Dragline Rebuild

[modelman]

Anybody want to take a guess at what this is? (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.

[9W Monighan]

Potentiometer for the control. Ceramic?

[doodlebug]

A rheostat!

[modelman]

Originally Posted by 9W Monighan

Potentiometer for the control. Ceramic?

Originally Posted by doodlebug

A rheostat!

You are both right-It is a 25-watt potentiometer or rheostat, depending on how it is wired.

[modelman]

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


After lowering the holes I had to put a small extension on the handle-


Then I re-assembled the controller and this is how it looked-

[modelman]

The pot needs to rotate 160 degrees each direction so I put a 3.5 to 1 gear ratio on it.

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-



This change also gave my better angles on the return springs and now they go back to neutral consistently-

[tc1cat]

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.

[modelman]

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.

[modelman]

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.

[doodlebug]

Nothing wrong with the new joystick, they look great!

Cheers, Neil.

[modelman]

I have decided to change my controller again. 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-

Here it is assembled-

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.

[apfubar]

Looks good!

[9W Monighan]

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.

.

[modelman]

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

[9W Monighan]

Put up a video of her working.

[modelman]

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.

[dozerbuilder]

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.

[Mikem]

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

[Cooper]

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!!

[thebigo]

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.