F0NIX

Well, I had just packed down all my trains for a exhibition here in my Town. So I had to make one quickly with the stuff I had left :) I think that a heavier train will not stop that fast and you either have to go slow or make the stopping mechanism somewhat different than what I did... The stopping mechanism could be made so that only works in one direction and that they are somewhat spring-loaded sideways so they will give in if the train is coming too fast and cant stop before it has passed the sopping mechanism even if the train motor has reversed its direction. I'll try to test that mechanism I am seeing in my head when I was writing this :) And the switch on the train can be hidden away underneath the train with some bricks and just leave a small horizontal slot for the arm to come out.

What do you mean by "position sensor"? Do you think of using a proximity sensor of some kind? (touch, ultrasound or light is the only ones I know LEGO is making). See this thread about another system you can use to control many train on the same track and make rules from when a selected train is getting to a selected point on the track. Like shifting only the passenger train into the sidetrack for the station and let the cargo train pass. And all without any train crashing :)

Well, I just went ahead as I usualy do when an interesting topic with a challenge arrives: I just build a test. And it works! :D And as I said, the challenge is to mount the switch so the train does not derail or the switch-mount breaks off. Here is a quick and dirty video of the test: http://youtu.be/HKce17Wszlg Another thing is speed, too much speed and the train will derail. You may have to set an identical swith on the other side just to balance it out. No need for this to be connected, it may be there only to balance out the force of the thing hitting the switch on one side of the train and pushing it over as the switch come into an angle and are pointing more backwards.

I have not seen any, but that does not mean it is impossible (also see my signature). The challenge as I see it is to mount it in a way that does not derail the train. The PF polarity switch is a bit harder to turn than the 4,5v switch. Well, it may be that my 4,5v boxes are well used ;) I can make a quick test here if you like? I already see different solutions to this. This is one of the fun thing with LEGO, you can build and test it. If it does not work, you just rebuild it and test until it works :)

Yes it is possible. You need PF polarity switch: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=bb339c01 and you can buy it as a separate part from LEGO with set number 8869 and it is also a part in the "Power Functions Motor Set" 8293 Then you put this between the motor and the PF receiver. You may have to put on a technic axle or some mechanical stuff to get the switch to turn over.

I absolutely think it is worth the money. You can start low and build on it so you can get the functions you wants. You can start with the base system with just the controller and one train transmitter. Then you can add more train transmitters later. And after that you can add the positioning system to be able to see the track and make things happen based on where the trains are. I have also added the mobile license to be able to control it from the iPad. I have for long time tried to make an automation system for LEGO trains with LEGO Mindstorms. I tried different techniques to identify the trains from each other so I could send ONLY the passenger train into the station and not the cargo train. But those system was either going too big and ruin the design of the trains or they was too slow and not stable enough. I tried using barcodes that was read by a lightsensor on the side of the track. But the barcodes had to be big to be able to read them in high speed. They needed to be inside a tunnel or something that shielded them from other lights to make the reading more reliable. You could have the lightsensor below the track but then the track had to be elevated and still inside a tunnel. I also tried the LEGO RFID system but it also was too slow and I had to go really close with the reader to get an ID from the train. Could only get stable reading on speed 2 on the trains... You can make an automation for trains without identifying the trains and just make things happens each a train passes a specific point on the track. But that was no fun for me and not what I was looking for. The GamesOnTrack system have all the functions I was looking for and more :) My next step would probably expanding with more satellite receivers and more servo/light signal controller in the future. Then it can handle even larger layouts.

Anyone else than me that have got this system? I got it just a few days ago and even if I had watched all the movies on YouTube that show how easy it is to set up, I was very surprised over how easy it actually was to set up. I don't have a lot of room here at home and the train layout will not be up permanent and it will change often and it will be small. But I also want to take this system with me on exhibitions for larger layouts. I have now 3 satellite receivers, 4 train transmitters (for controlling the trains), one servo controller that control two turnout servo-switches and two signal points (each with one green and one red led). I have already got so far that I have set up my first automation that run the passenger train into the "station-area" and stop it there for 15 seconds before it continues while other trains can run around free. And they will never crash :) I have just put up a crappy video of my first test:

Thanx for the comments! I see this vehicle more like a one-seater sportcar. Its not a cargo hauler or passenger transport. It's just for fun that Benny like driving around in circles and using fuel :D

Hello, long time since I have posted something in Eurobricks at all. And this subforum is not the place I visit too often... But anyways, I have bought the LEGO set 70816 Benny's Spaceship, Spaceship, SPACESHIP! and it was a fun build and I like the model. It was my brother that had many LEGO set from the space theme, I was more of the Technic guy in my childhood. But I still like the classic space theme. About a week from now the "LEGO Build The Change" event will start in many cities in Norway. Here in my town we are a few members of Brikkelauget that will have a little exhibition with diffrent MOC's and original LEGO sets. The theme for this year is Transport and Communication. So a big spaceport with classic space is going to be a part of the exhibition. To keep small fingers from small visitors away from our models it is very nice to have a train running around on a track on the outside where the models are. So what kind of train goes outside a spaceport? And what kind of bricks did I have to make this? It had to be in the Classic Space colors, but I don't have much trans yellow except what was in the 70816 set. So then I set the challenge for myself: make a train out of the parts from only that set. I only added train wheels, PF trainmotor, PF receiver and a PF batterybox. And a few hours later this was the result: More pictures can bee seen here: It has a very low Q-value to be a creation from me. Especially the front part is not very secure. I hope you like the creation :)

Old thread, but I make a new reply here anyway. I have now tested the LEGO RFID sensor and keyfob (transponders) with the Mindstorm NXT and a PF train. My goal was to do what some here want to do: make a automatic train control system based on type of train where the type is set by which transponder id the train has. I have made a simple program that just make a sound when the correct RFID is read and then goes back to constantly read for new RFID. Just for the test I have mounted the transponder on the side of the train with just a technic friction pin so it hangs flat on the side. The sensor is mounted on a platform on the side of the track so that the transponder almost touch the sensor when it passes (have tried with different distances too). The train is just the locomotive from the LEGO set "7939: Cargo Train" with just one PF trainmotor, no wagons and fresh batteries. But the problem is that I can't get it to read the stable at speed 3, have to put on some heavy wagons to slow it down or set it to speed 2 to get a stable reading. I have tried taking of the housing of the sensor so the coil is under 1mm from the transponder. I have found out that the transpoders black side (at least on the three transponders I have testet) towards the sensor gives best result. Also having the center of the transponder passing exactly over the ferrite core (the black rod you can see inside the housing, that goes through a coil), gives best result. Maybe the NXT brick is too slow to read it any faster? I use the latest LEGO firmware on the NXT and the NXT-G program to make the code. But maybe there are other firmwares/programs that can make it read faster? I also have an Mindstorm EV3 but cant find any driver for the RFID sensor. Anyone knows how to fix that?

My first large set was 10030 ISD. First I was impressed of the HUGE (and heavy) box the set came in, and then I opened it and found four new boxes that was still huge compared to other sets I had built at the time. After that I can't say I get surprised by large a large box for any sets :)

I've got mine a few hours ago! And I have now built the first floor. Lots of details in this building, that's for sure! :) I have not seen anyone mentioned it before but there is a mosaic in front of the restaurant, but is is mostly hidden by the furniture outside. It says CHEZ in tan letters :) I love all the details on the kitchen. Now a few hours sleep and then I build the rest :)

Nice micro model! My first thought was that this was a micro version of Cecilie's Winter Mountain Village MOC :)

Well, my opinion is that the GE looks better when it is larger. So adding a few floors or making a mod with a straight building or maybe a combination? Just look at this : http://brikkelauget.no/diskusjon/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=1705 (the comments is in Norwegian only since it is on the Norwegian LUG forum). Other buildings also looks good in large format, like Cafe Corner, Fire Brigade and Town Hall. That is the nice things about those modular buildings, you can modify them by just adding a floor or two. I have two of the Palace Cinema and modified both of them. One are built mirrored, and I have removed the wall between them and removed one staircase. That is possible to do with just the parts in those two sets. But I did some more refinements too them. I will make a post of the modification when I have taken some pictures of the buildings, and show what other modifications I have made.

I was opening a box of Collectable Minifigures series 11 and got 6 policemen. And it struck me that they look a bit mad.... I wonder why? Has someone upset them? Hope this image does not upset anyone else than those policemen :)

Really nice design! I have tinkered with the idea of street lights some time myself. But I have used non-LEGO lights elements. I think those PF LED's give of too much blue light and does not look very realistic. But the design of the lamp-post itself is very good. Has anyone tried to change the led inside the LEGO PF-LED with ones with warm white light LED?

That is really nice! But I would have turned the 1st floor around so the balcony was in the back towards the garden. Well, if you build many of those you can vary and have some with the balcony this way and some with the balcony the other way. And as the others say, it would be nice with a lot of those building in a street :) Do you plan to build this in other colors too?

Fantastic house! I love the work on the interior as well. You wrote "The house is built in the modular style", does that mean it would fit together with another modular house like Café Corner on two sides? Or is it "modular" because you can lift out each floor?

Love this creation! Just stunning work! Now I'm sure the new MOC i'm thinking of will be possible. It also have a lot of strange angles on the walls. And I also spot a nice solution for the terrain around it. Good work!

I agree it is nice to see it from all angels. Even better to see it live. I did see it live at the LEGO Norge's 50 years anniversary "Bli Med Å Bygge Landet" event at Fornebu (Oslo) in 2012 where Brikkelauget had a large layout. And you are absolutely correct, they said "hundre tusen brikker" that means hundred thousand bricks. :)

Well, actually that was the point of it. Like a "bridge" (pun intended) between the new and the old buildings design by having a design that is put in the timescale between those to different designs of the two buildings the bridge connected. I was thinking that the Grand Emporium had an early 1900-design, and the new building with glass and steel is designed to be in the 1990-2000 era, and the bridge to be somewhere between those two. I agree that white tape would have looked a lot better. But I am a bit purist and like to do things with bricks instead of "cheating" with non-LEGO stuff. For instance I made the stickers on the windows on the Kirkegårdsvegen 14 and 16 out of leftovers from a used LEGO sticker sheet. Thus it is still LEGO :) Back to the road; I think it would have looked better if I have just used some math to it to make the curves. On the model I just made it free handed and by "eyesight" (or whatever it is called in Englsh when you just measure something with your eyes). I would have love to see some else try to build a modular house that could fit together with the original modular houses from LEGO but with an odd shape of the ground floor seen from above. Has someone else tried it?

Gahrian: this is an awesome ship! And even if you take really good pictures, it was much better to see it live at the "Bli med å bygge landet"-event at Fornebu, Oslo in 2012. I was not able to get any goo pictures of it. Too bad it is going to be dismantled. But now you have a lot of pieces in that color scheme so maybe we will see a smaller ship from you in the future? :)

Ok, no one has explained this the technical way, so here I go: An IR control system has an IR-transmitter and a IR-Receiver. The IR-transmitter has a infrared light emitter diode (IR-LED). The light has an wavelength just out of the range for what an human eye can see. If you try to point the IR-transmitter towards an digital camera, like on a smart phone, you can see the light pulses on the screen when you activate the sender (does work on iPhone 4 but the light is very dim, show up much brighter on other phones or cameras). The pulses has a frequency. The pulses make a string of 1 and 0, like in a binary code. The 1 can be light on and 0 is the light off (or the other way around). Each IR control system operates in different frequencies and set of codes. That is why the TV-remote does not affect the PF-trains. The code has to be exact for the receiver to accept it as a command to do something. And because the IR-transmitter is a light source, the receiver have to "see" that light from the transmitter to understand the code. Thus it would work if the light bounces back from a wall or an object. The light is pretty weak so it has only a short range. The range can be extended with some tweaking of the IR LED driver. I have not tried that on a LEGO controller, but have manage to do it on a TV-remote. Both the old 7897/7898 trains and the newer PF-trains uses IR controllers. But it seems that they operates on different codes or frequencies and are not compatible. I don't have the right equipment right now to record the codes to see what the differences are, but I may do that in the future (if not someone else already has done it?). And back to the first question: can the power from the 7897 box be used to power an PF receiver. The answer is sadly: NO. I have both types of train and I have opened mine (completely) and I can't see any way to transfer the power without any physical modifications. Well, you can just squeeze in some leads between the battery poles at the top of the original battery box and attach them to the PF receiver power plug. But then you have to modify a PF wire. I have just tried to connect the PF receiver to the motor connector on the old 7897/7898 receiver box with a PF-9V extender cable, and then turn on the old receiver and put it on full speed. But it does not work. I tried "driving" the old controller at full speed both ways. I can see there is power out of the old receiver since the light is turning on and off on the 9V light. The PF receiver does not work with an old 9V battery box either (trough an PF-9v cable). So it seems the PF Receiver has to get power on other pairs of wires than the PF-9V extender cables gives out on the 9V side. So some modifications to the cable or other components has to be done to get this working. The motor on the old 7897/7898 trains can be used together with PF systems. You just need to have the PF-9V extender cable between the motor and PF-receiver to get it to work. Hope this was understandable, with my poor English gibberish :)

Here is one that sell standard LEGO lamp posts with light bulb (using 6-12v AC or DC). http://www.blokbricks.com/contents/en-us/p161.html I have seen those at last years (2012) LEGO Fan Weekend in Skærbæk. They look really nice and have a very natural glow since they are made with micro light bulbs and not LED. Since they are normal light bulbs and not LED they can use AC or DC voltage and when using DC it does not matter which way you connect them and makes it easier to connect many of them together. I am not sure how much heat they give of and if that heat can damage the transparent minifig head over years of use. And I am also afraid that those bulbs are a bit more fragile than the LED. You may have to handle them carefully when they are lit and a short time after they are turned off until they have cooled down because of the way the light bulbs are made. But they are used on toy trains so they can handle some small vibrations at least. LED's can handle a lot of force and will probably take more force than a normal LEGO brick would handle before they brakes :)

Well there is an easy way: buy some lamp post from Brickforge, as they come in two parts (at least they did before) and are hollow. http://www.brickforge.com/store/search.php?mode=search&page=1 Then you buy some lights from Lifelites. They come attached with cables and plug: http://lifelites.com/products/261 I'm not sure how bright those Lifelites LED are since there are no data on them on the webpage.