tseary

I haven't had any prints fail, but they aren't seeing hard use either. Perhaps someone who builds RC cars can remark on 3D printed gears or other parts in a tougher environment. I'm not up to date on the different Enders, unfortunately. We recently got a Bambu at work - I'm not the one running it, but the print quality is great, and it's fast!

I also have an Ender 3 V2. Although it's a few years old now, it's still going strong with minimal maintenance. The only upgrades I've done are to add a Capricorn tube and replace the bed springs. I use it to make custom Lego gears and liftarms from time to time. Today I'm printing a mount for a 540 size DC motor. One of the best filaments I've used is Duramic PLA+. I suspect it has a bit of ABS in it, because it prints at a higher temperature and the finish is a nice match for black Lego.

@Lipko It's generous of you to subject your models to that! It would be a nice treat for those kids to get their hands on some Lego, where the norm is "look but don't touch". I don't know if I could do that; I'd be watching like a hawk. In the video clip it seems everyone is well-behaved, but I'm sure you discovered some weak points in the builds. Was there any damage?

Go ahead! I have a couple more on Flickr: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjBN7TB

I built @mla2's racing truck B-model! The chassis has a bit of flex, but I appreciate that the most has been made of the available pieces. There were just a couple dozen small parts left over. The only change I made was to replace a red pin with a 3L axle, to keep the yellow connector at the back straight. We had a rare sunny day, so I was able to take some photos outdoors. The truck looks great in person.

Awesome! I've been waiting so patiently... I'll post photos when I get it finished.

@HorcikDesigns It's very cool to see this planetary gearbox realized. It was instantly recognizable to me because I was working on a similar design for a 2445 size motor some time ago!

Thanks for sharing this. It's interesting to see how things change. I can see the lull in ownership in 2000. Are Bionicle sets included in this? I'm guessing so based on the high number of sets released that year.

For me, this is the core of what Technic is about - functional models that work like the real thing. I'm really inspired by giant cranes like this one. Someday I will build one of my own...

Nice work. Virtual pivot is definitely the way to go at this scale and smaller. This is the first time I've seen it driven by gears rather than a linkage, and it even has different steering angles between the inner and outer wheels. A possible solution to the illegal fit would be to replace the white arm with a #1 connector, 3L axle and axle connector. It should be in compression so it won't pull apart, although it may not be suitable for a motorized model.

Testing how to link to parts on Bricklink... Technic axle connector https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=32039

That's cool, I hadn't seen that before. It's essentially doing the same function that I tried to implement. If I understand the instructions, the big motor drives the wheels and steering, and slowly toggles the micro motor. Then the micro motor toggles the big motor, and so on. It's interesting that it's applied in an automaton. That seems to be where a lot of mechanical sequencing finds a use.

Long ago I tried to build a mechanical oscillator using a pair of the old 2L clutches. Each clutch had a forward/reverse output, and each output was connected to the opposite changeover catch by a white clutch gear. In theory each output would toggle back and forth endlessly. I couldn't get it to work though; in those days the smooth-sliding 3L axle joiner didn't exist, so it took too much torque to switch over. I should try again...

Auroralampinen, I agree that the ABENICS gears would be a challenge in Lego. I imagine the friction and backlash would be critical. To say nothing of the motor control...

This looks sharp - I like cab-over trucks. I just ordered one of these, and I look forward to the instructions!