GBC 2D Printer

[mahjqa]

As far as I can tell, this concept hasn't been done before in Lego. It uses just two motors and two sensors.

[JJ2]

I really like the idea, it makes me jealous how many black pieces you have

Would this be able to enter in a real GBC or is it just a stand alone?

[bj51]

I think the throughput wouldn't be sufficient for this module to be added between other regular GBC modules.

Neat idea, still!

[Awaken_M1nd]

Wow! How you get ideas like this in yor mind?

[Paul Boratko]

Very Cool..!

I got to see a module based on this principal in person at Brickfair(I think it was called the multiplex) a few years back.. Yours is completely different though .. Amazing to see 2 completely different approaches on a similar idea... :thumbup:

Edited December 16, 2015 by Paul Boratko

[dr_spock]

Neat. Black and Pearl Gold look good. I've seen something similar before in a GBC sorting white and orange balls to spell out LEGO in a matrix before dumping out the balls.

[freakwave]

I like the modularity when you set it up at the beginning.

[Dalafik]

Amazing! Great idea and implementation! Next step is to go 3D.

[Josephiah]

Cool! Is the word programmable? I.e. can the yellow barriers adjust automatically?

[mahjqa]

Would this be able to enter in a real GBC or is it just a stand alone?

I think the throughput wouldn't be sufficient for this module to be added between other regular GBC modules. Neat idea, still!

You're both right, it doesn't qualify 100% to the official GBC standard. Part of it is the programming, for dumb reasons an empty spot takes the same time as a spot filled with a ball. Didn't really have time to overhaul that program, though.

I like the modularity when you set it up at the beginning.

Thanks! This was built from the ground up to be transportable, hence the modular approach.

Cool! Is the word programmable? I.e. can the yellow barriers adjust automatically?

In a way, it's programmable. The program takes an array, and acts on the numbers in there. This is how it interprets the numbers:

0 - advance one position, drop no ball

1 - advance one position, drop a ball

2 - Move to the top of the next line (Useful for skipping empty rows between letters)

So, in order to make the machine print this:

-OOO-

---O-

--O--

-O---

-OOO-

You actually need an array like this:

21001110101110012

(The first ball dropped is in the top left corner, then it moves down until the end of that row, and it starts on the top of the next row)

At first I wanted to automate the process, (simply converting written text to machine instructions) but as it turns out, Mindstorm's arrays are tricky to work with. And, since I'm a fairly novice programmer, I'm not ready to move on to more advanced programming methods.

At any rate, I'm glad you all like it!

Edited December 16, 2015 by mahjqa

[Zerobricks]

Wow, you really outdone yourself! Such a simple yet awesome concept you cam up with there.

I think with a bit of extra programming you could make this in an awesome interactive model for exhibtions, where visitors could just write what they wanna see and the machine prints it.

[RohanBeckett]

Great work, as always!

But I knew I'd seen something before.. and after 20mins of google-fu... found this..

Definitely different to yours.. but does still create a programmable matrix of balls

[aeh5040]

Wow, that's outstanding! Ingenious and beautiful!

I like the simple programming "language". I guess in principle it could be all done mechanically, without the need for Mindstorms. E.g. a bit like

. (I'd like to see that!)

I have seen yet another other machine of this type, at BrickCon a few years ago. That one used the large (3.5 in) red and blue Lego Education balls. They were arranged in the right order, and then fed through several "mega-GBC" type modules and finally to the printer. But in any case, yours is a wonderful work of art.

[2LegoOrNot2Lego...]

Love this one so much!!!