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PostPosted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 10:20 pm 
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Late last year the Ballina Naval & Maritime Museum received a console that once operated the Wardell (NSW, Australia) lift-span bridge.
My task is to build a model bridge and boat, and modify the console to operate the two.
My only experience with model making is a 1/10 scale model of an electrical apparatus built by Nikola Tesla. That was about 30 years ago. My electronics experience is also antiquated - like the console is. So both the modelling and electronics has and still remains to be a challenge.

So far the project is about halfway to completion. I will be posting images and text, over the next few days, to where I am at the present.
When downloaded I will let you know when I am at its end.
I am hoping to get some helpful suggestions from that point on. Especially about building the small boat.

The actual bridge:
Image

The control panel and layout drawing:
Image

Inside the console:
Image

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PostPosted: Sat Apr 15, 2017 11:54 pm 
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The display table area is 1.2 x 2.4 m (4 x 8 ft). The 1/72 scale allows for the whole bridge length to fit in nicely.

The proposed layout for the display:
Image

Image

The lift-span portion:
Image

Span and boat motors pulley system for the working diorama.
The motors and most of the pulley system will be under the table, in a control box with its electronics.
Image

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:06 am 
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Since the boat will be mobile, via pulleys, from under the tabletop, a slot/gap through the table will be required to traverse the boat under the bridge.
The boat will have a keel/flange, through the table, with pulley wheels attached.

The tabletop assembly:
Image

The control box which houses the span and boat motors, pulleys, and electronics:
Image
The control box has two access doors for servicing.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 1:48 am 
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To appease the neighbors, I avoid all noisy work in the evening. This is the time for designing, make drawings and plans, writing a service and operating manual, painting, and testing and building electronics.
In regards to electronics I needed three DC voltages. 24 volts for panel lamps and LED lighting. 12 volts for motors and relays, and 5 volts for digital logic circuits.
For this I had to build a power supply unit (PSU) which will be installed in the bridge console. From this PSU I can develop the rest of the circuitry.

The PSU circuit diagram:
Image

The printed circuit boards, assembled and tested. Each voltage source can handle 2 amps:
Image

It was decided to replace the front panel of the console with a clear perspex sheet. This is to allow the museum visitors to view inside the console.
The console exterior will remain looking antiquated, except for the panel screws, which had to be replaced. The exterior has been rust treated and satin varnished. However, since the internals is anew, so too will the interior console surfaces. I decided to paint it a dark 'Boatshed' Grey. This will help to contrast the coloured wiring. So, the console interior will be a sort of 'lit' diorama.

To add extra lighting, to the interior, a blown fuse indicator circuit was added to the PSU. That is, while voltages are OK their output indicator will be a green light (LED). If that output fuse blows, the green indicator will go off and the red indicator goes on in its place.

Blown fuse indicator circuit board:
Image

The main diorama will include sound effects, such as an warning bell before bridge operation, a fog horn, and a diesel/steam engine sound for the boat. The circuitry for this, and its speakers, will be installed within the console.

For speakers, I used a set from an old analogue TV set. However they needed a bracket for keeping its diaphragm from touching anything when mounted onto a surface:
Image

The console need slots to accommodate the speakers, connectors to (under table) control box, and power socket:
Image

Image

Image

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 3:51 am 
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Back to the bridge building.
The bridge footings:
Image

The piers:
Image

The girders and span plate:
Image

Acrylic undercoat:
The holes at end girders are for bare electrical wiring to poke out and become contact points for the bridge span. The span will have its own electronics installed. This is mainly for the span's vessel traffic lights.
Image

Fender piers (aka Dolphin piers). The outer most centre piers have been drilled for installing navigational lights:
Image

to be continued. Tomorrow I'll post some more photos. Hopefully I will catch up, to where I am at, by then.

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PostPosted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 3:40 pm 
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WOW! Very ambitious and very impressive!
Kevin


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PostPosted: Sun Apr 16, 2017 9:33 pm 
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Thank you Kevin for kind words.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 12:13 am 
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The bridge span understructure requires navigational lights, and contact points for power and control data:

Image

Added basic framework so I can get a better idea of how I am going to channel/route the wiring to the span hut:

Image

A more practical approach for cable anchoring points (fishing swivel soldered of bolt head):

Image

Image

Image

After checking wiring continuity I filled the trenches with wood putty:

Image

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 12:33 am 
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On top of the bridge span is a hut, balconies and gangways:

Image

Image

Installed the cable anchoring points, longitudinal bumper rollers (made from microswitch actuator arms), and one optical light switch. The later is for triggering the vessel (boat) traffic lights, from red/stop to green/go, when span is fully raised.

Image

Image

Included lateral bumper rollers. These rollers minimize the chances of the span getting caught up onto the bridge towers, and to guide the span to its correct resting position:

Image

Traffic lights for river vessels:

Image

Equipment storage and housing on span balconies:

Image

The hut:

Image

The gangways:

Image

Image

Road and footpath railings:

Image

to be continued tomorrow.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 2:53 pm 
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" STREWTH !!! " :cool_2:

what a project !
:thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

fascinating and different!

JIM B :wave_1:

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 8:52 pm 
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Thank you Jim B for the thumbs up.
Interesting avatar flags you have there. I have a dual nationality (Swiss-Australian), where my father is Swiss, mother is Polish, and I was born in Australia.

To continue; now for the bridge towers.

Image

Image

On top of the towers are two sets of pulley wheels and brackets.
I was not happy with the available pulley wheels, they were not narrow enough. So I made my own from washers by sweat soldering them together.
I needed 10 pulley wheels.

Image

making the brackets for the pulley wheels.

Image

Image

Image

The towers are not yet secured into place. The road base has to be installed first.
These photos are simply to see how it will look; and to see how much clearance there is between tower frame and bumper rollers.

Image

Installing the gangways for servicing the wheels.

Image

Image

Image

To be continued.

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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 9:09 pm 
Very cool! Already looking forward to the next update, thanks for sharing.

Lou


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PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 7:04 pm 
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Thank you Lou for following.

To continue. The road traffic lights need to be made, and wired, before installing the road base.
Top left photo shows my early failures before finding the right approach to making the holes.
The bottom right photo is just to see how it might look on the bridge.

Image

It was during this time I realized that the span, once the towers are installed, will not be removable for servicing. Both the bumper rollers and tower pulley wheels restrict removal.
So I decided to replace one lateral set of bumper rollers for a pair of detachable ones. Now the span can be removed laterally (sideways).

Image

Building the road and footpath; routing the wiring; and securing the road and towers to the girders.

Image

Installing all the road and footpath railings.
The spaces, in the railings, near the traffic lights are for the swing gates (not yet built).

Image

to be continued later.

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PostPosted: Wed Apr 19, 2017 9:37 pm 
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To continue...
The wiring under the tabletop needed to be organised.
All the wires, from the diorama, will be routed towards the centre of the bridge where the control box will be.

Image

Then I painted the road and footpath railings.

Image

The rest of the bridge got painted a cement grey colour.
I do not plan to show any weathering of the bridge. It is to took brand new and pollution free.

Image

The bridge road is concrete (cement with gravel). So I decided to mask off the road a splatter paint it with a dark grey.
Unfortunately the splatter got overworked in some areas. In other words, I blotched it up.
I was tempted to repaint it and start again. But felt that I could patch it up.
So I dried brushed the dark with cement colour and visa versa.
Then did it again with a fine paintbrush.
Painting the road within the span was very tricky.

Image

Now for the road markings. Double centre lines and fog lines were added. Then road reflectors added.
I was playing around with 1/72 scale cars in the bottom photos.
The cars will be installed near the completion of the diorama (not smashed up of course).
As you can tell, the gates have not yet been installed. I am still waiting for parts and materials.

Image

Well this is where I am at, with the diorama, for the moment.
Future postings will arrive as I complete each stage.

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PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 3:27 am 
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impressive project, and I hope the wood won't start working due to humidity and temperature changes...

Seems we're all alike looking at the accident footage ;-), childhood is never far away...


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PostPosted: Thu Apr 20, 2017 10:06 pm 
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Thanks Silenoz for kind words.
Silenoz wrote:
impressive project, and I hope the wood won't start working due to humidity and temperature changes...
Seems we're all alike looking at the accident footage ;-), childhood is never far away...
I have considered those possibilities and I am hoping both the use of doweling and paint will minimize any structural changes over time.
I won't be around, long enough, to see it happen anyway, so I am not going to worry about it.

Yes, there is something seriously wrong with, us humans, feeling good about escaping what others have not.

Image

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PostPosted: Mon Dec 18, 2017 2:31 am 
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Getting back to the Control Panel, it got cleaned up and painted.
Here is underneath the instrument panel.
Image

The panel got revamped.
Image

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 24, 2017 3:01 pm 
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I know I have been away for a long time, health issues got in the way.
Not sure if anybody is interested in seeing anymore about this project.

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 24, 2017 6:13 pm 
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This is an impressive project and requires a lot of work! I would be following this with interest. :thumbs_up_1: :thumbs_up_1:

Merry Christmas!
Aop

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--1/350 scratch-build HMS Lion never built battleship (1938)

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PostPosted: Sun Dec 24, 2017 7:28 pm 
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Glad you are feeling better. Hell, yes, keep posting. A very cool project.


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