by bythelee » Sat Jul 12, 2014 2:58 am
Excellent solutions, Mark_man.
I kinda knew my catcher was clumsy and inefficient. Yet as soon as I saw the 2827 solution, I saw the "right" way to do it. The inkling was already there from my pulley experiments, but the penny didn't drop.
POCs are always best as the inefficient but obscure solutions that no-one would deem "efficient". I'm glad to see a rubber punt did have the power to get up there.
And while $20 or so might not seem like much of a win, with the prices in this challenge, that's quite a big margin.
I'm very happy to concede the win to a superior solution. Winning by default just isn't my style anyway.
PS: the pulley failure started out as a plate chain, so that I wouldn't have to break the transverse bars. But it proved too heavy, breaking under its own weight instantly.
As it is, the jerk loads as the bars fall generally caused overloads and instant failure. I did wonder whether a pulley at the mid level would get enough "trebuchet" effect to fling the dillo all the way up, but I didn't try it in the end. I suspect it won't make it. A pulley at 3/4 height might, but that would have to be suspended, and I doubt the mounting would carry the load. Using an anchor point for the pulley is mandatory, given the height involved.
But, that all made it a very interesting challenge.