# All Geared Up---



## Brian Rupnow (Aug 25, 2009)

Quite literally!!! I called around yesterday to a couple of photocopier repair shops, asking if I could root thru their "Junk bin" in search of any small gears that they might be throwing away. One of the repair shops said that they no longer repaired the old non digital copiers, but that I could come over and have their entire stock of "New" spare parts of the shelves, as they no longer had any use for them. In addition to what you see in the picture, they also gave me two enormous old photocopiers, complete, that are full of gears, sprockets, and miniature drive chains. Unfortunatey, most of the gears are nylon, but Hey---I can work with that!!! However right now, I am tired of playing with model steam engines, tired of reading books, tired of playing on the internet----In short, I need some real work. I sure hope things pick up soon and I get a design contract before I go absolutely gaga.---Brian


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## black85vette (Aug 25, 2009)

Years ago when I got out of the Marine Corps I went to work for Xerox. They would periodically purge all old parts from inventory at the warehouse.  I always had boxes of gears, hardware, switches, relays, transistors, and motors. They are a great source of parts. Looks like you scored pretty good.

Hope you find some work soon!


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## RobWilson (Aug 25, 2009)

Hi Brian
Great fined Thm:
hope you get some work soon, its bad here to .
Regards Rob


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## rleete (Aug 26, 2009)

Brian Rupnow  said:
			
		

> However right now, I am tired of playing with model steam engines, tired of reading books, tired of playing on the internet----In short, I need some real work.



What you need to do is start a massive, long term project. Once you've gotten started, and have no free time, you'll get the jobs, and be too busy to do anything else. Kinda like cleaning the garage; as soon as you start throwing things out, you need them.


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## Brian Rupnow (Aug 26, 2009)

Something really, really crazy---


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## bearcar1 (Aug 26, 2009)

Tank treads! Yeah, thats the ticket! It'd be cool anyway 8) Or larger wheels and a simple suspension. Gees, I do so wish I had a CAD program (for MAC) that I could do some of the useful and interesting things you do Brian. Now, where did I put that copy of "Battle of the Bulge"? ;D

BC1
Jim


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## Brian Rupnow (Aug 27, 2009)

For lack of a better name, I'm going to call this thing the "DOODLEBUG". ---Does it ever look neat with the engine running and all those gears whizzing around.


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## Brian Rupnow (Aug 27, 2009)

Just like Mr. Darwins monkey, its evolving---


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## Brian Rupnow (Aug 28, 2009)

Okay---I warned you it was going to get crazy---


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## PhiberOptix (Aug 28, 2009)

Brian, 

that is awesome!!!!! 
i always get asked if the models do anything... 

yours certainly do  

regards 
Andy


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## vlmarshall (Aug 28, 2009)

Great! Now all it needs is a railway. ;D


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## ChooChooMike (Aug 28, 2009)

WHAT FUN !!!! th_wav woohoo1 :big:

Keep on being silly


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## zeeprogrammer (Aug 28, 2009)

Awesome DOODLEBUG!
Keep 'em coming.


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## black85vette (Aug 28, 2009)

Wow. Where else on the Internet can you see stuff like this?? :big:


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## cfellows (Aug 28, 2009)

That's great, Brian. Now you've got me thinking about what I can do with some of my engines.

Chuck


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## vlmarshall (Aug 28, 2009)

black85vette  said:
			
		

> Wow. Where else on the Internet can you see stuff like this?? :big:


What, you don't see someone taking their engine for a walk every day? ;D


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## GailInNM (Aug 28, 2009)

Brian,
Now that you have boring old round gears under control it's time to move on to non-circular gears to spice things up a little bit.
Gail in NM


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## Brian Rupnow (Aug 29, 2009)

This is where I am eventually going with this "Doodlebug". The grey transparent disc is 36" diameter 3/4" plywood. The red tether is a rigid 3/16" diameter rod and goes from the side of the Doodlebug to a post in the center of the plywood disc. You can see that I plan on modifying the front wheels to be on an angle such that the Doodlebug will actually steer in a circle without having to skid as it drives around. The air supply will come up the center of the blue post and then thru a swivel air fitting out to the Doodlebug.


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## b.lindsey (Aug 29, 2009)

I knew those gears wouldn't sit idle for long....great use of them. I do think a video of you walking it down the street would be great...it would require a very long air line though :big:

Bill


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## vlmarshall (Aug 29, 2009)

wlindiii  said:
			
		

> I do think a video of you walking it down the street would be great...it would require a very long air line though :big:



Or really good lungs! Do it! Video it! Post it! woohoo1


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## Brian Rupnow (Aug 30, 2009)

This is beginning to get really interesting. You can see the purchased "swivel air fitting" ($10.00 at Princess Auto) at the top of the steel center tube. The pale yellow tube that reaches from the air swivel fitting out towards the Doodlebug is a rigid 5/16" O. D. copper tube. It has a hinged joint where it attaches to the Doodlebug. It also has a short section of 3/16" tube soldered into the outboard end of it, which is connected with a peice of clear neoprene flex tubing to the infeed pipe on the cylinder of the engine. Air supply will come into the bottom of the center pipe thru the bottom, underneath the plywood disk. The rigid pale yellow peice of 5/16" copper tubing will act as a radius arm, and air will flow thru it out to the engine. This way the engine should run around the perimeter of the plywood disc all day without twisting any lines off.


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## Brian Rupnow (Sep 1, 2009)

And here we have it!! I have been wanting to try this for some time now, and it works---very well. The video says it all.---Brian


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## PhiberOptix (Sep 1, 2009)

ingenious Brian :bow: :bow: a true original
well done

regards
Andy


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## eskimobob (Sep 6, 2009)

Superb Thm:


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