Rock Band
by Nigel Pope
by Nigel Pope
At Christmas 1997, Santa was kind enough to bring me a couple of Meccano sets (Evolution, 2 and 3). I was sitting looking at the parts when the idea for this rock band came to me. It is a simple model, but the kids love it at exhibitions. I have added a few extra parts to those I found in the sets just to make the construction a bit easier, but you could easily make this model from the simple parts found in small Evolution sets.
I hope you enjoy making this model.
The rock band is standing on a simple base made of strips and flexible plates. It is open at the back so you can see the mechanism. For the top I used one of those large flanged box lids. You could use other strips and plates instead if you have not got one of these.
The model is driven by a black French 6V motor with reduction gearing. This in turn drives a simple crank which swings the guitarist's legs and pulls the strings which operate the drummer's arms.
The bodies of the players are made from 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 in flanged plates with double bent strips forming the sides. The faces are plastic 57 tooth gear wheels with 2 plastic half inch pulleys behind them. The hats are made from flat trunnions with plastic pulleys on top. The guitarist's arms are long tension springs and the guitar is a flat trunnion and a narrow strip. The drummer's arms are 1 1/2in strips with rod and strip connectors and short rods making up the drumsticks. The drummer's legs are double bent strips.
The guitarist's legs are made from crank handles with black plastic collars slipped over them. The tops of the handles pass through the flanged plate and then through a 1 1/2 in double bent strip mounted half way up inside the body. They are secured with collars. The feet are plastic 19 tooth pinions. The crank handles pass through the base plate and are driven from below to give the guitarist the swinging hips effect.
The drummer's arms are bolted to collars which space the arms away from the body and allow them to move up and down. A long bolt is fixed in the back of each collar and the actuating strings are tied to the ends of these bolts. When the strings are pulled, the arms are raised, and they fall by gravity when the stings are released.
The drum kit is built on a bass drum made of 2 semicircular plates with curved strips round the outside. The side drums are road wheels with hub discs mounted on top. The side drums are mounted on a frame made of strips. The cymbal is a conical disc mounted on a threaded rod.
Of course, you may wish to design and decorate your own figures in any way you choose.
The model is driven by a black French 6V motor. This is fitted with a worm which drives a 57 tooth gear. A 19 tooth pinion on the same shaft drives a second 57 tooth gear. This second gear drives a bush wheel on the same shaft.
A 5 1/2 inch strip is lock nutted to the bush wheel at one end and also lock nutted to a crank attached to one of the gutarist's legs. A crank on the second leg is lock nutted to a 3 hole strip which connects it to the other leg.
The strings attached to the drummer's arms are tied onto the mechanism. One is tied to the 5 1/2 inch strip. The other string is tied to a second crank mounted on one of the guitarist's legs. As one arm is raised, the other falls.
I hope you like my model. If you would like to see other models or would like more information about my model making and other activites, visit my website at http://www.btinternet.com/~n.pope/.
All Meccano modelers are welcome to make the model and to take copies of these instructions for their own use. However, please ask for my permission before copying into any other publication (see my website for contact details, or email Chris Bourne who will forward your request).
Nigel Pope
January 1999
HTML web page plus illustrations (rbhtml.zip, 111K)
Select the link to download the file "rbhtml.zip". Save the ZIP file in a new directory, and use your favourite "unzip" program to extract the files, then open the file "index.htm" in your browser to view this web page offline. The download page has been set to black text on a white background to make printing easier.
Text file plus the image files (rbtext.zip, 106K)
Select the link to download the file "rbtext.zip", which contains a single text file (rband.txt) plus the image files containing the illustrations used in these pages. Save the ZIP file in a new directory and use your favourite "unzip" program to extract the files. You can then print out the text file which contains the model notes, and view/print the images using your browser or your favourite graphics program.
These instructions and the accompanying pictures are copyright material (belonging to Nigel Pope), and all rights are reserved. They are made freely available to Meccano modellers on condition that they are not copied and distributed in any form for sale, whether or not the sale is for profit or merely 'at cost'. Nor may they be distributed in incomplete form. Printed copies may however be made freely for personal use.
