JopieK

Check this nice project: http://www.kickstart...angible-lights/ Like LEGO but also very different.

looks great kc2dc, I also like your solution to paint the tables in appropriate colors! nice mix of newer and older buildings!

http://www.brickfactory.info/set/index.html they also have it...

I like the idea too!!! Especially since it is more open than it used to be. Here is the direct link to the survey

I think you mean PF instead of 9V. The PF motors are indeed a lot easier to open than 9V motors. About 9V motor modifications: people have made then DCC compatible: http://home.surewest.net/markril/lego/dcc/ and http://www.lgauge.com/trains/dcc/dcc14mar00.htm For PF you need to have power pickups of some sort indeed. If you can create metal wheels on a milling machine, that would be a good option, but you will need to connect the moving parts to the non-moving parts (using e.g. coal brushes). This is a nice tutorial like topic about this: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=67767

I totally agree, but LEGO has different things to consider. For example the LEGO PF LiPo is very expensive, but if my students short it out and then plug the charger back in, it will just reset and work again!!! That is also what you pay for of course. Arduino is not a toy, LEGO is.

(you should always try and use Arduino, just by the fun of doing it, I mean, an IR led and a simple Arduino are under 25$).

well, totally pure is impossible: you will need a non-LEGO part to get the job done. With Arduino you have a lot of advantages: like for my layout, I make light towers with LEDs that include IR LEDs, to distribute the signal I use a radio signal, simple reliable and versatile. Although an RCX is cheap nowadays, the NXT and EV3 are not and they have very limited options. A basic Arduino has 13 digital in/outputs and 6 analog in/outputs. It also includes i2c (like the EV3 and NXT) to connect even more peripherals. A basic Arduino is about 20$ so that saves money for more LEGO bricks :)

nice job guys, another set where we needed to buy one or two extra in order to create a nice version.

PF makes a reverse loop at least very easy of course ;)

Arduino is hardware. The charm is: if you plan wisely you can use it without modifying any LEGO at all. I like to use LEGO also as much as possible, that is why I did not like to move towards DCC in the end (you need to open and almost destroy 9V motors for that, you can tell they run less smooth afterwards). That is why I like PF so much. But you will not be able to automatically control trains using PF with pure LEGO I think (simply because you will need to reproduce the PF remote commands and you will need to do that using a microcontroller (RCX, NXT, EV3, Arduino, Raspberry PI, whatever), but if you want to use the same spectrum as LEGO PF you run into the problem that there are no RCX / NXT / EV3 parts that can do that (there are solutions, but propriety).

You are on a MOCcing-spree again LEGO Train 12 Volts ;) The motor is in the red car I suppose? It runs very smoothly, better than an Emerald class train I think. Maybe an improvement: narrow heat shrink tube could hide the legs of your LEDs. I like the way you use the 1x1 clip with a 3mm LED. I also use SMD LEDs and very thin (earplug like) two wire cables to connect LEDs now and then.

Well, if you want to convert it to PF, I very much recommend using Arduino with it. I just completed our new traincontroller using XBee, I might post a complete topic about how it works including its drawbacks. Simple PF train control with Arduino will be discussed in the next issue of Railbricks.

Very nice mikezang, the RCX still has a lot of advantages with 9V trains!!!

very nice job!!! I like it very much...

Of course it is a good MOD!!!, but a lot of people have moved towards PF nowadays. I like your solution very much b.t.w., but I have moved to PF too so I just don't have the need for it anymore.

Can you also mention your boot and power down time? I will ask my students about it.

@Jim, problem is that the kids get to play with the EV3, I just get paid watching them play.

At my school we just received 3 EV3's, maybe the 4rth today. 3 for the FLL and with the last one we hope to create an EV3 version of this project! (well, my [high school] students of course ;))

Very nice work kc2dc!!! Nice space for your layout too! The pictures are just a bit too large, but I'm sure you will fix that soon :)

I think the best solution would be: a. A Technic solution b. A non-LEGO solution

Nice work Murdoch! The bridge looks nice too! About the trains, I like them very much, the boilers though, will look better if they are more cylindrical I think.

Enjoy your stay Wotcha!

Welcome Deathwing, there is a topic about the Montparnasse accident (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montparnasse_derailment) and discussed here: http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=85963

Another amazing train... again... Very nice Bricktrix!