Why are LEGO sets put in such big boxes? I am wondering why LEGO puts sets in big packages. All bricks are put in small plastic bags and from my experience the packaging could be at least half of what it is.

There is so much told these days about ecology (especially in the EU, where LEGO has its seat), the smaller boxes would lead to better use of containers, so less CO2 during transportation and so on.

I understand that larger box "promises" something BIG inside, but could also lead to some disappointment.

When I was a kid and had my own sets, I'm sure they were relatively smaller.

Actually TLG are listening, and in fact are replacing boxes with smaller ones right now as we speak.

  These new boxes will have a FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) certification “which lowers the CO2 impact of its packaging by about 10%.” You will be able to start seeing the smaller boxes this year and by 2015, all of the products will be in smaller boxes. With this change, LEGO will save about 4000 tons of cardboard which is about 18% of their current consumption. These new boxes will come from sustainable forest so less trees will have to be taken down.

  [...]  LEGO is also involved in other plans to lower their carbon footprint. About 25% of the emissions are from manufacturing of the bricks themselves so they’ve made plans to mold the bricks more efficiently. The company also has invested in wind energy to improve their energy consumption.

Emphasis mine.

Now, as to why the boxes were huge in the first place, I can't tell. I heard all kinds of theories over the years, from "so the parts have room to move and don't get damaged" to "it looks more impressive on the shelves". But as this recent move demonstrates, all these reasons could either be worked around, or were negligible to begin with.


How to remove an unslotted length-2 technic axle from a one-way axle hole? A problem that sometimes occurs during disassembling is an unslotted length-2 technic axle being stuck in some axle hole that is a dead end, i.e., you cannot push the axle out with a longer axle from the other side, e.g., like this:

With longer axles, you usually have a better grip and more leverage to get them out, and slotted axles can be grabbed by the slots. But an unslotted length-2 axle may be quite difficult to remove.

Are there any tricks to do this?

The method I use is not as "purist" as Wrzlprmft's, but it also works. Wrap the exposed section of the axle in a piece of cloth (a T-shirt works well), then gently grab the cloth-wrapped axle with pliers and pull out. The cloth is to prevent any marring of the axle piece, and it also provides a good grip for the plyers. Needle-nose or other small pliers work the best as they give you the most control for manipulating small LEGO pieces.


Can you identify set from these parts? I bought this set too long time ago. But now I can not remember set number so can not assemble. Please help me

It seems to be that these elements belong to more than one set.
Polybags with green window shutters are from Doors and Windows (6117)

Polybags containing blue flag and some other elements in Bright Light Orange are from The Lion CHI Temple (70010)


What are the arguments for and against an adult tackling a complex LEGO Technic kit as their first (and possibly only) build? Suppose I want to get an overall view of LEGO as an adult and can afford to buy an expensive kit.
I have the following abilities

Good eyesight with glasses

Good hand-eye coordination and manipulative ability

Good DIY and tool skills

A good basic understanding of mechanics, gearing, levers and so on

A good spatial sense

An ability to follow straightforward instructions and diagrams such as making flat-pack furniture or setting up home devices. Also the
ability to make simple modifications like adding a hard-drive to a
desktop computer and reassembling it successfully afterwards.

Advanced knowledge of computer programming and good general knowledge of electricity and electronics

Experience of building model aircraft -  both flying and non-flying models

I wish to buy a kit that contains most of the functions (motors, gears, controllers, programming, drive trains, etc.) that will be found in Technic kits of all kinds.
As an example I might buy 42100 LIEBHERR R 9800  as described here https://www.newelementary.com/2019/12/lego-technic-review-42100-liebherr-r.html
Questions
Will buying the above kit be likely too much to start with, simply because I have not worked my way up through simpler models? Are there other arguments for and against?
Is there a smaller kit that has as roughly as many build techniques and features  as the above kit but contained within a smaller space?

The set is marketed as "12+". So even without the skills you mentioned you already have, I doubt you would have issues during assembly.
Piece of advice - don't rush it, take your time during the assembly process. It will take more time to assemble than you think. Especially as this is the first set and you need some time to learn the parts and how they work.
For a challenging Technic set, my personal suggestion, is to look for set from much older "studful" Technic era. Something like 8880. It has fewer parts, but many more parts assembled per step and most of them are black. Don't follow this advice for your first ever Technic set though.


Do you cut a LEGO knife to create an illusion of a minifigure getting stabbed? I have watched many action animations and this question keeps bugging me. Does anyone know?

Stop-motion animation builders often have to resort to tricks to make the animation work. For example, they will use wires or other fasteners to attach models in certain positions in order to hold them in place while they move them. Many purists would avoid such techniques in a normal build but for animators there are larger overriding concerns. Cutting elements would certainly fit within the possibilities.

Also many builders feel free to modify any elements they have, including cutting them or painting them. How that sits with you is up to you.


"Unable to compile" error code with LEGO EV3 Arm Robot Program Does anyone know how to fix this error with my LEGO EV3 program?

Unable to compile some documents for deployment:
Program.ev3p: Use of a block which no longer exists.
INI.ev3p: A My Block cannot contain a copy of itself.

I think the key phrase is "A My Block cannot contain a copy of itself." Look in the "INI" My Block for another copy of the "INI" My Block and delete it.


Protecting a minifig from wear I've purchased a few of the Lego keychain minifigs. Each time I've bought a new one was to replace the previous one because it had most or all of the paint rubbed off from going in and out of pockets and whatnot.

Here is my most recent example of the wear on my minifig keychain.

You can see that the mouth is almost completely missing.

Is there something that I can do to protect the paint and keep it from rubbing off?

This guide here (off-site backup) in the BrickJournal magazine has a section titled "Step Three: Protecting Your New Figure – Application of a clear top coat". It recommends Future’s floor wax or Badger overcoats and discourages the use of nail polish due to its tendency to yellow when exposed to sunlight.
They suggest applying two layers, each dried with a hair dryer to achieve a smooth, bubble-free surface.
Admittedly, these instructions are for display models, not figures that are going to endure the wear during play or everyday carrying along several keys, but these layers can be reapplied when they are damaged and will protect the figure and its paint while the overcoat is intact.


Putting tires onto axles I have vintage Lego sets (1970's and '80's).  I absolutely cannot get the tire to fit completely over the axle.  Should I try grease or hot water?  I know this is the correct tire because I have some that already have the tire over the axle.  Please help!!

From my experience with tires you mention is that they don't sit symmetrically when placed improperly as they should be. Try going around the tire and pulling it slightly outwards as well as twisting a little from the side with larger outside diameter to center.

This happens with newer sets also.


Grey pieces: 4x12 plate with cutouts, 2x4 hinge with only four studs on one side, 1x2 plate with big cylinder on the side Can someone tell me the part numbers of the following pieces? Unfortunately there aren't any numbers on the pieces.

The hinge is 3149c01. The engine is 3475 (or possibly other, similar molds).


My building is developing gaps and spaces I am building a large project, and there are spaces developing between bricks and plates. I've been working on it for almost a year, and some places are 20+ bricks high. What can cause this over time? Can plates get soft and warp? If the weather is warm, can this affect it? Has anyone else had this problem? Also... As many times as I've undone and re-done sections, some places won't level out and can be less than one plate off in height.I would love some advice. Thanks!

Without more information, it's hard to know what can be causing the gaps. My theory is that the structure has gotten large enough that the spacing in the bricks is adding up such that your structure is no longer "square".

According to this page, there is a 0.1mm gap between two bricks attached to a common base. This gap makes it possible to remove the bricks once they've been placed. Also, Lego claims their manufacturing process has a tolerance of 0.01mm (10 microns). With a long enough structure, those mm add up.

Here is an example of the gap in play

There are the same number of plates on the left and on the right. The left ones are all pushed together, the right ones are attached to a baseplate (or some other 16-stud plate or brick). Because each plate has a 0.1mm gap, multiplied by 16 plates gives 1.6mm difference. Even if the 0.1mm isn't the right value, you can see that there IS a gap and it is large enough to be significant over a small distance.

When you are building a very large creation, inevitably some things won't want to fit properly. I am building a multi-story building using 1xN bricks for the walls (mostly 1x2 and 1x4 bricks). Each story is the same size as the previous one, and each one is re-inforced by the flooring and internal walls, but it's painfully obvious that the different stories don't fit well together. When I take one story off another, it doesn't want to snap back into position later.

It's even possible to take advantage of the gaps to make curves. If you make a long enough wall out of 2x1 bricks, you can physically bend it into a circle.

As far as advice on how to avoid this problem, I don't really have anything concrete. One thing you could try to do is to space things uniformly, using the same kinds of pieces all the time. If you build a long strip using 2x4 bricks on one side, and 2x2 bricks on the other, you may find that they are not the same length even though they have the same number of studs. Or, design your creation in modular sections, counting on the fact that it will not quite meet at section boundaries. This is how people build bridges: they are frequently designed to allow for expansion and contraction of the bridge sections by placing seams that allow for the change in size as the bridge temperature changes.


Billund Legoland car controls I just visited the Legoland's Miniland.  There are numerous car models that drive around the landscape under some sort of remote control. One can see the models stop to recharge on pads with two wires sticking from the ground, but there are no visible guides for the robotic cars to follow.

How are the cars controlled and how do they follow their tracks?  Similar info on the trains would interesting as well.

From an unofficial Legoland Windsor fan site 'Completely LEGOLAND Windsor'.

  Road Vehicles

  The cars, lorries and buses all appear to move and steer on their own,
  never leaving their set paths, yet not using any rails. How on Earth
  do they manage that? Beneath these paths are cables that emit a
  low-level radio wave specific to each vehicle - the vehicle picks up
  this signal, and uses it to steer. When the vehicle reaches one of the
  charging points dotted around it's track, it stops. One of the
  computers registers this, and a timer is started. When the timer
  reaches zero, the power to the charger is cut, and this signals the
  vehicle to continue along it's path. Outside park opening hours, the
  vehicles stop on the charging points and recharge fully overnight.

  Trains

  The trains work in a similar fashion to the road vehicles, but follow
  tracks instead of radio signals. When a train approaches a station,
  the train passes over 'slow down bars', which tell the onboard
  microprocessor to slow the motor. When it reaches a charging point,
  one of which is located at each station, a signal is sent to the
  control room, at which point a timer is started both in the control
  centre and in the train's microprocessor. Unlike the road vehicles,
  which can only go forward at a certain speed, the trains can go
  forwards, backwards, and vary their speed.

  Boats

  The boats are attached to rubber loops, which can clearly be seen
  under the water. These are driven by motors controlled by the
  computers in the control centre. A piece of metal on the hull of the
  boat allow sensors along the boat's track to detect the boat, and let
  the computer know where the boat is. The computer then uses this
  information to initiate various sequences, such as raising bridges, or
  opening and closing locks and powering water pumps.


Please help identify the LEGO Set from attached pics Got this, may not be completed. Please help identify the Set#.

This is one of the vehicles from 70006-1: Cragger's Command Ship


How should I go about buying 10-20 generic minifigs? Not a collector, just looking to fill out a few things with sort of generic minifigures. I don't care a ton about what they look like, or even if they're all unique. Just looking for a good variety of maybe 20 minifigs.
It's not obvious to me the easiest and cheapest way to do this.

eBay has various auctions for minifig lots; this auction has 10 for $20 (plus shipping). BrickLink might well be cheaper overall, if you can find a seller near you who will allow pickup.
I don't know the seller; I just chose the first hit for minifig lot that seemed to match your criteria.


What LEGO brick is available in the most colors? I've read that the most commonly produced LEGO brick is the 1x2 gray plate. I am at the stage in Lego collecting that I'd like to make a Color Chart. This is easier said than done.

My question is this: what LEGO piece is available in the most colors? You'd think it would be the 1x2 plate or brick, but looking at Bricklink, it's confusing.

I think LEGO should offer color charts. I'd be interested in seeing if other collectors have succeeded in making color charts of what exists?

Again, Bricklink can help with the answer: When downloading the catalog, you specify "Part and Color Codes". This will give you a list of all part numbers and the color codes they have been produced in. To answer the question, some scripting has to be done to count lines with equal parts, etc.

To make it short, this is the top 10 list:

Duplo Brick 2x2 (53 colours)
Slope 30 1x1x2/3, tile 1x2 with Groove, Brick 1x1 (51 colours each)
Plate 1x2 (50 colours)
Brick 2x2 (49 colours)
Brick 1x2 (47 colours)
Plate 1x1 (44 colours)
Brick 2x4 (43 colours)
Plate, round 1x1 straight side (42 colours)

So, it was a close race with a surprising winner from planet Duplon. Looking at the entries I realise that Chrome colors seem to be missing from some parts. They are probably not listed when they don't appear in regular sets (custom parts).

EDIT
The colour number distribution is very skewed. More than 80% of all 16500+ parts come in only one colour. This is because every printed part gets its own number. There are 2248 minifig torsos, most of them numbered 973pb.....

Anyway, it is fun to browse the catalog.


How To Sort Out 3rd Party Technic Clones From LEGO Originals? I've recently bought bulk parts, and wish to sort out the official LEGO pieces from the inferior quality 3rd party clones.

On bricks I can easily spot-out the clones, becasue they don't sport the "LEGO" logo on the studs.

So, I'm looking for an easy way to spot-out fakes on non-studded pieces like this Technic Bushing:

My tip off is that some of the Bushings don't grip well to various axles, thus giving me the idea that these Bushings too, might be some inferior quality 3rd party clones.

Some of the Bushings have VERY tiny writings with the "LEGO" logo.

Does this mean all pieces without the logo are clones?
Has LEGO branded all parts (even the smallest) with a logo?
Has it been doing so from many years back?

I suspect it could be more complicated, for example, many stud-less parts like this thin part:

have some numbers and the copyright "(c)" sign, but no "LEGO" logo.  I've checked many pieces. Some large ones have "LEGO Group" written on it.

So, regarding authenticity, would the logo matter?

Maybe I'm into perfection too much, but I'd like to sort-out my collection form the fakes, and preferably without breaking out the  10x monocle lens.

What would you advice?

Regarding the Bushings, I think the loss of their gripping/clutching power has less to due with a phantom cloning agent, and more to due with the quality of the official LEGO piece, and how plastic degrades over time.

My collection has Bushings that are weak too, but its due to age (over 25+ years) and normal play.  Mine are not clones.

Now the issue with copyright holders is a little different. LEGO doesn't hold the patent design for the classic brick, becasue they didn't invent it, so now it's a friggin' free for all with clone "bricks" manufacturers.

As for non-brick designs like the Technic Bush, and that thin blue piece,  LEGO owns those, and could bring forward litigation to copyright infringers.


Building advice for "hunched" mech lower torso design? Another mech based question, let me clean up as best I can...

So, in LDD, I'm working on an Evangelion Unit from the popular manga and anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion, and have decided to build EVA Unit 01 (Picture here).

I've built the entire legs section ("lower" quarters) of the Unit, but am having difficulty capturing the "hunched" nature of the mech in Lego, let alone LDD. I don't even know where to start.

I did find this image online to try and assist me in replicating something similar, but it hasn't been of much use (here). But this image should give a general idea of what I am hoping to achieve in LDD.

Any advice would greatly be appreciated.

As always, thanks for viewing!

This answer is pretty long and complex, so bear with me.

After a couple hours of toying around with LDD, I have finally come up with a design that suits my needs fully within the realm of "traditional" Lego Building techniques.

After digging around in the sub-categories in LDD, I stumbled across this block (here). This brick is essentially what made this entire build possible, as it allowed for the "hunching" for the lower abdomen to be captured.

To capture the hunching nature of this mech, I constructed 3 of these shapes to serve as the building blocks for the lower abdomen.

In the middle of the piece referenced above, a short staff was passed through down the centre of the piece in the hole provided in the centre. This assembly is then connected to a 1x1 brick with studs on all faces except the base. The piece of the staff that is sticking out at the back is covered up with a 1x1 cylindrical piece, making room for the "spinal" assembly of the mech. The entire assembly is then covered up with decorative assemblies and facades, as seen in the picture above.

The result can be seen below --

Unfortunately, no LDD file is provided, only images.

UPDATE

As requested by Aziraphale, here is a breakdown of one of the assemblies making up the hunched nature of the Evangelion Unit. Note the short staff going through the piece reference above, mounted to a 1x1 brick with studs on all faces, before being finished in a 1x1 cylindrical piece with a 1x2 detail plate.


Can anyone help me identify what set this bag with grey and dark red pieces belongs to? Can anyone help me identify which Lego set this bag belongs to (it has two smaller bags inside)?

As the comments said: it's hard to tell.

But based on

Plate 2x14 in light buish gray,

Slope, Curved 10x1 in light buish gray and

Slope, Curved 3x1 No Studs in  Dark Red

i believe it is bag 2 from

75012 BARC Speeder with Sidecar


Bluetooth Conection PC-NXT1-NXT2 I want to connect, via Bluetooth, one PC with a NXT brick and then have that NXT communicate with another NXT.

So I send a message from the PC to NXT1 and have NXT1 send a message to NXT2.
Is this possible?

https://bitbucket.org/Thad_Hughes/cortex/src

Here's something in NXC and python that routes from NXT1 to NXT2 through the PC; emulating a non-master/slave config between all three devices. Has the added benefit of a seamless pairing method.

It could be helpful to give a little more detail (what languages you are using, what direction(s) of communication you desire)...


Identify this fire truck set? Can anyone identify this fire truck set? I’d like to find the instructions before it gets taken apart.

6752-1: Fire Rescue

Instructions:

Book 1
Book 2
Book 3


Which LEGO figure is this with white cape and red suit with a lightning bolt? Could somebody please identify the minifigure in the picture please?

Looks like the Comic-Con 2012 exclusive Shazam / Captain Marvel: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?M=sh042#T=I

From the quality of the lighting in the photo it's hard to be definitive but if I had to guess I'd say this isn't genuine Lego but a reproduction figure or knock-off (KO).


Scan objects while moving? I'm using leJOS with an NXT robot. I want to scan the distances of objects from my robot. While rotating the Ultrasonic sensor from right to left, I would like to find out which object is closest to me.

Motor.A.isRotating() seemed to me as a good idea, but later I found out that leJOS hasn't implemented it yet. They are suggesting using isMoving() instead. So I tried this:

 while(!Button.ESCAPE.isDown())
   {
    Motor.A.rotateTo( 40);
    while(Motor.A.isMoving())
    {
     value = sonic.getDistance();
     LCD.clear();
     LCD.drawString("Distance: ", 0, 2);
     LCD.drawInt(value, 0, 3);
     LCD.refresh();
     Thread.sleep(100);
    }
    Thread.sleep(100);

    Motor.A.rotateTo( -40);
    while(Motor.A.isMoving())
     {
      value = sonic.getDistance();
      LCD.clear();
      LCD.drawString("Distance: ", 0, 2);
      LCD.drawInt(value, 0, 3);
      LCD.refresh();
      Thread.sleep(100);
     }
      Thread.sleep(100);
   }

I'm open to suggestions and tips! Thank you!

I'm not a leJOS expert, but from looking at the docs, I don't think that the rotateTo method works the way that you are expecting:

  public void rotateTo(int limitAngle)

  Rotate to the target angle. Do not return until the move is complete.

So here's what your code is actually doing:

Motor.A.rotateTo(40); // Rotate to 40 and return when rotation is finished
while(Motor.A.isMoving()) { // The motor won't be moving
    // Execution never gets here
}

The rotateTo method takes an optional immediateReturn parameter that allows it to return without waiting for movement to complete:

  immediateReturn - if true do not wait for the move to complete

Replace your calls to rotateTo(angle) with rotateTo(angle, true), and you should be on the right track. Something like this should be more effective:

Motor.A.rotateTo(40, true); // Begin rotating to 40 and return immediately
while(Motor.A.isMoving()) { // The motor will be rotating for a time
    // Execution should loop here until the motor stops
}


How can you remove a minifig from its key chain? My sister has a LEGO minifigure attached to a key chain, but she wants to remove it from the key chain, how can she do this?

There is also a third method, using a cheap and readily available soldering-iron. The benefit is that it is a much faster and more reliable method than trying to pull the pin out by sheer force, which may or may not work depending on how strong you are. With a soldering-iron the pin just pulls out within a couple of seconds, no force required. See tutorial and video here: http://thebrickblogger.com/2011/01/lego-keychain-removal/


How do I connect two models to one PF motor? Hi there I am trying to see if it is possible to connect the Ferris Wheel AND the Winter Village Carousel to one Power Functions motor.

Is this possible? Does anyone have a link to a video perhaps of someone who has done this? I could not find one on Youtube myself.  Or perhaps a schematic?

As an addition to Ambo100's very nicely detailed answer, I'd like to add one more option: If either of the two things you are powering might suffer from friction (or perhaps a child holding it still), the provided solutions result in a lot of torque on the motor and axles, which in turn could lead to damage to those components (although LEGO motors are designed to switch off if put under too much stress). To avoid this, you could use a differential with in the white box in Ambo100's picture, like in this picture:

The motor would connect to the axle in the bottom right (with the big tan gear), and you would connect the Ferris Wheel and the Winter Carrousel to the left and right "output" axles. A differential splits the output power of the motor over the two axles and keeps the summed rotation of both axles constant even if one axle experiences resistance (the other axle would simply start rotating faster).


Help identifying inverted wedge with studs on the slope I have found these bricks (images below), which have "Lego" branding, but there is no model numbers on it.

The white brick has "4" and "A" on the back, and the red has "6" and "A".

I've searched BrickLink for ages to no avail.

It's an old piece from 1969 - 1982, typically used for train cars or trucks with buckets that could be tipped to dump their contents.

3145 Vehicle, Tipper End Flat with Pins

There's also a newer variant from 1996 - 2016 without the pins and hole.

30022 Vehicle, Tipper End Flat without Pins


Is there a hobbyist standard for Trains track modules? Many non-LEGO model railroaders have standardized track module standards allowing for interchangeability of (often highly-decorated) track sections (due to availability, damage, scheduling, etc.) as well as quick set up and breakdown of layouts at meetings and conventions. For example, most of the N-scale model railroad clubs in my area adhere to the NTRAK standard. One can make their own custom 4'x2' module at home and "just show up" at a meeting and expect to connect to the organization's layout that day. Similarly, if someone drops the club's Police Station module and damages it, a spare Quarry module that someone happened to have in their trunk can be swapped in as a substitute with only very minor assembly work (mostly plugging things in).

Is there anything resembling a standard module size or configuration among serious or organized LEGO railroad hobbyists?

Yes there is, and the standard is not unique to trains, but rather applicable to all LEGO construction. It is called MILS (Modular Integrated Landscaping System). You can find its specification in many places, but a good resource is at L-Gauge.org, where they have many more resources and standards for the LEGO train hobby.


How create a custom Roller Coaster? Where I can get the track pieces? For some random reason, I watch some videos on YouTube showing a "Roller Coaster" built using Lego.

I never enjoy to follow Lego instruction, and I always prefer to build something my own, mixing any Lego bricks from any set.

I only found that set #10261, which wasn't used in the video. But is the only official Lego that I found, but it's too much limited, and I can't imagine built anything rather than the intended build. Buying multiples times the same set (5x #10261) appears too much expensive and still restricted.

I found another non-Lego set, called "CoasterDynamix Roller Coaster Factory", which allows some creativity.  However, I can't find it to buy.

What is the recommendation for the track? There's any set like the old "CoasterDynamix Roller Coaster Factory"? Also, since I don't have any brick, what set of random blocks, for the support structure, is better?

You can buy tracks directly from LEGO. You go to LEGO service web page and follow steps below:

Click on BRICKS & PIECES just below the banner
Then BUY BRICKS
Provide your age and location (please be aware the list of countries where LEGO is shipping to is limited)
On the left side you have an option to chose parts from particular set. In this case use "10261".
You might need to click "Show more" a few times to get to individual pieces you need.

Note. 10261 Creator Roller Coaster set does not have every type of element within track system. You may use part numbers provided below to look for individual tracks using the option on the right side in Step 4.

Alternatively you can purchase all the pieces on Bricklink. Look for:

25061 - Train, Track Roller Coaster Curve, 90 degrees
26559 - Train, Track Roller Coaster Ramp Large Lower Part, 6 Bricks Elevation
26560 - Train, Track Roller Coaster Ramp Large Upper
Part, 6 Bricks Elevation
34738 - Train, Track Roller Coaster
Ramp Small, 3 Bricks Elevation
26561 - Train, Track Roller
Coaster Ramp Steep, 6 Bricks Elevation
25059 - Train, Track
Roller Coaster Straight 16L
26022 - Train, Track Roller Coaster
Straight 8L


'Plate/tile hybrids' (plates with studs missing) I wonder whether a piece exists fitting any of the following (equivalent) descriptions:

As a 1x2 jumper (two-studs-to-one-stud-jumper) or a 1x3 jumper (three-studs-to-two-studs-jumper), but without the 0.5 stud offset.
As a 1x2 or 1x3 plate, but with one stud missing.
Ax a 1x1 or 1x2 plate 'stuck to' a single 1x1 tile.

EDIT: the intended use was to attach the 'hair' for a Bionicle MOC representing a character of the  Vortixx race. I planned to build the head using a Vahki head with a one-axle-two-pins perpendicular connector attached to the axle hole on the back of the head, then attach the tile/plate-hybrids I described to the connector's pin holes with their studs, and finally 'loop' three system chains between the now-exposed stud holes. Currently I'm leaning towards just using two 1x3 jumpers and living with the half-stud of open space.

Unfortunately, this part does not exis.
In addition to the part suggest by Michael, you might be able to use the 2x2 tile with 2 studs (33909) if your design could be adjusted to make use of a 2x2 part:


Remove decals from LEGO Friends mini-dolls I am trying to remove the decals from my LEGO Friends mini-dolls. Does anyone have any suggestions for doing this? I tried rubbing alcohol on a minifigure once, and it made it all gross looking, so I know that probably won't work.

A rubber eraser is working, but it takes an awful lot of work, and is very difficult to get the sides of the torso done. (And I am dreading the feet and skirt...)

Thanks!

Pure eucalyptus oil works excellent, won't damage your minifigs, (and it smells good too!). You can get it in small bottles at health-food stores, pharmacies, and Asian stores. You don't need much, so a small bottle can last you a long time.

Just pour a little of the oil on a piece of cotton or soft towel, and rub over the printed area you want to remove. It gets wiped off almost right away. If it is a small area you want to remove, use a Q-tip. Just be careful not to touch areas you want to leave intact as the oil works pretty fast. Wash off the minifigs with pure water afterwards.

You can also use Brasso (the metal polish), but it takes a bit more rubbing and it smells really bad. But it does a good job in general and won't damage your minifig. It is also easier to control than the oil on small surfaces as it is more like a paste and won't run like the oil could. Make sure you rinse the minifigs off really well once you are done.


What are these grey scoop-shaped parts with a hole for an axle? I got these in a lot that I bought and I have no idea how to identify them. They have dates from 05 and 02, but no part numbers.

This is:

Part# 42042 : Light Gray Bionicle Krana Holder 3 x 4

Keyword: 3 x 4, Color: Light Gray

it appears in 13 sets


What are the arched things above a wheel called? I have a bunch of second hand bricks and some are "wheel wells" for the lack of better words.

I would like to find out how I use them for example at bricklink, but then I need to find the name for such a thing first

That is a Vehicle, Mudguard 2 x 4 with Arch Studded (and a darn hard part to figure out at that).


Any issues with this non-standard gear combination of 12t gears? I don't see any "accepted" gear ratios for a stud-less direct-diagonal gear combination on sariel's excellent gear coupler

but by shifting 12t gears such that they mesh off-center, it seems to work (i.e. spin correctly)

Any potential issues with this? will they wear down faster? will they not deliver as much torque as normal? is it less efficient than other combinations for those positions?

In your setup, the space between both axles is about 11.31mm (1 stud brick = 8mm).

On the central part of the gear (the band where teeth protude), the pitch diameter is 11.9mm (outer diameter of 13.8mm, root diameter of 10mm). Hence the gears would not mesh if mounted in the same plane (because 11.9 > 11.31).

However, if you consider the beveled part of the gear to be like a smaller spur gear, its outer diameter is about 12mm (possibly smaller) and the root diameter is at most 8mm (more likely 7.9mm). The gears mesh because (12+10)/2 < 11.31 and (13.8+8)/2 < 11.31.

You can check the measures with a caliper.

What might be a problem is that in this setup, gears will be forced to rotate at the same speed while having different pitch diameters depending on the part of the gear, so the gears are likely to wear down faster.
Now, the bevel gears are made of a softer plastic which whistands deformations better than other gears so it might just do.


Did any sets have lots of 1x2 smooth tiles with gauges on them? 1x2 smooth tile with red 82 and yellow and white gauges pattern

I've inherited some LEGO and strangely it has 28 pieces of the above tile. Is there a set that uses a lot of these tiles?

I can't seem to find anything with more than 1 or 2 of them used.

No. :)

I checked several "gauges pattern" tiles. There is no set with more than 3 of them.


Buy an specific set of bricks I have a specific list of bricks for building a LEGO set that I found online, with approximately 300 pieces and around 70 different blocks.

I have seen that one of the best ways for buying LEGOs seems to be Bricklink web page.
However, there are hundreds if not thousands of sellers, and the webpage does not seem to be designed to add a list and search for sellers or something like that.

Has anyone been in my situation? How would you buy an specific set of bricks without going comparing one by one all the shops to see wich one has the mos amount of bricks etc?

If you have curiosity, I want to build the mini LHC

Please see my response to this post. Using the Wanted List feature you can upload your own list of bricks and then see which vendors have these items - you would still need to fill a shopping cart at each vendor to see their price, but that is not so difficult by using the "add Minimum quantity" link at the top of the individual shop page.


Clicking Brick Syndrome after using Raspberry Pi I have a Mindstorms NXT brick, and when switching it on recently, it just started clicking.  I have tried many different ways to fix it, but nothing has worked.  I've done a soft reset, hard reset (many times), plugged it into my windows machines, it doesn't get recognised.

I suspect the issue arises from using it a few weeks back with a raspberry pi.  It normally shouldn't be an issue, but I've read on other forums that sometimes using it with things like raspberry pi or Arduino can cause conflicts in the firmware.

But neither my raspberry pi or Windows 7 machine will recognise the NXT brick any more.  Any ideas?

Thanks,
Stephen

I successfully did a CPR on the NXT CPU, which was 'bricked' by the 'clicking brick syndrome' after updating the firmware of the NXT 2.0 to 1.31

The USB connection was lost and the PC (Win7 64bit) installed an incorrect driver for the NXT USB connection. If found the solution here:
 https://www.reddit.com/r/FTC/comments/1vvwq9/for_those_who_have_or_have_had_a_clicking_nxt/

After I installed the correct NXT drivers and when I connected the (clicking) NXT I had no connection to the internet and it was recognized as NXT again. I could install the (latest) firmware via the original NXT software. After that I can use the EV3 software as well with my NXT (USB only, no bluetooth)

Hope this helps!


How many different types of Lego bricks have been produced? I was curious and wondering:  How many different types of Lego bricks have been produced since the start of the company in 1949?

One source places the number of different types of LEGO elements that have been made at 2,200. It is unclear whether or not DUPLO, Clikits, or Bionicle etc, etc, are included in that count.

 How Many Different Types of LEGO Elements Exist?
 2,200 different elements—or types of pieces

 How Many LEGO Elements Are Manufactured?
 Approximately 19 billion each year
 or, 2 million per hour
 or, 36,000 per minute


Unknown sticker on a dark grey 1x2 tile, black lines, printed handled? I bought a big bundle of LEGO, and I'm trying to find out the sets.

This one is on a dark grey 1x2 tile, with black lines and printed handled.

Can you identify this sticker?


Which bricks warrant an extra to be included in a set? I know why there are extra pieces in the sets, but I'm curious to find out which pieces will typically have an extra.

I know that usually 1x1 plates (both square and round) will have an extra included in the set, as well as cheese wedges. But I was surprised to find an extra double cheese wedge included once (I don't remember which set it was, but no, it wasn't a piece I overlooked in the building instructions). I have other sets with double cheese wedges that didn't have an extra, so I wonder:

Is there a list of pieces that will usually come with an extra?

Are there other criteria used to determine whether a piece will have an extra?

The ones that come with extras are almost always the smallest pieces in the kit that would be easy to lose and are negligible in weight.

From gizmodo article of LEGO FAQs:

  Why did I always have pieces left over when I built my castle sets? Do they just do that to jack with kids?

  For two reasons: first, because some pieces are so small that they weigh too little to be measured by their scale, during packaging (you will see this when I publish the factory tour. J.) Second, because it's better to have too many of those pieces than have one of them missing. Since we statistically know what pieces may get lost, we include some extras when appropriate.


How do I know when current sets will retire? As the title asks, how is the easiest way to find when current sets on the Lego website will be retired and no longer sold.

For example, the 10197 Fire Brigade has been around since 2009, same as 10193 but both are still selling.  While Ninjago is currently changing and set 2258 suddenly is no longer for sale in the Lego Store at Disneyland and not available online.  Yet that series only came out this year.

So how can I find out when sets are retiring.

(side question: why does lego.com drop items off my wish list without notifying me)

The LEGO Shop online website has a page where you can see which sets are marked as 'Retiring Soon'.

 USA - LEGO Shop

 UK - LEGO Shop


Does Lego market sets that were designed by fans? My {son, daughter} read on a LEGO box that the set was designed by a LEGO fan. That is amazing! Is this common and how does my {son, daughter} get into that?

What sets were designed by fans so far?

In addition of the already mentionned Blacksmith shop and the three first LEGO factory sets (5524 — Airport, 5525 — Amusement park and 5526 — Skyline, combined from the 10 winners entries of the contest), the following sets have been designed by fans:

10190 — Market Street was designed by Eric Brok. Eric sadly passed away a few month later.
10183 — Hobby Train was designed by a team of 10 fans who created 30 different models, all of which are buildable with parts in the set. The fans were Ben Fleskes, Christopher Masi, Holger Matthes, James Mathis, Jeramy Spurgeon, Mike Walsh Cary, Pierre Normandin, Reinhard Beneke, Steve Barile and Tim Gould. All of them high-profile builders, and the set was nothing short of fantastic.
10191 — Star Justice, designed by Chris Giddens, against 10192 — Space Skulls, designed by Mark Sandlin. These sets had less success although they were very versatile and allowed for countless hours of space building. They also heradled a comeback of Space themes, which LEGO hadn't been producing for a long time.
10200 — Custom Cars Garage, designed by Joe Evangelista, Joe Meno and Stephan Sander, again well-known names in the LEGO community.
10025 — Santa Fe Cars - Set I and 10022 — Santa Fe Cars - Set II were designed by James Mathis (thanks to Erik Olson for reminding me of these two)

Also, you have to keep in mind that the line between high-profile AFOL and LEGO designer is becoming very thin, and some people have crossed that line (Pierre Normandin, for example). As such, can't it be said that the sets they design now are created by fans? Designers are fans in their own right!

Also, in addition of the fans-turned-designers, LEGO does invite fans for workshops from time to time. Theire influence on 10194 — Emerald Night for instance is obvious, if only for them pushing LEGO to make big train wheels.

So, the line between fan and designer is blurry, and that's for the better.


Does remote control 8879 work for winter holiday train? Can anyone tell me if the remote control 8879 will actually stop and start the 10254 Winter Holiday Train set?

Yes, essentially it was designed for applications like trains since it has an option to increase power gradually, unlike 8885 controller which is ON-OFF (basically with two speed settings - "9" and "0"). You can do this by turning orange disks to start moving your train. There are 9 "speeds" in each direction. And you have two options then to stop your train:

Hit red button below the disk to stop immediately;
Return disk to zero speed position.

The remote controller you are asking about is one of the items required to motorize the entire set as seen on the picture below. This is taken from instructions for 10254 Winter Holiday Train set.


How can I make a precise one-way clutch using Technic elements? I need a mechanism so that if a (NXT) motor rotates forward, it moves one gear, but the other stays still, but if it rotates backwards, the first gear does not move, but the second one does.

I found an example solution for one half of the problem here (I would need 2 of these), but that seems like it would take part of a rotation to pick up, and I need mine to be really precise.

I am building this for the Z-Axis/Extruder of the NXTStrap.

Would this solve your problem? Depending on the direction of the input, only one axle will turn.


What is the three-position lever in the Bugatti Chiron supposed to do? I've just finished assembling the Bugatti Chiron (42083), and there's a three-position lever in between the two seats that -- probably -- isn't working: one position connects the wheels to the engine; the other two positions appear to do nothing.

The lever itself moves a gear "collar" (I guess) back and forth; that has three positions, and moves correctly.

What's the lever supposed to do? Where did I go wrong in assembly?

You have two of three right:

One position is the Drive, where the wheels are connected to the engine via the gearbox
The middle is the Neutral, where there is no connection between the wheels and the engine
And the third should be the Reverse, where the wheels are connected to the engine but with passing through a reverser instead of the gearbox.

This is the relevant part, the lever in question hooks into the gray transmission driving ring in the middle and connects the central axle either to the red or the blue gear:

If the reverse is indeed missing, you might have made an error during assembly. Finding and correcting such an error will most probably involve disassembling the whole bodywork and some of the undercarriage, then rebuilding everything back again. For this reason it is generally a sound advice to double-check the parts added in each step and periodically check the already built subcomponents to see if they work as expected.


Bluetooth communication between computer and nxt using RobotC I'm thinking  starting a project involving controlling the movement of a NXT robot from the PC using RobotC.

Is it possible? Does anyone have a simple code solution?

It's possible. simply make a BT connection and then use the control interface from your computer


What is this element ID? What is this element ID?? Could you please help?

This is :

Part # 4285b
Dish 6 x 6 Inverted (Radar) Webbed - Type 2 (underside attachment positions at 90 degrees)


Where can I download the Samantha Field Control System? Could someone please provide a download link? It seems that all traces of the program has disappeared from the internet, and I need this to get my robot moving wirelessly. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This guy appears to have used the Samantha Field control system and has a download section.


What will happen if I submerge LEGO in water? I'm thinking of using real water in my LEGO City and putting the Atlantis and deep sea exploration sets at the bottom of the tub of water, but I don't know what will happen to LEGO when put in water. And maybe having goldfish at the bottom

The Atlantis Submarine Voyage ride at LEGOLAND Windsor has almost 100 models (albeit glued together) submerged in a 1,000,000 litre tank with 'upto 50 species of rare sharks, rays and tropical fish'. If LEGO bricks can withstand those conditions, I think you'll be fine.

Most of these models are quite large (and heavy), so you may need to weigh down or attach some of your models to the bottom of the tub to stop them floating.

Unlike LEGOLAND, you won't have to worry about the upkeep of plants and fishes. I would suggest you replace the water every week or whenever you see it is getting too stagnant.

Exceptions

Apart from the traditional plastic LEGO brick, electronics and batteries should never be submerged in water. Other 'non-traditional' parts including Cloth, Foam, String, Paper and Rubber Bands may deteriorate more rapidly when submerged (depending on the water contents) and stickers will very likely lose their adhesive and peel off.


Is it possible to access the RGB values of the EV3 Light Sensor? I'm following a line with the LEGO EV3 Color Sensor in Reflected-light mode, I need to stop the robot when it detects a green tile in the ground, but I didn't succeeded in differentiating Green and Black, can I access the RGB values of the sensor, or in some way differentiate those colors?

Green does tend to be tricky on the LEGO EV3 Color sensor. Example

Here are some suggestions:

Build a shroud to eliminate ambient light. I have seen people use electrical tape for this or build something from LEGO parts.
Using the raw RGB values, convert to HSV (there is a link in Example 1 for this).
Use the algorithm for the NXT color sensor from the EV3 source code. It will probably have to be adjusted a bit for differences in the sensors.


What does this error symbol on the EV3 mean? I get this error image pop up when I power on my EV3. What does it mean?

Also, is there a list of different error codes anywhere, I looked in the User Manual and I could not see anything.

Cheers!

The hard disk is likely full on the brick. Try deleting some projects to allocate space.


What kind of plastic are LEGO bricks made of? It’s rather obvious that Lego bricks are made from plastic, but there are many kinds of plastic.

Is the recipe for LEGO bricks plastic secret?

Actually, it depends on the part.

Most parts are indeed ABS as it's a very sturdy plastic, but sometimes it's not suitable, or downright impossible to use. I've seen a presentation on quality issues given by a LEGO employee in LEGOworld a few years back, and as far as I remember there were between 10 and 20 sorts of plastic in use. The ones I remember are:

ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene) for most regular bricks
PC (polycarbonate) for transparent bricks, as ABS can't be made transparent. Polycarbonate parts on the other hand have too much friction when in contact with other polycarbonate parts, making them extremely hard to disassemble. LEGO designers are forbidden to have some PC parts put together in models.
Rubber for tires and rubbery things - that's kinda obvious
A less sturdy plastic (can't remember the name) for parts which are more subject to being bent, for example studless technic beams.
As of  2018 plant elements will be made from a polythylene sourced from sugar cane.

And the list goes on. I know the presentation hadn't been made public, but some people took pictures, so if I ever find it back I'll add a link.

EDIT: still can't find it, but I know it was given at LEGOworld in 2006 by Bjarke Schønwandt who was Global Quality Manager at LEGO at the time (he may still be, I have no idea).


What LEGO sets/blocks to buy? We plan to buy some lego (up to $200) for a charity that helps homeless children in India. Kids in the charity's homes are of all ages (2-18). Kids are very creative but obviously lack resources. I'm hoping LEGO can be very stimulating for them.

I'm wondering what are the best starter LEGOs that can be played in multiple ways and attract children from all age groups.

I can 1 lb Lego packs from eBay and also some pricey sets at Amazon. I want to get best value for money. I have only 10 days before I fly to India so need to know asap where I can buy from and what.

Many thanks
NG

Different kids are motivated by different kinds of sets. Some kids need directed building to focus them, and so a set with instructions helps them. Other kids just need useful parts.

I'd recommend getting basic bricks to start, something from the Classic line. Or else get something from the Creator line, many of those sets come with instructions for alternate models. This is a good lesson on how the same inventory of pieces can make more than one set. On Lego's Website you can check the set descriptions for Creator sets that are "3 in 1".

Larger sets will cost more, but the models will be more challenging and will offer more opportunity to build more things (as it's usually easier to build things if you have more pieces).


Where can I download the LEGO RCX 2.0 programming software for Windows 7? Can someone point me to an active download location of the RCX 2.0 programming software for Windows 7? Thanks!

Use this link for RCX/expansion packs and run the program(s) in compatibility mode: https://www.mediafire.com/folder/718o6673jhpn9/RIS


How versatile are the parts in a lego pirate ship set? I am looking at buying one of the pirate ship sets, such as 6285-1: Black Seas Barracuda,
however, I am concerned the parts in the set are too specialized, and could not be easily adapted to make custom creations. The three main parts are: the pieces of the ship's hull, the masts, and the sails. Are there any uses for these parts outside of making other pirate ships?

ALL parts can be used for something other than the original theme.

Here's an example of a use for the boat hull by Flickr user 2 Much Caffeine:

There's also a rather humorous saying that goes: "All parts are space parts".  It's equally applicable to any other theme.


What does coming soon mean on the LEGO store website? I'm hoping people who are more familiar with ordering from the LEGO website can help me with trying to pre-order some items.
LEGO has announced a range of Super Mario sets with a lot of fanfare - YouTube Videos, advertisements, etc. The full range of planned products can be seen on their website: Lego Store Website (en-de)
However, with the exception of the Starter Course which is shown to be shipping on 1st August, the rest are announced as 'Coming Soon', and clicking through on individual items shows 'Coming Soon on 1 August 2020' (for example here).
I'm not certain how to interpret that - does that mean that sets are scheduled to be released on 1st August, or that they will become available for pre-order on that date?

"Coming Soon on 1 August 2020" generally means the time when "Add to basket" button becomes available (usually at midnight) so you can actually buy the set. This means you cannot really pre-order it in advance, unless there is some sort of VIP promotion (this is announced in advance), which works for some releases and allow sets to be purchased a day, week or two in advance.
If set is in high demand on release day it can quickly can be marked as "on back-order". That is your order is accepted, but shipping is delayed.


Can you identify these railings? Can anyone identify the railings around this building?
I thought they might be ladders placed horizontally, but I don't see any clips.

This could be either Fence 1 x 4 x 2 Spindled with 2 Studs

Or Fence 1 x 4 x 2 Spindled with 4 Studs


How to safely straighten 2569 Lego Antenna Whip 8H? I have one of those, in trans-neon green, that's slightly bent. I don't want to break it or make it opaque. Is there a way to make it straight again without risk? Preferably universal way, but way specific to 2569 piece would suffice.

It's not a particular rare part, easily replaced with bricklink for a couple of cents, so I wouldn't worry about damaging it. If it's bent it's damaged anyway.

For standard lego made out of ABS the procedure is to submerge it in hot water (hot to the touch but not scalding or boiling) for about a minute and then straighten it with your fingers or pliers in cold water...

However, this is a transparent piece so made out of PC instead of ABS. The melting point of PC is is about 50 degrees Celsius higher. So I guess the hot water will need to be near boiling...


How do I center a 2x2 plate on a 3x3 plate? I want to be able to center a 2x2 plate in the middle of a 3x3 plate - specifically to put minifig on. Another option would be to center a 2x1 plate on a 3x1 plate.

I saw this technique in LEGO's Disney Castle for offsetting parts of a column by half of a stud.  You can see the column on the left in this picture is shifting half a stud above a 3x3 plate:

Of course you can do it too!  Here is the process:

Take your 3x3 base plate and stick 1x1 "dots" between each of the studs.  The "dots" are LEGO part 4073 which BrickLink calls "Plate, Round 1 x 1 Straight Side".  So you end up with 4 dots on your 3x3 base.  I didn't have a 3x3 handy so I start with a 4x4 to demonstrate:

Those dots form a new layer that is half of a stud off from the base plate (3x3 for the OP, 4x4 in the pictures).  So you can just stick your next plate on it. (2x2 for the OP, 2x3 in the pictures)

Addendum

A friend wanted to verify this and so we get to see the parts originally requested:


Selling sets on eBay - should I buy missing bricks and figures to complete a set? I am preparing to sell my daughter's LEGO sets on eBay - Elves and Star Wars.
We have completed the mammoth task of finding the pieces we have from each set, but some sets have missing pieces and figures.
We are purchasing pieces to make the sets complete - that's ok for the inexpensive pieces, but one set has two missing figures (Tarkin and the A-wing Pilot) - to replace them both will cost 16 GBP. The set is Star Wars: Vader's Tie Advanced vs A-Wing Starfighter (75150).

I'm hoping to sell it for around 100 pounds. Is it worth it to buy the missing figures - will we make back the money we spend or would it be more cost effective to sell it with the two figures missing?

Is it worth it to buy the missing figures - will we make back the money we spend or would it be more cost effective to sell it with the two figures missing ?

This boils down to the following:
SALE PRICE OF COMPLETE SET > SALE PRICE OF INCOMPLETE SET  +  BUY PRICE OF MISSING PIECES

If that is true, you stand to profit from completing the set, barring any other expenses (like transaction fess, currency conversion fees, shipping and handling costs, etc.)
So now to find the values of these items (you have already mentioned that it costs 16 GBP to replace the figures) we can turn to Bricklink's price estimates and lots for sale to see that used, complete lots are for sale for as low as 63€, and even new, sealed sets can be gotten for 70€, so your 100 GBP price is way over the market niveau. This brings our test to this state of completion:
63€ > SALE PRICE OF INCOMPLETE SET + 16 GBP

You don't specify which two of the four figures are missing, that will definitely affect the desirability of the incomplete set (for which I can't find any closer estimates), so lets find some lower and upper margins.
From Bricklink again we can see that Vader costs on average 15€, Tarkin 9€, and the generic pilot along with Sabine Wren 5€ each. So the savvy collector could buy the two missing figures (if they are interested in having them) for anywhere between 10 and 24€. This gives an approximation for the difference between the prices of a complete set and your incomplete one: the incomplete set would probably sell for about 39-53€, depending on which figures are missing.
By plugging the correct value into the inequation you can then get the answer for your question as stated, but I think the most important conclusion is to use Bricklink for such price analysis and the realization that your asking price is probably too high for most of the informed buyers.


Help Installing NXT-G On Mac 10.6.x I'm failing to install NXT-G on Mac 10.6.x.  Whatever I try seems to end up with an error saying "A required file is broken" when I try to run the IDE.  Could someone talk me through the steps please?

Thanks.

The drivers are probably not installed correctly.  You have to run the legodriver.pkg (by double-clicking on it) which you can find in the 'Parts' folder.

You should use this detailed list of steps (and references). The legodriver.pkg is mentioned on point 5 of the fix for OS 10.6.


I need download instructions for this set, but I don’t know the number, light green and black pieces I need to download instructions for this set, but I don’t know the set number.

This bag is from 70736-1: Attack of the Morro Dragon

Based on:

6116600: Ninja Sword

6109561: Blade 10M W/Ø3.2
6039194: Stone 1X2X1 1/3 W. 2 Plates 2X2

and a double check with the instructions.


Can you identify this LEGO car set? I've got these two pieces, but I do not know which set they came from.

That looks like part of the Power Racers Theme, set 8647-1 "Night Racer".  From 2005, 76 parts.


What are all the different accessories that I can get for an NXT? Pretty simple...What are all the different accessories that I can get for an NXT? I know this could turn into a list, but this will be a helpful list, I think.

Power
9798 Rechargeable Battery

Connectivity
LEGO 8528 Conversion Cable
Supports connecting sensors and motors from older LEGO® MINDSTORMS® RIS 2.0 (#3804) to new MINDSTORMS NXT Intelligent Brick.
LEGO 8529 Connector Cables
Enables connection of sensors and motors to your LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT.
LEGO 9847 Bluetooth Dongle
Allows remote control of the NXT instead of using cable.
Sensors
MS1048 RF ID Sensor
Manufactured under licence by Codatex. Reads 125 kHZ transponders of type EM4102. Various additional transponders are also available.

HiTechnic NAA1030 Angle Sensor
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Measures axle rotation position and rotation speed.

HiTechnic NAC1040 Acceleration / Tilt Sensor
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Measures both acceleration and tilt in three axes.

HiTechnic NBR1036 Barometric Sensor
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Able to read both atmospheric pressure and temperature. Can be used as part of a weather station or to measure altitude changes.

HiTechnic NCO1038 Colour Sensor
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Detects an extended range of more than 15 target colors.

HiTechnic NEO1048 EOPD
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. The EOPD (Electro Optical Proximity Detector) uses an internal light source to detect the presence of a target or determine changes in distance to a target.

HiTechnic NGY1044 Gyro Sensor
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Accurately measures direction and amount of rotation.

HiTechnic NIL1046 IRLink Sensor
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Uses Infrared signals to communicate with trains, Power Functions Motor controller and the Mindstorms RCX.

HiTechnic NIR1032 IRReceiver Sensor
Decodes commands from a Power Functions Remote Control.

HiTechnic MS1034 Compass Sensor
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Able to measure the earth's magnetic field to determine direction in which it is facing. Has a built-in calibration to help reduce magnetic interference from other sources.

HiTechnic NMS1035 Magnetic Sensor
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Detects magnetic fields that are present around the front of the sensor in a vertical orientation.

HiTechnic NSK1042 IRSeeker V2
Manufactured under licence by HiTechnic. Detects infrared signals from sources such as the HiTechnic IRBall soccer ball, infrared remote controls and sunlight.

LEGO 9846 Ultrasonic Sensor

LEGO 9845 Sound Sensor
Can measure sound pressure levels up to 90 dB.

LEGO 9844 Light Sensor (Output: can also be used for as Lamp)
Can distinguish between light and dark

LEGO 9843 Touch Sensor
Detects when it is being pressed by something and when it is released again.

LEGO 9749 Temparature Sensor
Can measure both temparature -20°C to +120°.
LEGO 9694 Color Sensor
Acts as a Colour Sensor distinguishing between six colours; as a Light Sensor detecting light intensities, both reflected light and ambient light; and as a Colour Lamp, emitting red, green or blue light.
LEGO 9799 Vernier NXT Sensor Adaptor
Allows you to integrate Vernier sensors with the Intelligent NXT brick and the NXT Software.

Motors
9842 Interactiv Servo Motor
Can also be used as a rotation sensor.


How to power "Power Functions" devices from an electric wall plug? In this video showing an example of Great Ball Contraption, we can see (at 1:35) that some trains powers are used to power Power Functions motors:

That must be more convenient than having to change batteries after several hours.

What parts are involved, from the electric wall plug to the final motor?

I guess that the following parts are used:

Power Adaptor (70931) plugged on wall plug, that provide current through a wire connected to…
Train Speed Regulator 9V (2868b) that outputs current through electric studs
a Power Functions Extension Wire connected on electric studs that provide a Power Functions-specific plug (8886)
a Power Functions motor, e.g L motor:

Are my guesses correct?

If I remember correctly, I have already seen in some videos that the Technic Control Center II (2840c02) was used in place of Train Speed Regulator. Does it work too?

The Train Speed Regulator 9V are Technic Control Center II are incredibly cheap, are they the cheaper way to power devices from an electric wall plug? The Power Adaptor is relatively expensive, but it's probably possible to find a cheaper and compatible adaptor.

What you describe is indeed the most common way to GBC modules, but it's worth noting that one adaptor+regulator can typically power more modules (it depends on the modules), sometimes only one end of the extension cable is used, when placed on the regulator, it effectively provides a power functions "plug", and if you want to power more modules, the wiring can get a little easier to handle, when every module is essentially connected to a regulator.

Another option is an NXT with the official rechargable battery mounted and an adaptor plugged in, and then of course NXT cables to an NXT motor (I don't remember if NXT->PF cables exists, but NXT->9V cables does and you have mentioned that the PF extension cables can attach to 9V). I have also seen modules with an RCX, I think that has a plug for an adaptor directly, but I'm not sure, I don't think I've seen GBC modules powered by EV3's yet, but there's probably a solution. - Probably more expensive, but having an NXT in a module allows other possibilities, especially if you also put in some sensors.

As Mr. Shiny and New 安宇 mentions the rechargable battery box is a third solution.

All of these solutions have the advantage that they only use official unmodified LEGO parts.


Looking for instruction manual for brick set #1845 (20th Anniversary Jackpot) I've done a ton of searching and am unable to find the instructions for lego set #1845  (20th Anniversary Jackpot). I found a ton of sites that list out all of the parts, but none of them seem to have a reference to the actual instructions. I'm wondering if anyone knows of a site that has the manual for this set (for free).

Here are a bunch of links that don't have a link to the manual.

https://oldlego.com/encyclopedia/items/1845-20th-anniversary-jac_1250.php
https://store-mp.librick.com/item/view?id=i_1845-1
https://www.toysperiod.com/lego-set-reference/universal-building-set/basic-set/lego-1845-20th-anniversary-jackpot-blue-bucket/
http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/1845-1
http://bricks.argz.com/set/1845-1
https://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=1845-1
http://brickset.com/sets/1845-1/20th-Anniversary-Jackpot-Bucket
https://rebrickable.com/sets/1845-1/20th-anniversary-jackpot-bucket-basic-set-1993
http://en.brickimedia.org/wiki/1845_20th_Anniversary_Jackpot_Bucket

I've looked at letsbuilditagain.com, lego.brickinstructions.com and worldbricks.com (you didn't list these sites) and none of them have this set in their catalog, even though they cover many sets from 1993. Bricklink has these instructions starting at $0.75 plus shipping - since it's a booklet this shouldn't set you back more than $3-4 to get a copy.


Which LEGO set did these small tan, grey and tan bricks come from? Can anyone help me identify this LEGO set?

I just opened the bag and those are all the pieces, I don't know how to build or how to find instructions.

Those are mostly fairly generic pieces, however the 4x8 in Medium Blue only appears in 7 sets, and of those only Tower Bridge has any 1x8 in Reddish Brown.

This is part of  10214-1: Tower Bridge


Information on the new Death Star Is there any additional information, such as price, piece count, appearance or minifigures for the upcoming LEGO death star? Leaked, announced or rumored answers are acceptable.

The only information available as of today is the set number. It is #75159. No other rumors or leaked info is available. The speculation is that it will likely be based on the new movie, but even this is simply a speculation, not even a rumor.


Using Power functions to teach robotics I am a robotics engineer and I would like to introduce and teach my girlfriend to robotics. I would like to first get her the material for the first project. I would love to build a small Lego car controllable via radio commands. I want everything plugged to a Raspberry Pi and start from SCRATCH. I want to develop the motor controllers with her, then the drivers, then the control loop, etc.

Is the Lego Power Functions system a good idea to start such a project?
How easy is it to plug everything to a Raspberry?
What kit should I start with?

Thanks a lot guys !

Welcome to Bricks.SE. Yes, you can use the Power Functions equipment to teach robotics. I would recommend you stick with the original PF instead of PoweredUp, as the latter has more complicated electronics and control schemes, however, others have already built custom control software for PUp so tinkering with software is definitely possible.
Regarding Power Functions, the components have a 4 wire cable with 2 providing a constant 9V and ground, and 2 that are used for sending control signals (fluctuating values between 9V and 0V). Device identification is done through resistors, which is easy to mimick should you want to build your own motors, but this might not even be necessary as you want to build and configure your own controller. And the cable is easy to split and modify.
@Philo who is a regular here maintains a site (www.philohome.com) on which you can find a wealth of information regarding PF. This would be the best place to start.
If you are planning to use an RPi, make sure you get a suitable motor driver. You can power the motors via the driver at 9V, and use a buck converter to give your RPi 5V directly via the GPIO, just be careful because there is no overvoltage protection if used this way. Powering an Arduino or compatible microprocessor is also an option.
One word of warning: Power Functions components are retiring this year, so make sure you get your component order in from LEGO ASAP.
Good luck!


CAD model of the LEGO monorails I was wondering two things, Is it legal to share CAD models of LEGOs with other people as long as it is not for profit and Does anyone have A CAD model of the LEGO monorail track that was made in the late eighty's and early ninety's?

First question;  yes. as long as they are your CAD models you can do that , for example on Brickshelf
Second question: In  LDraw , A CAD program for Lego they have monorail parts, here

this may also be usefull
Monorail Network Planner Tool


Is it part of an offical set? Does this assembly look familiar to anyone? I've identified the two trans-light blue 4x1 tiles and looked up and down the list on Bricklink but none of them look right.

You could cross-check the sets with the transparent 1 x 4 tile and the transparent 1 x 2 plate. No matches jump out at me.

Unfortunately, I don't know of any tools to make crosschecking easier.


Where can I obtain the software called “Instructor”? The instructions on JK Brickworks state (boldface mine):

  Publishing was done using Instructor version 1.6

However, if I search the Internet, the only pertinent results are the aforementioned instructions and the creator of that site does not provide any means to contact him to ask.

Where can I learn more about this software or obtain it? Is it known under another name?

It seems Instructor is actually being developed by JK Brickworks themselves, according to this Google+ post. Your best option would be asking them directly, as there is no download link on their website.


What is the brick limit in LDD? What is the brick limit for Lego Digital Designer? I got to 12k once, but I usually have it crash at around 9k. Does Lego Corp. have any info on this?

There are no set limits for the quantity of bricks you can place in LEGO Digital Designer. The limit on the amount of pieces you can use is entirely dependent on the specifications of your computer.

You may find performance will be affected not only by the quantity of bricks placed, but the complexity of the geometry used. Metallic and transparent coloured bricks will also require more intense processing to render.

In LDD, under preferences you can also disable high-quality rendering of bricks in the scene view and bricks palette, reduce the complexity of shading, remove brick outlines or increase the compatibility mode to improve the performance.

Consider splitting large models into smaller files and edit them separately. (i.e. a file for each deck of a ship or each building).

Avoid running other applications at the same time as LDD that will take up more resources.

Experiment

Just to test the limits, I reduced the rendering settings completely, and started LDD in compatibility mode. I duplicated a 1x1 tile brick many times, and continued to duplicate them over and over. I managed to have approximately 30,000 bricks saved on my clipboard before it crashed.

I tried again, this time duplicating a stack of 6000 bricks many times, I continued until I reached 100,000 bricks. At this point the program was running very slowly and used up to 861MB of memory, I could have continued but I didn't see any point in doing so.


What element is this a piece of, and how can I repair it? Yesterday, as I was putting away some Lego, I saw the following obviously broken piece.

I couldn't figure out what element this was a piece of, so I was all ready to ask it here, when I came across the other part.

So instead of a genuine question, I'll post it as a challenge. First one to find the element this is a part of, gets a bonus (which I'll set and award as soon as possible).

That leaves me with the question how to repair this, if possible.

It's difficult to tell exactly what part this fragment came from, but it looks like it is part of a broken Technic gear or pulley. It looks like it probably came from 3736:

Your fragment looks like it was probably once one half of the center axle hole of that part.

In terms of repair, I suppose you could try to glue this back together, but given that the part was likely bent as well as broken, this is unlikely to work well. Luckily, this part is common, abundant, and cheap, so it's trivial to replace via Bricklink if you are so inclined.

If this part broke under relatively normal conditions, you could also request a replacement via LEGO customer service. I've done this in the past for parts that have broken while building, and TLG has been happy to ship me replacements at no cost.


Is it safe to wash LEGO pieces in the dishwasher? I've heard from a lot of people that LEGO can be washed in the dishwasher, but I'm concerned about warping, losing stickers, wearing off of painted pieces, etc. Is it safe to actually wash them in the dishwasher? Is there any other precaution you should take?

LEGO does not recommend using a dishwasher to clean your bricks:

  We recommend that you clean or wash your LEGO parts only by hand at max. 40°C or 104 degrees (F) Fahrenheit. Higher temperatures may affect the quality of the LEGO parts. You can add a mild detergent to the water, followed by rinsing with clear water. Please don't put your bricks in the washing machine or dishwasher or attempt to dry them in ovens, microwaves or with hair dryers. Any electrical parts, such as cables, motors, battery compartments, can only be wiped off with alcohol. Air-dry parts at room temperature. For disinfecting please use mild bleach.

(emphasis mine)


Where to find pictures of undersides of bricks? (possibly Lego clones about 25-30 yrs ago) I am trying to identify which non-Lego bricks I might have played in the past. Don't recall the names but I can probably recognize them from photos if I see them again

For example, I remember some 2x4 bricks having two horizontal lines across the center (on the underside).

Could it be BRIX BLOX?  Came across these on eBay and thought about you...


Looking for Adult LEGO Possible duplicate of:
Are there LEGO sets designed for adults?

The pieces are smaller for higher resolution, the colors are not primary and there are more of them.
Does this exist? I had in mind the standard 4 by 2 brick becomes 8 bricks each with 4 by 2 pegs.

Yes. LEGO® may still be a toy, but it clearly a toy for all ages.  Here are two examples:

LEGO Architecture

LEGO Architecture is clearly aimed at adults.

From one of LEGO's press releases:

  With models developed in collaboration with architects, LEGO Architecture inspires future architects, engineers and designers as well as architecture fans around the world using the LEGO brick as a medium for reproducing esteemed structures. Fans of all ages can collect and construct iconic architectural sites, including: Frank Lloyd Wright’s Guggenheim Museum and Fallingwater, the Space Needle in Seattle, the Willis Tower and John Hancock Center in Chicago, New York’s Empire State Building and Rockefeller Center, The White House in Washington, D.C., Farnsworth House in Plano, Illinois and the Burj Kalifa in Dubai. Each LEGO Architecture set contains a booklet featuring step-by-step building instructions that is prefaced by exclusive, archival history, information and photographs of each iconic building, its design origin, its architect and its architectural features.

I'm sure there are some young architects out there, but this level of depth is more typical of adults.

Serious Play

LEGO has also a corporate-focused play for adults called LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY®

  Build a better workshop with the LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® program!

  The LEGO® SERIOUS PLAY® program is a radical and innovative process designed to enhance business performance through building with LEGO bricks.


What LEGO set is this thrift store find from, dark red and dark grey? The part from a thrift store box of LEGO parts:

It appears to be the main model from Ronin R.E.X. (70735-1):


Instructions or details for the buildings in Set 190 A wave of nostalgia has struck me this holiday weekend, and I have been doing some research on the kits in the big plastic tub in my closet.  Among many others, I discovered that among my collection is Set #190, Building Set with People - Farm.  I would guess this set was given to me when I was between ages four and seven, and I am now 40+.  I remembered the tractor and plow, and some sort of house with a fence around it, and the parts I have confirm the match.

However, my instruction booklet is long lost for this set, and the scans I have found on ToysPeriod and Peeron seem to have only instructions for the vehicles and animals, but not for the greenhouse, house, and barn shown in the photos.  In fact, based on the creases and location of page breaks, these two sites appear to have the same scan.  I've found other sites with even fewer pages of these instructions.

I more or less figured out the fence and greenhouse from the photos, although I ran out of clear bricks for the greenhouse so probably I made a mistake somewhere.  I may or may not have similar luck with the rest- I plan to try later.

I believe that sometimes Lego did this intentionally- put photos on the box just to give an idea or starting point.  Does anyone know if this is what happened in this case?

Are there other places I can look for instructions, or at least detailed photos from other angles to help me build this?

The instructions for that model are not included in the set.1

Youtube user BrickTsar LEGO® Collector rebuilt the model using the box as reference. The image below shows a screenshot from the video linked at the end of this post, it might be clearer to you how it was built.

The model he made isn't an exact like for like copy of the model shown on the set, but is very close. It is possible you won't use all the pieces provided in  the set but it's worth checking that you have all the parts needed before you start using the inventory provided on Bricklink.

1 Youtube. LEGO 190 Building Set With People Farm Set from 1975 VINTAGE. Time: 1:58.


LEGO bag with no instructions or box It's bag #2 and the only # I can find is 135149 and a date of 2011.
There are 2 mini bags inside the large bag.
It has some very long grey pieces and 2 blue wall looking pieces.

Thank you for your help

It is from '4645 Harbour' which was produced in 2011 and bag 2 contains blue wall panels and stone grey 1x10s.

Instructions can be found here.


Absolute Turning Motor in NXC How can I turn my motor to 123 degrees, not for 123 degrees?

I tried the PosRegSetAngle("output", "angle") command and didn't work.

Documentation for PosRegSetAngle

PosRegSetAngle should set the position of the motor relative to the position the motor was in when regulation was enabled. In what way didn't it work when you tried this?

It sounds like you may be asking how to wait for the rotation to finish. I'm not sure if there is a built-in way to do this in NXC or not, but I think that something along these lines should get you there:

# Enable regulation
PosRegEnable(OUT_A);

# Set target angle
PosRegSetAngle(OUT_A, 123);

# Busy loop while the motor turns
while (GetOutput(OUT_A, ActualSpeedField) != 0) {}


Why did they cancel Mars Mission? Does anybody know why LEGO canceled the Mars Mission line? It was so good and I almost had everything! I don't wanna buy off eBay because that can get expensive. I liked it a lot!

In this forum, I found a reply from the Lego Group in response to an email asking a similar question but related to the Mars Mission games:

Thank you for contacting us and for your interest in LEGO® brand products.
Unfortunately, because The LEGO Mars Mission line you inquired about has been discontinued from our current product line, we do not intend to create new games based on this theme. Each year, several items are discontinued and new ones added. By doing this, we provide a product line with more variety and continuing challenges to our LEGO builders. You may like a game based on our Space Police theme called Galactic Pursuit, http://spacepolice.lego.com/en-US/games/default.aspx. You may also like a multiplayer interactive game named LEGO Universe that will be released this upcoming summer. To preview this new game, you can visit LEGOUniverse.com. I hope this information helps!
Thank you again for contacting us.
--LEGO Direct Consumer Services


Can you find the set for these Star Wars space ship parts? Dark grey with some dark grey detailing? Just wondering if someone can identify these parts so I can locate the correct instructions.

The set is 7673, The MagnaGuard Starfighter.

Instructions are here.

I was able to verify the dimensions of the cockpit piece using Lego Digital Designer.  Once I knew it was 4x8x3, I was able to use brickset.com to identify the set as this piece only appeared in one set.


How can I create custom EV3 blocks? What do I need to create custom blocks and in particular the VIX part?

You only need the official LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 software.

LEGO provides a "EV3 Block Developer Kit" on the MINDSTORMS downloads page. This contains some minimal instructions on creating blocks. It also contains an older version of the EV3 software.

However, I have found that any version of the MINDSTORMS software can be used in "developer mode" by creating a file named MindstormsEV3.ini with the following contents:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?>
<Tokens DeveloperMode="True" />

Save this file in the directory where the software is installed, e.g. C:\Program Files (x86)\LEGO Software\LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Home Edition\, then start the software.


What is the origin of the 2001 BIONICLE pin? Recently I got one of these in a lot.

Picture of the back

Prior to receiving it, I didn't even know it existed, and can't find any information on it on the web.

What is the origin of this 2001 BIONICLE pin? Was it sold or handed out somewhere as a promotional item? Made for and worn by LEGO employees? How would one have obtained one in 2001 (assuming that's when it was made)?

This is

Pin85 BIONICLE Toa

a Patch & Pin set

given for free with LEGO Magazine or available at LEGOLAND Parks

Pin85 BIONICLE Toa at Bricklink.com

Pin85 BIONICLE Toa at lego.fandom.com


I have an idea for a new kind of LEGO, using new types of elements I have an idea for a new LEGO product (not a LEGO set or anything, I know that the Lego ideas site exists, but a new "kind" of LEGO)

I've been trying to contact LEGO about it without any luck.

So I thought I'd give this site a shot as well since I think the idea has a lot of potential.

Now to the question. Is there any way I can contact a LEGO designer or just anyone at LEGO to pitch my idea to?
Or should I just give up?

If the idea is a new kind of part, element in plastic, you may want to take it into your own hands and try to design it in a free cad app (like Sketchup, Open SCAD, Creo Elements or something). There are people around here (like myself) who have 3d printers, and may be able to suggest or try things out. You can then see if there is a market for such Lego compatible elements - see who else is interested.

Lego are unlikely to take these kind of risks themselves, but there are resources for people to try new things themselves.


When was the RCX 2.0 released? I know that the original RCX was released in 1998 and the NXT was released in 2006, but when was the RCX revision 2.0 released?

According to Brickset and Peeron, it was released in 2001.


Can I use Microsoft Makecode to programme Lego NXT bricks? As a teacher, I only have access to Chromebooks and I cannot (IT will not let me) use Linux on them. I'm trying to use a text-based coding language to programme NXTs. I would use ROBOTC, but I cannot get it to run on my Chromebooks.

I also have about 32-35 students per class times four classes, so I cannot buy cheap Windows machines, because I'd need at least 15 to make this work well.

I want to use the JS feature in Microsoft Makecode, but I cannot find information on whether or not this will work. Does anyone have a solution? Thank you in advance!!

Just heard from Microsoft, MakeCode only works with Lego EV3, NOT NXT.


Can you identify these LEGO animals, mountains, and minifigs? Came across this package 2 of a larger set. I could only upload several pieces of it. Can anyone identify this for me please?

You have bag 2 of set 60014: Coast Guard Patrol.


Has Lego discontinued presenting alternate configurations on the backs of modern boxes? When I was younger, the backs of my Castle/Space Lego set boxes showed alternate model builds for the supplied pieces, configurations not detailed in the instruction manual.  I appreciated these creative ideas, showing me other things I could make with the pieces; I found them inspiring and sometimes challenging as they were presented without instructions.  The inclusion of these models made me keep clippings from the boxes in order to replicate designs.

Today, it seems that alternate model designs are no longer presented on the backs/sides of Lego boxes.

Has Lego discontinued this practice, and why?  Has it been dropped entirely for all sets, or is it simply not done for "licensed" sets (Batman, Star Wars, etc.).

I don't have enough reputation to post a comment, but in response to this comment by user3509 (and the similar answer from MartenFerret):

I would also hazard a guess that for brand sets part of the deal was that alternate models weren't allowed for copyright reasons - for example, a Star Wars X-Wing set can only build an X-Wing. Lego then probably made all sets follow the same design pattern for their own brand cohesion.

The original 7140 X-Wing model released in 1999 did have the traditional alternate builds shown on the back of the box:

So if it's a licensing-based decision, it was a later one.


Is LEGO element damaged at the molecular level when rubbed with rubbing alcohol? Today the Goblin King from Lego Hobbit came to me and having covered two black dots on his bunch, I decided to wipe them with alcohol. But due to the unhealthy lead mania, I am paranoid, is the plastic damaged at the chemical / molecular level?

The LEGO Group has been extremely careful about the formulation of all of the plastic parts they manufacture.
I do not believe they ever used lead in any of their parts. Decades ago they removed cadmium from the yellow pigments.
I have never found that isopropyl alcohol will soften the plastic used for Lego bricks.
What will soften Lego bricks is hot water. Do not use a dishwasher to clean Lego bricks. The water is too hot and the detergent is too aggressive.
To clean most Lego brick mild soap and warm water is the best choice. Air dry only, do not use hot air from hair dryers.


Lego 3804, Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 2.0 on Windows 10 I gave my grandson (11 years old) the LEGO 3804 Mindstorms Robotics Invention System 2.0. He built a couple things and when he tried to install software to program what he built, the computer would not accept the download. He is running Windows 10.

As a result he can't really use the system. Are there any suggestions or advice from anyone out there to help. I feel terrible about this.

Thank you for your time and expertise.

That set has an RCX in it, is that right?  I have several suggestions for you:

Have you tried running the software/installer file in compatibility mode?  I understand this software was designed for Windows 95 or 98.  If this is the case, there is an option in Windows to 'run in compatibility mode' by right clicking the .exe file, selecting 'properties' and then under the compatibility section, select whichever operating system the software was originally designed for.
I have found this article which may provide you with a
tutorial.  I am not personally familiar with the set, but I assume this software will work.
Failing all else, I suggest you try Brixc Command Centre .  This uses a derivation of C for programming your robot which, as I understand is not too different from the original Lego software.  This is freeware and allows you to program not only the RCX, but other versions of Mindstorms robots if that is of interest.  I personally use this all the time with my Mindstorms NXT sets and it works a treat.  It's a great way to introduce programming to people as well!

Hope these suggestions are of help!


How strong are blocks in general - is adhesive necessary when building large structures? I'm really intrigued by all the amazing bridge architecture and designs people come up with (for example: Lego Cable Stayed Bridge) and it got me wondering, do larger structures like that need any form of adhesive between the bricks?  Are bricks (in general) strong enough to hold larger structures on their own?

Such structures in LEGOland parks are usually reinforced with a metallic structure hidden within the model. And they use glue. No wonder LEGO sold them away.

Some fans do use similar tricks, I've seen some make trees by embedding a wooden skewer in a trunk of 1x1 round bricks. Without that, the tree would collapse too often, and that's not even a large structure to start with. (Purists would use rigid 3mm LEGO hoses)

For a pure LEGO structure, in any case you would need to make sure not to rely on clutch power only, but I suppose you guessed as much already. As stack of 1x2 bricks won't hold, a length of interleaved 1x2 plates will be sturdier. Depending on the length, you'll need more layers, but that's about it.

I doubt adhesive would help that much — glue maybe, but let's not go there.

There`s the question "How much weight can a handle of Technic pegs and beams support?" covering the principles for structures. You can find a mechanical stress study right here.


Simplest approach for rail sets automation How would you tackle the automation of a lego rails set. I am looking for a solution that can be achieved with available parts.

From the answer I will chose either to invest into lego rail sets for my son or into digital H0 sets.

What I am looking for:

start given engine and run to given destination, stop.
when approaching a rails crossing stop if segment busy.
change switches for engine to send to destination.
run multiple engines independently and concurrently.

Optionally:

if multiple routes are available sent train to free route.
if train is running low on power send to service station.

I am not interested in setting timings. I want to be able to simply run the different engines each on their own. This requires detectors which are able to return the ID of the engine entering and leaving the different segments.

I'm pretty good at programming and I would appreciate a doable solution running from a computer.

I've wanted to do something similar since I took part in a public event last year and we had trains running continuously on separate little ovals. My ambition was to have two stations, each with some switches, and run one train at a time between them and switch it to an empty track where it would stop.

Since I already had two RCXs, my solution was to place one at either station with light sensors to detect incoming and outgoing trains. I motorized the switches (using a modified version of instructions I found online - I could make some instructions if you wish), and wrote a program that allows the RCXs to communicate with each other about the state of the trains and the switches.

There were two tricky parts: one is that although you can send PF commands from an RCX, there is no feedback from the PF receiver so you'll have to resend the command several times and hope for the best. The other is that the communication between the RCXs is affected by the PF commands. When you send a PF command, the receiver in the RCX will end up in a state where the next serial byte is lost, and although there is collision detection for the communication between the RCXs, there is nothing similar for the PF commands (the sending of which requires the disabling of all interrupts on the RCX).

My solution was to design a protocol for communication between the two RCXs such that they, in effect, negotiate whose turn it is to send PF commands and stay silent when the other RCX is sending. This worked very well in my living room, where the trains would happily run and stop and be handed back and forth between the two RCXs (since you can't easily ID the trains, you have to know where they are). I then tried to set this up at an event, but unfortunately the room was anything but compatible with PF. Possibly because of the fluorescent lights, the PF IR range was severely limited and the trains would not receive the signals from the RCXs.

A solution based on NXT (or EV3) could probably be a lot more powerful and reliable, especially since you'll have much better ways of detecting the trains. Even so, I suspect they'd run into the same problems in some showrooms as my RCX solution.


Please help identify this 1980's, very odd, Non-Lego brick! I have one more mystery brick to share, and it is a strange one.  This brick is FIVE studs long, and the width is comparable to a regular 2x4 Lego brick.  The inner tubes are also comparable, but because of the slope, the brick's length is five studs.

This brick was included in a large lot of early 1980's bricks.  It doesn't have the Lego name anywhere that I can see.  Could it be possibly a Tyco part?

Had to tell for sure, but it looks like it came from the red car in this Mega Bloks set:

http://blokcity.com/wiki/9801_Build_%26_Race_Speedway

Here's an image including that part from this set:


How to make Spik3r move without the pincers moving How do you make Spik3r move without the pincers moving as well? Seems like the legs are only controlled by the motor on port B, but the move tank and steer modules only allow for the use of 2 ports. Using ports B and C (vacant) results in an error, while there appears to be no way to tell the motor on port A (pincers) to not to move when ports A & B are selected.

Don't use the Move Tank or Move Steer blocks. Use the Large Motor block for controlling a single motor instead.


Is there a Technic set that is just an assortment of parts and not a specific vehicle? Can I buy Technic sets that are just assortments of parts as opposed to a specific vehicle?

Background

I do research on sediment carbon cycling in lakes and I need use a rotating array of magnets to keep the water from stratifying in my incubation cores during experiments.

The cores are arranged around the rotating magnets and there is another small magnet suspended in the water of the core tubes.  The slowly rotating magnets cause just enough movement in the internally suspended magnets to induce some flow in the sealed cores.

Basically I need a setup that allows me to make slowly rotating horizontal ferris wheels of various sizes.

Historically I have built these setups from wood and small motors but I have begun to think that Legos would make a better and more flexible tool.

It looks like Technic sets are basically what I need (although other suggestions would be welcome) but I just want some basic parts not a cool truck or dune buggy.  I have looked on the Lego Technic webpage and all I see are cool vehicles.

Lego sells several kits of parts through their Lego Education line. You can buy them online in the US here: http://www.legoeducation.us/

The direct link to the Technic kits is here:
http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/characteristics/ProductLine~Machines%20and%20Mechanisms

They have a $50 "Simple Machines" set, a $140 "Simple and Motorized Mechanisms Base Set", a Pnuematics add-on set, and a very cool Renewable Energy set (yes, there is a Lego-branded solar panel!).

Also, if you look under the parts and accessories section (http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/characteristics/productType~LEGO%20Spare%20Parts%20and%20Accessories), you can order variety packs of various parts (e.g., 5 each of each length of the studless beams).

Caveat emptor: I have not compared prices to Bricklink.com, where you can also buy pretty much every Lego element ever molded in bulk quantities.


What about Power Functions motor, S size? LEGO Power Functions has motors in M, L and XL sizes. Usually, if someone uses this size designations, the smallest one is S. It would make sense to have them named S, M and L if there were meant to be only 3.

Now, for my personal "rebuild, restore" project, I'd need something a bit smaller than M, to go with my old sets. Is there any S size power function motor? Was there? Was planned, but cancelled? Any official or semi-official info on it?

Only in 2012 the L-motor was released. The M and XL motors where released in 2007. That is a gap of 5 years where people were even more confused about the size options...

Anyway, no smaller motor with power functions

However if you are willing to go with the 9V system (possibly with conversion cables), there's the mini and micro motor, standard motor is also a bit smaller in length.

More info here:
http://www.philohome.com/motors/motorcomp.htm


How do I Build a LEGO Digestive System? How might I build a LEGO model of a digestive system? I think it could be a good way of helping my son with a science project.

Either building plans, instructions, or any help with getting started would be appreciated.

I would keep it very simple with just building the organs with regular bricks. Color code each organ. I have never seen anyone do this with LEGO bricks so can't link to a picture, however I can imagine than it could be done easily. Basically you would end up with a pipe-system. ;)