Blakbird

I don't know how strong it is because I haven't built it yet, but I replicated the connections Akiyuki used in his video. I agree that it seems like should be more bracing at the top. Sure, as long as you'd like to rent a box truck and drive across the border to pick up my stuff. They sure won't fit in my trunk.

I've been spending a lot of time on the Zig-zag lift. Jesuskyr did a great job of reverse engineering it from the video, but the original version lacked an output ramp and also had a lot of reported jamming problems. Using only a 2013 video showing the module in a GBC circuit, I was able to implement an indexer to prevent jamming and a zig-zag output ramp which should be very close to Akiyuki's latest design. It increases the part count a lot, but I think this is a much stronger module now. What do you think?

V2 has a higher current limit. If you are not hitting the current limit then it doesn't make any difference.

I built mine with all V1 receivers. It works fine.

There is a General GBC discussion topic that would be much better for this. This topic is about Akiyuki's modules.

Come over any time! Yes, I have them all built but I have not yet tried to connect a large number of them together. I will have to use my garage.

Instructions for Akiyuki's Marble Run Module are now tested and complete and are available here along with a Brickstore parts list. 59 pages 1140 parts Most of the credit for reverse engineering this module goes to legolijntje who did the work making the LDraw file based on Akiyuki's video and creating most of the instruction steps. A few things to note about this module: No motor! About 11 meters of rigid tubing in various lengths is needed which is not in the parts list. I used bright colors in the instructions to make them easy to see, but you can use any colors and lengths and connect them together with part 60470. I included 40 of these in the parts list, but you may need more or less depending on the lengths of tubing you use. I used non-LEGO pneumatic tubing from McMaster-Carr. This worked and looks great and was really cheap. I was able to just use a long length of each color so I needed very few connectors. At butt join locations of the tubing I inserted a round toothpick inside the ends of the tubes. This helped to keep them aligned and keep the direction continuous. The hooks which support the rails need to be rotated toward the inside as far as they will go. If they are rotated further apart the balls will hit the teeth of the hooks. Likewise, any end-to-end connectors need to be rotated the same way. The build is pretty monotonous. It is a lot harder to get this working than you might think. The ball is moving very quickly at a couple of locations and the spacing of the rails needs to be just right. Once the rails are installed, it is not trivial to add a bit of extra length because it effects everything downstream in series. I spend all evening getting it to the point where it only drops about one ball in twenty. So far, I can't get it any more reliable than that. I changed the primary color from dark bluish gray to black. This is purely a personal preference to help highlight the rails instead of the structure. If you decide to use DBG, a couple of Technic brick lengths don't exist in that color. Strictly speaking this is not a GBC module because it doesn't have any way to get balls to the input. It is really just an output ramp and therefore needs to be connected to another module as input. I used the Bucket Wheel Tower extended by and extra two levels which works perfectly. Later versions of the module were build even higher and with more rails to better align with the bucket wheel tower. The design is very modular so it is pretty obvious how to add more height and rails if you so desire. It is really mesmerizing to watch this when a steady stream of balls is being provided to it. Don't forget to shut off the motor and listen to the sound the balls make when they roll down.

A year ago I wasn't into GBC either. Now look what happened. It's like crack.

I never actually noticed this! You are right, there is a tiny amount of interference between the horizontal plates and the vertical studs underneath. It seems like the interference is actually just due to the height of the LEGO logo on the studs which is why it doesn't show up in the CAD software. In other news, I finished my build of the Marble Run! It was a lot more work than you might think, but it is now working wonderfully.

Yes, I do like it! This is an incredible achievement. I like very near Burlington Northern and see their locomotives every day, so I particularly appreciated your last model. This one is less familiar to me but the detail is fantastic.

JCB 1CX Builder: Trekman Category: Constrution Instructions: No Topic

Sounds like you might have a bad pump. If one of them is leaking a bit then you won't be able to achieve proper pressure. I'm glad you found a solution. Can you be specific about which page the problem is on? I can't find any headlights in Step 38.

Metal axles are one on a long list of things that could be used to make technic more mechanically efficient. But that has never really been the target of the product.

7.2V is only the nominal voltage using an assumed 3.6V per cell. Then actual voltage on a fresh charge is considerably higher. Most chargers target 4.2V per cell so you should start with 8.4V.

In the first post where there is a link to the instructions for each model there is also a link to a parts list. This file is a Brickstore file. Download the Brickstore (or Brickstock) software to view the file. This file has the part number, color, quantity, and average price for every part.

Did you make the changes from his previous video? The second conveyor is supposed to move slower. It doesn't look like the queue is hurting anything though.

It is already on the list: it is #6. This is an example of a module that changed considerably after the initial video. Later versions are MUCH larger and more interesting, though they share the same basic concept. The Archimedes screw is also on the list. This exists in several versions but I'd probably include the most recent which is Type 3. Excellent! I'll put a link to this in the PDF instructions. OneMoreRobot has also finished his test build so I will be able to post those instructions soon.

Instructions for Akiyuki's Step Module are now tested and complete and are available here along with a Brickstore parts list. 129 pages 1785 parts Most of the credit for reverse engineering this module goes to jesuskyr who did the work making the LDraw file based on Akiyuki's video and creating most of the instruction steps. After building the module, I made a some changes: The entire output hopper needs to be tipped sideways to allow the balls to flow properly. The hopper is already hinged on the front, but figuring how to support it on the back without screwing anything else up took a while because there are no views of the module from the back. The chevrons in the output hopper which are made of cheese slopes did not fit. This is an example wherein everything looks fine in CAD but doesn't work at all in real life. The chevrons fit so tight that the whole assembly exploded and threw parts all over the room. I had to do some SNOT work with headlights to make it work. I can't be sure that this is how Akiyuki did it, but I suspect it is since it works perfectly. The spiral tower would simply pop off if you tried to pick up the module. I added some additional external supports which required moving some parts around. Now that I look closely, I see that my render shows the old version. The instructions contain the updated version. The spiral lift turned backward so I had to change some gears around. The balls tended to get jammed at the input of the spiral lift and sometimes even resulted in damage. I removed one of the 2x3 slopes and replaced it will cheese slopes and that seemed to solve the problem. This is an unusual model in that the most interesting part of it is not the middle but rather the output hopper. The balls follow a 5 direction path in the output hopper: roll down a long ramp across a half pipe roll down a lateral slope roll backward down to the half pipe roll along the length of the half pipe roll down and output ramp It's quite fun to watch the balls do their dance in the output. Occasionally there will be a collision, but this doesn't hurt anything. Another unique aspect of this model is that it is modular. The input ramp, the spiral lift, the steps, and the output can all be easily disconnected with a couple of red pins. There is a little of timing to set. The 3 lobes on the crankshaft are all aligned to lift the balls at the same time. The counterweight needs to be 180 degrees out of phase with them as shown in the instructions. Finally, the output of the spiral lift should be timed to drop a ball when the lifts are down. The module will still work if you don't do this, but it looks messy because balls can pile up in the transfer ramp. I was worried about the rigidity of this module because it does not have a double railed frame. It is actually reasonably sturdy but the best way to move it around is to separate some of the modules.

If it uses Bluetooth it would still have to come with a transmitter. I don't think LEGO could expect everyone to have a compatible device to control it, and this would also make it impossible to control in the future when such devices cease to exist.

Actually, you are right it would make a great GBC! Just have the balls drop into a curved hopped and this picks them up and drops them off at the end of the conveyor!

This thing is huge. I can't say that I've ever seen a crane on a tractor, but with those parts any number of other rear implements could be built. I think I will be using those tires on the back of Jurgen Krooshoop's backhoe!

It is kind of amazing that this amazing model is the SMALL model from 2H02016! The Technic product offerings have really started to gravitate toward the adult market. Thanks LEGO!

I shat myself.

There is a little bit. It would be very nice to see all those blue pins in black and if those bushings on the paddles were not yellow.

Holy buckets. This is a whole new paradigm for Technic cars. In the beginning, the supercars were just a chassis, then a simple body was added with 8865. Over time the bodies became more accurate and used more panels and flex elements, but Technic cars were still mostly "suggested" with lots of holes in the bodywork. This is the first time I have seen a nearly filled supercar body. It is incredibly accurate and instantly recognizable. The new deep dish wheel are an obvious improvement and may have a realistic kingpin axis inside the wheel. This would be almost required for them to steer inside the awesome new solid wheel arches. I don't see any obvious evidence of Power Functions, and that would actually be just fine with me. I'd rather see the complexity than motorization. There appears to be a center shifter as well as working paddle shifters on the steering column. I hope that they decide to make the interior something other than black. With a black exterior and interior the seats almost disappear and are hard to see.