Studded to Studless but NOT vice-versa

[DrJB]

Whenever I see a contraption I like, built the old fashioned studded way, I wonder if it can be made into a studless construction. While that step seems obvious, going the other way (studless to studded) is rarely possible. Now, the question is this: Have you come across of or can you think of a studded construction that CANNOT be made into studless? I am thinking naturally of a technic contraption with gears, axles, and the like.

Edited May 1, 2015 by DrJB

[gti180]

might not be what your after but the old block engines spring to mind, these are pretty hard to build studless

[Corvette3]

They use offset measurements even/odd don't they? so a conversion is probably quite difficult, but a studless recreation of a studded set is quite doable.

[Tommy Styrvoky]

Anything with complex SNOT.

[Erik Leppen]

Technic is already SNOT.

[Captainowie]

going the other way (studless to studded) is rarely possible.

Really? The studless system has made many things smaller, and many things easier, but has it really made that much possible?

Anyway, to answer the question: Anything that requires the bit-more-than-1-stud offset between parallel technic bricks. For example, it's very easy to mate an 8 tooth gear with a 16 tooth in a studded build, but in studless you have to muck around with half-stud offsets.

[dhc6twinotter]

Only thing I can think of would be long gear racks, particularly when used in boom extensions. Connecting a long row of 1x4 racks together on 1x16 bricks is easier than studless beams.

Edited May 3, 2015 by dhc6twinotter

[bonox]

I think if you're being pure, the 1x4 rack is a studded piece. All the studless racks can't be extended, so something like sheepos car lift would need a radical change in thinking to do away with the studded parts.

[Lipko]

Maybe a knob gear with some ladder-like thing would work as gear-rack.

[Balrog]

You could still replace the gear rack mechanism of a boom with some kind of winch mechanism. But that will probably be not as compact and it is a totally different mechanism/contraption.

[DrJB]

Only thing I can think of would be long gear racks, particularly when used in boom extensions. Connecting a long row of 1x4 racks together on 1x16 bricks is easier than studless beams.

Thank you, that's the perfect example!