[HN Gopher] Trash Train: I put my trash cans on rails so they mo...
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Trash Train: I put my trash cans on rails so they move
automatically [video]
Author : PotatoNinja
Score : 76 points
Date : 2023-01-02 10:33 UTC (12 hours ago)
(HTM) web link (www.youtube.com)
(TXT) w3m dump (www.youtube.com)
| throwawaaarrgh wrote:
| why didn't he just use a cable to pull it? no need for gears, no
| traction issues, the motor etc can stay stationary. trains have
| their own power because you can't stretch a cable across the
| country, but this is so tiny it'd be trivial.
| lisper wrote:
| Others have mentioned both of these things, but not together
| so...
|
| 1. The track is curved.
|
| 2. One of the design goals was to disrupt the surroundings as
| little as possible.
|
| This second point is really important, and reveals the utter
| brilliance of this design. He uses the existing driveway as a
| second rail, but only for part of the travel. Once the train
| leaves the driveway there is an actual second rail. I have
| never seen this before. It is sheer genius IMHO.
| itronitron wrote:
| Since it seems like the main concern is moving the bins without
| messing up the yard, if it were me I'd do the rail and
| platforms for the trash cans that he did and then just push or
| pull the train manually. If I wanted to get fancy I'd angle the
| rail track down slightly so that when bins are full they are
| easier to move, but that runs the risk of interfering with the
| landscaping.
| upwardbound wrote:
| Yeah, early precursors to railroads (cable railways used for
| mines) did just this :-D , and there were even passenger
| railways that used cable haulage as the form of motive power!
|
| Here's a really cool example:
| https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_and_Blackwall_Railway#C...
| adrianmonk wrote:
| And there still are in San Francisco.
|
| And they can go around corners:
| http://www.cablecarmuseum.org/archive/Anat/Anat.html
| perbu wrote:
| The rails don't go in a straight line.
| [deleted]
| xracy wrote:
| It has to go around a corner, that I think explains why he
| didn't just use a cable.
|
| It's a lot harder to go around a corner without some kind of
| guidance for the wheels.
| solosito wrote:
| This is super nice. Awesome job
| JoeAltmaier wrote:
| Cool! I'm a two-bin guy and trash monthly. But I do recycling
| separately (take it to center)
| Someone1234 wrote:
| 6 bins is a lot. He does give an explanation in the video: They
| only get trash pickup monthly, and they have several recycling
| bins.
|
| He switched to Rack and Pinion to overcome toque/wear/contact
| issues which seems like it should be reliable. I like his
| mechanical end-stops, but if he is serious about wanting a
| commercial version, I wonder if there's a way to count "steps" as
| the gear moves over the rack (e.g. hall effect gear tooth
| sensor[0]), and just slow/stop based on a predefined end-point?
| The same sensor would also likely function as a fault detector
| (e.g. stop engine burnout if the train gets stuck), and you won't
| have plants/debris potentially setting off the mechanical end-
| stops (plus reducing parts and points of failure).
|
| [0] https://sensorso.com/rack-gear-
| count.html?filter=inventory:2...
| chronicsonic wrote:
| This is what happens when you ask an engineer to put the bins
| out.
| moloch-hai wrote:
| Now, get trash collectors to put bins back on the cars. Maybe it
| is easier where he is.
|
| Going out to do that yourself is a pretty small chore.
| yetihehe wrote:
| Putting empty bins back on cars is much easier than hauling
| them full from behind house, so that system is a win already.
| How to convince trash collectors - maybe put a small sign ("Put
| back bins on platforms for some fun") and when platforms detect
| that all bins are put back and empty - play some fanfares and
| make train go back? A little fun for collectors never hurts.
| bmitc wrote:
| The speed at which the trash collectors I have seen work
| means that they would likely not care a bit about putting the
| cans back in the plates, much less be entertained watching a
| train take them away.
| kleiba wrote:
| The way I understand it, this system does not take the bins all
| the way to the curb where they get picked up. It just takes the
| bins close to the curb, you still have to move them off the
| moving platforms manually, and on again after they have been
| emptied.
|
| Usually, the different recycling bins do not get emptied on the
| same day, so it would not make sense to put all of them out for
| pickup. The purpose of this system (I think) is just to make it
| easier to get the bins from beside the house (where they're
| usually stored) to the front of the house (from where they can
| be put out on the curb more easily).
| fexecve wrote:
| I don't really like Ruby, but sounds cool.
| tvb12 wrote:
| Where can you find supplies for these kinds of projects? Each
| 6ft. section of rack would cost $81 plus shipping from McMaster-
| Carr.Never mind the other components, that would add up quickly.
| I was trying to find some spur gears for a project, but wow those
| are expensive. I reworked it to use pulleys, but those weren't as
| cheap as I'd hoped, either.
| nielsbot wrote:
| Easy to criticize, I know. But what about wheeled carts with
| wheels suitable for uneven terrain and a center rail to guide
| them?
| [deleted]
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(page generated 2023-01-02 23:01 UTC)