Date   : Tue, 23 Nov 2004 14:17:06 +0000
From   : Ben Newsam <ben@...>
Subject: Re: buggies - thousands of them!

In message <BDC8E2E7.1678F%darren.grant@...>, Darren Grant 
<darren.grant@...> writes
>The reason for mentioning it is that in looking for spares such as 
>tyres you can look out for second hand Fisher Technic kit.

Second hand being the keyword in this case. Modern fischertechnik parts 
are different colours for a start, and many of the parts used on the 
Buggy are no longer made anyway. Quite a few Buggy parts weren't from 
fischertechnik at all: the electrical parts and leads of course, the 
clear plastic top, the stepper motors[1], the rear roller bearing and, 
as it happens, the tyres.

The tyres eventually chosen for the Buggy were actually "O-rings" 
designed for hydraulic cylinders, chosen because the cross section was 
not perfectly circular and presented a better "footprint" on the running 
surface. The hardness of the rubber was ISTR also pretty crucial. The 
little grey pieces inserted into the radial slots on the wheel also 
played a significant role in keeping the Buggy running smoothly.

There is a modern fischertechnik spare part (and actually available and 
currently in stock!), part number 35-678 priced at 90p (add at least 2nd 
class postage to that, of course, for p&p). It would not be ideal, but 
is actually designed to fit the Buggy wheel (still available as part 
number 31-019).


[1] At the time, fischertechnik did sell stepper motors as part of their 
"Plotter/scanner" model, but these were not powerful enough to drive the 
Buggy adequately.
-- 
Ben Newsam