Nazgarot

If you can afford to spend some money on it you could invest in Li-Ion batteries in AA size. They have about 3,6 Volts fully charged, and if you modify the wiring of the box to put 2 series of 3 batteries in parallel you would have (3,6*3=) 10,8 Volt and (2*2400=) 4800 mAh. That should make for a very powerful battery! I've been planing to do the same for a while, but haven't gotten around to buying the cells yet. (got a son the 9. of may, and that requires a lot of time...) :) Please remember to get batteries that can deliver enough continuous current. The example I linked to can't, but there are batteries that can... And be careful how you recharges these. They need a Li-Ion compatible charger and can't be quick charged. -ED- EDIT: corrected a spelling mistake.

Yes, you are right. Thanks! They would of course have to be replaced with "long pin with stop bush". But as I said it was only built on CAD because there was a lack of parts... First, your diff doesn't have 4 planet gears... only two, and besides, the second one is not supported by a central pin, and thus almost no stronger than a normal diff. Bevels are a common name for both planet and solar gears (ref Wikipedia, see illustration on left side), and my diff has a total of 6 bevels, 4 planet gears and two sun gears. No, you can't. There is a "pin with axle end" on one side of the "Axle and Pin Connector #2", and a 3 stud axle on the other. It's the 3 stud axle that makes the problem. It can how ever be removed using the techniques described her, with a needle or by drilling a hole. But I would rather not have to do it that way... The problem still is the same. Can anybody come up with a more compact/elegant solution for a diff with 4 planet gears? I'm back home on Monday, and will work more on the problem then. Thanks for all the replays so far. -ED-

Yes, I'm aware of that solution, but it doesn't give the same smooth operation. Thanks anyway though! -ED-

Hi, I've been to busy to work (play) with lego for a while, but finally I'm on my summer vacation. I visited a friend, and one of her sons is a Lego fan. He wanted me to build him something new, and I've been thinking of making stronger diffs for an adder/subtraction gearbox (It will go into my 3. revision of RipSaw). The standard diffs only has a single planet gear, but I've heard rumors of a version with two planet gears. Well, I think even that would be to vulnerable for a solution with several XL motors... So I made a diff with 4 planet gears, but as the kid had a very limited supply of parts it got quite bulky. I made another version in LDD, but [WARNING!] it will be impossible to dismantle... I would appreciate it if anybody could make a more compact and elegant version. The LDD file is called strong diff, and can be found here once the files has been approved by brickshelf. And for those who would claim that it's impossible to build it, look here: Hope somebody with access to their collection will be creative for me, thanks! -ED- EDIT: Had to re-size the last picture.

You reduce the friction of the motors as well as add more, ad the result is that it drains less power. And even if XL motor drains more power then the M motor, it has a lot more power, and will give a smoother operation of the boom. The M motor responsible for this function is quite close to stalling even with fresh batteries and develops a lot of heat (witch steals poswer), while the Xl is barely strained. I got longer battery life, but then again I used the rechargeable battery on both models. -ED-

Yes, this is normal. Both the tracks and the boom lift function are quite hard for the motors. This can how ever be fixed by rebuilding it with Jurgens "ultimate 8043" mod, but i requires a few parts and is a lot of work... I did it and was pleased with the result, but still did some further modifications... -ED-

Just to eliminate another possible cause for the problem you should try to run an M motor from the same PF receiver output to test it. If it works ok, I would try tearing down the mechanism part by part, starting with the 8 tooth gear. Then test it for each part you remove to find the cause... It would be nice if you posted any results you obtain, as there might be others with the same problem. Mine worked fine without any mods, but I still modded it a bit. I would also suggest you try building it without mods, then implement them one by one, to see if it might be a problem with one of the mods... I wish you the best of luck in solving the problem. -ED-

Hi, I don't know if these pics have been presented before, and I can't afford the time to check, so if they have I'm sorry to repost. I just found these on the net, while searching for news of the crawler. 9398 Crawler 9396 Helicopter Source for the pics -ED-

Hi, I don't know if these pics have been presented before, and I can't afford the time to check, so if they have I'm sorry to repost. I just found pics of 9396 Helicopter and 9398 Crawler on the net, while searching for news of the crawler. Source for the pics -ED- EDIT: I posted in the wrong thread... Could some moderator pleas remove this post? I'll repost it as a new thread.

Yes, that might be right, but I didn't really have time to study it that closely. As I said, I still didn't make it in time anyway... But it should work well that way as well. I did use one Light bluish gray liftarm 1x9. See the renders from LDD.

It's almost exactly the same as the front suspension. If I push down on the middle of the tank both front and rear suspension gives equally. I used a simpler solution, and it works very well. I just put a 3 long lift arm across. See picture. Effectively I may have used between 6 and 10 hours, but I don't have an exact number. I only had about half to one hour at a time, spread over two weeks, so its hard to tell. Would probably be faster if I had done it all in one session. And, my edition of LDD doesn't have the chain links. I think 4.17 was the last to include them.

Hi, Thanks for a great review! It's the main cause for med buying this set. I've been looking for the second part of the review, but can't seem to find it... Can you help? Sincerely yours Espen D

Hi, Thanks for a great review! It's the main cause for med buying this set. I've been looking for the second part of the review, but can't seem to find it... Can you help? Sincerely yours Espen D

Hello. This is my contribution to the TechREVERSE Challenge 2011. I missed the time limit (Do to work) so I will not be in the competition. I started by designing the model in LDD, and the built it after I was done. I lacked some parts in the right color, and only had two of the correct tire/wheels. And here it is: I'll be presenting a few more MOC's in the comming weeks as I get time. Should I start a thread for all my models, or just make a new one for each? -ED-

Is it only me, who thinks of the kings men as the baddies? I've always seen the Dragon knight's as Lego's take on the Robin Hood story... Of course I'm aware that that might not be the intention from Lego, but it feels more right to me. -ED-

Hi, That's really a nice truck! What motors are you using, and how is your return to center steering made? -ED-

Great work. This is really amazing. I would love to see a video of this working. -ED-

Amazing!! Makes me want one for my self... -ED-

Thanks! -ED-

Anyone know the Bricklink number for the "City cylinders"? -ED-

LOL Well, I've been building lots of stuff together with my 2,5 years old stepson, but never whole projects like described here. I always let him decide how much he wants to do, and for how long, but all in all I have a good experience from it, and it seems he does to. He also loves to play with Technic models after they are done, but i think he's to young to do a large project like the 8043. It will come with time though, and he is just learning that we have to follow the instructions to make the models. Nice to hear others have similar experiences. -ED-

I would recommend getting the 8252 crane truck as well. It's a set full of gears, 5x7 frames, and lots of other nice parts, including a PF XL motor... If you don't have any studless parts from before it also has a great collection of studless liftarms and panels. I haven't got NXT yet myself, but I have one of the older mindstorms sets. It hasn't been used much though because of a limiting array of sensors... Main reason I haven't gotten NXT is that I had no studless bricks when it came, and after PF showed up I've basically been waiting for a PF compatible mindstorm set. I do however think the NXT is a great brick for anyone who wants to learn/train programming.

OK. I thought it was closing on the 20 Th. I must have mixed up the dates... -ED-

It is, but it might not be the smartest ting to post pics with the logo before the competition enters it's final phase. If more than one user sends in the same pic it will be removed from the competition if I understand the rules right... -ED-

I would have to agree. And I really like some of the mods you are putting on it, Efferman. Just to bad I can't stand the U400... It's a 1650 pr 2100 for me as soon as I can find time. There will be one original however to show off some equipment mocs. My three way tipable bed and mid mounted telescopic crane is coming along nicely. -ED-