Cad Drawings Of Basic Indiana Cannon

SInce I had a number of the components necessary to do a 3d assembly of an Indiana cannon, and since there has been a long standing interest / confusion / mis understanding of the concept of operation / lack of decent visuals etc. I decided to draw up a completed assembly. I used a number of my existing files and created/ downloaded whatever I didn't have to complete the assembly. If there is sufficent interest in it, I would be willing to post screen shots of the major induvidual components and an exploded view. I normally wouldn't even check on interest and would just post them, but it is a considerable amout of time and energy to do so, therefore I would rather verify the interest before pouring tons of time and work into something that the general consensus is that it is useless.

Here is a screen shot of what I have so far:



And a Section View:


Here is a thread giving some good information on the Indiana cannon.

Here is an animation of how the firing process goes, it takes a while to load.

Here is a build thread on a cannon derived from an Indiana cannon.

Here is a build thread of another derivative with more out of the box thinking.

Here is a thread with some good info on cannon efficiency.

Here is a thread with some good discussion.


A 3d View of the Valve Body:


And the dimensions used to create it:




Guide Rod Drawing:




Spring Seat Drawing:




Here is an exploded view of the ball valve assembly:




And An Assembled View:




Manifold Assembly:




Bottom View:



Manifold Drawing


A drawing of the bearing sleeve, it slides in bearing, then the top is flanged to entrap the bearing:


Exploded View:

 

I've been working on something similar to this as well. Hoping that I can make my own guns for my first big gun ship. Very interesting model. I would be very interested in internal shots.
Is this supposed to be a triple 1/4"?

Beaver

 

cannonman, would you be interested in some design suggestions? this can be made into a 3d-printable cannon, with some modification.

 

I am just starting out, and attempting my first BG cannon. I am sure your photos would be a masive help.

 

This is currently drawn as a 1/4 triple.

@ Kotori - I would absolutely be open to suggestions/ design revisions etc. That is what makes this hobby great, several people working together for the greater good tends to yield excellent results. I know Tugboat and some others (yourself included) have been hard at work on a printable version. My goal here is to give the newer guys a look at the inner workings of the standard issue Indiana cannon, but if it won't get too confusing we can throw revisions / improvements on top of that. Unless it would be easier to start another thread, and I could model that as well...... I do like the idea of all the info in one easy to find location (thread) though. What are your thoughts??

 

Anyone with suggestions / links to good threads / links to material suppliers / etc. please post them and I will add them to the first post where all the info can be found easily!!

 

Added a section view and some links to first post.

 

Ahhhh..... Attaboy!!!! Have you given consideration to printing most of the parts that would have been machined?? Obviously this particular design could be much improved on in a number of ways, I threw it together mostly for the new guys to get an idea of the inner workings etc. I was hoping to maybe get a group improved design documented after I got some more pics of the tried and true Indiana cannon posted.

 

I was just wondering what the advantages/disadvantages are to having a slot bb selector like what Kotori had on his laser cut cannons, and the way that Cannonman has his cannon set up with holes drilled down to the selector pins? I would think that Kotori's would be more reliable since it has more of a chance to catch a bb rolling around than would just a hole in the middle of the magazine.

Any thoughts?

Beaver

 

There may be a slight operational advantage to the slots.... but it probably would not be enough to tell the difference until the magazine was nearly empty. If you look at the angled holes in my model you will see that there is very little material left at either end, so it performs essentially like a slot, The advantage to both of them is ease of manufacture in the particular method used to make each. It is easier (or even just possible)to laser cut the slot rather than an angled hole. To laser an angled hole would require either 2 set ups on the equipment or a 5 axis laser...... both prohibitively expensive to achieve the goals of Kotori's design which was to make the big gun cannon available to those without access to machine tools, and to be cost effective.... maybe some others. The angles holes are easier to do on a drill press, where a slot would be a pain. although you could grind out the ends to leave a slot, but it isn't necessary to achieve reliable loading, just an extra step.

 

The reason I was wondering is that I can take ABS plastic and cut out cannons with my scroll saw without difficulty if I have the plans. If there is no difference in functionality, I might attempt to cut out a cannon based on Kotori's design. It would be just about the same as printing, right?

Beaver

 

Yes, as far as the parts that could be cut out flat it would be easiest to make slots, and they will perform essentially the same. The scroll saw will work on the same 2d axis that a laser would. The tough part would be the ball valve..... I will try to think if it is possible in a 2d world..... I don't see why it wouldn't be. Maybe with a few reasonably inexpensive cutting tools and a decent drill press.

 

Mcmaster Carr sells ABS tubing that should work for all the parts of the ball valve assembly. http://www.mcmaster.com/#abs/=pbn7x0
The design for the 1/4" triple that I'm planning on making is on the drawing board. I'll be sure to post pics for you all to evaluate before I start cutting anything.

You might want to add this link to your list. http://www.rcnavalcombat.com/Forum/tabid/58/aff/535/aft/442765/afv/topic/Default.aspx
Lots of good info there.
Beaver

 

I was just wondering, what is the best diameter of a big gun magazine? Wanted to know the best diameter for an average big gun cannon for my design I'm drawing up.
Wouldn't want it to be sooo big that it will only fit in a 1/96 Rodney.

Beaver

 

Typically a 6 in magazine is at the upper end of what you would likely see, any bigger and it would not fit in anything except the larger battleships.... plus you reach a point where it isn't really necessary to carry more ammo.

 

Beaver, the best thing you can do is design a good center piece with rotation bearing, ammo ramps, and breech mechanisms, then laser-cut discs of different sizes for different magazine diameters. A good size for the center piece is around 3.5" OD, plenty of ammo on its own and good long loading ramps, but also small enough to fit in almost any ship. If someone wants bigger, they can laser-cut a larger magazine tray to fit on the outside.

 

Your idea sounds interesting. To save on cost, Kotori, I'm planning on cutting out the ABS discs with my scroll saw. If my saw can cut the ABS, it should work just like a laser cutter. I've already cut out a wooden big gun cannon based primarily on your design for your laser cut cannons, and they weren't too hard. I drew my plans at just a little over 4" diameter so they should fit in anything that haves 1/4" triples, plus have plenty of ammunition. After I make sure everything lines up like it should, I'll post downsized ones for evaluation.

Beaver

 

Question for Kotori.... Is there anything you would change if you were to make another laser cut cannon??

Note to all: I have been editing my first post to include additional details as I get them drawn... If you skip directly to the latest post you won't see them!

 

Ok, so everything fits like it should, now for the approval from all of you more experienced people. Now these photos are very faint, that's because I used the most basic form of CAD I could find.


Yeah, super high tek! When I scanned my plans into the computer, it didn't pick up all the lines, but I think you'll get the idea.
So here are the two files that have the four main plates.
File 1.. http://www.rcnavalcombat.com/Portals/0/Users/Beaver/Scan_Doc0002.pdf
File 2.. http://www.rcnavalcombat.com/Portals/0/Users/Beaver/Scan_Doc0003.pdf
Look like it will work???.....
Beaver