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| Blizzard + Ripsaw = ?; That is the question! | |
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| Topic Started: Dec 22 2005, 12:25 AM (571 Views) | |
| outcastrc | Dec 22 2005, 12:25 AM Post #1 |
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I thought I might as well get a thread going on ideas on how to take a Blizzard to the extreme. I have a project on the drawing board for awhile now. Its in fact the reason I decided to get a Blizzard in the first place. I am still contimplating wether to just break down and buy 2 kits right off the batt. One to leave as a snow cat, the other to go nuts on. Or if there wil be so few stock parts left I would just be better off just buying the parts I would need. Anyways a quick background on Ripsaw itself. If you don't know what it is then I will send you to this website. It is one of the coolest offroading tracked vehicles I have ever seen. Be sure to check out the videos. Ripsaw Videos Now I don't plan on making a replica of the vehicle but I want to see if I can take some of the ideas from it to make a larger / faster / better Blizzard. Something with a 1/8th scale body. Larger tracks (either 1.5 or double length, heck maybe more) A lot more travel in the bogies. Hopefully without throwing tracks at speed. I think the only way to pull this off will be to have a floating tension device. So that as the track is allowed to bend over obstacles, the tension is kept within acceptable limits. Once the build becomes official it will have its own thread. What I kinda want to see with this one is throwing around ideas on how to modify the Blizzard to make it into something much more then it is. Wether it reuses 90% of its parts or its completely scratch build a design using only the track / bogies. It doesn't matter. What matters is that the end results speak for themselves. |
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| WhiteWolf McBride | Dec 22 2005, 05:36 AM Post #2 |
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Making Trax!
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Outcast: I saw the Ripsaw over a year ago, and thought it would be a good candidate for the DARPA winner, but then someone had to go and win it. With any luck they'll redefine the rules, and continue it, like they do with the robotics challenges. And I've talked to the guys... if you download their two latest promo's, you see they ARE interested in toy possibilities (I had told them the RC trackers would love something like this) I think part of the challenge of beefing a Bliz to that level is getting the ground clearance, but maintaining the smooth suspension operation. If I had the $ and the shop, I'd use their wheels and tracks, then add RC kit shocks, and custom-assemble most of the rest, but keep the tube-frame idea. I cannot wait to see Ripsaw 2... and I'm wondering why the military isn't grovelling at their door to buy the rights to repro this... as a tracked vehicle that can go where a Delta Chenowth FAV can't, but ~can~ do the same speed, it'd be a godsend to 'em. They need to show it off in the desert, to show it can perform in locations such as Iraq. |
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WhiteWolf McBride CEO, TaskForce Technologies Inc. Ottawa, Canada | |
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| spoon37 | Dec 22 2005, 10:42 AM Post #3 |
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cool.... sounds like a fun project...  one thing I did notice about the exploded diagrams of the blizzards is that the tracks seem to bolt together - it seems logical to assume a longer track could be made by using mutliple single tracks and bolting them together.... 
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| outcastrc | Dec 22 2005, 01:27 PM Post #4 |
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Ground clearance is one of the easiest answers. Since Blizzards are just aluminum plates bolted together. Just new side plates that drop down lower then the chassis bottom. Easy as pie. Heres just a quick diagram. Nothing planned, just drew some boxes. 
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| spoon37 | Dec 22 2005, 02:31 PM Post #5 |
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nice... dunno how your gonna get alot more flex out of the tracks tho... you could mount the drive pulley high up and just run bogey wheels below but you belt tension will be a bit of a headache, especially if you want plenty of suspension movement within the track itself.... thinking outloud, cuz I'm not much of an expert on tank technology, is that why the wheels are often connected in pairs so as one goes up the other pivots down, adding pressure to the track in equal measure to the amount removed by the other side lifting? 
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| EC | Dec 22 2005, 03:29 PM Post #6 |
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Making Trax!
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Interesting idea. Out of all the long travel track suspensions I've seen I think the ripsaw has the best. On another note, I see they've added a computer and RC control to the ripsaw (first saw ripsaw a few years back). I love how they suspended their harddrives, they used a whole RC monstertruck chasis. Absolutely brilliant!
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| outcastrc | Dec 22 2005, 03:38 PM Post #7 |
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I need to sit down and watch the ripsaw vids and try to figure out how it does what it does. They figured out how to have that type of travel and keep the tracks on. So its feasable. |
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| WhiteWolf McBride | Dec 22 2005, 08:25 PM Post #8 |
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Making Trax!
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Guys: The big keep is maintaining track tension... if you can't do that, you shed a track right fast. If you go through their clips, they mention that their new design is being patented... so the US military will have to pay 'em off to use the concepts even if they don't take the Ripsaw as a whole unit. Outcast: You aren't gaining muck in clearance, cause soon as that small suspension throw compresses enough, the extended side-plates catch, and your concept goes kablewie. Have a look at the Halflinger & Pinzgauer to see how they solved it for wheeled trucks. Look again at the side of the Ripper in the slow log-climb clips... you'll see that the throw arms are long, and the accompanying shocks are too. Allows them to put the drive strocket high up and to the rear, like they did on the Pershing/Patton series tanks. As for the tracks... you try douing donuts like the ripper can do, and you'll shed a track in no time flat. - can't wait for a toy-replica... |
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WhiteWolf McBride CEO, TaskForce Technologies Inc. Ottawa, Canada | |
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| outcastrc | Dec 22 2005, 08:42 PM Post #9 |
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I wasn't thinking about using much more then the drive sprockets, bogies, and track itself in the new design. The ripsaw style rc design would have to include a long arm suspension like the Ripsaw in order to work. It shouldn't be too hard to whip something up out of alum to do the job. And if a few parts are beyond me I can always get Chris to machine them up. What makes me curious is how the Ripsaw maintains tension thru the tracks travel. If I can figure that out I think its totally doable to get a Blizzard track to articulate a lot more then the current parts are capable of without falling off. I think a floating tension device would be useful. Like the last 2 bogies float on an axle that is pushed by springs. As the track needs to move the springs compress. Then when the track is over the obstacle the springs return the bogies to the proper spot to put the tension back to where it needs to be. I think I'm off to watch all the videos in slow motion to figure it out. |
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| outcastrc | Dec 22 2005, 09:30 PM Post #10 |
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Well this could be easier then I thought. After watching vids for the last 1/2 hour it looks like all they have done is make the top front bogie float and is tensioned by springs. Then when the lower bogies articulate the track pulls back on the tension spring. Exactly what I was thinking. Rear axle is a locked to the frame solid axle that uses differential braking just like a Blizzard. So all I need to be able to do is make the tension bogie float enough to cover the articulating bogies. Then start swapping springs until I find a decent tension to keep the tracks on.  Don't worry I have it all figured out in my head. :rofl: And will post drawings when I get a chance to show what I am thinking...Ah how I like the challenge! Even if it doesn't work in the end the challenge will be worth it... Anything to use power tools!
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