Mini Thunderbolt Parts - Not Getting Built Any Time Soon

[CDV777-1]

Heck Yeah!! How much?

I'm more than quite interested...but I can't shell out gold coins. Blue collar salary only.

Same. I'm running on $100 a year from birthdays, so cash is not something I have a lot of at the age of 15.

I don't know how much yet. I said that's why I'm drawing up the parts, to see how much it will cost to have them made. You guys are already acting like I'm trying to rake you over the coals on price and I don't even know how much it will be yet. If it's to expensive I'm not going to bother with it. I know it's not going to be a giveaway deal for them to make the parts. There are more than 20 parts so figure just the parts alone will be at least $100-200.

Eric brought the Minibolt to a meeting of my radio club as part of a Civil Defense presentation, and it had no problem whatsoever holding its own in the large EOC room. The pitch of it is dead on the full size version.

I'm still kicking myself for not taking a video of it that night. It ran perfect and it would have been great to have shot a video of it running in front of a crowd like that. I don't know why I didn't think of it.

[Train Fan]

It's fine. I know that you do not have a price yet, and that you are trying to find that out. If the cost is too much that is not for me to force production.

[Jim Z]

I don't know how much yet. I said that's why I'm drawing up the parts, to see how much it will cost to have them made. You guys are already acting like I'm trying to rake you over the coals on price and I don't even know how much it will be yet. If it's to expensive I'm not going to bother with it. I know it's not going to be a giveaway deal for them to make the parts. There are more than 20 parts so figure just the parts alone will be at least $100-200.

I'm still onboard. Er, how many psi do you think that thing can take?

[CDV777-1]

I'm still onboard. Er, how many psi do you think that thing can take?

Probably a he11 of a lot. It's more air volume than psi though when it comes to how loud it is. I blew an air hose through it once and I don't remember it being any louder. If it was louder it wasn't obviously a whole lot louder.

[Mac]

I'm in. I want one.

Any potential if you do this- to just buy the parts for it all? I do love putting things together!

[CDV777-1]

Well the latest is that I have about 14 drawings finished. I checked again and noticed that radio shack no longer sells the same part number motor I used as the chopper motor. They sell another motor that looks identical to the one I used but the package says the RPM under load is 18000 something instead of 11500. The new part number motor says it's a 9-18 volt motor and the old part number said 12V on the package. I got a new part number motor and it's the exact same size as the old part number. It screws right in place too BUT and it's a big BUT the thing binds the chopper bad when I tried to run it. It's like the motor shaft is at an angle or something. I did get it to run ok one time and it sounds like it's running about the same speed as the first motor I used. I took it out and put it back in and it was binding bad. I tried it a few more times and couldn't get it to work worth a flip again. I guess I might go back to the shack and get a couple more and try them. If I can't get it to work with a the new part number motor I don't know what I'll do. A "discount" site online has a stock of the old part number motor but they are $4.00 more a piece than the new part number motor. The motors probably aren't that well constructed and maybe I lucked out and got a good one when I built the first minibolt. If I can't get motors that will fit right then this thing is in the dumper. Maybe I can find a different motor but the problem with that is that the entire chopper is designed around that original radio shack motor. I sure as he11 don't want to redo the whole chopper/stator.

[Keeshah]

I'm still hoping that it is doable ...
an that there is a 1003/7026 version is also doable.

Hmmmm, a Minibolt doing all 6 signals !!

[tachi88]

Is it too late to mention that I would be interested in one?

[weasel2htm]

Well the latest is that I have about 14 drawings finished. I checked again and noticed that radio shack no longer sells the same part number motor I used as the chopper motor. They sell another motor that looks identical to the one I used but the package says the RPM under load is 18000 something instead of 11500. The new part number motor says it's a 9-18 volt motor and the old part number said 12V on the package. I got a new part number motor and it's the exact same size as the old part number. It screws right in place too BUT and it's a big BUT the thing binds the chopper bad when I tried to run it. It's like the motor shaft is at an angle or something. I did get it to run ok one time and it sounds like it's running about the same speed as the first motor I used. I took it out and put it back in and it was binding bad. I tried it a few more times and couldn't get it to work worth a flip again. I guess I might go back to the shack and get a couple more and try them. If I can't get it to work with a the new part number motor I don't know what I'll do. A "discount" site online has a stock of the old part number motor but they are $4.00 more a piece than the new part number motor. The motors probably aren't that well constructed and maybe I lucked out and got a good one when I built the first minibolt. If I can't get motors that will fit right then this thing is in the dumper. Maybe I can find a different motor but the problem with that is that the entire chopper is designed around that original radio shack motor. I sure as he11 don't want to redo the whole chopper/stator.

You could try buying another one of the new Radio Shack motors, maybe you just got a lemon this time. Also, have you checked radioshack.com ?
What about sites like mouser.com

I'm sure you have thought of these things, but in case you haven't, I figured I'd post.

[CDV777-1]

You could try buying another one of the new Radio Shack motors, maybe you just got a lemon this time. Also, have you checked radioshack.com ?
What about sites like mouser.com

Radio Shack's site shows the new motors out of stock and the old number not listed any longer. The nearest Radio Shack had 4 in stock and I got 1 yesterday. The trick about the motor is that I have to have a motor with a shaft long enough to attach the chopper to. Smaller motors have shafts that are way to short. If I knew that the $9 old number motors still available on the "discount" site were all good I would order a batch of them. But at $9 each that's too big of a risk to take to find out after I ordered them that they are not a consistent fit. The parts have to be made that I can order a batch of motors, assemble each unit and have them all work correctly when assembled. If that can't be done then it'll be too much of a pain to mess with.

I have enough drawings done now that I'm beginning to realize that it's most likely going to be too expensive to have the parts made. I have to weigh the possibility of sale against the risk of paying to have the stuff made. If I pay to have a bunch of parts made then it's too expensive to sell then I'm out all that money. Just the off-the-shelf parts (motor, gearbox and hardware) will probably be about $25-30 per assembly. That's before ANY parts are made. Another problem is that it has to be a reliable thing to run once it's assembled. The whole thing is getting a little overwhelming as it is. This has really made me appreciate what it takes to try to develop and build something. It was hard enough making the first one. This is an entirely different process all together.