Zerobricks

Lego E-formula competition idea

By Zerobricks, in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling

What kind of a competition would you like to see?  

15 members have voted

  1. 1. What kind of a competition would you like to see?

    • Purist competition with no third party party parts, Power Functions only, limited amount of drive motors (2XL, 3L, 4M)
      2
    • Purist competition with no third party party parts, Power Functions only, no drive motor limits
      2
    • Purist competition with no third party party parts, any Lego motors allowed no drive motor limits
      1
    • S-brick allowed, no other third party party parts, Power Functions only, limited amount of drive motors (2XL, 3L, 4M)
      5
    • S-brick allowed, no other third party party parts, Power Functions only, no drive motor limits
      2
    • S-brick allowed, no other third party party parts, any Lego motors allowed no drive motor limits
      1
    • Buwizz and S-brick allowed, no other third party party parts, Power Functions only, limited amount of drive motors (2XL, 3L, 4M)
      1
    • Buwizz and S-brick allowed, no other third party party parts, Power Functions only, no drive motor limits
      0
    • Buwizz and S-brick allowed, no other third party party parts, any Lego motors allowed no drive motor limits
      2
    • Two additional functions besides drving and steering are allowed (this will limit the amount of PF channels)
      4
    • Two additional functions besides drving and steering are not allowed
      3
    • Models should be limited by scale or size
      7
    • Models should be limited by minimum weight
      2
    • There should be size or weight limits
      8
    • A bare chassis is ok for me
      2
    • Models should have some minimum paneling
      6
    • There should be a system of points in place in order to reward good looking models
      5
    • Track should be straight and flat
      1
    • Track should be full of turns
      5
    • Track should have some ascends and descends
      2
    • Track should have some slight bumps and obstacles
      1
    • Track should have all of the above
      6
    • All models should have the same pre-built chassis
      1
    • Models should be at least 75% technic
      7
    • I want to join a competition event and race with others on the track (multiple racers at once)
      8
    • I want to set up a predetermined track at home, record the model and post results online
      7

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mocbuild101   

mocbuild101
Posted
23 minutes ago, Marxpek said:

@mocbuild101Hihi  you do not have to show me the formulas. That is just basic math anyone here should be able to do. My point was: how can we do this accurately? Cause what you mention just is not accurate.

I tried to measure speed like that, unless you have a high speed camera  (i do not) the result will vary a lot. Like i mentioned before. 0.1second is alot when going around 20kmh (doubt we will reach that but...) and what would prevent someone to make the track 10cm shorter? We wont notice on video. Measuring speed accurately just isnt that easy im affraid...thats why i bought the gps device (one big drawback.. doesnt work indoors..)

I know - I just thought I would :sweet: (like for people that don't know).

You do have a point... people could put a measuring tape in the video (although you probably couldn't see the numbers...), but you will probably just have to rely on honesty :sceptic:.

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AkiyamaWataru   

AkiyamaWataru
Posted (edited)

Why not use an all-weather running track:

It has a length of 400m and you could use an entire lap. Ok one would just calculate the average speed there, but you could put a camera on the start/finish-line and measure the time, it takes for the car to cross the line twice (while running a full lap of course).

Most people should have such a track nearby so no problem or am I wrong?

Another pro: We would be forced to get the suspension and steering correct as in the wide turns we will have to put load on it.

Another option: The one organizing the track would post a track in style of Trackmania (only 2D). He would define where to put corners based on a grid and give the schematics out. We would just have to define a few things:

maximum Size of the track in m (width and depth) and grid size/resolution (how many squares per meter) Only problem could be getting the same surface.

The later approach would give another challenge: Not only building the car but actually driving our stuff through a more or less difficult course.

Edits: Type and missed the completion of a lap

Edited by AkiyamaWataru

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PKW   

PKW
Posted
19 hours ago, LXF said:

@PKW The newer battery boxes have bright green LED instead of lime LED when turned on , also the LED is transparent if the bb is off. (the assembled box is the new one)

thanks for sharing! it is a good think lego implemented a difference like it did for v2 receiver having cable bending protection on connectors

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Marxpek   

Marxpek
Posted
Just now, AkiyamaWataru said:

Most people should have such a track nearby so no problem or am I wrong

any big town has this i think, but in my town a few months ago i asked if i could use it for some runs with a Technic vehicle, they declined this sadly and i do not want to do it secretly.. and another problem with this track is: it is bumpy, i think artificial grass is a more even underground and that is not great either (hockeyfields are mostly artificial and most likely closer to most people then a outdoor track and the field is divided in 4 sections of 23? meters)

 

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Aventador2004   

Aventador2004
Posted
5 minutes ago, Marxpek said:

any big town has this i think, but in my town a few months ago i asked if i could use it for some runs with a Technic vehicle, they declined this sadly and i do not want to do it secretly.. and another problem with this track is: it is bumpy, i think artificial grass is a more even underground and that is not great either (hockeyfields are mostly artificial and most likely closer to most people then a outdoor track and the field is divided in 4 sections of 23? meters)

 

I don't have a track nearby, and I want my location to stay hidden with no one to spy :tongue:. I have a street that is long nearby, but no track.

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mocbuild101   

mocbuild101
Posted
1 hour ago, AkiyamaWataru said:

Most people should have such a track nearby so no problem or am I wrong?

Not me... and also:

1 hour ago, Marxpek said:

another problem with this track is: it is bumpy

One solution I thought of is just several sheets of plywood (or similar) laid out in a row, but that would be a bit expensive and hard to get flat...

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Aventador2004   

Aventador2004
Posted
Just now, Myers Lego Technic said:

Hmm. Interesting. An empty stretch of highway, and two friends on the lookout? :wink:

Ha, if they went fast enough, it would be 2 fast 2 electric :tongue:. The plywood I could do, or just go by handling speed and creativity.

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AkiyamaWataru   

AkiyamaWataru
Posted

We should now answer a question: What is the goal? Going fast in a straight line or doing something equal formula-e and incorporate corners? 

It seams to me like fast in straight line is the target for a lot of people. I find this quite boring. I would try to incorporate real drivability as shown in Formula E. 

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mocbuild101   

mocbuild101
Posted (edited)
22 minutes ago, Aventador2004 said:

or just go by handling speed and creativity.

18 minutes ago, AkiyamaWataru said:

doing something equal formula-e and incorporate corners

I agree, it would also better than just a competition for maximum speed.

Edited by mocbuild101

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Marxpek   

Marxpek
Posted
12 minutes ago, AkiyamaWataru said:

 

We should now answer a question: What is the goal? Going fast in a straight line or doing something equal formula-e and incorporate corners? 

It seams to me like fast in straight line is the target for a lot of people. I find this quite boring. I would try to incorporate real drivability as shown in Formula E. 

 

very true, this should be clear first, before anything else. But i think handling was mentioned as one of the main goals previously, so that would need a curvy track yes..

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JTS   

JTS
Posted

In the actual Formula E competitions, Renault provide the chassis to be used (Spark SRT) and this cannot be altered. However the teams have free reign over the batteries, drivetrain and gearboxes.

I'd be up for this; we all build the pre-agreed chassis, but have to design the internals ourselves, be it 8 m-motors or an XL motor, IR or S-brick, if you can't fit an RC motor inside the template then tough luck!.

Who's brave enough to design the chassis then?? :laugh:

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TechnicRCRacer   

TechnicRCRacer
Posted (edited)

This looks fun, but I do not have 2 XL motors. I do have 3 L motors, but they would be hard to fit into the model. Are you allowed to use the old panels or are those pre-2005? I would do this but I have no track (yet) and I don't have anything to measure the speed.

Edited by TechnicRCRacer

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Epic Technic   

Epic Technic
Posted
45 minutes ago, JTS said:

In the actual Formula E competitions, Renault provide the chassis to be used (Spark SRT) and this cannot be altered. However the teams have free reign over the batteries, drivetrain and gearboxes.

I'd be up for this; we all build the pre-agreed chassis, but have to design the internals ourselves, be it 8 m-motors or an XL motor, IR or S-brick, if you can't fit an RC motor inside the template then tough luck!.

Who's brave enough to design the chassis then?? :laugh:

Though this is a cool concept, I fear it would not work well as lego motors are extremely similar so there really would not be much different between each car.

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Aventador2004   

Aventador2004
Posted (edited)
49 minutes ago, JTS said:

In the actual Formula E competitions, Renault provide the chassis to be used (Spark SRT) and this cannot be altered. However the teams have free reign over the batteries, drivetrain and gearboxes.

I'd be up for this; we all build the pre-agreed chassis, but have to design the internals ourselves, be it 8 m-motors or an XL motor, IR or S-brick, if you can't fit an RC motor inside the template then tough luck!.

Who's brave enough to design the chassis then?? :laugh:

I can do the chassis, if that can be agreed apon. I am very good at chassis, I can make a rough one easily, and within a few days, a final chassis. 

@Zero (Zblj) what if 3 members could make a chassis, a XL, a L and a M chassis.

I could do any one as I have a few of each motor.

Chassis are my specialty.

Edited by Aventador2004

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TechnicRCRacer   

TechnicRCRacer
Posted

Wow, this sounds fun! I wish I could do the chassis but I am not the best builder. Maybe I will start on the L-one now. I will not use a gearbox at the moment. Maybe 1:8 scale?

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Aventador2004   

Aventador2004
Posted
Just now, TechnicRCRacer said:

Wow, this sounds fun! I wish I could do the chassis but I am not the best builder. Maybe I will start on the L-one now. I will not use a gearbox at the moment. Maybe 1:8 scale?

I will do the XL chassis then, do you have l motors?

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Epic Technic   

Epic Technic
Posted (edited)

I would be happy to help with making a chassis if that is what we end up doing. I have 4L and 3 XL motors.

Edited by Epic Technic

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AkiyamaWataru   

AkiyamaWataru
Posted

We should keep the Chassis building at the participents. We would limit ourself to much in the solutions.

We should just try our best and build our car within a bounding box. Maybe regulate the allowed tires and the allowed trackwidth and distance between front and rear axle

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Void_S   

Void_S
Posted

Let me raise a non-purists question - will be some lubrication allowed (as 3rd party thing or not)? Since it's about the speed now, the friction should be the worst enemy, I suppose.

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Epic Technic   

Epic Technic
Posted
Just now, AkiyamaWataru said:

We should keep the Chassis building at the participents. We would limit ourself to much in the solutions.

We should just try our best and build our car within a bounding box. Maybe regulate the allowed tires and the allowed trackwidth and distance between front and rear axle

+1

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TechnicRCRacer   

TechnicRCRacer
Posted (edited)

Ok, this is sounding hard. I would like to build the L chassis, but I am not sure because of the discussion going on here.I guess the chassis can be up to the participant.

I am getting inspiration from my Williams F1, but I can't use 4L U-joints. Darn!

Edited by TechnicRCRacer

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syclone   

syclone
Posted

I'm not sure how my poor receiver will handle 4m motors, time will tell. Would a micro-motor be allowed for steering? 

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