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Better for Steampunk would be to have the pistons 'bridging the gap' as it were, instead of so flush with the leg. First off, it increases the mechanical advantage the piston has, meaning it requires less energy to move the leg, and second, well, it just looks more steampunk.

sketch what you mean Anvildude, I'm almost following..

dsteingass wrote:
And you know I can't condone the blasphemy of using Lego parts, but I would suggest you "explore the functionality of" this technic part

Weel you've never met the Chaos Space Marines! Really nice chaps really, just the slannesh guys have a bit if a skin problem.

Is this sort of what you mean Anvil?


At first glance, this seems like it would limit movement some, due to the rigid pistons, almost as if you need to first decide how far the limb's range of motion is, and then find a placement for the piston that allows it at the maximum extension and the minimum extension.

That is what I meant. Unless Dakka's got an in-browser sketch system somewhere that I don't know about, I'm not that fast with the sketchings.

Thing is, it would actually not limit range of motion as much as the close to leg system would, simply because you can always have a different bracket system letting you possibly even hyperextend the joint.

GIMP, it's the only graphics tool you will ever need bro

Oh, I got the GIMP. It's just the whole- download the picture, boot up GIMP, do the changes, save the picture, upload it to Dakka, then put it in the thread. I like spur of the moment stuff.

I bet It took you longer to type all that than it would have to actually do it

I use paint and photobucket.

...

*slips out*

wow mates... that is quite helpful... i really like, love even this sitting together and really thinking about such a modeling problem!
both, anvil and dave are onto something good here...personally i can see both ways to be used...heck the inner (left piston) of dave ´s first sketch is just the longer version of the "anvildudes" design... i think a mixture of both ...would that be a solution...i am really getting wet hands when i see that stuff...mates many thanks...

oh and while we are at it... how would you solve the leg to body problem? this is a major issue atm with me too...

oh and dave...i know already valdez stuff... he is a genius...isn´t he? everybody that dabbles in steampunk i think will at one point stumble over his walker!

i do by the way own the pistons from lego, but there is literally no way i would steal those from my kids... we only have about three or four...and one day they will need them, so they are safe and will stay that way^^ promise!

by the way... nice way of drawing dave! this seems to be a talent of yours...quick and to the point...remarkably!

at hazzer...thanks mate and ...lol^^

shrike... i do have flicker...and then all the other stuff... i should even pour out such stuff like dave...as i have now a graphic tablet since chrimbo...but atm i had no time of getting to know it better...

at rawson... seeing your awsome conversions of your leman russes... i think you should conquer your fears...i think you have it in you to amaze yourself!^^

at shaso... bet that the salty taste helps bring on the need for refreshing beer...although i those circumstances i would prefer more beefy reasons for beery beverages...^^


no updates atm... came home pretty late today from the school...was a bit worn out so i will get tomorrow as i have no apointment then and will do some of your ideas and put them into white and grey plastic^^ you are truly the best followers one can hope for!

vik

Hmm.The steam boiler would have to drive a shaft or steam piston. If it is a shaft, then the shaft would have to have a series of gears that allowed the legs to sort of "pivot at the hips" But in order to engage one leg at a time to actually walk, there would need to be some sort of gearbox or transmission that allowed each leg to move independently.

OR, you could just make a cool-looking mess of gears and pretend it really works

OR, you could just make a cool-looking mess of gears and pretend it really works

lol...

but i do like your first idea more...so more an underslung boiler and the means for transmision under the cockpit than my first idea to have it behind the cockpit...hmm...i think i like that...

How a bout a sliding piston on the leg, buy this I mean the piston on the top of the leg is in a fixed position but where the lower leg is attached to the drive piston it is fixed to a sliding plate on the leg allowing more movement if that makes sense.

As for the independent leg movement could you not have two small independent boilers for each leg or am I just being stupid

Hmmm, you could, but the idea is that the boiler creates your fuel supply and compresses it, the steam. Then to harness the energy in the steam, you have a piston engine. There is nothing stopping you from making a single boiler, but have two independant engines both sharing the same steam supply though, like LDD said

hmmm... since the boiler has to be fired...i doubt two would be advisable...beside... we all do know that boilers are a heck of a unsatifing means to power something up... for such a massive object a boiler must be at least the size of the cockpit, if not bigger...

two smaller ones... i can´t see that happening...if you want...make a mockuo pic and proove me wrong^^

as for the first suggestion...i can´t picture that...for lack of technoligical understanding...when something gets to tech complicated i am out of my depths language wise^^


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thanks dave... as written above...thought the same^^

Well, this is steampunk, you can't use integrated circuits, but you can imagine that they have developed some new way of compressing the steam, and using smaller boilers than were common in our own history You have some room to fluff it here and there, it is fiction after all

of course there might be a fluffy solution...but in my guts the whole walker issue is using a fluffy solution as to how on earth could such a device be energy efficient already up... i think i have to make the build convincing...having two power "cells" like LDD sugested would bring me in a state to not believe in my model anymore...

Yeah, perhaps we are overthinking it, perhaps it just needs to be badass, steampunky, gearey, rivety goodness?

I'm not THAT kind of engineer, but I don't think a Leman Russ would ever work if it was built either

in all of these you are totally right^^...tomorrow will bring some light into that matter...need to really built for this more...


as for the LR...ask shaso if that rusty tin could work at all^^

Hey I am just chucking some ideas out there I did not say I knew what I what I was doing lol

As for the 2 smaller boilers was more for the independent power supply which as you both have pointed out would be rather useless on several counts (but might have looked good) point taken.

However the first part of my suggestion was as in the second picture where the piston is between the leg sections , the bottom of the piston is fixed to a plate on the leg that can slide up and down the lower section of the leg increasing the movability of the leg.

I will see if i can draw something to explain but it will have to be tomorrow as I can barely keep my eyes open at the moment I am nackered

Just read some of your post that has happened as I was writing slowly but there is a way of increasing steam power by reducing the area around it which it has to travel using smaller piping as it builds therefor increasing its force therefore increasing power and energy out put I think.

I saw something on the discovery channel about it its to do with build up of power by forcing it in ever decreasing space by doing this it increases it power levels

Well, there's 3 drive systems that are really 'steampunk'-y. The first is piston drive, using tubing to go from the boiler, into a distribution manifold, into the proper pistons. This would be the most powerful, and the most versatile, but would require miniscule detailing, and might not provide many opportunities for making it look cool.

The second is gearing- this is clunky and heavy, but looks cool- a good way to do alternating legs would be a partial or 'cut' gear for the primary drive, so each leg only gets power for part of the rotation.

The third is Belt drive, which is similar to the gears, but using belts for long-distance power transference, and friction drives for power distribution.

Anvildude wrote:Well, there's 3 drive systems that are really 'steampunk'-y. The first is piston drive, using tubing to go from the boiler, into a distribution manifold, into the proper pistons. This would be the most powerful, and the most versatile, but would require miniscule detailing, and might not provide many opportunities for making it look cool.

The second is gearing- this is clunky and heavy, but looks cool- a good way to do alternating legs would be a partial or 'cut' gear for the primary drive, so each leg only gets power for part of the rotation.

The third is Belt drive, which is similar to the gears, but using belts for long-distance power transference, and friction drives for power distribution.

Or a conbination of the second 2! Like gears and chains (like bicycle chains) driving the legs. I'll see if I can draw what I mean.

at LDD... i can follow you now...this last point you describe is exactly how steam power works...and how i want to use it for this built...hopefully i am able to...

at anvildude... the cut gear idea...that is pretty cool...hmmm...but the pistons for me are the foremost way to portray the steampower idea...tho i really like your ideas...beltdriven methode sounds nice but i suspect highly complicated for modeling...if it was only for a lego constrction i would probably use that one...

oh and i hope i can proove you worng with the piston argument of yours...and make it indeed looking cool^^


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at jake... what i meant when saying lego...exactly like you described!


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oh and...

can barely keep my eyes open at the moment I am nackered

i second that for my own feeling atm...which brings me to wish you all my friends a good night...see you tomorrow...

Night Vic! Here is what I meant. Sorry it's a bit small.

Niiice!

Yeah, and Big gears on the sentinel's hips, that would just look badass!

I like big gears and I cannot lie....

dsteingass wrote:Niiice!

Yeah, and Big gears on the sentinel's hips, that would just look badass!

I like big gears and I cannot lie....

Those big round wheels and the itty-bitty teeth,,,,sprung!

LMAO!!

oo doing a sentinal like that would look awsome!

the ork deff roalla handel things i used on my knight should look like great leg replacments

nice jake...will remember this for future steps of the built!

big gear...argh...now big´uns...and i was desperatly trying to make them small^^ make up yer minds ye lot^^

at fatty... looked through your gallery and couldn´t find that model...care to share?^^

as for my work...i am currently working high intesity^^ on the legs... thankfully the icechopsticks took well to the glue...so i am even working on the toes...an update will follow shortly i think...something that will bring a hell lot of light into that build...

also...that testors glue is pretty heady stuff... dazzled me uite good... i hope my wife doens´t g spare on me alter on...the windows for now will remain open^^