Jetro

Have you been able to test with a Powered Up hub to see if it advertises in the same way? Does the whole localName change or only a section of the localName? Is the localName the only piece of code that is advertised or are there other chunks of data that might indicate a hub type? So far we have WeDo, Boost and Powered Up hbs and no matter how I change my WeDo or Boost hub name, the Boost app will never detect a WeDo hub the WeDo app doesn't "see" the Boost hub either.

I love the fact that you've been able to create your own app. What's the advantage of your app at this moment? Can you connect to more than one hub?

The only thing that changes when you change the language is the content of the legal notices.

@TrainDragon love those pics. Thanks!

Thanks. I hadn't realised Jorge had identified the chip and I was hoping you had opened up a unit :D

Thanks for the breakdown! Did you post Boost pictures on EB? I can't seem to find any.

Start building that robot already!!

I hope the article has given you some ideas :) This is the perfect opportunity to ask one of the masters!

The MINDSTORMS team has gone through some dramatic changes (as have many LEGO departments) and the marketing team is brand new. As an anecdote, last year I had the opportunity to interview someone from the Boost team. I had a whole list of technical questions about the platform, but it turned out the person who gave the interview was one of the model designers and didn't know a thing about the technology behind the platform - not even that it was the basically the same technology as the WeDo 2.0 platform. We still had a great interview talking about the model though and I got a chance to play around with the app. Some things you can ask about: 2018 marks the 20th anniversary of LEGO MINDSTORMS. Will there be some kind of celebration? How has MINDSTORMS evolved over the years and what do you think are its strong points? The MINDSTORMS You could also ask about the MINDSTORMS display in the LEGO House, but again, there is a good chance the person(s) doing the interview will know next to nothing about it. I could think of dozens of "good" questions that won't get an answer either, even if they are not about future products, like why the MINDSTORMS Gallery was deleted and replaced by a new dumbed down version (no option for the users to upload building instructions or code). Or why there is no PF > EV3 conversion cable to create at least a basic compatibility between the platforms.

A lot of these questions have answers already or cannot be expected to be answered The EV3 runs a custom Linux firmware. that means *any* Linux compatible programming language can be used to program the brick. There is a more complete Linux firmware available from ev3dev that supports python, C, borland, .... If you are asking about the inclusion of a written language in the programming environment provided by LEGO, that is a conscious decision by the MINDSTORMS team based on the target market of the EV3. Questions on future products will never be answered I/O ports are a matter of design on the one hand and power consumption on the other. Attaching more than 4 motors to a robot means there is not enough battery power available to move them all. (at the same time) Smartphone support is not something that is available for the Ev3 so it's not something they can give a current answer to. Future products are not discussed by LEGO. I'm afraid your question will not get an answer. Questions on future products are never answered by LEGO. As far as they are concerned there is nothing beyond the EV3. Even if there were, they will never breathe a word about it.

Thank you for all the work you keep putting into this project Alban!

If you are a good boy we can bring the Eurobricks Corner back I'm sure we'll work something out for the next issue... Damn Nexoknights - I want my name backl Thanks!

At some point we may have to consider including EB nicks to the articles to know who is who

His second LEGO Ideas house to pass the 10.00 vote barrier was not picked up by LEGO. I doubt he'll submit all of them, but it would be great to see a few more as official sets!

I'm glad you liked it @MAB. We try to offer as wide a variety of topics as possible and when I learned about Six Bricks earlier this year I knew I had to get an article into the magazine.

@ACPin unfortunately I won't be there on Friday, but @lluisgib will be there to represent HispaBrick Magazine.

In this issue of HispaBrick Magazine® we have taken our networking skills to a whole new level: We attended the LEGO Fan Media Days in Billund and met up with over twenty Fan Media representatives. In this edition, you will find a report of that event as well as a number of interviews with LEGO franchises we did during the event. While in Billund, we also ran into Robenanne, the designer of the Old Fishing Shop, and we interviewed him. Richard Jones from The Rambling Brick put together a reconstruction of the conversation we had with Bali Padda for us to publish and Stuck in Plastic have contributed an article about their toy photographers collective. We have also worked closely with Eurobricks to offer a new collaborative section in our magazine and on their forums. But, it’s not only Recognised LEGO Fan Media we have worked with. In collaboration with Kockice we have started another collaborative corner in our magazine and together with their team we are proud to present a Croatian language edition of HispaBrick Magazine 028! This edition also includes articles about education with Six Bricks, reviews, robotics, MOCs and a lot of attention for the new LEGO Boost platform. HispaBrick Magazine is free to download in Spanish, English and Croatian, so get your copy today and spread the word! You can download the magazine here:http://www.hispabrickmagazine.com/en/content/english-hispabrick-magazine-028 )

Not all at once please, but we do appreciate your feedback on our efforts ;D

I hadn't thought about that. Good point. I do keep mine in to keep the seats in the right place. All the more reason now.

Yes it can, but that requires 3 parts instead of one so LEGO naturally chose the more economic option. Additionally I find the pin with pinhole sits a lot tighter than the solution you propose as the clutch power on the pin with pinhole is greater that of the axle pins.

Glad you liked the mod - it was something that really bothered me, not being able to see the mechanism inside. I'm curious about the 3L red axle connector you removed. Would that be the one that is in front of the drive selector? Adding the body makes the whole structure more rigid. That means reducing friction that might come from bending. Of course that applies less if you don't add the wheels and lay the chassis flat on the table. I have a feeling that it may indeed have been deliberate, but not for the reasons they give. If you use the correct sequence with the full body attached (and so practically no view of the mechanism or the engine), it is very hard to see (or feel) you have actually changed gears. If you use the incorrect (official LEGO) order you feel a much clearer difference between gears.

MOD is a big word at this stage, but in addition to the video showing you how to detach the bodywork from the chassis I also made a short video showing how to get to the offending gears and correct the gear sequence, based on the completed stage 1 (chassis):

Thanks for another great solve! I spent several minutes just placing the black double bevel gear fora similar reason. It is very easy to push it too far onto the 5L axle with stop, and because it has a stop, that will lock up the gear as well. Had there not been a stop it would have been a non-issue This is where I run into trouble with alarming frequency: all is well while I pull on the paddle, but as soon as I let go the mechanism will slack and the orange XO beam that connects to the link wil move back up to 30º. As a result sometimes a second red clutch gear is partially engaged, resulting in a clicking noise, or even engaged enough to lock up the engine. Have you found a way to prevent the mechanism from rolling back too far?

Thanks. And the best thing is it only takes a few pins!

Great review Jim, and excellent pictures!! One of my main gripes with this set is the fact that you can't really see any of the mechanics in tg set. It has all been very nicely hidden and there is no way to see it in action after finishing the model. And it will have been so easy. I've made a video to show his, with just a few steps, you can take the bodywork off the chassis to show off the innards.