To fit or not to fit, that is the Question

[colmoore]

Hi all,

I'm currently making some Octagonal shapes for a Carousel ride and I am in need of some help with the maths. I have used a good shape calculator website which has been very helpful but it has left me wondering about actual tolerances, i.e. basically what LEGO regard as a fit and not a fit.

Obviously I rely primarily on LDD to determine this, and I am wondering if people regard an LDD fit as legitimate and one which would be used and endorsed by LEGO?

I also have a question about hinges and friction. Is it the case that 1x4 hinge bricks have little friction but 1x4 hinge plates do? I have noticed that this is generally the case with the bricks in my collection but wondered if it is just coincidental and the plates have perhaps not been "exercised" as much as the bricks.

Hope someone can throw some light on this for me. Thanks in advance.

[emilstorm]

My experience is that the bricks have a lot less friction than plates.

[SearchFunction]

There are some things you can do in LDD that dosn´t work IRL, like enclose a headlight brick or having brackets touch the studs of the plate its attached to.

Which bricks are you referering too exactly? There are many types of hinges. The ones with clips on always have high friction.

[colmoore]

Hi,

I'm referring to type 73983 (plate) and 3830/3831 (brick) types. Thanks for the info.

[obsidianheart]

Those things are floppy as heck for me. Especially if they have anything of weight on them. Might just be me, though?

[SearchFunction]

Hi,

I'm referring to type 73983 (plate) and 3830/3831 (brick) types. Thanks for the info.

They get loose over time, but how much wear before they become loose I cannot say.