Boxerlego

@DannylonglegsThanks for the Comment Danny! Its nice to be Back.

Interesting Idea. If your using a Taper Set Screw that would certainly secure the Friction Pin in place. Tho there is the potential rare risk that the set screw could split the Lego apart. I know that a M3 Machine Screw slides perfectly inside these new friction pins but you would certainly need to have the nut on the screw to brace the Lego with it. I know that if your trying to believe and do it the purist way, you might run into the scenario when the bar is a little to tight to fit inside the friction pin and your running to a hammer to tap the bar inside the Lego friction pin. Even the Purist way get into the grey area of building sometimes...

Excellent Idea

Hi, I'm going to be posting all my current electrical modifications for the PF system here and present everything like a guide manual and provide schematic, data sheets, and a parts list. I've been doing a lot of research on electronics lately and been making great progress on it all and decide to start posting what is going on here along with my successes and failures at developing this. I've been contemplatingseveral ideas as how to build this and will be going to demonstrate how to do several things such as convert the IR communication link to 433MHz RF and transmit a possible total of 4 channels out of one antenna and much more. This topic is not only about building off the existing Lego PF electric system, It will contain a basic understanding about the electrical components and look at all the different ideas that can be implemented as to how everything all works together from everything between the batteries to the motors to the controls. One of my main goals here is to up the scale at which models can be built and powered effectively by one or two motors. One of my longest going disputes is determining a proper battery pack to power my motors. From the very beginning my original idea was to have a 18v battery pack powering a 18v motor. However, awhile back I showed how to upgrade the XL motor with a motor that functions on voltages ranging from 8v up to 16v, so now I'm deciding between either using 12v or 15v battery pack to power the motor. Choosing a battery can be expensive and understanding the battery's voltage range is very critical for the circuit to work properly. There is a bunch of choices here as to what the battery powering the motors should be. I've been thinking on either using a Li-po battery or Li-ion or just continuing on using AA batteries. The next part of the circuit that is between the motor and the battery is the H bridge motor driver. This is the most critical aspect of the circuit as towards allowing the battery current to the motor and that current is dependent on several factors such as input voltage and temperature. There are several types of transistor out there and it is recommended to have a proper transistor in respect to the device you want to power. By looking at the data sheet it shows that the motor at maximum efficiency current 0.71a and the stall current 5.56a at 12v so here it can be establish that the transistor should be able to handle 10a if two of these motors were to stall simultaneously. The transistor I am using here are know as MOSFETs and the part number on the transistor is IRF540 and the the other one is IRF9540. That is my first H bridge I put together and there is definitely a range of improvements that can be done here. Now in order to power the H bridge to dive the motor is done by the 9v IR receiver motor connection. There are several ways I've gone about powering the 9v PF receiver from a higher voltage source such as 15v. In the picture below I use a voltage divider which is able to drop the voltage down to a usable voltage supply for the 9v receiver and the amount of current is drastically reduced to the 9v receiver, you will not be able to drive a micro motor with it but you will be able to power the H bridge, One of the main advantage here is using the high 9 volt supply out of the 9v receiver because the transistor is primarily a voltage driven device and that means more current for the motor. The main part of the upgrade is converting the IR signal to a RF signal. The remote control part of the modification is very easy and does not require much to do, I am almost done with this part. In the pictures below shows the only modification I made so far for the antenna. The benefits here is have a strong base for the antenna to collapse on. It was tricky process to get the antenna screw in that 3mm hole I made, I had to take out the battery metal connection tab on the controller and pass the screw through the battery holder opening in order to insert the screw in there. Now for the main part in converting the IR signal to a RF signal on the receiver end. While the RF transmitter can handle voltages up to 12v the RF receiver must require a smooth constant voltage around at 3v which can be tricky to do if your using a total supply voltage around 15v, 12v, or even 9v. Instead of using a voltage divider to drop the voltage down to 3v for the RF receiver, I'm going to use a voltage regulator and the reason behind this is the battery voltage will drop when the motors begin to rotate and that will cause a drop in battery supply voltage and the voltage divider will fluctuate in response of this. A voltage regulator will hold a steady supply voltage to the receiver so no matter what the demand voltage is on the battery you wont lose connection with the RF receiver. However, one of the big disadvantages about the voltage regulators is that it converts a lot that energy to heat especially when it is working off a large voltage supply like a 15v battery. So the next option is to isolate the RF receiver voltage supply from the motors voltage supply and there are numerous benefits behind this, the most notable on the list is no modification has to be done to the Lego IR receiver so any version of the IR receive will work with this RF receiver unit. To accomplish this I will work off the infrared communication and connect with the PF IR receiver by a IR emitter that is apart of the RF receiver unit and separate the RF receiver voltage supply that way. Another advantage behind this is more current for the motor. Also the circuit could be replaced with a fiber-optic communication link for the same results. By using the IR link to transmit data signal from the RF receiver to the IR receiver you could theoretically control multiple IR receiver units with just one infrared signal. Now the RF receiver will be able to output 4 data signals and each data signal can be assigned each there own channel. Not only will the RF transmitter and receiver will be able to communicate a potential of 4 data signals out one antenna, it will also have the ability to code the RF signal 256 ways. I will post more when I finish testing everything.

Recently I made this Servo mod to connect with Lego. I got to say it worked out great. One of my main thoughts about modifying the servo was that I'm going to try and keep the Servo in Original factory condition so I came up with this modification to the Servo Horn instead. From what I can tell the modification worked out good at steering. I got to drive the Extreme Cruiser for the first time with RC control but while I was driving around a couple of things came to mind, First thing was the fact that the Extreme Cruiser uses the smallest rack and pinion steering setup out there so it worked pretty well with the 3rd party Servo because it does not rotate +/- 90° like the LEGO Servo does and the +/- 60° range the 3rd party Servo has fit the range of motion perfectly for the small rack and pinion setup and can be couple together directly together. Second thing I notice was that I was going to need a 3rd party Servo that has a range of motion like the LEGO Servo does. building around the Servo motor is pretty easy and fits well with Lego.

@SevenStuds: Thanks! Very interesting RC Mod you brought up. No I haven't tried using the RC Wheel adapters yet. But Yea I did this mod to connect the Lego Axle with the RC wheel. @PorkyMonster: Awesome RC Wheel Mod. Its great to see this done to bigger sized RC wheels and fits nice and tight too.

Now not to be confused with this thread here (Third Party Tires for Lego Technic Rims by Efferman), This Thread is Different in the Sense that I developed LEGO Modification instead of just wheel swapping. Now it is RC Tires Mods for Lego Technic Axles. Here below is a Rubber RC Tire. The Wheel does not fit over Lego Axles to begin with. Its hard to tell from picture but trust me the hole on the RC wheel is too small to fit around the LEGO Axle. And that is where the First Modification begins. In this picture Below is the aftermath of the first Wheel Modification. Now because I live in U.S and measurements are defined in standard I'm using a 3/16 drill bit to make this hole which is 4.7 mm for those who know metric.I used a Drill Press for a center and aligned hole for it. Just take Note that the Drilled Hole is little smaller from the patented LEGO Technic Hole so the Lego Axle will have nice tight fit with it naturally if you use a Standard drill bit to do this. Now Once the hole was drilled my next step was attaching it to LEGO Axle Bushing. This is where the Challenge is because I needed to somehow fix this Axle Bushing inline with the Hole. Now I made this LEGO Wheel Stand here to fix the Lego Bushing inline with the RC Tire. I placed the busing on top of the Axle to show you what it looks like with out the tire. With the Tire sitting level on the Lego Part, I used Super Glue for a quick bond between the LEGO Bushing and the RC tire. Now the Super glue is just there to make a nice initial bond. The real Holding bond will be done with JB weld filling in the 12mm Hexnut wheel mount. Take note that the Pictures Below are with out the Lego Bushing and only relying upon the natural hold between the tire and the axle. I took these pictures because there will be plenty of pictures when the RC Lego Tire Mod is finished.

No problem! Yea, Drift Wheels are made up of Hard Rubber/Plastic for the tire.

@Attika: Excellent, Its always interesting seeing other kinds of mods going on. Keep up the great work. @ImanolBB: Thanks, I like how rims look on the Lego model also. I understand what you mean by the title change but I'm going to keep this simple and leave title as is. Yes there is modification done to the rims here but its all for the RC tires in the end. @ScaleCarModels: Awesome, Looking forward for it. Now here is a picture of the finished wheel modification. This is the same wheel rim just mounted to another size tire (108mm), so one of the great things about this Mod is that it can fit a nice variety of tires that can be mounted on the wheel rim.

The 7.2v NiMh battery you used the Lego Ir receiver can certainly handle it as long as you don't go above the 9-10 volts for the battery. From what I can tell. The 7.2v NiMh Battery should have worked if you connected it up right with the IR receiver. But from what is possible you could (a) have connect the battery backwards or (b) there was something wrong with the IR receiver to begin with. If the Capacitor Blew up inside It could have been the battery that Blew it up by being connected backwards or the Capacitor was connected up backwards to begin with...

@NerdsforPrez Perhaps I misunderstood some of the reason why you posted the RC project, but I do understand this reason and that is you wanted to RC the Mustang. Sure a 380 motor can show underlying problems of such a massive build but so can every other motor inherently. My conclusion is simple maybe that Mustang wasn't such a Great choice to RC after all there are limitation with LEGO and that Moc certainly pushes the limits what we Expect from a LEGO Build can do. Sure it Sounds less and less like LEGO to you but For me its fun to build and good building challenge at that. I find it Hilarious that People love to see LEGO push the limits in one way but when pushing the limits in another way that seems impossible for many, Everyone suddenly wants to call out a Lego Heretic and tell you that LEGO is not designed to do that. Well I got news for you I contemplated such a powerful motorization Idea and I started small (build wise) to get it functional but you are stating with a Moc that really never was designed with the Main thought to have such a Powerful Motor to be used in it, Right. See Its obviously what is holding your build back and its the Model Build itself that was to be a Functional Lego Model not a Functional Lego RC and I get it that is the point your making. But the point I am Making is dont give up to easy and jump to conclusions because one build didn't turn out how it was wanted to turn out. I get there is major Doubts about what LEGO can do but Skepticism towards RC modification as if it not possible is alot like believing the world is flat becasue you simply see a flat plane of existence. You see LEGO melting at the mere thought of a 550 motor power being applied to LEGO and I know for a fact that you can do that but Just becasue the Fact exist does not mean anything about the reality toward a Functional Fact that don't melt. In a world full of possibilities Facts are on all sides People want Science to be there base of rational but I say Nature is the base of way things are And Nature will fool us every time when we think One or the Other.

Awesome, I'll try and post more info about this later. Right now I've been thinking about how to incorporate the RC Servo with Lego. I've seen a couple of ideas hashed out including the servo you made. I like the Idea of using a 3rd party servo but the Lego Servo certainly has more to offer when it come to its buildability.

Wow, This Rcbricks idea is Awesome. What I like about Rcbricks is that it expands the amount of Servo that can be used and here you got one powerful micro motor basically with the 360 degree servo. The potential behind RCbricks allowing function to 3rd party servo motor is impressive but I'm just saying it would be even more impressive here if Rcbrick possibly control the Lego Servo through the RC system. I've seen it done before but likewise you limiting your self to one kind of servo use either Lego or 3rd. Combing both kind of Servos systems and have the ability to expand the select-ability of different kinds of servo motor units. Now not to knock the idea down but to rather to Show to you that your Rcbrick in general could be simply be replaced by this PF wire mod with ESC and your good with Driving any Lego motor with a 3rd party RC ESC. All you would need is the Compatible Servo Lego case design to connect with LEGO and your good to go with a simple Rc conversion. Now here my Idea pitch to you I see Rcbricks is more then just a simple RC conversion and in fact I think it is possibly is the next step to an function that would be Incredible to have with Lego and that is a working Lego Servo Function that can be built from the very LEGO parts themselves which in turn is powered from any Lego Motor and all controlled by RCbrick. It would be a great expansion to have with Lego when you can build a function Servo steering and have it work from an XL motor instead of relying upon the standard Lego Servo choice. That was just a quick idea. Before I start saying if it's true on not true. I wrote this here to inform you that 380 motor is for 1/16 scale RC vehicles and you tried to use it with a roughly 1/8 scale model (sheepo's mustang), Its know wonder the 380 Motors was not quiet effective as you wanted. That Motor could spin as fast it can and the Torque Flow through the Transmission could take any where from 1/5 to 1/3 to 1-2 of the motor's Torque at driving it alone and that is excluding the tires... it all really depends on the friction. To drive the behemoth you would probably need a 550 drill motor like the motors in the picture below. The motor is fast when it can be and it has plenty of starting torque to move any tire that you throw at it. But that is not all, I even have my own 380 motor sitting right next to these 550 motors and from my observation its no contest about which motor you needed and by motor I mean 550 motor. Face it you had the incorrect motor to drive the huge Mustang model but don't feel bad sheepo's mustang is an incredible piece of Lego engineering and It deserves the best I would say. Watch this Video here and see the difference between 1/16 scale and 1/10 scale models.

' That is awesome you made this PF modification. One of the good Idea behind this Mod is that it compatible with different ESC's. This ESC I have can use either a 7.2v or 11.1v Lipo battery and from what I seen with the LEGO buggy I have driving around it stops on a dime pretty much. The Lego motors really didn't display much noticeable coasting when the power is removed from the motors and that was powered from the 11.1v battery. The Motors ability to Coast depends on the drive train to take in and absorb that extra motion that still wants to go forward for the vehicle, Lego has a nice deep planetary gear reduction inside the Lego motor so this in turns also makes the Lego motor act as a decent natural break due to it being a strong drive train for Lego.

Everything I said is Correct, But this is about Equality and what better way to Promote the "People of NASA" then a War Torn Refuge Migrant Rocket Scientist Like Wernher Von Braun. But I get it the shoe does not fit on the other foot for you.

This Project here (https://ideas.lego.com/projects/147876) is the best example of the Best and Worst of LEGO Ideas has to offer. First off Its terrible becasue Is bigoted against the Men of NASA. What the LEGO Project should be is "The People Of NASA". In fact LEGO should just make Wernher Von Braun Mini Figure along With a Lego Saturn V(5) model and a Lego Moon model and it should have a Dedicated Plaque that Reads "One Man's Vision Introduced the rest of Humanity to the Moon. He was the Sole Key for success and with out Wernher Von Braun there would be no NASA and there would be no Moon Landing." All in all I'm 100% Sure that all these Women that have played critical roles in the U.S. space program owe their contributions to the one Man that introduced us to the Moon. In fact If you think about it Wernher Von Braun is the Key that open the door to the moon break that key will the door be open again. See all you got to do is Imagine a world where Wernher Von Braun was still remembered and his achievement's were still valued and then you start to get the picture why he is forgotten in history and why the Divers People of NASA just cant reach his level of expertise... But Dont worry NASA Ahmed the phony clock boy will save you .

Well I finally did it and I made this Power Functions Upgrade. Now this PF Wire can connect Lego Motors to any 3rd party RC ESC (electronic speed control) on the market for RC motors. Take note that I added both male and female connectors to both the PF and ESC wires ends, The female connectors modification is not needed for the ESC, the Original factory connectors on the 3rd party ESC will work just fine with the PF wire adapter. I just did both side to complete the look that is all. Here it is hook up to the ESC below. Hands down, I got to say this is probably one of the best PF upgrades I ever made now the only problem that is left Is the servo controlled Steering more on that later.

I think what you did is amazing here with Lego. But when it come about catching objects thrown I look at it from a more logical side rather then a big math equation. Sure we got to start some where and baby steps are needed but sometimes we need to ask how will this "fit in the future design". Sure your Lego Robot can catch a ball but can it throw it as well and you now get the idea how that eventually ends. Its all natural progression. If your Lego Robot can throw and catch a ball then try something along the lines having the Lego Robot bounce a ball off the wall and catch it or make another Identical Lego catching Robot that can pass a ball back and fourth. That would be the next expansion for your build to push the concept further. Its incredible to see a Lego Robot programmed to catch a ball, Lost of possible ideas to be developed around that concept alone.

Wow, this Looks realistic. Amazingly detailed engine here, big leap from the standard Lego engine block. I just have one request... we need more Pictures.

I say Lego beam is more durable then a Steel beam. One nice thing is that Lego don't rust like steel, Lego can float in the ocean for years and just wash up on the beach and sit there just waiting to be pick up by a small sea bird that scavenge the beach shore. But other then that The Lego part that found its way to a beach will certainly show sign of deterioration still be recognizable but at the end of the day the perfect Lego Brick don't exist. Lots of things in nature can effect how durable that "Lego brick" is a quick example is the Sun. Now not to make anybody afraid of the sun ruining their Lego collection but certain "Lego Bricks" do run the risk to become brittle under the sun more then others. So durability under the sun light is Fair. Other then a Brick Cracking or even worse breaking Lego is has alot of potential durability when even damage. If one thing I learned is that JB weld is a Lego brick best friend and has many benefits one being Improved Lego durability along with Improved Clutch Grip and much more I really need to come up with a list. I will stop here so let that set and sink in for awhile.

There is a reason why we don't rely on math to catch a ball. Lego Robots lacks the Two Eyes That helps with catching. One day Lego Robot can Stick its Lego hand out and Throw a ball in the air and Catch the ball with out moving its catching hand. Might sound unimpressive with words but when you see it the reaction says otherwise...

Pretty interesting RC servo mount for Lego up there. As for Non Lego RC Motors It very possible to use them with Lego but there are some inherent limitations with Lego parts. One problem here is transferring the RCs motor powerful torque through the Lego differential. I wouldn't worry about twisted axles that much coming from a RC motor but one of the big problems that you can encounter is a friction welded axle that has friction welded it self to another Lego Part. Now out side of that you might break a couple of weak brittle gears along with a U-joint or two but other then that the Lego drive train can handle the power from a powerful/fast RC motor.

We would need to see how you connected up the battery to the receiver to determine if you fried the receiver. It should work fine if everything is properly connected up. Quick question did you release the magic smoke from the Lego receiver after you connected up the battery if so then you have fried it.

I can answer this. Shunt basically means an electrical conductor joining two points of a circuit. In this picture below is the Battery Box "Shunt" modification also known as the Philo Mod. If you look at the R2 spot on the circuit you can see a wire that bypasses the resistor. But Fair warning, if you do this Battery Modification, you could also wind up melting the battery terminals like I did here. If the motor pulls enough amount of Current. I know it been answered but Yes, the 7.2v NiMh 6 cell battery pack can power the 9v Lego IR receiver just fine. You can even power the IR receiver with a 9.6v NiMh 8 cell battery pack but a full charge 8 cell NiMh battery pack at 12v might be more voltage then the IR receiver can tolerate.

Ok I recently built this and it works good. Found out that it can work backwards and that it does need the limiter to function properly other wise the stepper mechanism don't work as well. I made some miner adjustments to the way the rubber bands were setup so instead of dismantling the entire model to get to that one rubber band that is around the shaft, two small rubber bands can now be placed easily on each side for the same effect with out the trouble. Now I keep adjusting the tension on the rubber bands until the device is able to naturally snap back to starting position after one complete function. I found out that for a good working stepper function that the rubber band tension on the stepper mechanism should not exceed the rubber band tension on the limiter device and in fact the whole function of the device really depends on how well the rubber bands on the limiter device can hold, secure and release the shaft. If the rubber band on the stepper mechanism is stronger then the limiter device the stepper mechanism ability to slip over the knob gear does not function as desired.