teflon

Hi there! It's been a while since I've wrote my last post. However, the discontinuation of a Mindstorms line make me think for a moment. In Make Magazine Vol 06 (May of 2006!) there was a article about building your own robotic football (soccer) with two RCX driven robots on each side, a camera for computer vision and a computer for the whole. At that time I did not have enough of a budget nor knowledge to build such a contraption. I am aware of some other Lego Football projects but they again use a bunch of Mindstorms and some special equipment (like IR ball) But given the advantage in computer hardware and software, I think it might be possible to build something like this without the Mindstorms bricks. I think the whole setup could be: A pitch (a table or something like that) with two goals and a ball (something like a ping pong ball) A camera phone mounted over the pitch with the computer vision tool. This would recognize the bots and the ball and their positions. The "coach app", which would transfer the positions of players and ball to commands for each player (please, picture your favorite coach screaming at the players). I am not sure if it would be better to have two phones or one phone with two strategies for each team. The BT app that would relay the commands to the players Of course two sets of robots with BT receiver (I was thinking something like BuWizz since it already have battery and I think it has an open API). As you might suspect, I just don't have capabilities to do that. I guess I still remember how to build simple trolleys (football playing robots) but I do lack of knowledge on the software part. I've watched some videos about open source computer vision software like OpenCV but my old mind just don't get it I am not sure if there is anybody interested in this. If somebody is, I think it would be a fun little project for home and perhaps even for brick-shows. As mentioned, I am not capable to do this, I just have an idea. I would be grateful if you could provide me with some advice. Thanks!

Your question reflects my absence from the active Lego community. Sorry about that. I am not aware of PUb hard/software, since I only have a handful of newer motors (and I haven't used them for some time now). But I guess BT communication would allow use of PUb motors (I understand that the PUb communication protocol is open for usage).

Thank you very much from my side I'll for sure gonna try to rebuilt this amazing thing. @aeh5040: Thank you for your model also! It's quite a fun!!

I have only today stumble upon this magnificent mechanism. Version 1 is cute and uses some nice thinking. But version 2 is just out of this world. I imagine you have 7 bit (0/1) instructions on technic liftars, which are rotating on the threads. I think this is a step forwards from aeh' but even his is quite clever. I am rebuilding aeh' mechanism with driver in the back (have some problems with friction). I would appreciate if you could share some more pictures of version 2. I still don't get it but it's really incredible! Congrats!!

Wow, this is really nice. I don't know is due to the studless design or splendid pictures. I hardly wait to see it in bricks, since original one had very interesting pattern with pneumatic hoses. It always looked a bit like alien. Regarding part count. I guess it has to be larger since original used studded bricks and did not need a lot of pins to hold it together.

From my young age I wanted to built some contraption that would allow me to run down cars, marbles etc. Along the way I get familiar with Lego 7 mm ribbed hoses, however they slow down the cart quite a lot and were not useful for the purpose. Then a few years later I've seen Zerobricks with his idea for the track (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SydmBuTPnKo). A few years later guys from Brickride (http://www.brickride.com/) created their fully functional Roller Coaster so I gave it a try. I started about two year ago and in a couple of months I had some ideas: https://www.bricksafe.com/files/teflon/roller-coaster/Roller Coaster 01.mp4 ... and the majority of track ready to go: The idea was to have a gigantic tower on one side so track would go up on one side, then do slow 180°turn an fall into the abyss with complete loop at the bottom. However the tower was not very stable so I had to change to an A configuration The new tower was about 170 cm high and reasonable stable. After some testing I had a fully functional track with one looping, a 270° + 180° horizontal turns and even track going tough the opening of the looping (sorry for lousy picture, I have no other:-/) Then I started with motorized lift. I used Brickride's idea - chain in a ditch: The propulsion at the curve at the bottom was served with side wheels with synchronized drive (matching the curve of the track with the curve of the drive was a hard task): Here is the detail, where side wheels are pushing the cart to the chain: Ant the top part also needed some clever chain tricks: At least two L motors were needed to power the thing due to its size and some friction. However, all this effort just produced very good lift but managed to mess-up my track. Like Heisenberg principle - either track was working or the lift but not both at the same time. At the time a lot of my pins started to brake and replacing them cause almost a chain reaction, since some force is needed to dismantle the track. Due to that, I even shorten the track to have as little problem with pins as possible. After months of more or less serious attacks on the issue, I realized it's just to big to work properly (with a motor). I guess my support is just not up to the task and I just have to admire Brickride's. In the mean time, we have seen the Lego answer and it's nice enough. Some more pictures of my failed project: Looping: Through the support: And panoramic view: Please note massive girder to support the track. That was my last idea out of desperation to make this track stabilized. I have failed miserably. Well, the lessons learned: Bricks are stubborn, technic ones even more so. More engineering is usually not a solution Building with bricks is not all fun and games There is no such thing as too much pins More pictures here: https://www.bricksafe.com/pages/teflon/roller-coaster

Thanks Gijs! This is like a message from devine being: "Don't give up, you're gonna make it!" Well, I guess I'll have to put my act together and rebuild the whole thing.

After finishing my Apollo era Launch Pad and umbilical tower, I've decided to try the Space Shuttle Launch Complex as well. First problem was choosing the right Space Shuttle. I have ancient 7470 but it went through hell and it looks a bit on yellowish side and also lacks reservoir and boosters. On the other side, Lego Expedition 10231 was a bit smaller than 1:110. Therefore I used calculations of @KingsKnight (Thanks!) and his Lego Ideas attribution and somewhat enlarged the 10231. The scaling is a bit of a drag. The diameter of reservoir should be exactly 9 studs but no to compromise the shape, I've stayed with 8. I've just prolonged the boosters and reservoir since the Shuttle seems okay. After starting building the tower, I've realized that there are a lot of variants. Over the span of 30 years, the tower was upgraded and changed. Nasa started with a tower that had Apollo type crane at the top. They have also moved a lot of panels so it's extremely difficult to get a nice sets of pictures. So' I've took a mid ground and make some middle of the road variant. I hope you'll like it. This shows the Complex from a side and Space Shuttle ready to launch. Top view shows all the portals. The White room that attaches to Space Shuttle cabin is in the middle, just behind right booster. Space Shuttle while preparing: A view from further away. As much as I am excited about the model (space nerd form childhood), I must confess the model is a bit boring. Of course I can move the side structure. And arms (white room, top of the reservoir, booster etc) can be moved but nothing else. Therefore I've tried to add some details to the platform. Some additional pictures: The comparison of Space Shuttle Launch Complex with Apollo' umbilical tower. Gee, Saturn is B-I-G. But there is also difference - the Space Shuttle' Tower sits on the floor, while Apollo' starts at the top of the platform. The idea is to make mobile transporter mobile and capable of pulling rockets across the floor. My son says that we have a place for one more Launch Complex. Should it be Vostok/Soyuz, SpaceX or Orion? /OMG, just come across @Kaero list of Lego plans of All-the-rockets: see here. Gee, this is quite a Lego Space Pr0n. Thanks man!/ More pictures will be shown here.

Thank you. This time the planing phase was less strict since experiences from Apollo' tower. I've just got as much blueprints and details pictures as possible and try to decide what parts to recreate. The launch platform has a lot of details and to do all is almost impossible, at least for me. I have not made a plan but I "sculpture" it from the bricks I already had. Some details could be better but I was trying to finish it before my valet does ISS is on the buying list. But I would also like it in scale 1:110. However I just found Extended ISS by Locutus 666 at Kaero' page. Gee, that is magnificent! And yes, Kaero' page was a revelation to me also. I am grateful to him for the effort.

Thanks. However I am afraid that I will not produce instructions since I am not capable of. I am therefore waiting for a software solution with some sort of AI. From a bunch of pictures the software could build a model based on available parts data. Very like our eyes and brains manage to do it.

Just added an extra picture to the first post:

I like Markus' work. But his models are becoming huge and therefore expensive. I am afraid new Technic Space Shuttle would be another beast, larger than 8480.

Hello there! I would like to show you a (slow and painful) progress on my take on mini mining excavator. Yeah, the Liebherr 9800 R kind. I kinda like the model, the 42100 and Markus is my favorite Technic creator but ... Well, the model is just to big and too simple and I can see some lazy short cuts (having three motors in an arm). And I haven't even mentioned the price, which is hilarious. Sorry about the rant. So you can imagine my joy when I saw cyberdyne systems' Mini Replica. He clearly showed what can be done in small form factor. However I was wondering if fully motorized version is also possible. Here starts my story. I've decided to build roughly 1/2 scale model. Yeah, I can be lazy to and dividing by 2 seems easy enough. At the moment I am not into esthetics, it's more about function, so please forgive me some crazy decision. Let me show you what have I done so far: I've started with the undercarriage. Simple, two tracks and turntable at the top. Well, the problem is motorization and even the smallest gearing needs 2-3 studs. The results is this: I am trying to use as little space for gearing as possible. It's not elegant by far: Motors are hidden in the back: At this stage, the battery (I am planing on using 2x BuWizz) will be located in the upper portion and cables are going through the center. Is not optimal solution, but solution through the turntable with mechanical connection needs even more space in the body. Next part was the bucket. I've also choosen 1/4 cylinder, however I've found interesting idea for bucket teeth. I think it works just fine: The bucket is fully operational. Next thing was building an arm. I was just trying to mimic the 42100 in 50% scale. However transfer of power at such scale is problematic: Here is the whole arm: And this is where I got stuck. I need to fix side M motors, which at the moment are just lying around. BuWizz units will be located at right corners. I am using studded technique just to approximate size. Another problems are universal joint's. They tend to work at angles 0-45°, however the arm swings for 90°. Maybe I should attach motors at an angle. Or do some gear magic. Regarding gear magic - I have to much of them already. I guess the biggest future problem is how to fit in motors and subcarriage. Feel free to comment.

I guess the more I am approaching to the end of the build, more and more things I want to change and repair. I guess this is Lego Dunning–Kruger effect. As mentioned before, I have went backwards and used old-style treads. They look okay for this scale. I have also repaired the main body using technic frames 5 x 7. They are not necessary, however after some days sitting on the desk, the model seem loose, gears start to jump and I have to take a lot of attention to get it back in the form. Nevertheless, I have made some progress and here are some pictures. The side view: The side-top view shows the upper part: Front view of the arm. And arm functions: There was a question how bucket opening works. I've tried to draw out the principle: I am running the worm gear, which rotaters a pair of gears, the larger of them is pushing small linear actuator. When it is prolonged, it pushes small lever forward and on the other side that pushes small lever forward. Then the pushrod moves the bucket. Model is suitable to push itself into air, bu of course deformations are quite karge. I still have to take pictures of the interior and the undercarriage (which is also changed). And at the and I'll try to convince my son to make video to demonstrate our work. Nevertheless I am getting quite happy with the built. It's quite sturdy (besides some minor parts).

Once more to the breach, my friends ... As mentioned yesterday, I was not happy with the undercarriage and also having some issues with main body, I've changed both. Side view shows that I went studless. I guess I am more familiar with this despite my age. Basically I agree with Jorge, however construction is not weak. I can grab it by the arm and it can be tossed around without a problem. It even passed my FLL test (while coaching robot building for First Lego Leagu one of my requirements was that robot survives fall of about 30 cm - this prevented some nasty surprises further down the line). The final surface will consist of plates or tiles, hence pins. In addition to esthetics, they should serve as additional support. However, since I don't have them in right (white) color, I will not show them yet. Front view shows connection of arm to the body and bevel gearing: A view from bottom: I wanted to put all of my seven motors in the body (and to drive the undercarriage through the turntable such as 8043 https://brickset.com/sets/8043-1/Motorized-Excavator). There is some room but the problem is gearing, that takes almost as much space as motors and therefore could not be done in such a small space. However, those big treads bothered me a bit more. I've made an alternative version out of old treads and here is a comparison: For rotating the structure I've used worm gear to give me some slower rotation. Comparison side by side shows lower profile: Top view shows that newer undercarriage (right) is much narrower and more in the line with the original blueprint (scale ~1:72) So you can guess my next bunch of photos will show a new studless body on narrower undercarriage. BTW: Does anybody misses the undo button with lego bricks? I sometimes disassemble some complex part only to realize that I cant repair it nor put it in previous state. Yup, a physical Undo would be nice!

Some follow up on my project. First, the scale. As I mentioned, the scale is about the half of 42100. However, I later found out that 42100 is not in minifig scale (about 1:48) but more into 1:30 scale. Therefore my would be somewhere in area of 1:60 or 1:80 scale. And here is a picture of overlay of blueprints and my (early) design. The build is more or less divided between 3 major parts: Undercariage, main body and the arm. I was mostly satisfied with the arm but Jurss rightfully complained that the last linear actuator is awkwardly placed. Therefore I changed the design - used and used some lever to make it more compact. I am using worm gear which makes movement quite slow but it's manageable. While dealing with the hand, I also changed the way how movement is transported along the arm. Instead of universal joints I have used bevel gears. I am using three triplets on one axle. The axle is also the pivot point of the arm. To get compact enough design, the side of the arms are made from thin liftarms. It didn't sound good on the paper but in real world is good enough and not too flimsy. On the pictures below, the main axle is held in place by red quarter ellipse liftarms. The body has dimensions of 17 x 14 x 8 studs. At the time I was choosing a studded technique since I was convinced to fit two BuWizz bricks easier. Well, this will be changed in the future but for now, let's see some pictures. The color scheme in the moment is white and black. I intend to switch to all while towards the end of my build. I will order proper bricks when I know what I need. The body is quite compact while holding 2xL and 2xM motors and 2 BuWizz bricks. There are a lot of cables. Side view: Front view (sorry, I have used a phone and the perspective & barrel distortion drives me nuts but for finished :product I'll switch to more decent equipment): I am also proud on my cable management and color coding. Neat, huh?! Actually BuWizz' are not so terrible to fix in place. They are not heavy and using only two pins allow good and stable positioning. And one view under the skirt. The bottom motor is the one that lifts the arm. Unfortunately, the third part of the built - the undercarriage is the most problematic. A proran mentioned it, my building technique was not match for this. I've redesigned the bottom par also but I am not sure if I have managed to improve the construction. The construction is sturdier, however I have used newer treads, which are a bit too wide. I am not sure I like it. It will be continued ...

Thanks for suggestions or just words of support. @proran: Wow, I have missed your Mecalac. You are quite a gear master;-) But I agree with you, probably gears are better and I can try something with thin liftarms (those allow just enough space to set angle gears). @Jurss: Yeah, I know, the linear actuator is almost larger than the bucket. Perhaps I'll find the solution with gearing alone.

What a clever way to use slip gears - to basically program colapsing sequence!! The color scheme is also very nice. I do also admire the simplicity that just works. And the posture of the robot is also very funny. I think you should get a star for an idea of the week!

Hi guys. Thanks for the support. The roller coaster is in the way of transforming into bricks once again, since I could not repair the thing. Perhaps I was not clear regarding my faults - I started building this with a lot of improvisation in mind and not enough bricks. As MajklSpajkl realized, we had a working track but without lift. Unfortunately I left the project stay on my shelf for to long and then pins started to crack. Perhaps you are not aware but Lego plastic, especially the technic sort is very prone to cracking while under stress (Pins in a curved track for sure qualify for these). At the time I was hoping that I just replaced some faulty pins and away we go. I was wrong. The rate of pins (and later other parts breaking was accelerating fast). Among 2 and 3-length pins the culprits are also Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=6536#T=S&O={"iconly":0}), with high tendency to break when near another technic part. I was fighting breaking deamons but I just figured out it's a race to the bottom. Even if I could do something useful, I could not present it on any shows due to sensibility. That's why understand why Lego used another solution - yet another track. If you would like my advice - build something like this quickly, before pins realize that they are under pressure;-)

I'ts been a while since I finished this model, probably some months after getting my hands on original Saturn V. The latter seemed lonely on the shelf and it was my mission to build it a company. As an engineer I always admired these large structures but always been too lazy to do something in that direction. After seen the proposal at Lego Ideas for Umbilical Tower, I started to gather ideas, pictures and most important the - bricks. Since 20th of July marks 50 anniversary, it seemed like a good idea to present this project. Therefore I took model from the shelf, dusted of some dust and took some new pictures. The last time I didn't get the time since I was running late for our BrickFest. 1. Planing and Building As any good creations, this started as a plan, something like this: The next step was scaling. I am sorry Sariel, but I am more familiar with pen and paper than your great tool (the top should be at aprox. 140 studs). The internals of the Launch pad was made out studded technic bricks which are quite suitable for carrying a lot of load. These proved vital in the later stage when Pad is occupied with the tower and Saturn V. The outside was tiled with tiles and the building of the tower could go on. The most critical component was how to attach the tower to 4 points, while allowing beams to be at angle in both direction (from the plans and pictures it could be seen, that tower is getting narrower and thinner at the same time). A person is added at the corner to get a feeling of a scale of the tower. The solution is presented here, an angle connector at 157.5°: 2.The Big Thing The result is here: I've tried my best to show the whole thing but my dining area seems too small. It looks more beautiful with Saturn V: And picture from behind: On the top there are some knobs to conrol the support rods, the position of the white room and the top support above the capsule. Please note that crane is also fully operational. Another picture of the top with crane in lift-off position. The central column (gray) has room for an elevator, however it was not added since it would be very difficult to observe White room and the Apollo 11. I hope the astronaut on the plank is not late. And bottom up view. 3. Details Mobile transporter is simplified to the bone: just some necessary things. And of course it should be capable of having a tone of bricks on its shoulders: A functional crane is simple but I hope it adds to the character of the tower Pad is almost clear with exception of some service buildings Some more files can be found at my Bricksafe page. I hope you like it. It's always an conversation starter at home. Please feel free to comment or ask a question.

Wow, it flew by me how many LUTs have been build and they are all splendid. But I agree, Saturn V is one of more inspiring sets, at least for me. And having seen minifig Saturn V ... mind-blowing. @Ludo Visser There are three clamps. They got releaset just at liftoff, but the mechanics is unknown to me. However they could be observed on many launch films. Mine are designed after the design of Lego Ideas'. Sorry, but in reality they are quite weird shape and was one of those things I was planning to deal latter. Here is the picture: Quite hard to build in 2 x 2 x 5 stood space.

Thanks everyone for kind words. Part count is unknown, perhaps between 5-10 000 parts. A lot of those are not visible (internal in the pad). Unfortunately there will be no instructions. I am to clumsy for that (and some connections are illegal for sure), however If more pictures are desired, I'll do my best.

Interesting find. I would just like to point out to a almost 10 years old review of what seems like a knowledgeable person: Amazon review

This is one very elegant car. I think even Steve McQueen would, after seeing this model, pick up bricks and started to have fun with them. The original car is an icon, it was used - besides the movie - in all sorts of commercials and merchandising. It seems quite simple with simple lines but that is quite hard to get it right in bricks. I think you quite nailed it. The front is specially tricky since it's voluptuous. And you get straight A for presentation. Bravo!

I agree with you. 42076 looks quite ineteresting to me. But ... buying small (an marvellous) sets is not the way to solve a middle-age crisis. The prices of more expensive Lego sets are close enough to the prices of used sports cars and from my experience you get quite more attention with (even old) sports car. Not that I own one.