Tcm0

Thanks for writing the code and thanks for notifying me. I added your repository to the readme :) If anyone wants to check the codes for other sets out: https://github.com/Tcm0/PybricksRemoteLayouts

Did you see a clutch of some type? I think that the motor contains an internal clutch as protection.

It was actually released on the 1st last month

It might have more pieces because the track pieces are small. But I'm not sure how they would make the transformation with just 2 motors. Maybe it's a manual transformation?

It will only have 2 motors because of the price.

They probably could've used the powered up LEDs together with a technic battery box.

They announced a second run here... for easer 2021 or something like that.

The technic baseplate from 51515 is also pretty cool but it's mostly useful for stationary models.

We will probably have to wait until we get an official word from lego for anything relieable and I think that there must be a good reason to raise the prices while the sets are on sale (instead of only doing it for new sets) but I've also expected lego to get more expensive so for me it's kind of expected. There is a shortage of basically all of the basic materials here in germany (and probably in europe as a whole). We don't have enough metal, plastic or wood. You don't see this as a normal customer, but companies have many problems. Everything gets more expensive and delivery times are unrelieable. The simplest pieces like plugs can have delivery times of half a year or more and who knows if you actually get them then. There is also a problem with shipments from china. They are getting more expensive if you can actually get a container on a ship. I would suspect that this is even more relevant for imported bricks but there are also some parts that lego only makes in specific factories and the base materials often come from china so they would be affected. And last not least the business is expecting new environmental regulations. Some of them are preparing and are already raising the prices so that there won't be a very steep raise at one point. However, that are only my speculations. We'll have to wait on an official comment for actual information.

It's actually surprising how simple it is in most models to replace the technic hub with the large technic/mindstorms hub. They are almost the same size. I think that the mindstorms set is more open for mocs/ building stuff yourself. It's way more open/inviting for it. LEGO doesn't even promote the powered up app for control+ sets.

I think that you should make a note that the WeDo M Motor doesn't include a rotation sensor. That makes it about half the value within the lego price policy.

I mean to power PF IR receivers or PUP hubs. A DCC would make it larger and more expensive.

+1 for a general power pick up. I'd stay with PF/PUP.

But the other motors are more expensive because they contain rotation sensors. I'm pretty sure that they will stick to the train motors. I don't like the passenger sets either but you can play that people are entering and leaving the train etc. Also, the parents stand in front of the sets and think "my child wanted to get a train... this one is much cheaper. I'll get this one" (at least that's what my father did back then :D).

There are still lights in the PF and PUP systems. You can build your own signals. I really don't understand this point because you can literally replace everything from the 12V system with current hardware I think. Except for the metalic rails.

Do you mean motorized switch points etc? I think that there are very good brick built alternatives to them with the current switches.

Many of them are stupid, yes. But options like gear switches that actually work and a tilt display for crawlers make sense. Also, different people use different control interfaces - something not possible with PF. The reason why I'm not sure about that is that the mindstorms EV3 motors have been in a similar price range. They contain rotation sensors, but no absolute ones. The price is high but it is "constant" within the company. PF was rolled out over serveral years as well. The servo came out in 2012. 5 years after PF was introduced. The bulldozer can be used as a remote controlled car in the snow. It can be used to move the snow away, to crawl through snow etc. For me that's worth something. I had great fun crawling through snow with 42099. Until my hands got too cold. But yes, that depends on the perspective and it's questionable if that's worth 450€. On the other side you can ask yourself if it's more likely that you play with the dozer in the snow or that you use the manual functions of the tow truck. I personally get back to remote controlled models way more often. They will not keep up if they keep on pumping out so much hardware ;) I think that 4 models from 2021 had B models. Both of the 10€ ones from january, the yellow excavator from march and the boat from march. I'm sure about all of them except for the boat.

I think that you have to keep the delay in mind. They need a bit of time to develop a set. We got the disney train. I think that it didn't sell well because it's very expensive and a huge factor of the price is the station. Also, no remote. But they already had the crocodile in the pipeline so that came out (it's also part of a series of sets: creator expert trains, which the disney train isn't). I think that the crocodile sold well - it was sold out constantly during the first months here in europe. Maybe they planned to stop production because the disney train didn't sell well. I don't think that they will discontinue it yet. If they will, it will be because some parts aren't available anymore or something like that. Don' take the lists too seriously. I think that the ideas tree house was set to be discontinued twice and it isn't even on the list for this year. Concerning the city trains: I'm pretty sure that they sell as expected. Sometimes the prices drop low for events but the average price is okay. Who is against the new system? The set includes a remote and bluetooth is clearly better than IR. They won't change the system. They commited on powered up and are constantly releasing new sets with the plug. The Technic CAT, the Mercedes, the Mindstorms, SPIKE Essential etc. Idk why we didn't get more powered up sets. Maybe the team is busy with redesigning the coding canvas. One thing that I'm not sure is if the price calculation for the next sets works. The current city trains seem to be sold below the "powered up value". The new sets might get more expensive, supported by the rising costs of chips and all the other materials. High prices might shrink the market (as they did with the disney train). My opinion: the crocodile will stay and the city trains will stay or will be replaced next year. I'm not sure about the disney train. That might get discontinued.

But the extra functions are the point of technic. Why do you need pneumatics if linear actuators are more precise? Why do you need a gearbox inside of a manual model if you can replace it with direct levelers?

Or a workaround with the power pickup wheel. I'm sure that it can be used in many cases instead of a red motor ;)

I wonder why they can't keep up with the hardware that's coming out. That must be one of the main priorities for a "complete system" and 3rd party apps are very quick in adding it. There are PF-like lights: 88005

I actually don't think that the PUP app development costs are that huge of a deal. RacingBrick made some interviews and I think there it was stated that the team for the PUP app is pretty small. That's probably why it's moving so slow.

I've heard that CADA has another servo that looks the same where the servo functionality should work that's not included in the pro power system but idk. Also, it has steps with the PF rechargeable battery box. They just don't make sense (they are backwards in one direction and the other direction doesn't have steps). The PDF states that it works with Buwizz and sbrick. I tried sbrick, you tried buwizz, it didn't work. Something must be wrong there. The pro power system is 8+. I was "dumb" (I'd say curious) enough. A friend of mine even used an empty pf battery box to supply the 9V lines with power if he used the adapter cable as power source. It couldn't be used with a gamepad back then. Heck, the app was so buggy it was barely usable. The sbrick came a long way - and most of the way was with a smartphone as a remote. It still needs a smartphone inbetween which control+ doesn't need with pybricks. And there are still similar issues with sbrick? What happened to the new sbrick and wireless sensors and motors they announced a while ago? They work with pybricks and other 3rd party projects. You can compare it to them not working with windows but with linux. Tho installing linux needs more time than installing windows. Also, support will be added. So it's only a matter of time. But again, that's a huge problem with the powered up system and I agree on that. LEGO should really fix their compatibility. It's just a huge mess. A serious question: is PF really that easy or is it just that you're used to it? PF has it's oddities as well. Which plug of the receiver belongs to the battery box, where to connect the motors, how can you select a channel, what's the back switch on the remote for etc. There you also have to switch the black switch from time to time which isn't exactly "plug&play". Some people had problems with it. WeDo is in the education subtheme. Not many people know about that. Also, the sensor choice was very limited. Many Control+ mocs use the rotation sensors of the motors and they have many advantages over the power functions servos. They have more angles (almost analog), they aren't limited to 90° and they can be used for something else. It's working good. It just doesn't support the newest elements yet. Yes, we could go on. But on the other side that's why this was split from the original post. And Control+ is a huge factor of the price. I think that it's natural that you have to compare it to PF if you want to get a feeling for what's too expensive and what's not.

I tried it with an sbrick and it didn't work. That makes 2 unsuccessful tests and one document that states that it should work. I think that the document is incorrect. It might be easier to say who's fault it was if we had official documentation tho. Why can't cada say somewhere how many positions the motor has? It doesn't do any harm and it would be nice to have. I wouldn't say that it wouldn't make sense. Also, it's important to avoid problems. With the cada cable you can connect 2 battery boxes directly together. I bought 2 sets and the leds are pretty dark (but they don't take much current, so at least they don't waste that energy). You can use physical remotes now with pybricks. The lego powered up remote. There are premade configurations for almost all of the sets: https://github.com/Tcm0/PybricksRemoteLayouts The power functions switch used C1 and C2 I think. The constant 9V was only necessary for IR receiver and servo. PUP has fixed voltage supply for sensors. Yeah. Lego really must 1up their compatibility game. The hardware is compatible, pybricks is compatible but the powered up app lacks blocks for the mindstorms sensors etc. The mindstorms hub can store 19 or 20 programs with the original OS. And you can't store programs on anything by another manufacturer (KAZI EV5 beeing a large exception). There is backwards compatibility. There is a sensor to send PF IR commands. Yeah, fixed wire length and no official solution is a huge problem. Where was the PF IR control solved a decade ago with physical remote support? Is the steering bug such a problem? I can't remember that I encountered it. Which 3rd party apps have dropped support? Buwizz? Brickcontroller2 and sbrick support PUP I think. Pybricks does so as well but it's not an app. The elements are compatible (except for wedo 2.0 hub which is discontinued). The software is the big problem. The feature of seeing a 3D model on the screen might actually be necessary since people seem to not know which technical aspects the set contains. Some reviewers don't mention the transmission in the volvo etc. One example of them beeing the reviewer already mentioned. But that could have impacts on the perception of the prices as well. Would you say that the control+ hardware is too expensive if you see it as a "mini mindstorms"? Because that's what it is with the powered up app or with pybricks.

When did he pass klemmbausteinlyrik? In 2018? He wanted to register the logo so that no one else can use it. LEGO only wrote the letter because he wanted to register it. Nothing would have happened if he simply used the logo as is. But of course, that's something he doesn't emphasize. He's really good at not emphasizing some details and emphasizing others. It mostly grows when there is a scandal. He wins many subscribers with the "scandals": https://socialblade.com/youtube/user/helddersteine (look at the bumps in the subscribers graph. Jan 2019 with the letter (which was no lawsuit I think... but he was very unprecise about the actual term) and Jan 2021. But I'm not sure about his actual influence on lego's sales. These days many people from his community seem to be people that wouldn't buy lego anyways.