evank

I exhibited there in 2022 (huge V8 car engine), 2023 (the V8 plus a transmission), and 2024 (four 1980s computers controlling Lego robotics). This year I have to miss it :( because my newest model -- "Blocky Kong" -- is not ready. My goal is to have it ready and debut it the first weekend in August, at Brickfair in Chantilly Virginia. I'm hoping to bring that same model to Chicago next year.

Trojan rabbit!

Reviving this thread because here's some university research about new Lego AI software! https://www.tomshardware.com/tech-industry/artificial-intelligence/legogpt-creates-stable-lego-designs-using-ai-and-text-inputs-tool-now-available-to-the-public Unfortunately the university that did this is a competitor to the one where I work. 😒 Lol kudos to them.

Hello @DadScientist and welcome to the rabbit hole of 1980s computer-Lego control! Where in the US are you located? I'm in NJ. Toastie knows more than me about the modern stuff; my specialties are 1. teaching people how to use the original system and 2. actually building cool stuff based around it.

Excellent job! -Other Evan

Thank you. I'm extremely motivated by my nostalgia for the 1970s-1980s "Expert Builder" theme. I love showing what was possible, if only you could've acquired enough parts back then.

I made a new thread for it.

Hi everyone, Evan here, from NJ, US. @Toastie asked me to share some updates on my unfinished "Blocky Kong" game. I started building this about a year ago, and my goal is to finish by the end of July, in order to display at Brickfair (Chantilly, Virginia, which is in the Washington DC metro area.) Context: Almost everything I build is based around "Interface A" which is the mid-1980s Lego computing system. It's available for the Apple II, BBC Micro, Commodore 64, and PC, and you program in languages such as assembly, BASIC, LOGO, or the proprietary Lego Lines. My preference is an Apple II and Applesoft BASIC. Read all about this system on my personal site (www.brickhacks.com) or in the Interface A reference thread here on Eurobricks. More context: I only build with parts from the 1970s-1980s, or older. I do not use any parts that debuted in 1990 or newer. Still more context: my best creation thus far is a life-size Chevy 454 big block, which you can read all about at www.brickhacks.com/v8.php. It took me the whole pandemic to build! Anyway, back to Blocky Kong. The model is shaped like a suitcase, standing on its short edge, with the wide side facing you. It's about 25 inches tall, 18 inches wide, and 12" deep (I know, "inches" ... I'm American, don't hold it against me!) :) I designed the whole thing to fit inside my largest luggage. Mario will start at the bottom left and your goal will be to reach the top left, where Blocky Kong and the princess will be located, just like in the real game. You'll jump over moving barrels and climb ladders. There will not be a hammer: it's way to complicated to build that process. The machine will also have a functional .25-cent coin slot and lots of lights, decorations, etc. The best part is, I built the entire rear gantry frame separately from the front game board frame. They attach to each other modularly. That means I can snap off the Blocky Kong game and re-use the gantry frame for other things! It could be various 2-D sprite games ... Breakout, Frogger, Night Driver, and Pong are on my ideas list. It could also be a kick-megablocks vertical pen plotter. Here is a short video (20 seconds) showing the frame and gantry, as controlled by a joystick on my Apple II in good old BASIC, via Interface A. You'll notice the frame is wobbly: that will change when I build a back panel, entirely in black. I also post smaller updates in my Facebook group called "Square Pistons".

If anyone is interested, I am almost finished with the engineering of my "Blocky Kong" machine -- a nearly life-sized, fully playable Donkey Kong-inspired game, controlled by several Interface A attached to a single Apple //e. :) My goal is to have the whole thing done by the end of July, and then to debut the model at Brickfair (Chantilly, Virginia) which is the first weekend of August. I've been posting frequent updates in my "Square Pistons" group on Facebook. Blocky Kong moves sideways and vertically, controlled by a joystick; he jumps over barrels; he climbs ladders; and ultimately he rescues the princess. I am using touch sensor for collision detection with barrels; to control the limits of the jumps; and to detect when a ladder is present, etc.

You even got the monkey in there! Good job.

I thought it was about BBC Micro stuff. Anyway, I must have been thinking of someone else, not you. Sorry for causing confusion.

@Toastie -- My post from April 2023 was about manuals. I thought now we're talking about DOS software?

Thanks for posting again. I'd forgotten who it was that worked with this person. Didn't we already fund him last year? Or am I still thinking of someone/something else? Thanks for sharing the link. I recently made a similar video, showing how to program 9750 for the Apple II, BBC Micro, C-64, and IBM-PC, all using raw BASIC:

Sorry, no. @Toastie wasn't there someone you knew who acquired it recently? Or am I thinking of someone else?

I know this thread is about Interface B, but I once ran seven Interface A devices -- 42 outputs, 14 inputs -- using all of the slots in a single Apple //e. Just to prove it's possible. :)

This is off-topic to Lego, but yes, AI writing checkers are a thing. The one I used is among the most popular. They're all flawed, but when it comes up 100% you can be sure.

ZeroGPT.com says Cater1977's comment is 100% written by AI. I suspected it, based on the tone.

I bought a 4V cordless screwdriver and a 3/16ths drill bit with a hex shank. It's the perfect combination for making technic axle holes in solid bricks or plates, and it's small and lightweight enough to easily fix in your toolbox. https://www.homedepot.com/p/RYOBI-4V-Cordless-1-4-in-Screwdriver-FVD01K/318964428 I found other models that are more powerful, charge faster, and have better features, but I like this one because it's small, cheap, and does the one thing I occasionally need. Sometimes a simple basic tool is better. :)

You wouldn't have. They are from the second half of the 1980s. My favorite childhood sets were 6383 Public Works Center and 8860 Auto Chassis.

@alexGS you're correct. Commodore BASIC requires you to tell it which user port bits are outputs before proceeding. @Toastie I never use Lines so I don't know if it has power control. I could RTFM but you seem to enjoy that so much! :) I do know TC Logo has the 0-7 power control. I wish there was an easy easy to enable this in Applesoft BASIC, which as you guys know is my favorite. (Toastie that can be your next project, after which I'd have to rename my website ... it's nearly more your work than mine!)

Thanks!! I never would have figured that out on my own.

The BASIC files, as raw text, are here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1P84zJh7h0F3zIllRhx_w0-PxoLbj9YLt/view?usp=drive_link. It's a fact that Lego Lines is written in BASIC. I was curious how they output to 9750. In my own (limited) experience with a Model B, I performed outputs via the user port. First I wrote ?&FE62=63, which tells the user port to set its first six bits as outputs, and then ?&FE60=(decimal-encoded value of the binary total for whichever ports I want on or off, from 0-63). The method works fine and I documented it for the Apple II, BBC, C-64, and PC on my website here: https://www.brickhacks.com/basic.php. But if you look at the main file in the link from my previous post -- the main file being T.LINES -- there's no such output code that I can see. Hopefully someone who knows that computer better than I do, and/or someone who's a better BASIC programmer than me, can identify it. I asked @Toastie for help; he's a bit stumped too.

@BatteryPoweredBricks has a good Youtube channel.

Can someone convert the BBC Micro SSD file for the Lego Lines program into a raw text file for me? I no longer have access to Beeb hardware and would like to examine its BASIC code. The file is here: https://archive.org/details/lego-technic.ssd_202012 Update -- Disregard; I have the text files now.