Slight problem

[KHC1]

Just been going through James video and I have a problem. I am looking at making timber bricks for turnout with extra track either side. Overall length about 400mm. I want to make three bricks. Have followed the video and done the first blanking all ok. Then went back made the template the control and need to change peg. Firstly I went to the small button 0 to change peg which happened but when I tried to blank nothing was happening. Then I noticed on James screen where I have a button “facing - trailing” his screen has swap ends. According to when I open Templot I am using the current version. Have I missed something and would this swap end allow to blank as it should.

Keith

 

[Martin Wynne]

Just been going through James video and I have a problem. I am looking at making timber bricks for turnout with extra track either side. Overall length about 400mm. I want to make three bricks. Have followed the video and done the first blanking all ok. Then went back made the template the control and need to change peg. Firstly I went to the small button 0 to change peg which happened but when I tried to blank nothing was happening. Then I noticed on James screen where I have a button “facing - trailing” his screen has swap ends. According to when I open Templot I am using the current version. Have I missed something and would this swap end allow to blank as it should.

Keith

@KHC1 @James Walters

Hi Keith,

James has to skip quite a lot to get his videos inside 30 minutes for YouTube.

I strongly recommend that before extracting timbering bricks from a track plan, that you make a duplicate copy of the plan, and drag it into a blank area of the pad. This leaves the original plan unchanged, and 10 times easier to adjust the design if necessary in future.

It doesn't matter where the bricks are on the trackpad, because your slicer program will centralize them on the printer bed. You can print paper templates of your actual track plan to locate the printed bricks on the baseboard:

The swap ends button is always the same thing -- it swaps the control template end-for-end. You can also press CTRL+N on the keyboard if you prefer.

When the control template is a turnout or half-diamond template, the swap ends button is labelled facing-trailing, to better explain what's happening. That means nothing on a plain track template, so when the control template is simply plain track, the button simply says swap ends. The actual function of the button is the same regardless.

If James screen was showing facing-trailing, it means at that moment he had a turnout in the control template. If your screen was showing swap ends it means at that moment you had plain track in the control template.

I try so hard to make Templot easy to understand, and always I still end up having to write several paragraphs to explain every detail.

Note that the blanking function works differently for plain track from turnouts. If it's not doing what you want, please just swap the template end for end, or swap the peg to the opposite end, until it does do what you want. Likewise for the length function.

The reason that it works differently is that internally plain track is treated as approach track to an imaginary turnout. That trick saved several weeks coding work about 30 years ago -- before then I simply cut off the unwanted turnout part with scissors. Everything always comes back to bite you.

cheers,

Martin.

 

[James Walters]

Sorry Keith and Martin for causing confusion.

I put the video together because I'd had so many questions asking me to do so. It is always difficult knowing what to cut and what to leave in. I hadn't even thought to highlight this particular detail so it wouldn't have mattered if I'd made the video an hour long.

For what it's worth I'd recommend practicing over and over on something unimportant. The processes will soon become second nature, simple even. I think it's excellent.

Hopefully you've got where you need to be Keith with Martin's advice above. Drop me a line at makeitminiature [at] outlook.com if you get stuck.

Best,

James

 

[KHC1]

Martin and James thanks for your input. As you say James I just keep practicing. With me it must be finger trouble still can’t get the peg to change ends so can only blank in one direction. No mater what I will go down to the bone to get it to work for me. Especially as I now have the Alkaid with heater all up and running.

Keith

 

[James Walters]

Keep going Keith. It all seemed confusing for me (and I'm sure all of us) at first - then it suddenly clicked. I now find it quick and straightforward. Happy to take a look at your .box file if you think it might help.

 

[KHC1]

Keep going Keith. It all seemed confusing for me (and I'm sure all of us) at first - then it suddenly clicked. I now find it quick and straightforward. Happy to take a look at your .box file if you think it might help.

Thanks James much appreciated. I will plug on amongst all the other bits I am trying. Projects in hand at the moment include the buildings for Rowfant and Garage road. More Thumpers working through the Ffestiniog fleet in 7mm and a 20 ton LBSCR ballast wagon. And then tomorrow………………..

Keith

 

[Steve_Cornford]

Hi Keith,
If you blank from the peg end, you just need to adjust the Length of the template by shortening it to give the same effect as blanking from the other end.
Alternatively, post your box file & we could give you a worked example.
Steve

 

[KHC1]

Well day two. Followed James excellent video backwards and forwards and managed to eventually create two parts of a single template. Still having an issue with blanking and the peg position. Using the button and CTRL+N the peg changes but the blanking only allows a right to left action. So I had to use the Length tool instead. I also tried out the clip but somewhere I must have had finger trouble. The clip on export of the left side did not attach but the one on the right is in position. Not so much of a problem as I want to eventually build over a printed out plan. Yet again my thanks go out to Martin, James and Steve for your help.

Keith

 

[Martin Wynne]

Still having an issue with blanking and the peg position. Using the button and CTRL+N the peg changes but the blanking only allows a right to left action. So I had to use the Length tool instead.

@KHC1

Hi Keith,

Yes, you are intended to use the length function at one end, blanking function at the other. With the fixing peg at the rail-joint end (CTRL+1) in both cases.

It's not necessary to swap it end-for-end (which would disturb the sleeper positions). Just press CTRL+1 to put the peg at the rail joint (same end as the MS flag).

I have made you a bit of scruff video showing that. Click it to continue when it pauses:

https://flashbackconnect.com/Default.aspx?id=P5tbwlopyjubOgfW5p8ckg2

cheers,

Martin.

 

[KHC1]

Thanks again Martin. I said it was down to me. My printer is chugging away at the moment. It’s marlin so takes some time. Tomorrow will be a turnout trial.

Keith

 

[KHC1]

And hot off the press………..

 

[KHC1]

The camera is very cruel there is not a lot of stringing. Also the errant clip but that would probably be me.

Keith

 

[KHC1]

Ok another day and I have managed to muck up again. Every time I now open Templot it brings in the templates I was working on. As I have been playing with several bits my screen was getting pretty full. I went to try printing just one small template but kept getting an error message. So I deleted everything off the track pad and start again. I know my track plan I want back to front so it did not take me long to rebuild the plan. I have even done shove timbers. Again chose a small template in the middle but still have the same error message. Martin I know it will be me and you have the right to hit me over the head with a big Templot sign.

Keith

 

[KHC1]

Thought I would give it another go. Closed down and reopened then thought I would have ago again. So tried an EM B7 right hand following James video on my iPad and working on the laptop. Yes I managed to blank and length added clips with splints and even exported. So in the morning I shall fire up the printer.

Keith

 

[Steve_Cornford]

Hi Keith,
Instead of taking a photo, you might find it easier to press the [prt scr] button on your keyboard.
This takes a copy of the screen & copies to the "clipboard".
Then once you have logged onto the forum, you can press <ctrl+V> buttons to paste that copy into your reply on here.
Steve

 

[KHC1]

Thanks Steve should have done that but a bit of brain fog on top of finger trouble with Templot. Also had to fit in delivery from Curry’s do the shopping cook a meal etc.etc. Who said being retired you would have plenty of time on your hands.

Keith

 

[Martin Wynne]

Hi Keith,
Instead of taking a photo, you might find it easier to press the [prt scr] button on your keyboard.
This takes a copy of the screen & copies to the "clipboard".
Then once you have logged onto the forum, you can press <ctrl+V> buttons to paste that copy into your reply on here.
Steve

@Steve_Cornford @KHC1

Also:

Martin.

 

[KHC1]

Well a couple of days later and I have some progress. I have followed James video and used the length tool several times I would get virtually to the end and end up with an error message saying “Unable to create DXF/STL file(s)”. Now I know it was down to my finger trouble and each time I got the message I went back to the beginning and started again. So now I have managed a couple of straight pieces of track and now two turnouts both a B7.

Keith

 

[KHC1]

The further sagas of finger trouble. I have conquered brick laying so now have a plan ready to print. Went for my first print and had a failure first layer printed but nothing else. So what had happened my first thought was the nozzle had be come blocked. It was the original nozzle so I thought it’s about time to change anyway. I watched a couple of videos and set too. No problem all done except I managed to lose one key screw. Fortunately I had access to a spare, went then to load the filament. It was then that I found out that the filament had broken off at the feed wheel and was in the Bowden tube. Out with the spanner’s tube taken off and cleared. Reload filament hoping that a new nozzle will cure a stringing problem I was having. But this did not happen. Back to YouTube and the suggestion was that retraction was not correct so tweaked in Prusa and now a lot less stringing.

Cruel blower up picture

Keith