Lego Capacitor (Mindstorms) - Any interesting use?

[DrJB]

I've had this capacitor 9916 sitting in my electrical box for years now. All of his neighbors (motors & lights) are rather busy. While I can charge it and watch it discharge when I connect a motor or a light to it, I really have not found much use for it. How about you, do you know of any useful/novel applications for such green part? ... Or is this a 'failed' attempt of TLG getting into teaching electronics? My son prefers 'snap-circuits' though.

Edited October 25, 2013 by DrJB

[aol000xw]

What a Lego oddity! I had no idea such part existed. Can it be charged by spinning a motor?

[bricky300]

You could use it as a part of a GBC module having it run from one end to the other and being charged while balls go in or out.

[JopieK]

I think it was part of a solar set?! (uhm, it was, check the bricklink sets: renewable energy).

[DrJB]

You could use it as a part of a GBC module having it run from one end to the other and being charged while balls go in or out.

Tell me more .... anything GBC sounds interesting ... almost.

I think it was part of a solar set?! (uhm, it was, check the bricklink sets: renewable energy).

I bought it standalone ... when I got my RCX 2.0 .... back in 2003. Back then, it and other sets (vision command, .. etc) were labeled "Mindstorms Add-Ons" on TLG's website ... I somehow thought It'll be useful, but not really.

[Carsten Svendsen]

Couldn't you just use it in combination with an old touch sensor that have a built-in resistor to make a continuously flashing light?

[JopieK]

A capacitor is a small battery like component so that will be impossible. For a flashing like you would need a mono-stable multivibrator or something (that often also uses capacitors, but together with transistors):

In this set they apparently use it with a motor:

First you charge the capacitor by using the motor as a dynamo, then it will drive for some time.

[DrJB]

What a Lego oddity! I had no idea such part existed. Can it be charged by spinning a motor?

I'm sure you can, but the mechanical losses would make for a very 'inefficient' charger.

[Lego Otaku]

so tl'dr it's mostly useless in just about anything LEGO? Some electronic parts are rarely useful by itself, and I can't see LEGO releasing resistor, transistor, etc for use in LEGO project. Those are somewhat advanced for plastic bricks and more for people who are familiar with electronics.

OTOH if LEGO did official Arduino or Raspberry addon (with mosfets to handle motor) to support existing PF parts I'd be all over those. They are more flexible and a bit easier to program than RCX/NCX bricks.

[bricky300]

Tell me more .... anything GBC sounds interesting ... almost.

You could use it in a form of wagon which travels on rails and use a polarity changer which indicates whenever it touches a barrier and unloads all the balls then. In the meantime it would charge up and drive then in the other direction or you could set up a circle and never change direction.

[aol000xw]

in a GBC a platform/container balanced to be elevated could fill with balls from another GBC module, when filled with enougth balls weigth would lower the platform and activate a switch which in turn, with the power acumulated in the capacitor could open a door to release the balls. The platform would lift itself to its original position (self balancing) . The platform raising and lowering due to gravity could charge the capacitor.

[Doc_Brown]

This is really interesting! I have often wondered what a use may be?