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Everything posted by allanp
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Thanks for the considered comments @thekoRngear -
Making a MOC worth selling can take tens of thousands of hours, at a technical designers hourly rate, what do you think it would cost?
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[TC25] Technic Shrinking Contest - Information Topic
allanp replied to Jim's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Agreed, but thank you @SaperPL for clarifying. It could be that most of us here are Technically minded, good at solving problems and therefore also good and finding ways around things, including rules. You can't really define a rule for every scenario otherwise you'd need a 500 page document written by a lawyer! So just try to have fun -
[TC25] Technic Shrinking Contest - Information Topic
allanp replied to Jim's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
@SaperPL the competition is run by Jim in his free time. You have some complaints which you feel are valid, fair enough, but please at least try to see Jim's side instead of being confrontational by saying things like "organising contests in a way where rules don't matter". I'm not sure how you got to that statement based on your complaints TBH. -
General Part Discussion
allanp replied to Polo-Freak's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Maybe some white parts are for next years space sets?- 4614 replies
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- Bionicle Technic
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[TC25] Technic Shrinking Contest - Information Topic
allanp replied to Jim's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Because it's better to have TLG post them directly to the winner, but Jim has to request the prizes from TLG by a certain deadline, which means the contest deadline must be before that. That's how I read it anyway. -
Technic 2024 Set Discussion
allanp replied to Ngoc Nguyen's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
They did it with the arctic sets, maybe this is something similar? -
Technic 2024 Set Discussion
allanp replied to Ngoc Nguyen's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
True true. We have had inaccurate set lists in the past when they have been this early. -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
That is some good feedback. And yes my ideas are evolving over time as I gather more feedback. Some of the things you mentioned like the automatic gearbox of the hauler and function switching gearbox of the catd11 I think could be solved with the previously mentioned advanced code blocks, which are very complex blocks of code for such functions, but on the surface is easy to configure to your model. I did also ask the question what other code blocks could we need. I actually do think it's possible to release enough of them to cover 99% of every scenario. "Apply wiggle" could be a toggleable setting. Everything in an official set released so far could easily be covered with the exception of inverse kinematics, which we can't easily code now anyway. But maaaaaaybe that could be done with an advanced code block, where you would input the number of boom arms, the length of the booms between pivot centers, the angles and number of motor rotations required to reach travel limits, maaaaaaybe a code could be written which calculates everything just from that? But I'm not sure what you'd do with the graphical interface. -
42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP
allanp replied to Ngoc Nguyen's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
If by compact you mean using these new parts there isn't enough gear sizes.....yet. The light blue piece engages with a tow ball, so you can move anything if you put a tow ball on it. Likewise the orange shift fork can be moved by anything with a pin. And it should be fine for heavy duty applications IF you use it in a high speed, low torque situation and gear down afterwards. The low friction of the gearbox should allow that without too many losses. Now if only we had a high speed motor -
42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP
allanp replied to Ngoc Nguyen's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Yesterday I put a single 9V ungeared motor right onto the crank shaft and drove it from not the freshest of batteries. However, in first gear the rear wheel spun nice and fast, it was a blur. Skipped neutral to second, and the rear wheel spun even faster! Previously Lego gearboxes had so much friction that they would just bog down, and in top gear the ungeared motor would just stall. Not so here, in third gear the Yamaha's rear wheel spun reeeeeeaally fast! I couldn't quite get that satisfying brrrrRRRR click brrrRRRR sound like in my previous concept gearbox but I think there is a small design floor in the shifter mechanism. The pawls that engage with the new yellow 8 spoke index wheel are clamped together with a piece in between via a white drive belt. The friction created here make it so it doesn't quite reset itself fully unless you manually place the gear selector foot pedal in the middle. However I think there should be a fix for that, and I would like to try to hide an ungeared 9V motor in there somewhere to make it an even more playable model even when it's stationary on its display stand. -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
If that's how it works with PU now then I don't see why it wouldn't work with the altered train remote. Instead of buttons it's proportional levers is all. The train hubs would be programmed to try to match the motor speed to the lever position. Maybe that could be done with way more steps, like 128 or something, instead of just 10 button presses? -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Well yeah that's what I mean, we could keep the existing simple train remote but upgrade it to have proportional joysticks that stay put (like train levers do) but with a place to add a return to center spring or rubber band. not everything is based on CC+, that's only intended to be a part of the whole PU revamp. In fact, every set, including the most advanced RC sets, would require a simple battery box as the hubs would be replaced with BLE receivers, which you can stack as many as you like onto a simple battery box, like how PF was but with two way communication. I'd also want to see a simple switch introduced, again like we had with PF and even 9V. Can you explain what you mean by load control? Also what other functions are impossible, maybe we can make them possible? I really want to come up with something with the potential to please everybody.....even if it is just for the lulz and Lego ain't interested! -
42159 Yamaha MT-10 SP
allanp replied to Ngoc Nguyen's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
After a few days of itching to build this set I finally got round to it, and it's brilliant! And yes, I still can't help but notice the similarity with my parts.... ....I gotta say, the way they work is sublime! They definitely benefit from being injection molded over my 3D printed pieces. Their solution of using a tow ball to engage with the rotary cam is also sure to be more resilient over time than my version. The sliding forks take more force to slide due to the sliding surfaces only being one module in length which may lead to some binding, but when fully built into the model it moves lovely and freely. The use of a pin hole in the selector fork also means it can be moved via a beam/rod/level arrangement, and also that the rotary cam can be used to slide anything with a tow ball, not just the selector fork, so that's really quite ingenious. I also really like that the engine is geared up to spin at a decent speed in first gear, and with very low friction and in a more authentic way than ever! All I can say is that I am so happy with their new parts and so glad to see them in the lineup. They work so well with low friction and in a more authentic way than ever, and it makes me rather excited for the next 1:8 scale supercar! Maybe there will be more gear sizes? Maybe it'll be a stick shift? Whatever it is, it'll be a step up! -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Trains would still have their remote, or do you want a simple remote with proportional joysticks? The train remote could be upgraded to have those though. The sticks would stay put acting like the accelerator lever on a train, but there could be a place to allow you to add a rubber band or a soft shock absorber to make it spring back to center. -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Well that's good cos my PU overhaul would have all that -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Yeah I guess so . But a bespoke smart device that comes in the box that doesn't need updating (hopefully!) and with a bunch of built in physical controls. I would hope that it wouldn't come with a bunch of errors in the code, surely they should fully test this stuff before release? But my thinking here is that it would still have Bluetooth and therefore still have connectivity to the internet. However, while it's always there as an option, it's not as reliant on it as it is now. The sets that come with CC+ (the most expensive ones that otherwise would have come with multiple hubs) would have in their printed instructions a complete, step by step guide on how to program your model on the CC+ itself. While you have the option to download a premade program, you don't have to because the book would guide you through programming it yourself. This would also help with providing documentation and helping the customer understand how to do it. So no need for internet connection for new sets, and no need for a smart device to create your own. But sure, things might still go wrong, at which point you would usually call customer service. They can then guide you through the process of allowing them to connect to your CC+ and verify the issue and either fix it for you in most cases or replace it. The optional app allows you to download premade programs and update your CC+ if you want to but it's optional. It would only ever be strictly needed for customer support to fix unforeseen problems. So it's all still there if you want or need it, but the reliance on it to make it a complete and usable product is vastly reduced, and it should still work in its current form and is still programmable long after it is no longer supported by Lego or third parties or your smart device is no longer compatible, much like the original control center and code pilot today, all while not hijacking the use of the smart device you paid for. In terms of the delay to send and receive commands via Bluetooth, is that not the case as it is now, maybe not with pybricks running on the hub, but certainly with PU as it is now? We still have to send and receive data between the hubs and the smart device don't we? Also, for programs/models that don't require feedback from sensors/encoders, would it not actually be a bit quicker, maybe about the same as pybricks, as all the program is executed on the CC+ where the controls are, and it only needs to send commands to the BLE receivers? I could be wrong on that though, as well as everything else! In any case, if you were told that this is all going to happen, with the CC+ programmable physical controller being developed as part of a complete overhaul of PU (not a whole new system, more or a revamp to try to address everyone's concerns with it), including buggy motors in an L-motor format, removable leads from the motors, micromotors and so on, what would you add/remove/change to make it a more enticing prospect to you? What really concerns you about it that we could try to address? I'm not trying to come up with something just to please me, I want us to "fix" PU together! However you must bear in mind everyone's concerns and wishes. You might not be concerned with PU being so dependent on your smart phone/tablet to be a complete package but many other people are. I'd probably be happy just going back to the simplicity of PF but having better proportional remotes, but many people like the more advanced capabilities of PU. Maybe I'm trying the please everyone and maybe it's not possible but not trying feels like giving up before you begin. -
[TC25] 42082 Rough terrain crane
allanp replied to Akassin's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
This is very impressive, well done -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
I wonder if we could have a whole bunch of preprogrammed blocks. For example, for an automatic gearbox we know we need to have a speed measurement from the main drive motor, so in the automatic gearbox block we can select which motor is the main drive motor and it would then know to measure its speed, and also have some control over it. We also need to know the position of whatever the control is for the accelerator, so we can select what is that control. We can select the number of gears in our sequential gearbox, the servo which rotates the cams to change the gears and the number of degrees of rotation needed for each gear change, we can also select if we have neutral and reverse gears, and where the servo needs to be rotated to to reach those gears, and which controls we want to use to get neutral and reverse. And bingo, with a single code block we have a fully functional automatic gearbox. The code block would be an actual block of code with everything already programmed, you only configure it to your needs, it would automatically work out everything for us, like it would always start in first, and shift down to first when we stop, and shift up gears if we keep the accelerator control on full, and shift down gears when the motor slows down but the accelerator is still maxed indicating a hill or heavy load, and slightly reduce motor power during shifts, speed match the motor for smooth shifting (the code block would allow you to set the ratios) and allow the shift to fully complete before making another shift and so on. Behind the scenes it could be as complicated as we want, but on the surface it only needs an easy to do configuration from us. There could be bespoke code blocks for all sorts of things, like a code block for steering multiple axles, where we can set the servos for each axle, define how many steered axles we have, define what is the main steering control and define what button should be used to switch between steering modes as well as select what preprogrammed steering modes we'd like to have. There could be another code block for RC pneumatic creations, where we can set how many circuits there are, the servo limits in either direction as well as a bias towards one way or the other, weather or not the servos should move linearly or logarithmically, an additional output that runs maxed out whenever any of the servos are at a non central position (for automatic control of a compressor) and an additional input for a pressure sensor (for if you want to control a compressor using a pressure sensor instead). Of course you could always try to configure these functions yourself using the more generic code blocks but having a whole bunch of these advanced and bespoke, preprogrammed blocks would really help to make creating custom programs for your MOCs a lot easier. And I think that not only is true for my CC+ idea (as they would come preprogrammed into the CC+ ready to use from day one) but also for PU in it's current form. What other bespoke code blocks would you find useful for any MOC you could think of building? Maybe one for controlling a manual sequential gearbox using two buttons for up/down shifts, or a block for a manual gated gearbox to mimic a stick shift (where you can select different gears directly by pressing different buttons) which would also be useful for multifunction gearboxes, or maybe a limits block which lets you set limits on the number of motor rotations due to string length on a winch drum or a linear actuator, or a load sensor block (could be more generically called a disabling block) which lets you disable different motors/outputs/inputs in certain directions when a given an input either from a sensor or some other part of the program. -
42146 - Liebherr LR13000
allanp replied to Ngoc Nguyen's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
You'd get that many boom pieces from 2 sets it looks like. -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Ah okay, good to know. Been trying to figure out what would be possible config/programming wise with a simple, even monochrome LCD screen for CC+, though of course a nicer looking color screen or even a touch screen would be much better. Can we do only configuration or are code blocks doable? I'm thinking it could be kinda node based, you just select what input goes to what output and configure the blocks. Also trying to cut down on writing massive walls of text so here's a few ugly looking sketches, some screens are programming an excavator, others like the sequencer are for programming a sequential gearbox. I think I spent too long on this! -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
@Lok24 I think the modern Hornby train sets have a system of sending both power and data through just the two rails but enabling separate control of multiple trains on the same rails. Not sure how that would work with two way comms though, like for sensors. -
42146 - Liebherr LR13000
allanp replied to Ngoc Nguyen's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
This has got me thinking. I think I have some left over lead flashing in the shed, easy to cut with tin snips. I could get some grey PLA filament, though I have some in yellow already, make them twice as tall and cut rectangles of lead flashing to fit inside. -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
I was half joking, but is 11% an acceptable failure rate right off the bat? And now I'm wondering, I bought my current phone to be able to use PU, which is now over 3 years old and I have no desire to change until it stops working. I still consider it to be my new phone. But if I was to just now get my first PU set I'd be well disappointed if I found my phone wasn't new enough. What phone I happen to have shouldn't have anything to do with anything. -
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allanp replied to allanp's topic in LEGO Technic, Mindstorms, Model Team and Scale Modeling
Which one sounds more rediculous? I can't play with my Lego because my phone isn't up to date. I can't play with my Lego because a bird pooped on my neighbours car when I was a little boy. Answer: They are both the same!