Sariel

Very impressive :) Seeing as I weigh some 20 kg less, I should have thought of making one a long time ago ;) Edit: 16 XL motors? OK, now I know what stopped me :) Also, now it's clear who bought all black Exoforce wheels off the Bricklink :P

He got permission, no worries.

Except you have sheeplings rather than shipping ;)

Thanks. I'm following this topic and I'm relieved to see that all this work is of use to you.

As far as I know, the PDF version is sold separately. There was a promotional offer when it was added for free to the hard copy, but the promotion was created by the publisher, not by the Amazon, and it's over now.

Thank you for this exhaustive review. Let me say that I like it and I respect your opinion, but I think a little clarification is due. I'm sorry you were disappointed, but it appears to me that a book you expected would be twice as thick, cost $100 and take another 2 years to be finished. Or, with all due respect, you are expecting a Technicopedia turned into a book. This isn't it - this is a building guide that aims at today's builders, who don't really care much for discontinued motors from 20 years ago and parts that are so antique that they are nearly impossible to buy. You miss train motors and crane designs (by the way, there are at least two examples of crane outriggers in the book, a whole chapter on pulleys and a separate part on tower cranes), while younger builders will be surprised to find anything that predates studless parts and PF motors. I too grew up with sets from 80's and 90's, but it's 2012 now and there is a whole generation of Technic builders who rarely had a studfull piece in hand. This is 2012 book, and it comes as a guide, not as an encyclopedia. It occurs to me that perhaps you're under the impression that I could create a book as thick as I liked - no, I could't. The book was initially planned to run 250 pages, and it was quite a battle to make it 100 pages longer. I had to make cuts wherever possible, and to omit some topics entirely - which the book clearly states. As for the "vehicular argument", well, Technic is 99% about vehicles. The last time a proper Technic set did not feature a vehicle was 12 years ago, with the exotic 1237 set. Having said this, I once more thank you for your work. Yours in indeed a valuable opinion.

Last time I checked, there was over 40 of building instructions for small and useful mechanisms in the book.

Sure.

Thanks. If you're still hesitating about the book, there's plenty of buyer reviews at Amazon: http://tinyurl.com/cdluzmp

You're right, I added that info at the bottom.

I drew a little aid for you, in collaboration with Philo: This is simply a chart showing compared specs of 10 most popular LEGO motors, including torque, speed and mechanical power. The motors are listed from the one with highest torque to the one with lowest torque, and shown in the same scale, so you can see how they vary in size. The specs are presented as numbers and as bars, which quickly show which motor is stronger or quicker. The chart was designed to be print-friendly and fit on a single sheet of paper, so you can hang it above your workshop as an alternative to visiting http://www.philohome...s/motorcomp.htm when you need to look some specs up. It should look fine when printed on the standard ISO A4 paper size (that is 210mm × 297mm), or bigger.

Knob gears, obviously. They don't snap.

That was exactly my goal. My fear was mainly that people will expect this book somehow to magically explain every possible thing, to make them top-tier builders overnight. I'm glad you enjoy the book, as it took a lot of work and it was subject to many limitations, such as the volume or the tricky balance between beginner/advanced stuff.

Thank you all for your kind opinions. I'm relieved to hear you're not disappointed.

Fantastic news, looking forward to see Grohl's official sets. He made a mantis, so maybe now a hamster? :)

Well, I can tell for sure that the book appeared in Denmark already.

I'm being told that Amazon is just about to change "pre-order" status to "available now".

Nope, still waiting. Good for you, I hope you'll like it :)

There is no "old" L motor. Here, Marcus: http://www.philohome...s/motorcomp.htm One of the websites each Technic builder should know.

I imagine it was made for it.

So, thanks to Kirby00216 and Xander, I was able to create a simple program that can be launched on several NXT units at the same time, allowing to control multiple units over Bluetooth with a control pad connected to your PC. The program uses the unique ID of each NXT unit to allow unit-specific commands. In other words, you can control up to 7 NXT units at the same time this way, and each of them independently. Video: Control program & more: http://sariel.pl/2012/10/nxt-multiple-units-simple-control/

Yes, you have to hold the remote's lever. You can modify the remote if it's a problem, though, put some kind of a lock on it.

I should have come up with it sooner. Building instruction: http://sariel.pl/2012/10/servo-gearbox/ Hope it helps.

The only connection is Bluetooth. Basically, it's ROBOTC program running on the NXT unit, reading data through Bluetooth from a control pad connected to the PC. The distance is typical Bluetooth distance.

So, I made a number of mechanical subtractors, looks like it's time for a purely software one: More info & the ROBOTC program that does it: http://sariel.pl/2012/10/nxt-virtual-subtractor/ Hope it will come handy. It surely will for me.