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Beware, that's simply a break-out adapter which will not reduce the voltage and could damage your lights. A 7805 is an electronic component -- a voltage regulator that will 'step down' higher voltages to 5V. From both an ease-of-use and battery-life perspective, you might be better off with a 'buck' converter like this. Connect your vonado cable output to its input (cut off the red connector) and your LED lights to its output (cut off the white connector).

Hmm..the skinny on this as of now appears to be that parts from the online PAB (very limited selection/colors/usually pricier than BAP) count towards GWP but parts from BAP do not (although they do count towards the free shipping minimum).

Oh, of course! The PDF is the main thing. Hopefully LEGO introduces easier cross-platform sharing in a future update.

Gmail isn't blocking json files (which are a plain text database) ... perhaps you're thinking of js (JavaScript) files? BTW, thanks for including the pages with the popup explanations in the file, Balasz! Very very helpful!

Sorry for the delay. What I meant was that the sliders don't have a "sticky" option -- if you don't keep a finger on the slider, it will return to zero. My relatively simple solution was to just use the sound buttons as virtual +/- buttons for train speed. Please see this recent post for a comprehensive guide of how to make the sliders sticky and control up to 4 trains together or individually with PUP 3.0, including lights!

Can you share a link for this seller please? Thanks for that tip...I did wonder about lubrication.

Well, the MR52ZZ bearings we get are supposed to be non-removable double-shielded by definition (the 'ZZ' part). For my next experiment, I got bearings from AliExpress advertised as ABEC-5 for approx. $0.33/bearing shipped. The cheapest MR52ZZ ABEC-5 bearings on eBay US at the time of this post appear to be $0.90/piece.

And the similar "tram" in 60097 City Square (2015)... I wonder if the fact that subways/light rail are NOT a fact of daily life in the US outside of NY/Boston/Chicago/LA/SF, etc. has anything to do with it. Although they are pervasive throughout Europe. and these days I assume throughout China as well. Maybe LEGO will accept the recent 'Toronto's Pride' Ideas submission and grant your wish ;)

That's a blanket 'cover-our-megablocks' legal maneuver, but it's understandable. The vast majority of these modified parts are safe, but have they been certified (toy) safe? In the Bricklink AMA, the LEGO CMO mentioned chromed parts in paticular. Say that these parts continue to be allowed, and one day some parent files a multi-million lawsuit against LEGO saying that my kid contracted XYZ illness as a result of licking a chromed part. There is probably zero truth in the allegation, but the reputational and monetary damage to the overall LEGO brand from unfair media publicity would be IMMENSE. All their sets would probably come under doubt. I vehemently disagree with them throwing out unbranded MOC instructions, etc. Any legal issues there wouldn't involve consumers but IP holders and LEGO legal is well equipped to handle such spurious claims.

@dr_spock Thanks so much for all of your tips and posts. I've been using BAP for PUP control and automation so far but looks like its time to crack open my Boost kit! One question though...is there a simple increment/decrement input to control dual-train-motor AB/CD ports instead of tilt? I was able to use the controller option in PUP 3.0 projects to let one slider control two motors, but that doesn't fit our train model. Sorry if this is a dumb question...I'm very comfortable with traditional coding but just getting the hang of this flowchart-type block-based style PUP uses.

No, there won't be any splitters because PUP devices are designed to be "smart" and require the four wires so they can communicate with the hub. Also no official PUP extension cables exist yet. Some PUP devices like the lights, simple medium motor (from the App-Controlled Batmobile) and train motor are actually "dumb" (data lines just have resistors for identification, no actual communication from device-to-hub). Such identical devices could theoretically be DIY-stacked but the modification would be destructive and I wouldn't try it unless you have some experience and familiarity with electronics (plus you may run into per-port current limitations).

Awesome...very glad to have helped! Can't wait to see it come to life. Power Functions battery boxes/motors will be cheapest directly from Shop At Home if you reach the $35 free shipping limit. Last general tip: The Bricklink Global Cart (accessible from the top right)--but not the regular cart--lets you sort a store cart by price in ascending order. Do that and skip to the end to get an idea of the most expensive lots/parts in that cart. Because searching for parts on Lego Bricks-and-Pieces is a pain, those expensive lots/parts are typically all I check for on B&P (except those which are clearly retired). There should have been an "Add to Wanted List" button at the bottom of each cart (and that store's global cart) which does this for you.

Probably a very slight chance it's not being run at a loss. Simply good customer service whose "price" is included in regular LEGO sets.

This was confusing for me too when I started out. Click the Wanted Items tab on the left, which should make it jump to the Wanted List with a graphic view of the missing items as shown above. If you didn't exclude partial lots, check "Show Wanted Qty" so that it will show parentheses with the number of each part you actually still need. This situation happens basically because Bricklink can't find these items within the price or full-lot constraints you selected. So at this point, you can also try unchecking the price and/or lot exclusion boxes which should expand the available sellers. Click on a seller and sort the cart preview popup by price (this setting will be remembered), scroll to the bottom to see the most expensive parts. Try with a few more sellers in the list and if a part is universally expensive, substitute it or check Lego PAB/BNP if available. Also, don't forget shipping! For sellers that don't have instant checkout on BL, look at the shipping terms carefully and ask questions if necessary before committing to an order. Some sellers will insist on using a Priority Mail Flat Rate Box...see if you can get them to use a Padded Flat Rate Envelope instead, it's very sturdy and will accommodate a ton of parts for $8 anywhere in the US.

Sorry for necro-posting. LEGO has officially deprecated Maersk Blue in favor of Medium Azure (which is what 2014's Maersk Ship #10241 used). It looks like all the necessary parts for the Maersk train are available at a reasonable price in Medium Azure as of the date of this post except for non-existent 1x2 cheese slopes (1x1 will have to do). This also opens up the possibility of making more wagons with Medium Azure decoration.

Thanks a ton for that tip, Phil! I've made carts but never bought from BO. Will try this out, especially since most BO sellers have a corresponding BL shop with the same inventory. (ReBrickable does a similar thing--sort by parts/total price--and will then create BL/BO carts for you) In my quite limited experience, I prefer Bricks-&-Pieces (Buy Bricks) over SAH PAB because of the vastly larger collection and similar prices to online PAB for elements that both have in stock. Does require a little more legwork knowing the design ID which can often differ from BL's part number (entering the BL number at ReBrickable gives you a nice cross reference including the LEGO design ID).

The way a lot of us operate is to gather parts over some time instead of auto-select and buy at once. BL will let you apply orders (purchases) to a wanted list so that you can complete it gradually. Remember also that most relatively new or recently reintroduced parts will often be cheaper from SAH Bricks-n-Pieces than from any Bricklink seller. SAH's somewhat higher prices for common pieces are also worth it if you only need a few to complete your list because their shipping is $2.95 flat (and if you are close to/over the $35 free shipping threshold, just add a small item - keychain, stickers, etc.) to get free shipping.

The carts created from BL's Buy-All aren't auto emptied. Delete them all from the Global Carts page (top right corner). Also, a good idea to get a ballpark for a design is to first use the free offline Brickstock software. Export your raw BL wanted list (without any prices, etc.). Upload the wanted list to a custom Parts list on Rebrickable. Export that list to a Brickstock .BSX file and open in Brickstock. Now select all parts, right-click and set price to price guide average. No bothering with 100 items per page, etc. You can sort by price, total price, etc. to figure out what the expensive parts are. In the end, Brickstock will let you export a BL wanted list to the clipboard with condition/prices set. Rebrickable will also estimate an average price for your parts list. ALSO try the Buy functionality on Rebrickable which shows you sellers in descending order of parts availability with prices. If one seller has 87% of the parts you need for $400, while two down you find someone who has 84% for $175, you know which one to favorite in BL. Each seller also has a button that will popup the missing parts.

To successfully use Bricklink's Buy All functionality (manual or Auto-Select) it is critical to set max prices or you end up with GIve-me-a-brick (PT) In your wanted list, sort by Item no and set display to 100 items per page. Check box at top to select all items on page. Set condition to Used/New if necessary. Click on Price and set it to As Price Guide...Last 6 Months...Average & Apply. Go to page 2, rinse and repeat. Now Buy All, check the Exclude: Lots over Max Price box and you should start seeing reasonable prices. I'd also start with Anywhere instead of just USA because for large quantities where Priority Mail would be e.g. $20, $20-30 is often the average from Europe. Another thing is you'll eventually learn which sellers (especially in the US) sell below average and can make them favorites so they show up first in the search results. If look at a cluster of 2-3 sellers with the same number of unique lots and click select, you'll get a quick popup with the cart price. (PS: There are NO customs charges for importing toys into the US)

It's most likely a euphemism but the idealistic part of me has a pipe dream that they might, e.g. run more AFOL Design competitions or even provide a custom-MOC service (like the old one?) where, if you upload a Stud.io model created only using a current B&P palette they have provided along with ready-to-print instructions, they will pick the pieces (B&P already does that and at their "retail" part prices would be okay), package instructions and ship it to the buyer.

This. The BL admins/team are still in place and appear to be going berserk. One hopes BL management will become more professional/responsive once TLG establishes greater control. No, BL is not TLG BUT TLG is now legally responsible for BL. SAH's official prices for accessories are no surprise -- it's the same everywhere, e.g. Samsung accessories for a Samsung smartphone are often much cheaper on eBay than from Samsung.com. I wouldn't fear...TLG's business is selling sets, not parts. If they establish price/availability controls on Bricklink, sellers/buyers will just migrate/create to another marketplace. From the Bricklink AMA the TLG CMO did last month:

Reading the discussion over at Bricklink forums, the answer given to Tony for removing locos NOT associated with any railroad is apparently because the instructions used Big Ben Wheels! Tony suggested changing them to use LEGO wheels only and apparently that might be OK: Also ROFL at this from BL admins: People with zero legal training are cleaning up BL on behalf of Lego. In an ideal world, it would be nice to see someone in the US take Bricklink to small claims court (no lawyer needed) over their nonsensical interpretations.

That sucks, Tony. Babies with the bathwater... Perhaps you could look into Rebrickable's Premium MOC instruction service? They do take a 10% commission but it's automated and your locos would be exposed to a much larger audience.

Nice. The camera seems to stand up to a fair bit of abuse...what do you use, if you don't mind sharing?

Thanks, Klaus. I wouldn't read too much into the tweet...may not be the best phrasing, but it is literal (since the other two monorails were from the defunct Space theme). Although the monorail actually featured in the show is the white 6990 from 1987! I agree there is some smoke, but no fire. IMHO, the major obstacle for a powered train on the roller coaster tracks is the need for a new Powered Up motor. A number of excellent existing MOCs use M-motors with either oddly-spaced regular train wheels or small wheels which grip the sides of the roller coaster track (somewhat similar to the original monorail). But such a solution would be at least as complicated as the Emerald Night drive mechanism---something I don't see Lego doing for a non-Creator Expert set.