DrJB

I have the 9V train power box (black with big yellow dial) and wanted to power a PF RC receiver with it, then control 2 motors connected to the PF RC ... Could not get this to work. Anyone aware of this? Is there a workaround?

They're on eBay ... a set of 4, for $100 (includes free shipping from China)

Bienvenue a Bord ...

I did open one. It was tricky, but once you do, it may be put back together by just snapping the parts, no glue there. The one I opened would not run because, there was a lot of magnet powder inside, and the rotor seized. The gear reduction mechanism is fascinating though. It resembles a planetary stage ... will need to take some pics and post them. Edit: Looks like previous post has pics. Reason such motors seize is because 'something' rubs against the magnets and 'powderises' it. I was able to clean mine and reassemble it, works fine now. The trick is, how do you remove magnet powder from a magnet? The answer is simple if you have an old hard drive you're willing to sacrifice. The heads of the drive have a much stronger magnet than that in the lego motor, and of course, such magnet will pull the magnet powder/debris towards it, ie, away from the small magnet in the lego motor. One requirement for such job is ... Small tools, and small fingers. Happy micro-surgery ... But careful though, as the magnet ring is rather 'fragile'.

Great (not) !!! After 8421 and 42009 ... seems like we'll see many more cranes from TLG, ever 5 years, they'll add one axle ... that'll take us all the way to 2033 ... Seriously though, is that a single chassis vehicle or is it articulated in the middle?

Except that you can't run it with chain links ...

Small detail perhaps but nonetheless. With the new differentials and symmetric constructions (drive-shaft in the middle), widths can be only odd numbers, I.e., 17 or 19 ... But not 18.

How did you manage to make such animation/rotation in LDD? On my version of LDD, I can only animate small/simple mechanisms ...

Not to digress but, those PF IR receivers are very 'finicky' ... they won't work when connected to a 9V train power box 2868b ether ...

Very nicely done.

Per Bricklink, looks like the hinge with 3/2 fingers is an alternate. Thus, you should be able to substitute one with another, without any loss in functionality/playability.

Congratulations ... perseverance pays off in the long run. Now, can you share some instructions on how you got it to work?

Check out philo's home page, I believe he has a link to the old RCX software. www.philohome.com

your best bet is to get a cable off bricklink (link in prior post). From my recollection, the end that connects to the spybot uses red light, not infra-red.

Thank you for the update. I got my 9751 connected, but not able to run any software yet. I did buy a serial port card (RS-232 DB9) for my computer as it has only a PCI-Express slot and no on-board RS-232. Next step: Install a virtual machine and load Win98. ... @Jesse Most likely Interface 9750 uses either the old PCI or (even older) ISA slot (see link below) ... those were in use about 20 years ago, which is about the time such lego products came out ... My first computer had both, a long time ago, and I was plenty happy with an 80 MB hard-drive, a 3.5" floppy, and a 386 CPU with a Cirrus Math co-processor (387). This sounds so 'yesterday'. https://www.google.com/search?q=PCI+vs+ISA+slot&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ei=LhT1UtzTIejQyAG3xICgCg&ved=0CDEQsAQ&biw=1326&bih=642 In any event, I hope I can get it to work, where did you get RoboLab Software as the links from the Lego site are no longer valid?

Well, they are 'beasts' for sure ... Lots of power, several functions, and NOT hollow ... Worked on several last year, and got a lot more respect for them ... Especially the drivetrain, dual hydrostatic loops, with 3 pumps, 2 for the left/right tracks, one for the implements, and blades with 4 degrees of freedom. Would be neat to reproduce the drivetrain and the blade functions but one would need pneumatic motors and planetary gears for the final drives ...

Would very much appreciate the list of extra parts for the upgrade as well.

That's a bit my dilemma as well, I do have the 8421 and another older crane. So far not sure what the 42009 brings to the table, except for the new parts. I guess you get to a point where you have so many sets and the 'parts' do not appeal as much. I know I'll regret it few years down the road if I don't get it ... most likely will wait for a TRU sale and grab one ...

The higher the number of 'useful/significant' posts, the higher the rank. Ranks are a measure of 'activity' in the forum.

I guess we haven't had any new set in the US for a while, and I'm considering buying that because there is nothing else ... but really, for $220+Tax, I think it's way overpriced.

The Swing Loader Mk 2 by D3K definitely deserves a spot on this list ... http://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=85320

I've been eyeing such set for a while, but for the content, I can't justify the price tag. My son and I are very much into motors and else, but this set includes only one L motor and one battery box (who needs more?) So, if you have such set, is it really worth it? Are you happy with your purchase, or got bored of it quickly? Edit: I finally managed to get two sets (and I was pondering getting only one) ... for the basic crane then thinking one day opening the 2nd box and building the ultimate version. It'll be a while though as time is a precious commodity lately.

sqrt(2) ???

Having 16 (or more) cylinder brackets should be a 'shameful crime' ... That said, nice build you have here. Any more pictures you can share?

Unfortunately it is not that easy ... If the motors run at constant RPM, no matter what the load is, then putting the PP tires will cause the vehicle to run faster. However, the torque available from the motors goes as 1/RPM i.e. (motors 'should' deliver constant power =RPM×Torque=Constant). There are multiple 'noise factors' in such experiment/reasoning: The PP tires are heavier, may have different footprint/friction/inertia ... As such, it is rather difficult to do very 'clean' comparison between standard 4999 and PP tires. I recall on the actual Power-Puller, one 9V motor was not enough to move the PP, so the instructions showed how to add a second motor, and have both run in parallel.