtu.be/7nibDcD5ZP8
I taught my grandson to operate this model when he was about 8-years old and he got pretty good at it. We spent a lot of good times moving this dirt but now he is grown up and has his drivers license and is no longer interested in this. Also I have moved this dirt back and forth in this box probably a hundred times and it is no longer fun so I guess I will just park the model.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Modelman, there's plenty of interest in the build so please don't delete it. Those controllers you have made are just brilliant. Watching your thread with interest.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

The operator seemed to be working very well ,I would have tangled the lines like an extension cord ! Mike

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Just think of the hours of enjoyment that model has given yourself!! One hellofa project!! Sometimes I loose interest in completed projects too, I guess that's why I never really have any finished ones :). That's some pretty nice reworking on the controls!!

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

I like your control alot, I like that it is large , makes it more realistic. The more you have to change things to work better is just interesting and fun in itself.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Tom,

Nice video! You really did a nice job on that machine, and it is nice to see a scale RC vehicle move at a scale speed. It amazes me every time I see an RC dragline how effective they move material. It is so simple compared to the hydraulic stuff out there now and it works so well.

Jim

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Thank you-I like the controllers also.
Thanks-A dragline is pretty simple to run, only-3-functions, but I am having a hard time handling the controls. Guess it is about time to hang it up.
Thank you-You are absolutely right!! I have spent many hours running this model. I always wanted to get on a real dragline but this is as close as I got. The controls work nice but still need a bit of tweaking. I have said before that building is more fun than running but I guess that depends on everyones situation.
Thanks-I had to make the controls large because I could not operate a radio anymore (too small). Also I like the realism of it.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Thanks jim-realistic operation is important to me in all models I have built. Also this is what I look for in other models. And yes, draglines are very efficient. I cannot understand why all mines are going away from this system. I timed myself once and if I remember correctly I could move all this dirt in my pit in-12-mins. That is a-5-gallon bucket full of dirt. I think that is pretty good for a small model.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

They are still using them in the Wyoming coal mines? Can't see how you could ever move that much dirt with anything else and be cost effective and effecient?

David

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

You need a dirtwork project... there's this program on the History channel called America Unearthed, a couple of guys traveling the country with metal detectors looking for artifacts in ppl's backyards... what might be hidden in your backyard Tom ? :D

Could you get a rubber tub big enough to cover the model so you could leave it out in the yard?

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

Yes, I know they are still in use. Some are in Pa. and some are in Fla. and some in the Carolinas and probably others that I don't know about. There are-2-working here in Al. but there are also-3-sitting and rusting away less than-50-miles from my house and the largest in Al.-I think a 2570-BE has been torn down and moved to Columbia and put back in service. Hundreds used to be working in the U.S. alone but the companies are slowly phasing them out. They claim they can maintain smaller shovels and hydraulic machines cheaper. I guess I am just sad and upset that I only got to see-1-working in my lifetime and many young people will never see one.

Re: Dragline Rebuild
 

The only thing I know that is hidden in my backyard is an old septic tank joe :D. If I had a project like yours I never would have sold my shovel and truck and would have made a few more models. I think I could protect the model outside but I don't have the desire or energy to do that. 15-years ago I would look on these sites at the R/C construction equipment and get all excited to get out in my shop and build something. Now that urge has past.