Rokenbok

Basics

• A Construction Toy from ~1990s
• Mad some construction aspects like lego etc, but it's main "thing" was the rc controlled vehicles that would move marble like colored plastic balls (Smaller Red and Blue Ones) through a factory/refinery or sorts, sorting and dispensing them as they move around
• The Company Fell apart, and company is mostly dead (short of maybe IP etc)
• Similar to the Models of OSE Devices , and can be used as a stepping stone to get to that
• The Radio Control "Hub" also has a "smart port" that some have hacked to be controllable by arduino or as a USB Device

Existing Vehicles/Powered Devices

• • A Forklift
  • An Earth Mover / Bulldozer
  • A Skid Steer
  • A Odd Combination of a Dump Truck and Loader, they called it the loader
  • A Dedicated Dump Truck
  • An "emergency vehicle" (mainly can just carry small stuff or deploy cones for spills etc, no use currently short of fun for kiddos)
  • A M o n o r a i l
  • A Crane
  • A "Street Sweeper" which uses a foam roller to collect the marble like balls that are the "product" being moved around / sorted (these would be the core of the "refinery game" i want to design for this)
  • An "elevator" that was basically a diagonal conveyor belt activated by a beam break sensor in it's hopper was also used
  • A "Rok Lift" that could lift containers, and automatically dump them (double check needed)

Interesting Potential Additional Options / Designs

• A Bucket Wheel Excavator for "mining"
  • Similar devices like Dragline Excavators etc could also be made
• A more modular monorail
  • Also Hot Rail power for the monoral, rather than batteries
• A Forklift with Forks that can have Tilt and Move Left/Right, not just raise the fork assembly up and down
• An Inline Counter
• "Station" and more programmable functions
• Conveyor Belts for the Containers / Automated Loading
• Intermodal Container / Semi Truck (Would add education on Container Terminal Operations, could even make the specialized crane etc)
• Robotic Arm
  • Most of the Existing OS/DIY 3D Printed Robotic Arms may be perfect, low payload, so for once that wouldn't be an issue (low cost/complexity as well)
• Pipe Switching / "Valves" of sorts

Phases of work

Phase 1

• Hacking the "smart port" on the rokenbok rc tower
• Mess around with that for a bit
  • Programming the Monorail to do scheduled "load, move to here, dump, loop" programs etc

Phase 2

• CAD of the system
• Modify to be more 3D Print-able if needed

Phase 3

• Make OSE Models in a similar style that are compatible with the Rokenbok System
• Make them use BLDC motors ( Stepper Motors / Hobby Servos or small Geared DC Motors for small actuations, or potentially lego pneumatic type systems
  • More reliable and more power
• Add option for Power Tool Battery Pack use, rather than AA's (or design with Rechargeable AA Batteries in mind

Refinery Game

• Make a Beam Break (or camera for color as well...) sensor based ball counter inline with the "chutes"
• Use this in a "sell" module to sell the red / blue ones
• Could also add in a green or yellow "pollution" marble akin to Sulfur (Re Flue Gas Desulfurization / Hydrodesulfurization )
  • This would introduce difficulty (they could interlock and clog pipes, or make "contaminated" sales invalid or even fined etc)
  • Also it would encourage upgrading from a simple counter, to a counter+color detector etc
• The sold / disposed of marbles would go back to the "mine" / "oil well" (depending on how it gets designed)
• Wells could dry up and require Well Rework etc which could cost the fake currency etc
• If using a mine, Overburden / Tailings could also be introduced, and potentially even a module like a Shale Shaker etc
• Spills could have fines (which could vary based on difficulty, time in game (harder as you go), or how long they are left up etc
• Adding utility to the currently unused barrels, perhaps as making barreled marbles sell for more etc, or making waste (or better yet mixed spills) be cleaned up and put in barrels would make the bulldozer and it's "recycling center" (barrel-marble separation unit operation basically) have utility
• Silos could be used, especially if doing a multiplayer setup (or just complex computer, with supply/demand/price variations) to do a "pump and dump" of sorts!
• Also vehicles would have to be bought, or the factory is less instruction set rigid design, moreso "see how you can best set it up"
• All in all it takes the (still fun, but especially after a while) Sisyphean base "game" and turns it into something akin to the Computer Game (Moreso Boardgame, but on a computer) Turmoil
  • At the same time it teaches
    • Mechatronics (Could even build the vehicles as a kit, or design/program your own etc)
    • Problem Solving and to an extent the thought processes behind Lean Manufacturing (How can i optimize this system, and so on)
    • Could tie in Programming
    • Also can link it to real life stuff like Bio-Refineries or Heavy Equipment Operation
    • Thus could "plant seeds" for what the kids can think about / know is possible
    • Also could be used for training, although dedicated Heavy Equipment Simulators or operating equipment in a safe Heavy Equipment Training Area type thing would most likely be better

Internal Links

• Similar Concepts:
• Lego Power Functions / Lego Mindstorms
• Fischertechnik
• Erector Set / Meccano (Same thing, just different branding depending on North America / Europe+Pacific (if i remember correctly) )

External Links

• The Wikipedia Page on Rokenbok
• An article on how to mod rokenbok
• A Reddit Post on a USB to "Rokenbok SmartPort" adapter (uses a small fpga) -supposedly doable with a standard microprocessor
  • A Followup on the above project post is archived so even thread necromancy can't save it. Currently reaching out to the person on their design.