RohanBeckett

not even a needle.. just a paperclip.. and not that it's a high-value part, but there was no damage at all to the axle :)

I raided bricklink a month or so ago, and got 40+ balls for around 50c each.. but there's not many large quantities left any more! Bricks and Pieces wants AUD$1.12ea!

random video I found on youtube.. Yes.. it's very easy to use the train motor for other things - it's awkward shape is going to be your biggest issue

Yes.. I know it's been solved.. But I always like a challenge.. so here it is for fun :)

wonder how many little kids had nightmares that night!!? :D

interesting.. I just tried the same with both old, and new 16t gear... and they both feel exactly the same - movable.. but firm.. and not something I'd want to use anywhere... the best one seems to be with the 12t gear, supported by the bushes.. that seemed to be spaced perfectly, and would be something that TLG might use in a set.

Ditto... although I enjoy reading about each set, it's great to flick through each year, and see all the new parts, and changes in design. What might be really interesting, is a timeline of parts - how long various ones have existed for - when revisions occurred, and when they ceased to exist I'm sure something like this could be extrapolated from existing databases easily enough - eg: bricklink. I enjoy equally reading the sets I don't own, to discover amazing things about them, but also sets I do own, to see if your opinion matches mine, on them! :)

Looks good! I have 2 bricklink orders in transit from one side of the planet to the other (Europe to Australia!) then off to buy 2 baseplates, and I can get started!!

I *really* thought I was gonna hear the Benny Hill theme in there - yakkity sax... ;)

While awaiting bricklink orders... I build Akiyuki's zigzag module... works pretty well.. doesn't like running at slow speeds... jams every once in a while..

It's just a couple of skateboard/snowboard half pipe sections, and a rotating arm.. not exactly a complex mechanism! The video you linked was Akiyuki's first version Ball Factory.. the one that this thread is about, is the second one - which is significantly changed.

red pistons look interesting/rare! ;)

Post #77 and #78 of this thread (just scroll up!) have a few listed... Hope to build the ZigZag this weekend... and have made some good progress on reverse engineering the Tilted Rotors.. almost got the balls going all the way to the top!!

Sorry about your data loss.. I work in IT.. and I've kinda had a saying that's held true, for a couple of decades: Everyone always has one big data loss... if you haven't yet... then you will... and (hopefully), you'll never have one again.. as you'll take precautions, and you will very much learn what is worth backing up, - what is hard to replace, and what can be replaced easily. Hope you've looked into multiple points of storage by now! USB HDD... Online cloud! Best advice is keep your eggs in lots of baskets, and ensure they get updated frequently! As for Lego parts.. I guess it depends how big your current collection is, and how many of your parts are tied up in MOC's at any one time, or sets sitting on shelves, gathering dust I've just slowly kept an eye out on bulk sets, or ones with useful parts over the years, to the point where I have enough to build pretty much anything.. My PF gear started with the 8275 RC Dozer, but I've probably added 1-2 PF sets per year since..

Yes.. I discovered that around age 11, when I decided to turn the pneumatics in my 8843 into a water pistol! Worked great for a few days... then I forgot about it.. then I went to play with it a few weeks later, and everything was stiff :( I did not treat my childhood lego well :(

Yes.. it was linked on a German forum the other day, along with a few others? I downloaded about 4-5 different ones.. and have started collecting parts for the ZigZag lifter Edit: http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=498730

Hope you're planning on showing this at a convention somewhere... booked a table or 3 for Brickvention in Jan? :)

Tonights work!

Well done! was it hard to get all the timings right?

I started building the Tilted Rotors last night.. not sure if I'll be able to make instructions! :) The Rebricker is working on the Invisible Lift

My budget is a bit limited at the moment to buy the 'structure' in DBG.. (even using advanced bricklink searching - Brickficiency - it worked out to be over AUD$200 in brick-parts) so I think I might start building it... and maybe each section will be a different colour, to keep the costs down, will retaining some semblance of 'neatness' - as much as I'm happy to make rainbow-warrior constructions.. if I hope to display it, I'd like it a bit nicer! :) I've downloaded off youtube all the construction videos from the Rebricker, and skimmed through a few.. they look pretty good for building - very easy to follow, and a LOT of hints on fine-tuning it! Might have to throw him a donation or something, as thanks! On another note - I'm also going to try reverse engineering Akiyuki's tilted rotors... 99% certain I have all those parts, and it's got a lot less system bricks. And the video (and the module itself) seems quite simple to build RB

I'll no doubt knock up a plywood box to transport mine anywhere. I might end up building a lot of my structure out of black, and other shades of grey.. unless I can find a bricklink seller, who can sell me all the necessary parts I need in pink/purple for less than the cost of DBG... so it'll be FABULOUS!!! ;)

I hope to get mine done before the next Brickvention (January) - along with a few more modules. I've just started parting out my collection.. and I've now got a few containers brimming with Technic parts - fortunate to have 99% of them. ..Now, to start raiding the 'general build pile' for all the bricks and other parts.. and then decide how much I want to buy in dark-bluish grey, for the structure. a quick scan on bricklink, and I might be up for around $100 worth, to obtain them all...

Out of interest, I installed it just the on my Win8.1 x64 machine, and it didn't ask for any other downloads.. and only consumed 15meg of space Seems to work very well.. lots of settings to fiddle with.. but I was easily able to record just a 'section' of my screen, and save to video file. Nice find.. I work in schools, and this will come in handy.. I've used Debut video capture in the past, but it's a bit clunky, and always nags you to buy their other software! RB

wow.. just when you think you know just about every technic part available... along comes one you've never seen before! RB