BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 26, 2012 Report Share Posted March 26, 2012 From Imagineering Disney.. Mechanizing a Miniature Main Street Electrical ParadeMonday, March 26, 2012 at 4:30PM Posted by AdminWe are excited to bring to you this stunning example of "Backyard Imagineering". Alex George, a reader of our blog, engineered a way to bring these miniature Main Street Electrical Parade floats to life. He also takes us on a behind-the-scenes look at his innovative two-year process. Alex shares:It was the fall of 2009 when I decided to mechanize a miniature Main Street Electrical Parade. I was collecting the Olszewski Main Street miniatures, including the Electrical Parade floats, when I thought how neat it would be to see the floats traveling down Main Street. I soon realized though, that simply moving the floats wouldn't be enough. There should be a sense of “show”, and so the parade would need to enter and exit Main Street to its musical score, then remain queued off stage until the next performance.Thus began a two-year trek of attraction design and construction of miniature proportion. I'm an artist, not an engineer – so there was a lot of research needed to design the mechanics. I considered a number of ways to transport the floats using preexisting toy tracks and even motorized curtain rails, but ultimately I settled on a chain and sprocket system of my own design. Adding to the complexity was an electrical contact system to light the floats, and new computer-controlled LEDs that make the floats twinkle and cycle through designated colors.The completed production resides in a low-sitting table which hides the mechanics as well as the parade when it's between shows. It's a lot of fun putting on the parade for guests, and even those who aren't dedicated Disneyland fans seem genuinely charmed by the show. In my own small way, I think I might know the pleasure felt by the creators of the actual parade when they saw their work enjoyed by audiences at Disneyland.So take a glimpse at the Main Street Electrical Parade in Miniature, and check out the making-of short for highlights of how it came together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Kf3ZSLptxUBehind-the-Sceneshttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ZUFWQtqjXEThe chain systemAdding building supportsSeveral mock ups of the road, made from painstaking measurements, ensured that the slot defining the parade path would be perfectly aligned with the chain below.Partial landscapingAfter months of testing, the wiring that powers the floats began to break from flexing. The chain has been pulled here, and completely refitted with a far more flexible wire specifically designed for robotics and animatronics. There are four wires: two for power and two for network communication to the LEDs.A backstage view as the floats make their way up to Main Street.More on the artist at: By George, I Think You've Got It.http://www.imagineeringdisney.com/blog/2012/3/26/mechanizing-a-miniature-main-street-electrical-parade.html Onkel Hans 1 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Total Joker ... TJ 203 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I WANT ONE!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
MicknMin...Holly 54 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Love it! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Onkel Hans 25 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Wow, that is cool! I want one for my living room! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
DoctorDalek 7 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I love that site he always had really cool stuff... Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Onkel Hans 25 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 That reminds me of Hamburg's Miniature Wonderland. It would be nice to see the model train garden in Epcot's Germany upgraded to something like this:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACkmg3Y64_s&feature=player_embedded Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dblr....Rennie 224 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Does he have one of the EWP for Lou!!!!!!!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
campingpixi 11 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 I want one!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
mouseketab.....Carol 1,261 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 That's pretty cool!!! My first thought was, he's got too much time/money on his hands, BUT then we probably put that much time and money into our campers/camping!!!! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
BradyBzLyn...Mo 2,023 Posted March 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Does he have one of the EWP for Lou!!!!!!!!!!I smell a Fiend project..Lou's got a pool, right? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
daddyphat808 - Eric 16 Posted March 27, 2012 Report Share Posted March 27, 2012 Spectacular! Just wow I want one! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
polkadotsuitcase 12 Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 That's pretty cool!!! My first thought was, he's got too much time/money on his hands, That was my first thought, too!So amazing and creative. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
CCIntrigue...aka Gwen 547 Posted March 29, 2012 Report Share Posted March 29, 2012 I want one too! Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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