Yonezawa Space Explorer Robot info needed

[SH MIKE]

The main problem with this robot is the 2 big cams inside. they are supposed to rotate together.

Someone who was trying to save time and hardware way back when decided to scrimp on alignment pins.

There are 3 holes on one cam but there is only 1 pin going across to the other cam. this might work at first,

but after awhile, the cams start to torque apart and out of alignment with each other. The cams will then just

jam up the toy and it stops.  How many years was it for sale in the toy catalogs ?  If you find one and can take it apart,

the best thing to do is add 2 more pins across the cams to align it and keep it aligned.  I fixed mine with lots

of epoxy holding the 1 pin in place but I would rather do the 3 pin solution.  I think someone here posted that repair years ago.

 

 

 

[chilli]

Thanks for the info, I have seen some of the repair threads on here but cannot get this link to work http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/index.php?showtopic=1967

I have not received the robot yet but I know I will have to do a rebuild. I am prepared to cut a template gear to solder to the original and then cut and trim the teeth with files to make the original gear twice as thick, that would not be easy.

I will try your suggestion first SHM as it looks a far easier route, also it makes sense of why the mech is failing in the first place, if the gear twists under stress it will jam and wear. If mine is not too worn the bracing up seems an idea solution.

Watch this space....

Cheers

Chilli

[chilli]

The fella has arrived, very nice robot and box.
 It sort of works but does have the obvious issues. The main drive cog has a twist and the hammer shaped cog does twist. I would like to see the missing link http://danefield.com/alpha/forums/index.php?showtopic=1967

working before I go any further.

I have stripped it down to the main frame without the red box cover but would like to see how people have got to the inner gears as there is a lot of work to do.I dont want to strip off any more than needed.

As regards the 2 buttons, well, the back button does nothing other than turn it on. The top head button is then pressed and the robot goes through one cycle of standing up and walking then collapsing down and shutting off.

cheers

Chilli

[MetalRobotHead]

Hi Mark, I have one like yours (minus the head button) that is working, or it was working the last time I ran it, problem is I won't dare run it again for fear of it succumbing to the terrible gear etc issue, so it just peers out of the display cabinet enticing and tempting me to get it out and stick some batteries in it. So far I am resisting the temptation. It will be interesting to hear how you get to grips with Space Explorer, I'm sorry I can't help with the link problem, I have several saved threads and noticed just recently that some of them have stopped working, perhaps Brian might know why this is happening?

Keep us updated with your progress and perhaps a few photos of the inside working. 

[Brian..]

Sorry, I don't know why the link isn't working. There are literally hundreds of unresolved issues. I suggest that you try a new search for the information using the search link on the main page: http://danefield.com/   This is a deeper search facility than the one on the forum.

[chilli]

Hi,

I will post some pics of the robot as I go along, after a first look I can see why people back off!!!!!

Every part of the set up just leads to more problems, it is not the usual tough as old boots Japanese metalwork i am use too. I think the accountants got to involved with this one. I need a complete plan in my head before I get stuck in.

It was fun looking through Henks old notes and trying to interpret them, it would be a nice tribute if i can follow the things he suggested. I want to strengthen the "hammer" cog and at Henks suggestion straighten the cam "riding" wheel that is attached to it. Then find another cog similar to the main circular drive cog, cut it and fit it double thickness as well as fitting braces between the drive cog and the lifting cam.

Does anyone have ref how to get the main cog and the cam out. There are so many fittings round it I would like to find a way to repair in place if poss(fat chance huh!!!)

I can follow funkirobots info on removing the "hammer" lifting cog  but it is a lot of work to get to the other gears.

Thanks Brian I will try that search.

cheers

Chilli

[David Kirk]

I decided to dig mine out of the parts box where it's been waiting. I got mine in 1967 and it was already used and it already didn't rise all the way. It is a non-button version. Considering I saw it again in 1968, I wonder if the non-button was the first model. It's also possible they upgraded it in the middle of a year's production - made some thousands and then made an improvement or a cheapening. I think it had a very short run, so that will be a difficult thing to ever pin down. 

I'm trying now to work out what is wrong with mine. I was looking for the stripped rising gear that is pushed up by the cam, but mine is not stripped. The problem appears to be that the cam doesn't shove the brass shaft that protrudes from the geared lever (the one that's supposed to always strip) high enough. If I just lift the geared lever a little higher it turns the flower shaped gear that engages with the vertical shaft on the other side right to the top - another 3/4 of an inch. So, why, if nothing seems to be worn, does the cam not lift this lever arm higher? It almost appears as if the brass shaft that the cam lifts is about 1/8 too narrow. Does anyone understand all that? I can't figure out the earlier comment about the two cams. Mine only has one that is attached to a gear with a shaft across. 

I love this mechanism loose from the toy, by the way. It looks like a robot skeleton angel!

[chilli]

Yes , I understand completely.

Is the protruding brass shaft slightly angled, I think that is what Henk was saying. He suggests removing the "flower" gear "see info from Funkirobot info for removal, and bending it straight by using a rod fitted over it. Then soldering it in place to secure.

Martijn suggest lowering the robot to the compressed position before refitting the "flower" cog, this time below the small brass cog it connects with.

The next problem is to look down on the cogs at the cam that lifts the "flower" cog and see if that cam and the second cog to the left ( after the centre electrical connecting cam) are all in a straight line, or another description is as you look down there are 3 cog on one shaft connected by one cross brace, is the one to the left bent or striped anywhere.

There is only one lifting cam Dave, the other cam is in the centre which works the electrics, you can see the brass strip pushing against it.

I can really see why this is a difficult robot, when all the above is working there are still a lot of factors that can cause it to jam.

Pheww

cheers

Chilli

[David Kirk]

The cam across from the gear that turns it is very slightly tweaked, but turns freely and its lifting action isn't affected, as far as I can tell by the slight turn. The cam is still turning properly on its radius. I can't figure out how untweaking it, or changing the position of the flower - Aah! I see, the position of the flower in relation to the gear at the other end of that shaft is the problem.  The flower is engaged to the lowest position on the vertical shaft, but that is not the lowest position of the rising gear, which can't go any lower because the vertical shaft is already as low as it can go. So, I need to spin that flower on the shaft about half a tooth and then convince it to stay in that position with a small pin. I think this makes sense, though it's the sort of thing that once done, can turn out to be entirely wrong and I'll wonder what I was thinking.

Oh, and which component on that shaft is more likely to be the slippy culprit. Is it the flower or the large pinion that engages the lifting "sideways V" gear?

One other thing - the lying on its side V shaped lifting gear that strips - Wouldn't that be something that Classic Tin Toy or some such could make a batch of in a thicker metal for the many that have problems with it?

[SH MIKE]

I was wrong about 2 cams, I was relying on memory only. There is one cam across from a gear. they both have to

turn at the same time. they need to be aligned up to each other. having 1 pin across them is not good enough.

this is the design flaw. there should be 3 pins across them. that would align them up without any torquing

of the two. this is why it is loosing lift. The first run was probably the one that failed so much that they

stopped production and came out with a later version that was either changed or they added the off

mechanism to keep it from wearing out too fast.

[MetalRobotHead]

The first run was probably the one that failed so much that they

stopped production and came out with a later version that was either changed or they added the off

mechanism to keep it from wearing out too fast.

​Just for the record, my Space Explorer box has a price sticker from UK Woolworths of £3.25 which makes it post February 15th 1971, that is when the UK went to decimal currency. And it does not have the button on the head, so either Woolworth were selling off early old stock (God, why was I not there to buy their entire stock from every store in the land) or the later version did not have a button on the head.

Photo if you can see shows the £3.25 price sticker, just in case you have noticed the box has been messed up and needs a professional restoration

[chilli]

Hi Mike,

I see where the confusion is now. I must put up some pics. I think the head button was probably the first run as it has an extra cam in between the drive cog and the lifting cam. It is to run the electrics from the head button that causes the robot to do the one cycle routine of standing and walking. It again has only one split brace bar where there should have been 3 fitted but never was. I am guessing this even more complicated the robot and the head button and extra cam were removed on the next production run.

cheers chilli

[chilli]

Ok, I am adding some pics of where I am up to. I have had a go at beefing thing up with out completely taking it apart. I could do with seeing how it has been done before if possible before I commit to a huge strip down. If i get away with this then great but dont really think I will. I have straightened the wheel on the "flower" gear and aligned the teeth. I have attached a coin in the hope of stopping twist in the metal.

I have attached a cut piece of cog to the main drive cog as 2 teeth were damaged, again it might not work without soldering.

I am attaching some more braces to the 3 cog/cams. As with the 2 cog cam model there should have been 3 original braces instead of just one.

The pics will be on this and the next message as they will not all upload to this message.

 

The shot below shows the extra cam in the middle that gives the single cycle of action.

I also has a metal strip that presses against it, wired to the head button.

The "flower"cog that lifts the body was twisted. You can see the little wheel is twisted upward with strain.

I added a coin to the side to strengthen, I have since added part of a cog with teeth to double the thickness of the 2 damaged teeth

[chilli]

[David Kirk]

Mine looks very good compared to this! The "flower gear" I referred to was the cog that engages with the vertical rack that pushes the head up. I was wondering why it would be bent, but now I see it's the partial gear that has problems. I think that mine must have backed off rising all the way early on and prevented it getting more damage. I wonder how many lifts this will support before it goes to hell.

The gear you added - what was the diameter and how many teeth? What did you take it from?

And now, looking at the one in front of me, it appears that you can just bend that corner where the pivot for the lifting gear is fastened and take it right out without further trouble. Is that correct?