RohanBeckett

@Maico I know - I was trying to be very tactful - as I know a lot the layouts you attend have a lot of the same - and the stackable modules are very neat - although I will admit that I will skip that part of the video, rather than wait for the ball to traverse 400 steps ;) Don't be so hard on yourself - you have created a lot of very good modules - I point a lot of people who are new to GBC's at them, as they are robust, reliable, easy to build, and easy to modify! Only yesterday, I was chatting to a fellow IT Administrator near me, and he recognised my name from in here (he's only a lurker! :) and I suggested he try a few of yours, to get a feel for building them. He had been trying to tackle the Ball Factory as his very first module - not something I recommended!! Akiyuki modules are amazing - but it's just as boring if you see 20 Lift-Trigger-Stuck-Ball modules in a row too! I'm amazed at how many shows you do all around Europe! how do you travel around so much??

haha.. good to see my comment has borne fruit! ;) Yes.. I agree.. it does look a bit complex... but I might try building it soon to see how it works!

great book... still feels weird to read/say 'studfull' rather than studded :)

Oh.. I'm well aware you have made a lot of very original modules... and I'm always in awe of those who can put on 100+ module layouts - I know full well the work that goes into large layout.. having participated in many over the years.. and I also know, that GBC workshops that many Lego conventions hold, are really great at getting kids interested in this weird sub-niche of lego building that we love! :) Thus, I know the reasons why you often see 20 of the same module... But I guess.. I just got a bit 'meh' when I see another record that has more than 20% of the same module repeated in my humble quick opinion (and not something I've thought long and hard about!) but a 'great' new GBC record would be a large amount of participants... 90% original/unique modules... so yes.. allowing for some duplicates with minor decoration changes... but not 40 of the same one. and I agree fully.. it's a very hard thing to define - and I don't think you'd ever get everyone to agree anyway.. I have also spent the last few weeks going though all my existing modules, and fixing/improving/refreshing them... quite a few worn gears/axles to replace!

Come to Brickvention in Melbourne! it's not that far away! ;) Lasse: Hope you're not just building 10 identical modules!! I'd love to see an alternate record for GBC layouts, that only could unique modules :)

looks good! if anything, I'd be more worried about the steel slowly cutting through the plastic outer piping - if the mechanism is operated with too much force! :)

also good.. I built the loader... but could never get it, or the cart working reliably.... it always seemed like the cart + M motor were underpowered, or straining too much to drive the whole loader mechanism and I did go over it for many hours.. swapping parts.. ensuring everything was loose, and friction-free as possible I even roughed-up the tops of a couple of lengths of track, in an attempt to give the wheels more grip!

Geneva Drive? :)

I build GBC's (Great Ball Contraptions)... so I like mine being mains-powered, with a single motor driving all mechanical functions (per GBC), and some nice old 9v Train controllers, to easily fine-tune the speed... handy to dial it down a notch

Reading between the lines, I reckon the external boost motor has a way of working in reverse - you can turn the motor, and use it as a control-dial

as much as I'd love to have another source of GBC balls.. I have a hunch that these will be rubber ones

Wedo is aimed at educational markets.. like all previous Dacta/Lego Educational kits, it's targeted *very much* towards the classroom, with Teacher guides, Lesson plans, etc... and while the Wedo models are fun, they are a lot less complex than any of the Boost models, as they are designed to fit within a 1-1.5hr classroom lesson. Boost on the other hand, while much the same concept is definitely aimed at the general consumer/households.. and while I think the main brick *could* have been a bit smaller.. 2 independant motors onboard is pretty nifty.. would be nice if they bring out different sensors in the future - some sort of expansion pack...

Not sure why a MOC builder couldn't use this in their model... 2 internal motors are perfect for tanks... or driving two rear wheels.. and the 3rd for steering Also remember that the Boost brick/hub is useless without a tablet... unlike mindstorms, NO programming is stored inside the brick, that can run independently later... the code/program stays on the tablet, and each command is sent via Bluetooth at runtime It's not a Mindstorms replacement... but it's a great introduction to programming for kids, who are a bit too young for mindstorms. I believe the app is only available for tablets, not phones.. and there is no PC/Mac version at all.. I think this is a design choice by Lego, as the Wedo2 Educational pack (which is VERY similar to boost) has software that runs on Windows Probably due to the fact that most households these days, that have a device for their children, will have a tablet, rather than a laptop

on of my larger GBC's has a looooong loop of chain, with a single Track piece.. and it has hauled a truck back and forth for many, many hours/days! around the 2:45mark you can see a close up of how I attached the liftarm to the tread... the technic hole is a snug fit, and does not come out easily

Good stuff! a great GBC is never finished - there's always room for tinkering, and improvements! :)

Glad people are enjoying it... makes it all worthwhile, the time it takes to reverse engineer! That Akiyuki style one looks just as I'd imagine! very nice!

Go to the Akiyuki GBC thread: and scroll down to the Ball Factory topic that particular GBC has LOTS of examples of motion/movement like this. plenty of videos, LDD files, and PDF's to help you out

Welcome Yashuhiko! Thanks for the comments.. it was a fun challenge to build, and recreate it. I definitely understand that this was your 'version 1', and can see where improvements could be done... looking forward to version 2 Having a strong, reliable input hopper, that feeds well, and never jams, makes all the difference to a good GBC Also: @mocbuild101 - you crazy... you've only been a member since April, and you've matched my post count... and I've been here for 8 years!! :)

Very nice! always great to see Lego integrated into 'real world' objects. Even the slight shuddering of the ball makes a very nice pattern as it spirals around. Are you able to program it to do different patterns/shapes? spirograph style... or even writing letters!!

Well, I was amazed by this GBC, when I first saw it last year, and decided to try to reverse engineer it. Thanks to a few good pictures from the creator: ykuramata05, I started work on it... That was over 6 months ago.. and I got stumped on a few bits.. so it got put aside Finally had a clear workbench the other week, so decided to get back to it, and managed to finish it off.. funnily enough - 2 other builders - @alanburchill and @Courbet had decided to tackle it at the same time! I will say it is 95% true to the original creation.. I only needed to change a few minor things - I added a Clutch gear in, just before the pot-stirrer, as I had a couple of times where balls jammed in there I also believe that I don't have something right, as the 'shutter' rising up and down the picker column, hits the output chute from the ball input.. it touches it slightly.. but so far, doesn't seem to affect the machine too much it seems to be quite reliable too - 1 ball dropped every few hundred, maybe? and sometimes, it doesn't pick up a ball.. but the next arm around will get it, and any build-up of balls will be cleared very quickly the input bin doesn't seem to like a full dump of 30 balls.. but is fine with 10-20 in there I also took this opportunity to have a good play with Bricklink's Stud.io editor.. and have enjoyed using it.. Therefore, there is now a digital file of this GBC: Stud.io Format: http://bricksafe.com/files/rbeckett/gbc-stuff/eggprocessgbc/GBC Egg Process Machine.io LDraw: (export from Stud.io - hope it's OK!) http://bricksafe.com/files/rbeckett/gbc-stuff/eggprocessgbc/GBC Egg Process Machine.ldr @Courbet has generously offered to create instructions for this - so hopefully he will add to this thread, when done! :) Stud.io reports that this model uses 635 bricks, and apparently will cost $75USD to build! I should probably buy a few Angry Birds Lego sets to decorate it!!! :D

It's not an Akiyuki module, so I don't see the need to copycat his ones... as Courbet said.. it's GBC standard, with input/output height, and 1BPS Finishing up the digital file right now... will post a thread on it tomorrow, with video, pics, and the digital file @Courbet has generously offered to convert it to step-by-step instructions. Also thanks to @alanburchill who assisted with the scoop section.. the last bit which had me stumped

I picked up 8425 Black Hawk + instructions in a bulk lot last year.. But I was too busy to build it - the parts just went into my main collection last week my 7yr old son found the instructions, and decided he wanted to build it... so he did! Took him 3 mornings, before school... but he did it! only had to help him, in a couple of steps, where he'd misplaced a part, and things didn't line up.. but overall he did very well, with the older, harder instructions! I'd never built this set before, so it was great to see it for the first time.. not a bad little Aeroplane

as I've mentioned before.. it's a consumer version of the Educational WeDo2 kit (with different core brick) It's not mindstorms.. but it's an excellent starter in robotics/programming for it's intended age: 7-12 If you are older than that, you naturally might find it a bit basic :) but Australian RRP looks to be $250.. which is a lot less than Mindstorms 499

and it won't... until it's released.. and several people sit down and catalog it, and verify colours/parts...

hah.. I was just looking it up too.. not due in Australia until 1st Oct.. and it's AUD$249 :(