Leonard Goldstein

Hi Didomos69, yes, the vehicle can collapse while riding. In fact on an asphalt surface there is to much friction to collapse completely without riding ... During the video I moved a little forward/backward what did not look so nice - so I decided to cut this. I try to do better next time. By the way: the biggest problem of collapsing the car were the pneumatic tubes. They like to slip into the scissors and block the mechanism before the "normal" position is reached. Regards Leonard Goldstein

That would be every Lego builders dream, wouldn't it? But even four L-motors do not reach the necessary 1.21 Gigawatt ... Thanks! What I like most on this solution: it is a peaceful one. It does not harm any opponents (besides disturbing their sunbath a little). Please do not misunderstand me: it's just a game, no need to take this to serious. But I don't like building guns or something like that. I planed to make a video in a better quality (with some more daylight). But it started raining around here. So this will be a project for next week. Regards Leonard Goldstein

Hi Eurobricks, its time for a little update. I made a first video The weather was fine and I went to Twin Pines Mall in the lunch break. But the weather was to fine: sunlight was interrupting the IR connection to the car and I almost crashed into a barn. So I decided to come back later that night. Now the connection worked much better but the video is a little bit gloomy. Have a look: http://dai.ly/x637rzr Greetings Leonard Goldstein

Hi kodlovag, maybe you could arrange the suspension arms parallel to the driving direction. And if the arms would be close to the spring, there would be almost no bending, just tension in the suspension arm. Of course there will be a little change of distance between the wheels and the differential. With a cardan ball (32494) instead of a universial joint (61903) you could compansate this. Edit: Great design by the way!! I hope you can solve the problems and make it to the contest! Greetings Leonard_Goldstein

Hi Milan, thanks for the official "ok". I don't want to risk disqualification because of that. And yes: now I am happy with my building Greetings Leonard_Goldstein

Thanks a lot! To cheer you up (and all others that worked on this idea): it was quite challenging for me and it was a long way of trial and error ... I explained in the resent post some troubles concerning the valve activator or the special hub design. But at the very end of building a serious disaster occurred: Stopping the engines results in a great braking moment and the front wheel suspension bent backwards (red) in the wacky position - the deformation was so big that the vehicle almost flipped over. To solve this problem I changed the angle of the whole front part of the vehicle (the steering axle is still vertical) and now it works fine. Of course this was not the only problem. The cable routing and the pneumatic tubes were very difficult, too. I really like the LDD to optimize the structure (most time I develop simultaneously in LDD and real life), but for this problem the LDD does not help at all. I wish all PF would work wireless - and pneumatics, too Regards Leonard_Goldstein

Thanks a lot! I am not familiar with the older sets, I only own 42043 and 42053 where all the tubes were cut to the correct length. Regards Leonard_Goldstein

This of course depends on the ground material. On the fotos you see the vehicle on a glass surface and there the lifting mechanism works without driving. On other materials this might be different. But with only a little movement forward this is really no problem. Thanks! Well the lifting mechanism takes almost all the space between the wheels. There was absolutely no space left for suspension or anything other. So I decided to build a super simple steering with a single axle - similar to the 42030 (but without LAs). Regards Leonard_Goldstein

I know: no cutting of pieces. But what about pneumatic tubes? Is it allowed to cut them to a proper length? Of course this is not a matter of functionality, just esthetic. Thanks! @Jim @Milan

Hi ColletArrow, thanks! Means a lot to me, as I am still a newbie. There are two pneumatic circuits. Each consists of two pumps, a valve and two cylinders. The two valves are driven by an M-motor like you can see here (there is no pneumatics in the Ldd, so I had to replace the valve by some Liftarms and other pieces): First I tried to activate the valves by a servo but the lego servo is not strong enough to handle two valves. And I tried to use a clutch gear - but this is also not strong enough. This solution works fine and the only disadvantage is that you have to take care of the limit positions (and not let the motor running when the start/end position is reached). The raising speed is not that high (it is not fast enough for a suprise attack ). You will see it in the video next week. Regards Leonard_Goldstein

Again: this is really coooooool! I like all the new details I've been browsing through the official Lego motorcycle sets in the meantime - but none of that list comes close to yours. Greetings Leonard Goldstein

Six degrees of freedom and six bars (4 Links and 2 shocks) to fix them - this is really clever. Do you have some engineering background? A perfect solution for a small vehicle with a long travel suspension Greetings Leonard Goldstein

Wow! Your latest changes are a really great improvement. The coolest Lego motorcycle I have ever seen! Please don't ruin this fantastic optic using liftarms for the frame. Playability is not the most important thing of motorcycles - unless you manage to include RC ... Greetings Leonard Goldstein

Hi everybody, my first topic, my first moc ... With this moc a had two goals building a tracked vehicle: 1. Make it as small as possible 2. Maximize playability with lots of power functions To the first point: the distance between the tracks is only six studs and the whole vehicle fits into the shovel of a 42030 And now the power functions: it is using a 8878 rechargeable battery box, an SBrick and four M-motors. Two motors are used for driving and there is a subtractor inside (which means one motor runs the vehicle forward/backward, the second motor is turning it left/right). The third motor runs the container lifting device at the back and it also locks/unlocks the trailer coupling. As it is double worm geared it is very slow, but very strong. The last motor runs the lifting device at the front. As there was absolutely no space left for any more gearing, it works by using a rope and a set of pulleys. Enough words, here some more pictures: As you can see these are pictures made with the LDD and so it was easy to extract the power functions: All just digital? Of course I know what you are waiting for. And here is the video showing this little thing in action: http://dai.ly/x5tmoni If you like my creation and want to copy it you can find a LDD-File here: http://bricksafe.com/pages/Leonard_Goldstein/tiny-tracked-vehicle There is also a background picture availably for your SBrick-profile (as you can see in the video). Maybe you have to adjust the resolution depending on your mobile device. Some notes to the LDD-file if you want to copy this: 42003 on the roof are not placed exactly as this is an illegal lego connection. Watch the video for exact position. Same for 32039 at the rear axle. The lifting device at the front needs a rubber band to keep the rope tight. Otherwise the rope would fall of the pulleys. For the lifting device I used a beam with ball cup which is not available in the LDD. I replaced it by 6M Half beams and a 2M cross axle. The cable routing is quite tricky as the vehicle is so small. I used same cable fixer to make this easier. Ok, no Lego-parts. Shame on me. But you can get them in every do-it-yourself store for a little money. Greetings Leonard Goldstein

Thanks! Well, this configuration of a subtractor results in very low speed as the 24-tooth differential housings are driven by a worm gear. For this vehicle it is a benefit because it makes it much easier to catch the boxes or the container. But I realized another solution of a subtractor that result in high speed. It fits perfectly into the 42065-Tracked-Racer and you can see it in the video at 0:17. This will probably be my next topic, but I need to take some pictures and a video. Give me some time. Greetings Leonard Goldstein

Many thanks for the compliments! @AFOLegofan66: I watched your bricksafe page - that is really impressing. Seems like you are a full-time lego builder ... Greetings Leonard Goldstein

Hello! My name is Leonard Goldstein and I am from Germany. My favorite is Lego technic and I love power functions and RC. Well, my first technic sets were 850 and 851 - I think these were the first technic sets ever ( I feel soooo old ...). I have been away from Lego for centuries, but about 3 months ago the Lego-virus infected me again. It began with a 42053, a 42054 and some other sets. It ended up with a double dose of 42042. And of course I like the LDD: most of my ideas I check digitally first. For me it is a fantastic tool, espacially if you are "underlegod". But this problem will be solved soon ... My first real topic will come soon, but here is an appetizer: Greetings Leonard Goldstein

Testing Video from dailymotion.com http://dai.ly/x5tmoni Testing pic from Bricksafe