Toastie

Yes, and with some appetite: https://taborpestcontrol.com/are-roaches-attracted-to-cardboard/ "Sealing" may not help that much, but storing them in plastic containers certainly does; but they need to be carefully sealed. Plastic bags may help, but make sure that they are not punctured and sealed very carefully. Professional tips: https://callwaynes.com/blog/how-to-protect-your-boxes-in-storage-from-attracting-pests/ With regard to ABS: Nope. Pests won't do any harm - that's why it lasts for almost ever in the environments: No living beings other than humans with extra money love ABS so much ... (Well, it depends on how you define "pests" of course ) Best Thorsten

Why am I not surprised Best, Thorsten P.S.: Got hold of an (currently dysfunctional) Amstrad PCW 8512 - 1985. Guess what I am working on

No idea how much space you have left for the motor. If there is enough, I'd use the smallest PoweredUp motor >with tacho< (e.g. #88008), any PoweredUp hub, and connect that to a 9 V power supply (or use rechargeables). Then I'd use the SetSpeed command in a very simple PUp program (Start, SetSpeed, End) - and use the "speed" which fits - the speed value (lets say 5 out of 100) will be regulated rather precisely, regardless of friction losses or whatever. Could be used as a clock I am using this on my train turntable and a rather heavy BB BR89 - she crawls nicely along the track, curves or not. Best, Thorsten

Yes. That's all there is. Best, Thorsten Claiming the minifig is a "3D trademark". Just google it: Trademark and 3D. It is absurd. But: Totally legal, no doubts! You know that there are more lawyers in this world, than products invented. But again, folks: I do buy (erratically, not reasonably) TLGs minifig "bags". Not knowing, what pops up. Its fun. Because I have the luck to have some Euros left to pay for that fun. My family also gives them to me . Best, Thorsten

Could very well be - there are a lot of dirty tricks in this world. It is bizarre: The number one dominator in ABS brick world is relying on 3D trademarks. Well. It appears as if nothing much advanced, back in the secure days. The issue is: Can it? Without dirty tricks? ABS pieces defined to the very micron? Is there something on the back burner? The "super plate"? Or beam? I believe not. So it is all about sets, isn't it? Imagination. Creativity - and yes, pricing. But that is not the comfort zone anymore, it was in the past. On the other hand: TLG securely does well. Hopefully, its not a bubble. They tend to burst. Best, Thorsten

Oh, it sure is, but also the other way around; just because a piece of ABS comes from the market leader and has a LEGO logo printed on its studs or elsewhere does not make it automatically superior. It may feel that way - but that is also "subjective". I have the impression that folks arguing about ABS piece quality TLG vs "The Dark Side" never (or rarely) had a piece from alternative sources in their hands. There is crap out there (children will surely have fun with!) and there is superior stuff out there. I hear: "OK, define superior" Now, that is subjective : Some say: "Bad, bad, bad: I barely couldn't get the plates apart!" Others claim: "The clutch power is insane, this model will last forever!" The former wanting to rebuild a thousand times, the latter assembling a nitty-gritty shelf model ... It all depends. Been there, done all of that, I am old. Regarding the minifigs: Patents stills active; and that's it for me: Hands off "illegal copies". The thing for me is: When patents run out, it becomes totally legal to totally copy that stuff. And sell it for a much cheaper price, >provided you can<. Believe me, the development costs the original inventor has invested some 20 years ago, have either been compensator for multiple thousand times, or a) the invention was not as cool as thought, b) marketing sucked during that time, or c) they simply did not get it right. When, after 20+ years, a competitor shows up and says: I can make that way cheaper - they have to invest as well: Machinery (highly precise molding stuff, right ABS formulas, the hole shoo bang). And when the original inventor has not learned how to improve or adapt or whatever, then, well - too bad! Welcome to the real world. The world, by the way, in which you made billions of surplus for decades. Conclusion: I am browsing the BB website for all sorts of generic pieces. And rarely order from TLG. In contrast, when it comes to high-quality stuff like PBricks, PoweredUp (yes, I truly believe this is very high quality stuff. Not the crappy apps - TLG never made nice software - but there are alternatives, which totally unfold the power of PUp), I visit BL. The real market prices, not the totally out of control TLG prices they float on their website. But: No minifig ... cheap copies. This is not, how it is meant to work. The moment these patents run out - and they will for sure, all floodgates will open. In the meantime, TLG should make something new, patent it and rake in money. They have the tools, they have the talent (https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/0d992b79-8cf0-4da3-8e3b-6cbcdaecf9fb) Best regards, Thorsten

You are planning on using PoweredUp motors, with your own PUp program, correct? If so, you'd need one 4-port hub to operate these 4 motors; and then you can simply use the "SetSpeed" rather than "SetPower" command - provided the motors are powerful enough, the vehicle will move at the speed you selected, and draw as much power as they need to maintain that speed. Even >very slow< but constant speed crawling is possible that way. Best, Thorsten

#15456 + sharp knife: One clean cut = 2x2 plate with hole . Nothing can go wrong here. Then wait for TLG hearing you ... Get a 4.8 mm drill bit (they're cheap!) + 2x2 plate: Drill into the anti-stud on a drill press = perfect 2x2 plate with hole. Not sure if these are considered Technic parts, but I cannot care less. Best, Thorsten

Here is to feeling good!

Well, change is what keeps the worlds spinning, stagnancy is the pathway to falling into oblivion Honestly, it is the same here; not necessarily with LEGO bricks and plates; it is rather my goal of assembling all 1980s to 1990s computers I had and dreamt of, connecting them all to two interfaces A (9750's), and letting me play with them, is what drives me nuts: Sawdust everywhere, result looked good (and enthusiasm faded quickly) - just to figure out: The Amstrad PCW 9256 my wife and I had back then (and I trashed long ago ) is still available ... got hold of this beauty, my daughter will collect it on her way "home" on Thursday and then: Out with the power tools, never expected that to happen ... sawdust will be everywhere ... Change is fun. The goal after all the many changes is to "having" something "perfect", but it simply never happens. Chasing the perfect "arrangement" is just another phrase for change, I believe. For me, change is the driving force. As is playing with LEGOsss So: Let them make the 1x5 bricks and force you to make changes All the best, Thorsten

Hee hee, I am just remembering the insanely ingenious 1x5 plate, TLG tried to patent fairly recently - I still can't believe they actually tried (patent it, not making it , as a) other competitors had them for years in their inventory and b) the necessary inventive threshold you need to cross to secure the patent rights, was a bit underwhelming). Yes, competition even improved the plate selection palette. Before we had 1x1, 1x2, 1x3, 1x4, 1x6, 1x8, 1x10 ... now we have in addition 1x5 - just imagine: 1x7, 1x9, 1x11 ... crazy! But no patents will be filed before their arrival, I believe Best, Thorsten

True - next option! All the best, Thorsten

That is true, but @Azrael1706 said, he tried different cables. Also, direct control means that the tower sends a command and as per (RCX/CM) PBrick protocol, the brick has to acknowledge that command. Maybe BricxCC does not enforce that, this is why I suggest a couple of further test, in another EB window Best, Thorsten Yeah - checked this behavior (with xon/xoff protocol) - it still downloads to the CM brick. Bummer. Well, the situation is: You checked antennas, RF towers, RS232 cable. Protocol on the USB port is identical to the settings I am using. You checked with Win10 as well as in a VM. Direct control works on all machines. There are not many options left, I believe: The CM brick is flawed - maybe the RAM section is faulty ... Something is weird with the USB2Ser adapter. With regard to 1: When you tested "direct control", did you also run the "Diagnostic" and "Watching the brick" routine? If so, could you repeat that test and poll the brick every second with a good number of variables, the built-in timers etc. turned on? That will create a lot of bidirectional data traffic from/to the tower. Maybe this screws up as well; if not, communication is for sure OK. What does the panel "Memory map" tell you? Can you post a screenshot? In "Direct control", set a couple of variables to any number between 1 and 255. Then poll these variables in "Watching the brick": Do they show the numbers, you typed in "Direct control"? When you do set more and more variables, does the memory map show you less available RAM? With regard to 2: Any chance you have another USB2Ser adapter? Best regards, Thorsten

Here is to feeling good Best, Thorsten

And that's the core of the matter! Just make sure to let @evank know about your endeavors and maybe post here (this is what I try to do; Evan runs his wonderful website pulling everything together, documenting all these activities. EB is (for me) the place to "document" details, nifty things, fun doing it, and letting the world know what they miss(ed) . Says the dude, who gets zero to a couple replies on respective threads . I sure let Evan know though what I am up to). Oh yes, as Evan said: Welcome to the fun house! Best, Thorsten

Sets we want, new elements we want - sure, I can see that. My approach comes from a different angle, though. It was not about what he/she/it wants, it was more about market gears moving and patents regulating an otherwise closed (and merely stagnant) system. And I can assure you I do parse the LEGO catalog every half year, I do BrickLink purchases, I love LEGO. But, as Donald "Duck" Dunn says in Blues Brothers: "If the shit fits, wear it". I am sitting right now in my attic. Looking to the right, up on the wall dominates the MK "Flying Dutchman". Believe it or not, this ship outruns every single pirate ship, TLG ever made, by an order of magnitude ;) Design wise that is, the bricks and plates are generic. Generic as in "Aspirin" - stupid Germans; scroll down to "Trademark" https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aspirin - they misspelled the name, duh All the best and take it easy, Thorsten

Hi Scott, welcome to the club!!! There are a number of threads in this forum dealing with 9750, I guess you have seen them already. Are you planning on some DIY interfacing, or do you have everything in place already? All the best and have fun! Thorsten

It appears as if it is even shorter (15 - 20 years) - provided you don't do any substantial improvements to the design, and successfully renew the patent. Which is - for a (on the micron scale defined) LEGO brick made from ABS polymer - quite the challenge Well, we all love the free market, don't we? Many things are affordable these days, simply because there is competition. And competition usually leads to quality/design improvements, market challenges, etc. etc. And in the world of capitalism, surely also to cannibalism, that's automatically built in there. Just imagine, this "free" market would not exist and every piece you can think of is patented - to the end of time. That would lead to crazy times! If there were no competition - because their patents retire one after another, TLG would charge super-insane prices, would not put prints on one single piece, as stickers are so much cheaper, and so on and so forth. Now that they feel (heavily) the competition on the free market, they do improve, I believe to detect that here and there. But what do I know. Price-wise, they are still in money making heaven (look at their annual >profit< they make for decades) - but, well, they are apparently the market leader and produce the best quality bricks in the world. Not sure if kids need the best quality bricks in the world, but maybe adults. And this is what they are after, aren't they, the adults? So many black boxes on the shelves with display only models. But so be it, I don't have to buy them, because there are alternatives. When your patent is that strong, then 15 - 20 years of raking in money is enough, the Gods of Patents say. You also had the same time to do something else. The free market ... oh well. Best regards, Thorsten

Oh crap ... all "advanced" serial ports settings are identical. However, I noticed that you are using XON/XOFF as protocol; I have "none" activated. The IR/RF towers are as dumb as a rock. They don't know anything about flow control other than having the bridge between RTS and CTS = "always ready". BricxCC/NQC don't even bother, the LEGO software does though - the SCOUT tool for example claims there is no tower when the corresponding pin is not pulled high. The electronics in the tower is naturally always way faster than 9600 baud can ever be - it doesn't have to do anything other than emitting the IR/RF serial signal coming in and vice versa. Not the point. But when you have xon/xoff activated, any "tower echo" or CM reply with value 0x13 may stop the transmission, as this is the character to signal "device is busy". For ASCII character transmission, all is fine, as these begin at 0x20 (space). All characters below (0x00 - 0x1F = 32) are considered control codes. LEGO byte codes are of binary nature - no control chars at all. That may be an issue when transmitting longer sequences of bytes (a program). And then no further bytes are coming in, as the towers don't do anything smart, as for example sending 0x11 = "ready" ... I'm not sure though, you can simply try that out - somewhere in your code may be 0x13 ;) Best regards, Thorsten P.S.: I just noticed the pwr command is byte code 0x13. Mayb you should just let the CM brick play a tone. Does this work?

Maybe, maybe not, who knows. The entire industrial revolution was one big no permission copy frenzy. After 30 years, patents are becoming volatile, provided you can't push things further. So legally, every molded piece of ABS falling into the "clippable blocks" category being compatible with whoever has patented that very design more than 30 years ago, is up to the free market. And that's it. At least one absolutely minor advantage of the free market. 30 years ... if you didn't make it then, you'll make it anytime - no wait, that was about location and not time Copying MOCs, stealing set designs, etc. etc. is not tolerable, at least for me. Do I buy other than TLG bricks and sets? For sure! It's a >toy< world, not a deeper insight into how the universe was made and works. All the best, Thorsten

This is really weird. I fired up my Cybermaster brick and tower, along with BricxCC on WIn11/64bit. USB2Ser adapter on COM1. Composed a short program, making the CM play some tones. All works as expected. I have no clue what goes wrong on your side. It maybe the adapter; I remember that I had one, where all looked good, but some stuff simply did not work. I am using a rather seasoned LogiLink adapter with an FTDI FT232RL chip set. Others will certainly also work; what is the chip set on yours? Do you have other PBricks as well? Maybe an RCX or SCOUT? If so, do these run programs you downloaded from BricxCC? Maybe acquiring an RF tower from BrickLink may be an option? All the best, Thorsten P.S.: You did put on all 4 antennas on both the CM brick and tower, I am sure. Just speculating, because I remember having issues with communication when 2 antennas were missing, even when putting them side by side. I am just wildly guessing here ...

I believe yes, otherwise direct control won't work? If of any help, I'll fire up my cybermaster units and try downloading a short program. Direct control worked flawlessly also here ... Now, you are of course aware of the 396 LEGO byte code RAM limit, right? Best, Thorsten

Metoo And as @kbalage pointed out: I came to the same conclusion ... Best, Thorsten

Very nice design, indeed! Does it match in scale with your really nice airplanes you posted as well? Best regards, Thorsten

Hey, that is - almost my story! OK, not in love since 60 years, but 58 - and I am a man. And yes, it was a boy's toy, for sure. So I was not considered nuts ... everything else is the same, though. Our kids (OK, now grown-up women) never made it into LEGO (I tried, but then sooner than later realized that this "trying" is a very elegant way of acquiring LEGOssss >for me< without much of a notice in the accounting department - in the beginning that is. Soon enough, I was busted . Nowadays, when I tell kids, teenagers, university students, grown-ups - regardless of gender - that I do play with LEGO, I happily go with your approach. Best, Thorsten