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Finally, the machine shop decided to stay with the electro-erosion method.
I send him 165€ + S&H that is my own investment for whoever else may benefit from this refab.
I'll post the video of the prototype and the test.
The shop said they don't want to deal with international paiement and shipping.
If you are still interested, I propose to forward the first pair to you, it would be 200€ (230$) + shipping. I would think a bubble enveloppe with tracking would be acceptable.
Again we talk about a pair of part 21, built as a plain piece of stainless steel for an XJ8 1998-2003 and likely XK8.
The only guarantee is the video of the new functionning prototype that i'll post. No return.
Of course I do not make any money out of this (if there are a few euros extra they will serve to progressively refund my investment). As a consequence, if more samples would be built I would pass the price decrease (since the electrode is re-usable) to our new luckier colleagues.
Finally, the machine shop decided to stay with the electro-erosion method.
I send him 165€ + S&H that is my own investment for whoever else may benefit from this refab.
I'll post the video of the prototype and the test.
The shop said they don't want to deal with international paiement and shipping.
If you are still interested, I propose to forward the first pair to you, it would be 200€ (230$) + shipping. I would think a bubble enveloppe with tracking would be acceptable.
Again we talk about a pair of part 21, built as a plain piece of stainless steel for an XJ8 1998-2003 and likely XK8.
The only guarantee is the video of the new functionning prototype that i'll post. No return.
Of course I do not make any money out of this (if there are a few euros extra they will serve to progressively refund my investment). As a consequence, if more samples would be built I would pass the price decrease (since the electrode is re-usable) to our new luckier colleagues.
hi Bruno
You mentioned these gears are most likely to also work on XK8. Do you have a way to confirm that? I would like to chip in to this venture as I need to do something about my mirrors. Got an early 97 XK8 - the folding mechanism engage but the mirrors won’t move - loud ticking only so I’m guessing the gears are worn.
I will most likely disassemble the mirrors next week and try to compare the gear with your pictures, but giving you a heads up already.
by the way, I live in Switzerland but can also ship to Germany and pick it from there. You might have to advise me on how we will manage the shipment.
A piece of news, the picture of the male electrode just built by the machine shop.
It is thicker than the one built 9 years ago because the intention is to be able to produce volume and therefore, from time-to-time, cut a slice on the electrode to maintain the precision of the gear patern (the electrode wears slightly when building multiple pieces).
I sent a reminder to the machine shop last Saturday. I am waiting the answer. I am still waiting for the first prototype.
I can't believe he sent the above pictures for nothing.
All we can do is wait. You have the only good option as far as I can see. I've tried second hand XK8 motors but they seem to go the same way after a short period. Let's just hope your supplier comes through.
One of my 2001 xkr door mirrors has decided to stop folding. I've disassembled as per brilliant write-up & unsurprisingly have a very worn part #21 ring gear.
Has there been any further communication from the manufacturing company, or is that now a dead-end ?
I'm hoping to get a replacement part 3d printed, but don't have a great template to clone from, as my ring gear is cracked and very worn, so needing some fettling before making a copy.
One of my 2001 xkr door mirrors has decided to stop folding. I've disassembled as per brilliant write-up & unsurprisingly have a very worn part #21 ring gear.
Has there been any further communication from the manufacturing company, or is that now a dead-end ?
I'm hoping to get a replacement part 3d printed, but don't have a great template to clone from, as my ring gear is cracked and very worn, so needing some fettling before making a copy.
Cheers,
Nigel
Hi Niguel, all,
unfortunately this last attempt is a dead end. The guy stopped answering my emails, kept my money, and did not even returned the spare parts.
Hi all,
one of the mirrors of my 1997 DDS has stopped folding ... I still couldn't get it apart, will have to wait until march, but I've been already studying this highly interesting thread. and the great work done by Bruno, thanks a lot. I'm rather sure that I'll find the problem described by Bruno once I get inside the mirror.
I've contacted this company https://www.protiq.com, pointing them to this thread, sending them some photos and Bruno's DXF file - and they answered indmediately and find that this is a very interesting project. They say that it would be no problem at all for them to produce the part; however, they point out that it's important that the CAD file is highly accurate.
They would charge me 75 Euro flat rate for a prototype based on Bruno's file;
Then, printing it with 1.4404 stainless steel would cost:
1 pc: 250 Euro
from the second piece on: 150 Euro
5 pieces 100 Euro each.
Is anyone still interested? And how could we make sure that the CAD file is as exact as it needs to be?
Best regards
Martin
Now this looks a handy thread I hadn't seen before.
My mirrors fold but don't stop or positively locate when 'open'. I've assumed a catch of some type is stuck, when I'm not meant to be working I'll read this whole thread as I suspect from a quick scroll it'll show me what's not working.
Hi all,
one of the mirrors of my 1997 DDS has stopped folding ... I still couldn't get it apart, will have to wait until march, but I've been already studying this highly interesting thread. and the great work done by Bruno, thanks a lot. I'm rather sure that I'll find the problem described by Bruno once I get inside the mirror.
I've contacted this company https://www.protiq.com, pointing them to this thread, sending them some photos and Bruno's DXF file - and they answered indmediately and find that this is a very interesting project. They say that it would be no problem at all for them to produce the part; however, they point out that it's important that the CAD file is highly accurate.
They would charge me 75 Euro flat rate for a prototype based on Bruno's file;
Then, printing it with 1.4404 stainless steel would cost:
1 pc: 250 Euro
from the second piece on: 150 Euro
5 pieces 100 Euro each.
Is anyone still interested? And how could we make sure that the CAD file is as exact as it needs to be?
Best regards
Martin
Hi,
The CAD file is made on measurements I made on a real part with a precision of about 1 tenth of a millimeter but it has never been proven with a real piece, built from this drawing.
Another point to consider, maybe even more important that the drawing dimensions themselves, is the tolerance on the manufacturing process.
One time I sent this precise drawing to JohnSteel for laser cut in a 3mm aluminum sheet (as two pieces to be glued together to form a complete ring). The problem is that the laser cut tolerance is not precise enough (around 1mm tolerance).
- it was easy to glue the 2 pieces together and it make what I felt was a very strong and durable assembly
- I rebuilt a complete mirror folding mechnism with it but the overall diameter of the internal gears was a little to wide and/or the teeth not sharp enough, so the rebuilt mechanism was jumping teeth (just like the original worn plastic teeth).
In summary I think the CAD is quite close to what is needed, but cannot guarantee it 100%, and of course I cannot commit on the manufacturing process precision (especially if it is closer to 1mm than 1 tenth of a mm).
Not later than today my phone was ringing with a french colleague looking for a fix for his folding mirror, due to this piece, so if a solution is found I am sure I can buy some or found friends that will buy some.
I can also help with tearing down or reassemble, but I don't want to spend money anymore on supporting the first prototype.
Hmmmm...without any guarantee, it is difficult to spend said amounts on the hope
it may work. That said, perhaps if enough forum members found this as a possible
solution, the cost per person might be small enough to warrant the experiment. It
is troubling to see the only other attempt resulted in a no-show
Ok, I‘ll check accuracy with Protiq and if it‘s better than, let‘s say, 0.5mm I’ll order a prototype. I think that accuracy should be ok, even my cheap Anet A8 3D printer prints (after some tuning) with 0.1 mm.
I‘ve asked them whether the prototype would be printed with stainless steel, they answered that it could also be printed with plastic, but they don‘t believe it would resist a real testing. An alternative would be printing with PA12 which is a hard polyamide. They think that it could even be used as final part, and it would only cost 20 Euro.
I won‘t be able to get the mirror off the car before end of march. Bruno. The file you#ve posted in post #49 is the final one, correct?
Best regards
Martin
02-07-2022, 01:10 PM
