DLuders

@ Ape Fight: From the PowerFunctions.Lego.com Frequently-Asked Questions (FAQ): Question #2: "How many Power Functions Motors can I drive from one Power Functions Battery Box?" Answer #2: "As a rule of thumb, you can drive 2 Power Functions XL-Motors, 3 Power Functions Train Motors or 4 Power Functions M-Motors at the same time from one Power Functions Battery Box. If you wish to run a combination of motors, you can e.g. have 1 XL and 2 M running together. The XL-Motor requires about twice as much power as the M-Motor. The Battery Boxes and the IR Receiver have overload protection, so attempting to drive too many motors will not damage anything. The power a motor consumes depends on what function the motor is performing. Motors will operate best when driving a small load." Question #11: "What is the battery lifetime for the Power Functions system elements?" Answer #11: "In general battery lifetime will strongly depend on use. In heavy loaded models with more XL Motors and M Motors (e.g. the 8275 – Motorized Bulldozer) you will have around 4 hours drive time with the 8881 Power Functions AA Battery Box. The Power Functions AAA Battery Box is used for less demanding tasks. With a Train Motor or 2 M Motors the drive time will be around 4 hours. For a good rechargeable solution we suggest 8878 Power Functions Rechargeable Battery Box. This rechargeable battery box has the exact same size as the Power Functions AAA Battery Box and they can be interchanged directly." Question #12: "What happens when the Power Functions overload protection kicks in?" Answer #12: "Overload protection is activated when too much power is consumed from either a Power Functions Battery Box or the IR Receiver. This can happen when a motor is blocked or when too many motors are running at the same time. If overload protection is activated, the Battery Box or the IR Receiver will cut off power to the output until power consumption has dropped under the allowed value. To regain power, unblock the motor or disconnect motors from the output – then turn the Battery Box OFF and ON again. Under overload protection, the green light on the Power Functions Battery Box will still be ON." Philo's "LEGO 9V Technic Motor Comparised Characteristics" webpage shows how many amps the Power Functions (PF) XL and FP Medium Motors draw when loaded.

@ Yoraish: I opened your latest LDD Gearbox .lxf file, and twirled it around to see the various gears at the best angle. I see that there is room to insert two Technic Bushes (pictured below) on each of the two 10L axles coming from the center of the two PF XL motors. If you add these Technic Bushes to your real gearbox model, the 16-tooth (16z) gears won't have a chance to slide down the axle, and it will be forced "tight" against the Technic Liftarm. There is also room to insert a Technic Bush on the underside of the gearbox, on the 6L Axle that is between the two 20-tooth (20Z) Double-Bevel Gears. You have an advantage in that you have the PHYSICAL MODEL in your hands, and it's easier to see what's going on with the gears than it is viewing it in LDD. If there are any other "exposed" axles, add additional Technic Bushes so that the adjacent gears and Liftarms do not slide or flex.

@ Montage: There is a lot of information about Lego Digital Designer in this Eurobricks LDD Index topic. Look for the "Software Downloads" portion to get the software. SR 3D Builder is BETTER for complex Lego Technic designs, but it has a steeper learning curve. It is discussed on this Eurobricks topic by xSergio74, the author of SR 3D.

Is any Lego TECHNIC AFOL on this forum going to AFOLCON this coming weekend (April 29 - May 1, 2011)? It's going to held in Manchester, England, at the MOSI (Museum of Science and Industry). There has been some discussion about it on this post, but I didn't know if the Technic folks knew about it. One can't have an event at a "Science" venue without Even if you don't have the time or money to official register, it may be interesting to visit for a few hours: Museum of Science & Industry Liverpool Road Castlefield Manchester M3 4FP Printable Location Map and Printable Site Map.

Nice review of the 8042 set! Brickset has only two (short) reviews so far for it, so if you could add a hyperlink on Brickset to your Eurobricks post above, folks could get access to your excellent work!

On his Flickr photostream, BobBongo posted 7 pictures of his "Prototype of full RC heavy duty boom: * 1 XL PF motor to raise lift arm * 1 XL PF Motor to move big boom * 1 M PF Motor to move the small boom -This motor is moving inside the big boom." I wonder what he is going to mount THIS on....

On his Flickr photoset, BricksOnWheels posted 9 pictures of his Lego Peterbilt 379 Refrigeration Truck Combination. He wrote, "After my last big 1:13 build I wanted to do a full combo in 1:16 with PF functions. A custom reefer combo was on my list for a while, so here it is: A Peterbilt 379 Exhd, with a Great Dane reefer trailer with Thermoking unit. The tractor has two engines, and is geared down quite a lot to pull the trailer. Every time I try to detail more, and a lot of work has gone into this one. Chromed engine on top of the PF steering system, and a lot of chrome more to make it real. I must be related to a magpie to love all that bling :-) Well a picture says more than a thousand words.. hope you like it!" "The sleeper houses the battery box, and receiver, which just pops out of the roof. Between the fuel tans is the XL Power functions engine to drive both the rear axles....On top of the PF steering system (seperate engine) i tried to replicate the real engine as much as possible, though there was little space availlable underneeth. The chassis chromed out, as is the engine": "Easter brings beautiful weather in The Netherlands, so i took my new Peterbilt Reefer Combo out in the garden for a few pictures....Sometimes people ask me if i have an insurance on my Lego... well yes I have, and here he is: Mario our Maine Coon cat. He is quite big (just imagine that the truck is about 1.5 meters) and scales around 8 kg."

LegoKiwi/ Nicholas Carter/ CarterandCoProducts posted this of a Lego Technic 8265 Extreme Offroader with Power Functions. He also posted the single picture below on his Flickr photostream.

On his Flickr photoset, Konajra posted 6 new pictures and states that "I've finished the Apron feeder of the Sandvik PF 300. To my own suprise it is very stable an now the upper platform is connected to the frame of the apron feeder I think that is is capable of carrying the wight of the actual crusher and the hopper. will be continued."

Nice design!

You need a 60656 "Electric, Power Functions Extension Wire with one Light Bluish Gray End (length 20cm)." The Light Bluish Gray end of the wire connects onto the electrified plate on the RC motor, and the Dark Bluish Gray end connects to the Power Functions Receiver. The Receiver's wire (in turn) snaps onto the Power Functions (PF) Battery Box. You can also get the part from Shop.Lego.com ( 8 inch version and 20 inch version) . I just confirmed the arrangement described above with the parts I have, and it works great.

@ SNIPE: No, the 4-ball-joint Lego Technic Steering arm is not sold separately, but perhaps there are other Technic Steering elements that you COULD get that would do what you want to do.

@ SNIPE: I don't have any 9244a "Technic, Universal Joint, Old Style" parts on hand, but I would imagine that they would work just as well as the Light Bluish Grey 3L and 4L Technic Universal Joints noted above. Again in my basement, I looked at the two different pieces that comprise the Technic Steering element. The yellow part does not separate easily from the black part, but I could see that a Universal Joint could fit in the central hole of the yellow part. You may have to DRILL OUT or CUT OFF the black part to separate the pieces. I did not feel like destroying one of my Technic Steering elements, so YOU will have to do it.

There is another possibility for a counterweight. One could use one or more of the Technic Bricks below (stacked one on top of another), with the open pin holes PLUGGED with 4073 1x1 Round Plates placed on the INSIDE. Appropriately-sized Plates can be placed on the top and bottom of the Technic Brick stack. Then, one can fill the interior of the stack with sand, gravel, or other heavy material. The Technic Bricks offer many points to attach things. 32324 "Technic, Brick 4 x 4 Open Center": 40344 "Technic, Brick 4 x 6 Open Center": 40345 "Technic, Brick 6 x 8 Open Center":

Thirdwig/ thirdwigg posted this of "Another quick little Lego project to see what can be done in a smaller space....Model of JCB 930, with working rear engine, front wheel drive, rear steering with pendular suspension, working fork tilt and dual stage lift.... Worm gear drives the two-stage lift, which is controlled from wheel on the right.14 BIG pictures at http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=469947 .

Case IH AxialFlow 9120 Combine Harvester -- ["The model is built by Martin Nygaard from Denmark, member of the Danish LUG "Byggepladen.dk". The model is the new stuff at Pjaltenborg AgriTech machinery. It's 1:20 [scale] so it fits the 8284-tractor and my JCB Fastrack. It contains 11 motors, 6 PF lights, 4 receivers and 3 battery boxes (1 in use and 2 for counterweight)....The key was given to Pjaltenborg AgriTechs owner Martin Nygaard the 8th April....This is my first serious MOC as TFOL, and was exhibited the model at "Klodsfest" in Vejle, Denmark. 2011. * 4x M for pneumatic valve * 1x M for pneumatic pump * 1x M for Fake engine * 2x for the cutting board (lifting and rotating) * 1x M for steering * 2x XL for drive Youtube video: ." 30 pictures on martinnygaard's Brickshelf gallery: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=469203 .

lilbuggers3 posted this fun, stop-motion of "A lego demolition derby using stop motion animation and Lego Racers."

RohanBeckett posted this of his completed Mini Moke II:

Milan is correct. The GBC was built by Akiyuki and not by Prinoth.

gerardhogenhaut posted this of "a forklift-trailer combination, both in yellow. All functions are remotely controlled, except the 3rd function on the trailer." The tractor-trailer combination can drive around, and the trailer has automated drop-sides. The forklift has a two-section boom with leanback/ lean-forward capability. The combination uses:* 2 ea. Power Functions (PF) XL motors * 2 ea. PF Medium motors * 3 ea. PF Infrared (IR) Receivers * 3 ea. PF Switches * 1 ea. PF Extension Cable * 3 ea. PF Light-Emitting Diodes (LEDs) * 2 ea. Battery Boxes The first half of the video features the trailer, and the (better) 2nd half features the forklift.

TheLegoLG also posted this of a Lego Solar Technic contraption, in which he "used the Set 9688 of Lego Education to build this."

Prinoth posted this YouTube video of his AWESOME GREAT BALL CONTRAPTION (GBC) made from various Lego Technic and Mindstorms elements. I like the overhead crane with its huge grabber buckets! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5T0pe0tTVNM

TheLegoLG (Laurens Gauwloos) posted this of his Lego Technic "Fly Simulator". It uses:- One black (RC) motor - One Lego Power Functions (PF) Infrared (IR) Receiver - One IR Remote Controller - One 20-inch PF Extension Wire - One standard PF Battery Box More videos of his clever contraptions appear on his website http://www.legotechnics.webs.com . He also posted of a Lego Technic "Car with 3 Propellers". It uses the rare 89509 "Propeller 1 Blade 14L with Two Pin Holes and Four Axles" part.

@ SNIPE: Yes, one-half of the HUB of the Universal Joint spins freely inside the depressed "cup" of the right part of the Technic Steering element pictured above. When I say 1/2 of the "hub", I mean 1/2 of the portion of the Universal Joint that looks like a regular Technic Bush: ADDITIONAL NOTE: There is no way to pass an axle completely through the center of the Technic Steering element to connect to the Universal Joint end that is inside the central "cup" of the right end of the black portion.

@ SNIPE: In my basement, I just grabbed the second Technic Steering element (x873c01) that you listed (and which is pictured below). No, a Universal Joint does not fit through it. As Ape Fight noted, the black end facing to the left can hold the SHORT END of a 32002 3/4 Technic Pin before it cannot go any further. The other (right) black end can accept 1/2 of the HUB of a 62520 3L Universal Joint before it too cannot go any deeper. I don't have the first, RC-style Technic Steering element you listed.