GeekTech

This thing of two blogs is like having two totally different identities. I just got done typing an "Angry post" and now I'm talking about some cool stuff. Weird...

Anywho

My older brother and I take part in a deep love for building things out of different materials like LEGOs, Constructs, and our favorite, KNEX. Since we love this so much we like to try and build and design new things with the three sets we already have. We have the Big Air Ball Tower, Screm'n Serpent rollercoaster and the Roller Rocket rollercoaster KNEX sets. Yesterday evening, we decided to build a ferris wheel. (We've always wanted that set but we never got it so we just decided to wing it.) You may think "oh, wow, a ferris wheel!" No, there is nothing ordinary about this. We made this a super KNEX ferris wheel. Let me perspectivize this... (yes I made that word up, it was necessary)

Here's some of the specs:
RPM: 1.714
Speed: .33 MPH
Radius of wheel: 30.5 inches
Full height: 5 foot, 10 inches (70 inches)
Circumference: ~=17 feet
Weight: ~=10 lbs.
Full Size Scale Height: Estimated to be about 300 - 350 Feet
Full Size Scale Weight (using steel and other real construction materials): 161 tons
Number of spokes: 24
Available cars: 24
Number of Hubs: 3 on each side
Drive system: Motorized
Hands free operation: Yes

This had NO instructions. All we had was our intellectual abilities and a tape measure to guide us through the building process. Overall project time took about 7 hours to complete. We started at about 9:30 PM and went until 1:30 AM and plus put in some time the next day. We still aren't fully finished... We have some bugs in the drive system, and we need to add a station platform and cars. Here is a couple pics of the project:

This pic is a little weird looking at first but this is a close look at the central axis. The cross members are not suppose to bend but that is how much tension is being placed on the center. This thing is structurally sound let me tell you...

This should help put it into perspective. I am 6'2", just four inches taller than this.

Unfortuanately, our goal was much bigger. We wanted to scrape the ceiling but that would not be possible because then we would have 28 spokes and that does not align with an 8 spoke hub. This will just have to do.

Now with the pictures in mind, I recommend going back and reading the specs again to see how the full scale sizes compare.

Labels: Engineering