Divided the Internal Toothing into two separate parts to make the assembly easier. The assembly manual has been updated accordingly.
Increased clearance for press fit parts to make assembly easier.
Increased clearance for moving parts and increased flank play for gears to fix the issue of users having trouble to get it running smoothly.
Reduced Z-clearance for the Stage 1 Planetary Gears to make the Lower Housing feel less wobbly and better guided.
Equiped brims to some more parts to make this safely printable on bedslingers as well.
Enlargened and reshaped groove on the Stage 2 and 3 Planetary Axles for easier assembly and a more hidden Z-seam.
Added a second chamfer to the Stage 1 Planetary Axles to make them installable in both orientations.
Minor optical changes to the Lower Housing.
Minor optical changes to the Stage 2 and 3 Planetray Gear Axles.
Safety notice
- Only use the launcher outdoors.
- Keep a safe distance from others and avoid aiming at people, animals or fragile objects.
- Do not use propellers that are damaged or run unbalanced.
- Do not reach into the partially open gearbox.
- Spinning the gearbox close to an ear can potentially cause hearing damage.
- Adult supervision is recommended for children or young users.
- This design inludes small parts and may pose a choking hazard in its disassembled form. Keep out of reach for children under 3 years old.
- Ensure that all parts are securely attached before use to prevent accidental detachment.
- Only operate the toy manually and do not motorize or automate it.
Disclaimer
All designs that are published in this post by the original author are shared on MakerWorld for personal, non-commercial use. By downloading, printing, or utilizing this design, you agree to the following terms and conditions:
Safe Use and Responsibility: This toy is designed to be powered manually and should be used outdoors. Users must exercise caution and responsibility to ensure safe operation. Do not aim or launch propellers at people, animals, or fragile objects. Adult supervision is recommended for children or young users. The user is solely responsible for ensuring the toy is operated in a safe manner and environment.
Liability Waiver: The creator of this design assumes no liability or responsibility for any injury, damage, or loss resulting from the assembly, use, or misuse of the toy. Users accept all risks associated with the design and release the creator and platform from any claims or liabilities arising.
Modification Warning: Any alterations or modifications to the design may introduce unforeseen risks or safety hazards. This toy is powered by hand and is not intended for modification into a motorized or automated device. The creator disclaims responsibility for any issues, injuries, damages or failures resulting from such modifications.
Compliance with Local Regulations: Users are responsible for ensuring the use of the toy complies with any applicable local laws or regulations, including those related to toy safety, public safety, or outdoor use in public spaces.
No Guarantees: The design is provided "as is," with no guarantees or warranties of any kind regarding performance, safety, or durability. Users must verify the suitability of the design and 3D printed parts for their intended use.
I spent so many hours printing this. And for whatever reason I just can't seem to get step 5 to work for me. If i put only the bottom 2 gears I can get it to click in place and spin smoothly. But the moment the top part is involved I can't get it to work, it's just completly stuck. Any tips?
When applying the internal toothing, twist the output shaft until the gears mesh. For me it can take up to 10 attempts of removing the internal toothing and putting it back on in another angle. If it still doesn't work for you, maybe check if all teeth came out cleanly and with no stringing inbetween.
Thanks for taking the time to reply. I've been trying for 2 hours now and my hands are starting to hurt :D. Everytime it works fine if i just put two of the gears, but when adding the third it just stops. Maybe I'm doing something wrong. Adding some photos of my gears, maybe you can see if I'm doing something wrong. I looked at the instructions many times :|
On the pictures everything just looks perfectly fine (Except maybe that one Planetary Axle wasn't inserted with the chamfered side first. But it won't affect the function). Have you checked the Internal Toothing as well?
Really great model. Instructions are very clear. The only part I had a bit of trouble on was the stage 1 assembly - I put the gears on upside down the first time and found that things wouldn't mesh together in the right place when trying to place the third gear. I used a small screw driver to pop out the pegs and put them back in the other direction and things worked well. I used a bit of the bambu lubricating grease on the gears to reduce friction but there's a bit of plastic squeaking still, so I will probably add more.
I love how sturdy the launcher feels and how well it twists up to speed. The casing is comfortable in hand and going together without hardware is amazing!
1 Remix I'd like to see to the mounting peg that the propeller goes on: My 7 year old daughter has a hard time spinning the device up to speed quickly enough and the copter generally just lightly floats off and and then falls to the ground without going very far. I would love an alternative launching attach point that helps the copter stay on the launcher for longer. Maybe either by having an extended length launch point or some little gentle "catch" points on the grooves that require a light amount of force to push past so that the copter has to be spinning a bit faster before it will release from the launcher.
Hi, thank you for your elaborate comment. This genuinely helps me improve the model. I added the regarding hint to the assembly manual.
I think the only realistic fix would be an extended adapter. How I see it, the gentle catch concept requires for a very consistent friction coefficient between the prop and the adapter and needs a quite gentle leaf spring that stays constistent as well. If 3D-printed, both things are great subject to wear, and if made from PLA to fatique as well. In my mind I havent come up with a potential solution for that yet😅
My 6 year old has the same experience; I wonder if some alternative blade designs could improve lift at the lower speeds our younglings hands can impart. One thing I did was told my son that this is a special design that is meant to fly more horizontal than the standard VTOL most of those pull style copters operate. So if he holds it at a 50ish degree angle it adds enough friction that it gets up to a high enough speed he can launch them clear across the room which he loves to do now, so he is more engaged with how far he can launch it, vs how high
Hello! I went ahead made a print profile that includes an extended adapter. However, I have not tested it yet as I still have the original design printing. You can go into the print profile and manually select the adapter only to print.
(I extended it decently, but nothing too crazy.)
how many is to many?
I attempted to stack.. it is tricky but I think we a lot of time or someone who knows how to.. stacking is most likely possible with some creativity..
I need some help. I have everything assembled however I can not rotate it at all when fully assembled. If I take the top sleeve off I can rotate the two gear sections separately from each other but I noticed how the top part spins the other direction then the bottom part and they cannot physically rotate in the same direction. I don't know how this is possible as all the gears are perfectly aligned and they rotate very smoothly. And there is no other way I could possibly assemble this together without it not fitting together. I didn't change anything at all in the print profile for the a1 mini. Could this be a problem with the profile that it has one section of the gears inverted?
Yes I did, perhaps for the gears I used PLA matt as it was the only red I had but the rest is basic. But the gears all turn fine. it doesn't seems like it's too tight or anything as I can squeeze one part of it and it turn just fine. But when both parts are held together like what happens when I put the top sleeve on it becomes physically inmoveable. However I can spin the gears when I twist the top part where the fans would fly off. Just not the bottom
Nevermind, It was just an extremely tight fit. After letting it sit sometime with WD40 and some excessive force it eventually started working and got smoother and smoother. I just didn't realize it would require that much force in the beginning
Gigant Launcher 125%
German below! Hi Lukas - I truly could not resist - I had to give it a try. Here is the
gigantic 125% version. With an adapter for the standard propeller. The
gearbox runs as smoothly as silk. It is magnificent during launch. Truly
a great deal of power! It took me a good 12 hours with two Bambu Labs.
Assembly was incredibly easy. It worked flawlessly right away. I am
absolutely thrilled. Such a fantastic project! You are a true master!
Best regards from Berlin Folker
German: Hi Lukas - ich konnte echt
nicht widerstehen - ich musste das ausprobieren. Hier die Giganten
Variante 125%. Mit Adapter für den Standard Propeller. Das Getriebe
läuft butterweich. Es ist der Hammer beim Abschuss. Richtig viel Kraft!
Mit zwei Bambus habe ich gute 12 Stunden gebraucht. Der Zusammenbau war
super einfach. Es hat sofort funktioniert. Ich bin begeistert. So ein
tolles Projekt! Du bist ein ganz großer Meister! Viele Grüße aus Berlin
Folker
Indeed, the launcher now lies comfortably and firmly in the hand. For the large propellers, it is certainly the right launch ramp with a good grip. A true club. The thing is such a riot of fun. My long-time friend Ralf is a trained aircraft mechanic, who said 20 years ago that the younger generation no longer has any idea of proper mechanics - that must now be seriously reconsidered! Damn it :)
So I printed the white "Output Shaft" in 3 pieces since I couldn't complete step 5.
Now when I turn from below and hold the lower part of the divided output shaft, the above two levels spin. If I hold the lower two parts and turn from below, only the top part spins fast. If I hold all three parts and I turn below, nothing spins, it is stuck.
But it should spin because that is the behaviour when I put it in the black enclosure? Don't want to put it in because I am afraid I can't get it out anymore. Or is it ok to leave the top part of the output shaft out?
Hi, the gaps between the 3 internal toothing segments look concerning. Have you pushed all shafts all the way in? The top part of the output shaft (or "Adapter") can be left out for a spin test. Its only needed if you want to launch propellers.
Thank you. Here is a photo of the gaps. I already tried to get them more in with a platic hammer, but it seems they don't want to come in more. Any tip to reduce the gaps? Edit: I could remove the top and so use more force. I will try again. But now don't have the time anymore. Will give an update!
Edit2: Did a quick try. The gaps are gone, but it still locks if I include the top element. Would maybe more oil / WD 40 help?
the instructions are not correct. I did exactly as instructed and the first and second gear bottom part is shown in the assembly guide to have the “big hole” to the top but it’s actually to the bottom otherwise it can’t be assembled at the end to attach with the little sticks. correct? I just lost a whole lot of hours and material because I can’t get the pieces apart anymore. :(
I'm sorry to hear that. In this picture the larger diameter of the conical holes is facing upwards. And this is the correct side to mount the gears from. It's supposed to be quitea a tight fit. Also it shouldn't even be possible to insert the planetary gears with their axles from the other side.
Hi Lukas. The problem is actually the assembly between all 3 parts at the end - in your first photo, the big hole is up, then in the second, you actually flip the "triangle" piece - and only now after doing it all wrong I realize that - I hope I make sense? The real problem is the first picture to be "the other way around" for the triangle. (for both steps, 1 and 2 for the assembly)
Okay I got you. You're the first one to at least tell me this but I get that it's confusing. I was planning to redo the assembly instructions already so when I'm at it I will take care of the orientation issue.
But did you actually manage to press the gears axles all the way in from the wrong side?
This is the most awesome toy design that I ever printed. Precise as hell and was easy to assembly. Hint for others: Use WD40. Looks fantastic, can't wait to try it out, the props are just printing now. Only drawback is that the wall thickness not aligns well with 0.4 nozzle so it was a lot of printing time, but worth it! :)
Nice, thank you for the review and the kudos! Very flattering! I have to say that most users won't agree with using WD-40 since it's not a lubricant and isn't made for long term use on plastics. It's made to displace water (hence the name).
By default yes, but the list on my bottle is the following:
displace water....etc.. and lubricant, cleaner. When I started to put things together it was stucked a bit and this helped a lot. Once this dry I will try silicone spray that will be even better maybe.
A few things that would be nice to do on this print is optimize the print speed for the outer shell so we don't get as many of the bad looking lines.. I am new to this hobby, but I have seen some videos in the past on how to overcome this, I thought I could play around with the in the slicer but I don't seem to know the right settings to adjust! I understand why it does it with the openings.. but how to stop it from this behavior.. I know there is a way
another one I was as well thinking if the propellers can be printed in a stack so we can print many at a time.. like..as many as the bed can do almost, probably 9 stacks high of 9.. 81 at a time would be nice :D
Fancy idea with the prop stacking, I just wouldn't know how to seperate them cleanly. To solve the issue with faulty Z-alignment you could check your XY-belt tension and run the calibration program.
Very nice model. The print profile is perfect, all parts fits at first time, assemblies informations with pictures are simple as possible. Thanks for your work, my childrens and me have fun with this device !
I added a little oil, but it's not necessary, the mechanism is very smooth, with no adjustments to make.
Esun PLA+ blue (external toothing)
Esun PLA silk silver (gearbox)
Esun PLA HS black (housing)
Oh wow I love to hear that! Thank you for the good rating, the boost and the nice pictures!
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