title: How can I order an Ev3 gyro in Europe

text:
# Question
Title: How can I order an Ev3 gyro in Europe
I just bought the Ev3 kit, knowing that the gyro sensor is not included. I obviously want a gyro sensor, perhaps also the ultrasonic sensor. Is there any official channel to order them in Europe? All I can find is US-delivery-only and schools-only sites.

# Answer
The EV3 Gyro Sensor now appears to be on "general release" and available in both US and UK stores: http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/EV3-Gyro-Sensor-45505 \- these seem to be available in most EU countries the LEGO Shop ships to.

---

You can order the gyro sensor from the UK Lego Education site http://education.lego.com/en-gb/lego-education-product-database/mindstorms-ev3/45505-gyro-sensor.

OR

If you look at the shipping options in the US Educational site, it will ask you a series of questions to determine if the item can be shipped to your area. If no other options are available, they will ship to you for a fee and ask you to approve the shipping fee before they send it out. It looks like you can get the parts from Lego if you want them bad enough.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: shopping, ev3
---


title: Why are LEGO slope bricks textured?

text:
# Question
Title: Why are LEGO slope bricks textured?
Why is the slope part of bricks textured instead of the usual flat & glossy edge?

Are there any non-textured forms of these bricks?

# Answer
This is likely a hold-over from when these were used primarily as roof pieces, and the texture provided some realism to the house/building sets.
> 19 votes

# Answer
I'm not sure of why these slopes were originally textured; as Granpappy points out it's likely the texture was used to give roofs a nicer effect. I seem to remember something about the mould being easier to create that way (since less precision was required on the textured part), but it may just be my imagination.

However, a few years back slopes without that texture started to appear (and I'm talking about regular 45° ones, not newer parts like the cheese slope), and fans weren't too happy about it. After checking with LEGO, it appeared that the change wasn't really intentionnal but that LEGO didn't think it would matter, considering the parts kept the same functionality despite of the aesthetics being different.

At that point, LEGO confirmed that future slopes would continue to be textured (again, depending on which part), but that the stock of smooth ones would still be used so that it could take a while before it was depleted.

You may want to read this lugnet discussion on the topic.
> 13 votes

# Answer
To answer your secondary question:

> Are there any non-textured forms of these bricks?

1x1 30° slopes (cheese slopes) are un-textured (just like their 1x2 version).
> 2 votes

---
Tags: piece-information
---


title: How to fix Mindstorms Error Code 1003

text:
# Question
Title: How to fix Mindstorms Error Code 1003
I am using the Lego Mindstorms NXT Education Kit, software version 2.1. Everything was working fine writing programs and downloading them to the robot until all of a sudden when I tried downloading a program to the robot, I would get the following error:

> Error:1003 The required file is broken

Here is a list of things I have tried with no success:

* Ensuring the robot is turned on
* Ensuring the USB cable is properly connected
* Restarting the Mindstorms software
* Restarting the Computer
* Restarting the robot
* Updating the firmware on the NXT (which had the unfortunate side effect of deleting every file on it!)

After I got this error when trying to download one file, I am now getting this error when I try to download *any* file onto the NXT. It even occurs with very simple files (just one move block).

None of the files have any MyBlocks.

# Answer
As documented in this First Lego League forum post, this problem can be solved by installing the NXT EDU 2.1f3 patch.

A cached direct link to the patch can be obtained here. The patch is for both Windows and OSX.
> 6 votes

# Answer
I just installed the retail version of NXT 2.0 (v2.0f6) on Mac OS 10.5.8 and got the error 1003 "a required file is broken" when first starting up the Mindstorms NXT application. Turns out this is a known bug when using the **case-sensitive** journaled filesystem. Mindstorm tech support walked me through the fix which was to rename the "/Library/Frameworks/Fantom.framework" directory to "/Library/Frameworks/fantom.framework". (The only change is the 'f' in "Fantom.framework".)
> 5 votes

# Answer
I ran into this issue using macos 10.8 on some new macbook airs and trying to run Mindstorms NXT for Education software, tried various 2.0 and 2.1 versions.

We eventually got a ~900meg NXT 2.1f installer package from Lego support,

If you popped up the mac console application, you would see various framework/library errors related to Fantom.framework and VISA.framework. Running the uninstallers for the old versions and reinstalling newest versions of both NXT and the Lego Driver (Fantom driver) did not work, nor did applying patches/updates to older versions.

It turned out the problem had to do with the fantom driver and the VISA.framework never being fully uninstalled/being messed up from the old versions. I went to a terminal, sudo'ed bash (to get a root shell), and deleted all of these ( i.e. rm -rf /Libraries/Frameworks/Fantom.framework and then rm -rf /Libraries/Frameworks/VISA.framework)

Here is my recipe for fixing this/getting

1. Uninstall any old/other versions of NXT via running the uninstall.sh script as root/sudo from a terminal (this script is under the NXT application directory)
2. Install the latest NXT edu 2.1f from the large (~900meg) zip file that Lego support sent us (sorry, I don't have a download link)
3. Delete the /Library/Frameworks/Fantom.framework and /Library/Frameworks/Visa.framework directories completely (VISA or something, I might not have the full name spelled correctly but it is something like that)
4. From the “parts” folder inside the NXT installation folder (after you unpack it), run the legodriver.pkg installer – this will put in the new/working versions of LISA and Fantom framework
> 4 votes

# Answer
I installed Mindstorm Education Kit 2.1 on a 2009 Mac Book Pro 17" running Mac OS X 10.8.1 (Mountain Lion) and received the 1003 Error code on launch. I was able to eliminate the error by installing the Fantom Driver.
> 3 votes

# Answer
You need to download the latest patch for NXT EDU.
> 3 votes

# Answer
Uninstalling Flash Player fixed the issue for me (OSX 10.8.5). It was a tip I saw the lego message boards.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: nxt, software
---


# Question
Title: Ultrasonic sensor option missing in Wait block in Labview
I have hooked up the EV3 brick and the Ultrasonic sensor (on port 4) from the older mindstorms set 8527, and using the most recent Labview software on windows 7.

I am trying to test the model for distance and to stop a few cm from the wall. The WAIT block in Labview does NOT have an option for Ultrasonic Sensor, but has one for Infrared Sensor, which does not seem to work. Has anyone noticed this missing menu option?

\*NOTE: The EV3 displays the distance in cm when the unltrasonic senor is connected to port 4 on the EV3.

# Answer
Once you download the block from the Lego site, you can import it into the LabVIEW by using the Tools tab and then Block Import, but first you need to be in an open program. LabVIEW will prompt you to browse your folders to find the downloaded file, and then select Import at the bottom of the window. Finally, you will need to close LabVIEW and reopen it to begin using the block in all of your programs.
> 3 votes

# Answer
You can download US and gyro blocks from lego.com.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: ev3, labview
---


title: Is this skateboard piece LEGO?

text:
# Question
Title: Is this skateboard piece LEGO?
I bought some second-hand Lego and it's a total mish-mash of parts. There was a small quantity of Mega-Bloks in it, but those parts always seem easy to identify. However, I'm stumped about this piece that resembles a skateboard, only it doesn't have wheels. On the top, it's skateboard shaped and has two hollow studs for attaching a minifig's feet. On the bottom it has two bar-sized handles, one at each end of the skateboard. The handles are at an angle, because the skateboard flares upwards. There is a green and blue sticker on the bottom which I assume is original and not added by the previous owner.

I've searched Bricklink, Peeron, Rebrickable, and Brickset but can't find this piece. Any ideas? It's clearly Lego-compatible, if not Lego, but I have no idea what it is called.

# Answer
You were on the right track. This is a skateboard, but it is not a LEGO part. It's a Mega Bloks part, probably from set 9167 (X Mountain). The skateboard in the top right has a sticker that seems to match your description.

The wheels clip on to allow them to pivot back and forth. I can only assume that this is to give these skateboards a more off-road feel.
> 13 votes

---
Tags: part-identification, clone-brands
---


# Question
Title: LEGO and fuel company commercial relationship?
Over the years LEGO has used a number of real-world fuel company names on its products:

I'd be interested to understand the commercial relationship between LEGO and these companies. I see several possibilities:

1. LEGO pays these companies to use their name, or
2. These companies pay LEGO to promote their brand, or
3. The companies enter into a mutual understanding with no cash exchange.

LEGO switched to a fictional fuel brand, Octan, in 1992. Was this at the behest of the other companies or a decision made by LEGO? What were the reasons behind the switch from real-world companies?

# Answer
> 7 votes
The exact details of the business agreements between LEGO and the companies whose names and logos it has license to use are confidential, but we can infer some general information.

The sets LEGO has produced that feature an oil company name or logo fall into three general categories:

1. Sets produced by LEGO with only the branding of the oil company and without any LEGO branding on the package. These were used as promotional items by the oil company.
2. Sets produced as promotional items and distributed through the stations of the oil company that had both LEGO branding and the name/logo of the oil company
3. Sets sold in the LEGO catalog and regular retail stores that included oil company names and logos

In the first category were the 1:87 vehicle models LEGO produced for Esso in 1955. These were given away at Esso stations with a 3-liter minimum purchase of fuel. The packaging was a printed cardboard box featuring the Esso brand and its "oil-drop" man mascot. The LEGO name appeared only on the underside of the model. Because these sets did not have prominent LEGO branding, it is possible Esso simply contracted with LEGO to produce them and purchased them directly from LEGO.

At the same time Esso was giving these LEGO-made models away, however, LEGO was also selling them in its catalog with co-branded packaging:

In a typical license agreement, a company will pay an agreed amount to use another company's trade name and logo on its products. The agreement will usually indicate what products will carry the logo and the length of time the agreement is in effect. Since it appears LEGO was producing sets for Esso at the same time it was using Esso's logo on sets it sold to the public, there *may* have been a reciprocal agreement between the companies where LEGO "traded" its truck models for the license to use the Esso logo on its retail sets.

In the second category are sets like 1255 Shell Car Wash. These were LEGO sets with the Shell brand that were sold only through Shell stations and not made available in the LEGO catalog or at regular retail stores.

As with Esso, however, LEGO was also producing regular retail sets that included the Shell name and logo at the same time it was producing exclusive promotional sets that were sold only at Shell stations. Since both companies stood to benefit from the arrangement, it is possible they had a reciprocal agreement where LEGO produced exclusive sets for Shell in exchange for license to use the Shell name and logo on retail sets. LEGO stopped producing Shell branded sets in 1992. In 2004, the Shell brand reappeared on some promotional sets like Ferrari F1 Racer, which include the Shell logo as well as several other sponsors of the Ferrari racing team.

In the third category are the regular retail sets that have oil company logos and names. All of the Exxon-branded sets fall in this category, as it does not seem LEGO ever produced any exclusive promotional Exxon sets that were sold only through fuel stations. In the case of Exxon, it may be that a regular license agreement was in effect where LEGO paid Exxon for the use of its name and logo for a certain length of time.

A typical license agreement also names the geographical areas where the licensed products will be sold. Prior to 1986, LEGO only sold retail Shell products in the UK, Europe and Australia. It is likely their agreement with Shell only covered these geographical areas. From 1986 to 1992 Shell-branded sets became available in the United States, suggesting that the license agreement was expanded around 1986. Exxon-branded sets were sold only in the United States from 1979 to 1982.

With the exception of some promotional sets, LEGO stopped using actual oil company names and logos on its sets in 1992 when it introduced the fictional Octan brand. At that time it appears Shell was the only oil company LEGO had an active license agreement with. It is likely its agreement with Shell had expired and the two companies agreed not to renew it. The switch to Octan has obvious advantages to LEGO as it is not restricted by any license agreements as to where the products can be sold or which products carry the logo.

---
Tags: history
---


# Question
Title: What is the maximum distance between fixed train wheels?
I'm working on a train, and I'm curious what the maximum distance is between fixed wheel sets in order to properly navigate all of the different types of track (straight, curved, switch, flex, etc).

In case that doesn't make sense, I'm interested in the maximum distance between wheels that aren't mounted on swiveling bogies. An example of the construction that I'm talking about can be found in set 10014:

# Answer
> 11 votes
With a bit of trigonometry and some observation we can estimate a theoretical limit to the maximum length.

I assume you are looking for the maximum length that would run on the sharpest possible curve, which appears to be one made with flexible track. By observing this photo of 52 flex track pieces arranged in a circle, we can estimate that each piece can create an angle of about 7 degrees.

This seems to be sharper than the average usage, however, and may be placing stress on the pieces. The LDraw version of the flex track depicts it flexing at a maximum angle of about 5.5 degrees:

In addition, the flexible track has a slot in which the train wheels run which is 10 LDU (LDraw Units) wide. By observation, I estimate that a single set of train wheels can be rotated by about 6 degrees within these slots before they bind. That would be the theoretical upper limit of the angle a train car of "zero" length (that is, with just one set of wheels) could be rotated and still move forward through the track.

So with that estimate, we need to look at the curved section of track above and measure the angle a train car would be rotated from the straight position for various sections of the track. Fortunately, rather than being a smooth curve the flex track is really several straight sections of about 72 LDU on the inside (i.e. sharpest) curve. That means we can stay within the realm of trigonometry and measure the angles from the outer edge of the straight section to the end of each segment of the inner curve. That takes a little work, but here is what I determined:

From the right edge of the straight section to the center of the second section is an angle of 3.53 degrees.

From the right edge of the straight section to the center of the third section is an angle of 6.45 degrees.

So a car with a wheel base that extends from the right edge of the section to the center of the third section would be rotated at 6.45 degrees, which is just a bit more than our estimated limit of 6 degrees. Using trigonometry we can determine the length of this wheelbase as 183 LDU, which is just over 9 studs. In other words, a car with a wheelbase of 9 studs would probably bind slightly in the slots on the curve above.

As seen in the original question, LEGO has issued train car models with fixed wheels 9 studs apart. Joubarc's observation in his comment above that the caboose model shown does indeed bind slightly would seem to support the estimate of 9 studs as an upper limit of the wheelbase for fixed train wheels.

We can plot out a wheelbase of 10 studs on the curve above to check. That would produce a rotation of about 7.2 degrees, well above our estimated maximum of 6 degrees. It would seem a 9-stud wheelbase is the maximum.

Of course there is some binding on every curved section, with the power of the motor able to overcome the friction on the wheels. This estimate does not consider the power of the motor.

---
Tags: trains, wheel
---


title: LEGO Trains 12v: Identify This?

text:
# Question
Title: LEGO Trains 12v: Identify This?
This is a very popular picture, which almost all LEGO Trains' fans from the 1980s would recognize.

I have the train in the foreground, 7740, but not the 4th car (the red one). Can anyone please clarify that from where it came? Also, what other trains are being shown here?

The two stations are probably the same model (7822), just different builds. Level crossing (on left corner) is 7834.

# Answer
The red car that you mentioned is Mail Van (7820).

There are a number of other trains in the picture including:

7730 \- Goods train (the locomotive doesn't seem to be visible)

7710 \- Push-Along Passenger Steam Train (just the cars)

7750 \- Steam Engine with Tender (pulling the cars from 7710)

7814 \- Crane Wagon

7760 \- Diesel Shunter Locomotive

7720 \- Diesel Freight Train Set (the car in the bottom right carrying rails to the work crew)

It's not a train, but set 6647 - Highway Repair is also present.
> 13 votes

---
Tags: trains, set-identification, city, 12v
---


title: Battery for Trains

text:
# Question
Title: Battery for Trains
For those who have tried, which one is a better option:

Obviously $75 is more than $13 + $5 for batteries, but they wear out and the train's speed starts to slow down, before you want to change the batteries. If I spend $75, what other benefit would I get other than not buying batteries?

# Answer
> 8 votes
The main benefit is consistent performance. The rechargeable battery puts out almost the same voltage until it's almost flat, and whatever current is required with little voltage drop. Disposable batteries have more voltage, but cheap ones can't supply much current. Expensive ones can supply the current, but cost more. You'd be lucky to get 5 sets of those for the cost of a rechargeable battery.

Note that the IR controllers / receivers limit the output voltage to 9V and the current to what the motors can cope with,so there's a limit to how much performance you can get out of the system. But disposable batteries will sit at 9V at least initially, where the rechargeable battery will drop from nearly 8V to 6V as it discharges. If you buy expensive lithium single-use AAA batteries they will cope with the high currents demanded by the LEGO motors for longer, so you will get better performance than any other option, but at considerable cost.

This thread on Eurobricks has a lot of detail, and there's more here

The third option is to build your own battery packs. Either just by plugging "random" batteries into the IR receiver, or by modifying a LEGO battery pack to take different cells. It's apparently fine to put three lithium rechargeable cells in series into one, or 8-9 NiMH ones. If you start with a 6AA battery box it's easy to fit 8 AAA NiMH cells in, or either box can be modified to accept three LiIon cells (you need the right size cells, obviously). Some of the Technic builders are just making packs with three 18650 cells and not worrying about making it look like LEGO, but there are quite a few who build extra cells into official battery packs.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Obviously, if you want to use the train a lot, you will want to use a rechargeable option. You didn't explicitely address this in your question, but even with AAA batteries, you can either use disposable batteries or rechargeable ones.

The cost of using disposable batteries can very fast become prohibitive, but rechargeable ones tend to cost more upfront (especially if you need a charger as well). Even there, you have several options, including "stay-charged" batteries which you may want to consider if you need the train to be available as soon as you want it instead of having to recharge the batteries prior to using it, which can take a long time especially if you don't have enough chargers for all batteries at the same time.

So the first thing is to consider if you're already using rechargeable batteries for other things - if you already have a good charger or two and enough AAA batteries, you'll of course want to start with that and judge if it's enough for you. If you don't have any chargers or batteries, then I'd recommend to start with the official LEGO battery right away, as the cost difference won't be that high. Of course, if you're somewhere in between (say you have chargers but no AAA batteries), you'll have to ponder which route is better.

Another factor which may influence you is the convenience. Using AAA batteries and chargers can be cumbersome (again, especially if you've not enough chargers to charge all 6 batteries at the same time), and even the action of swapping the batteries in the battery box can be annoying. The LEGO battery doesn't need to be removed, usually just removing the train roof is enough.

All in all, I prefer the official LEGO battery; note that you could spare some money on the charger if you manage to find one which is compatible (although it's officially not recommended).

As for the battery box itself, either you buy a motorized train and you get one with it; either you want to motorize another train and then it's probably worth it to buy the basic city train anyway to get all electrical parts rather than buy them separately (since you get motor, receiver, battery box, remote control, and tracks, it's usually a better deal even without considering the rest of the parts).

---
Tags: sets, shopping, trains, power-functions, battery
---


# Question
Title: identification of lego set by color and shape of inner box
I'm trying to identify a lego set only knowing the color, shape of in inner package. The inner box is blue, dimensions are 18 x 11 x 2 3/8" and 9T plastic compartments, There is a 1984 Lego Catalog included. Tried to include a picture but don't know how to do it here.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The only 1984 set with corresponding dimensions seems to be 6080 King's Castle but I can't find any picture of a possible inner tray; and that's even assuming it had one (the box picture on this classic-castle forum post seems to point to the contrary).

There's another good candidate in 1985: 6392 Airport, but again I can't find any pictures of the box.

1983 brings us 6980 Galaxy Commander for which I can't find pictures of the inner tray either (but there's one on eBay where the seller promises pictures in the near future); 7824 Railway Station is close too but it's a bit too short I had it and I don't remember it having a blue tray (I'm fairly confident it was red).

# Answer
> 1 votes
Sets containing at least 100 pieces made in 1983 or 1984 would be my guess as to where to start searching...

---
Tags: set-identification
---


# Question
Title: Where can I find a LEGO collection of minifigure photos?
I am looking for a collection of LEGO minifig photos - something like this, but with each minifig pictured separately in a full-length portrait. I have not been able to find such a collection on the LEGO website or elsewhere.

# Answer
> 11 votes
Here are three options that have what you are looking for:

1) Brickset has the highest quality and best organized photographs of minifigs, but they are far from complete. For example, as of this writing, the gallery does not have any of the City theme figures. The collection is growing all the time. For example, here is their collection of Batman figures:

Pros: Free to browse. Very good quality. Well-organized.
Cons: Far from complete.

2) BrickLink has a fairly thorough catalog of almost every part and minifig ever made, and they have individual photos of most of the minifigures, for example:

Pros: It's free to browse. It has almost everyone.
Cons: It's inefficient, the photos aren't all high quality, and it may not have every figure. Organization and naming are not always obvious when looking for a specific figure.

3) The Unofficial Minifigure Catalog. This is a series of catalogs that attempt to document every minifigure ever produced. It's available as a printed book through Amazon (~70 USD), as a PDF e-book through Lulu (25 USD), and as a smartphone app. Here's a sample page, taken from Amazon's "Look Inside" feature:

Pros: High quality photos, thorough, well-organized.
Cons: Costs money. Harder to search and find specific photos. Takes effort to convert to individual digital photos if that is what you need.

# Answer
> 6 votes
Brickset has a gallery of high quality photographs of minifigures from both licensed and non-licensed sets.

---
Tags: minifigures
---


# Question
Title: How can I get replacement Mindstorms NXT components?
I recently have been trying to work with robotics, via the Mindstorms NXT kits. But as of lately it seems the physical components in the kit went missing (everything except the brick, cables, servos, wires, and sensors.) I was wondering if there was a way I could purchase a part kit, with out having to buy EVERYTHING all over again. Could someone please direct me as to where I should go, other than the pick part service at Lego.com as that is rather expensive.

I love robotics and have been studying in the field for many years, but want to get this lego bot up and running again.

# Answer
I don't think there's a way to buy all non-electronics parts other than buying them all one-by-one, which doesn't seem to be a solution for you. Note that contacting the LEGO customer service may be an option, but I'm not sure how far they'll be willing to help (and as you said it probably won't be cheap).

The only other idea I can suggest is to work the opposite way: try to sell the electronic parts you still have; that way you can just buy a complete kit again.

I realize it's not really easy either, but there could be some people who have already so much regular LEGO parts that only electronics interest them, and they don't want to pay too much money by buying these separately. Or maybe someone has the kit and lost some of the electronic parts.

Of course, don't underestimate the use of having extra electronic parts - your robot can get much more interesting; and in particular, learning to program two different NXT bricks so that they communicate properly to achieve a common goal can be very educational. Also, considering a full kit is usually cheaper than buying all elements in there separately, I believe buying it again is a more interesting thing to do - although I understand the price can be a serious issue, especially if you want to buy the newer EV3 version.

There may be another thing you can try: as you probably know, LEGO has educational programs based on robotics kits, and it could be that a school/college in your area is using these. Try to contact them, and see if they would be willing to either sell you unused parts (maybe because they are upgrading to EV3) or to buy your electronic parts (if they lost or broke some). I'm not sure if you can contact LEGO Education to try to get a list of schools using mindstorms in your area, but it can't hurt to try.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Some of the more common web-based sources for replacement NXT parts include:

You could also try physical LEGO stores.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: mindstorms, nxt
---


title: Star Wars 2013 Advent calendar codes

text:
# Question
Title: Star Wars 2013 Advent calendar codes
What are the four codes for the 2013 Star Wars Advent calendar online game?

# Answer
The four codes are as follows:

* December 01: Y15C05
* December 08: Y30C03
* December 15: Y73C14
* December 22: Y12C34
> 6 votes

# Answer
Day 1 is y15c05 Day 8 is y30c03
> 1 votes

---
Tags: star-wars, advent-calendar
---


# Question
Title: What is the centre hole for in modern train tracks?
LEGO train tracks have 3 holes in each of the segments:

I understand the two outer holes are used with a throw-away piece to keep them stacked while shipping, but what is the center hole for? Is it just for saving a bit of plastic? Or perhaps just a planned 'shipping' feature that was never used?

# Answer
> 18 votes
The larger hole is present in older 9V track as well:

I've never actually done this, but I've always assumed that the hole is there so that the track can be screwed or nailed down if desired to create a semi-permanent layout. This is common practice with traditional model railroad track:

---
Tags: trains
---


title: Has Lego Box 5508 been discontinued?

text:
# Question
Title: Has Lego Box 5508 been discontinued?
The Lego Deluxe Box 5508 seems to be out of stock everywhere in the UK. I was hoping to get this set for my kids for Christmas, but it is nowhere to be found. Has it been discontinued? Or do they think that sets that only build ONE thing will spark young imaginations? The 5508 box has bricks, roof tiles, windows, doors and wheels and opens up a world of possibilities. Shame I can't seem to find one!

# Answer
> 3 votes
It's possible the set has been discontinued. Since its release in 2010 there have been many other Brick Buckets released under the 'Bricks and More' series.

For example; the 10663 Creative Chest released in 2013 is available in a similar price range but is more limited to building vehicles (no doors, windows and roof tiles for buildings).

If your kids are more into buildings and there are no other Brick Buckets in stock you can suplement your LEGO collection by purchasing the Doors & Windows pack as well as the Roof Tiles pack.

---
Tags: building, sets
---


# Question
Title: Minifig rotatable legs on a stick - what is this?
What kind of piece is this? Emboss says "(c)2003 The LEGO Group" and there is a **4303** number below. I browsed Peeron a little but didn't find anything similar.

There are two red handles, one rotates minifig legs back and forth, second one make it straight.

*EDIT: fixed part number, it is 4303, small chance for 1303 with overburned 1*

# Answer
> 25 votes
The part in question shows up as a "Minifig Gravity Stunt Handle" (part number **x817**) on Peeron and a "Turntable Spinning with Sports Trick Handle" (item number **bb128**) on BrickLink. Looks like it appears in two sets:

# Answer
> 9 votes
It's a "Turntable Spinning with Sports Trick Handle 2 x 24 x 4 1/3". I found that on BrickLink via browsing by colour, since there aren't a lot of tan parts and most of the categories are obviously not applicable (it's not a tile, for example). That page also lists the sets it came in (two of them), but none of the pictures show that part. But once you have the set number an image search turns up shots like these:

I looked it up because I've actually seen one of these in a pile of Lego and wondered what it was, and how it was originally used. It seems like a peculiarly useless part, and I couldn't come up with a use for it that made any sense.

---
Tags: minifigures, part-identification
---


# Question
Title: How does the Super Awesome Micro Project work?
I've recently read an article about a car which is made entirely of LEGO and it ***runs on air***. I'm curious about how it works. Can someone explain the details of it?

Here is the car:

These are all the details I have:

> Super Awesome Micro Project is: A car made of Lego, that drives, has an engine made from Lego which runs on air. (wheels and some load bearing elements are non-Lego)
>
> Super Awesome Micro Project Factoids
>
> * More than 500,000 LEGO pieces were used.
> * The car engine is made from standard Lego pieces and runs on air!
> * The engine has four orbital engines and a total of 256 pistons.
> * Top speed is not very fast, around 20-30km

# Answer
> 6 votes
Assuming that you're asking about the engine in particular, it seems to be a large number of pneumatic engines that have been coupled together in order to supply the required torque. LEGO pneumatic engines typically consist of a pneumatic cylinder driving a crankshaft. Here's a basic picture to give you an idea:

The shaft usually also controls a pneumatic valve that switches the direction of the piston to allow continuous rotation as shown here:

This allows the engine to run on air pressure being directed to the pneumatic valve without the use of any electrical components.

These images come from a fairly simple single cylinder pneumatic engine by nico71 on Rebrickable that includes instructions if you are curious about more of the details of how these work, or if you would like to build your own.

---
Tags: motor, vehicle
---


# Question
Title: Are there any components compatible with EV3 that are more powerful and durable?
Are there components compatible with EV3 like motors, sensors, brackets, other details that I can easily connect to an existing EV3 main block and build something to do real-life tasks? Like transporting weights on the route, cocktail maker that could handle glass bottles, home cleaner that can put objects in the order.

# Answer
Look at Tetrix or Matrix. Theese building systems have more porefull motors than NXT ones. Metal blocks allow you to create strong robots. Tetrix and Matrix robots can be controlled by NXT/EV3.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: ev3, 3rd-party
---


title: EV3 brick cannot connect my to computer

text:
# Question
Title: EV3 brick cannot connect my to computer
I can't connect my brick to my computer. It keeps saying it can't communicate with the brick. My brick has no firmware. My friend said to change the USB cable but it still doesn't work. I can't connect it via Bluetooth either.

# Answer
Try to update your firmware via EV3 software: http://www.thenxtstep.com/2013/08/how-to-update-your-ev3-firmware.html
> 3 votes

---
Tags: ev3
---


# Question
Title: What's the best way to link two (or more) LEGO Power Functions (PF) train motors together?
Last Christmas I built an extended Emerald Night train to run around the tree. To get it to work I had to add a second Power Functions motor. I tuned both IR receivers to the same frequency and slowly applied power by keeping the IR remote within the line of sight of both receivers at the front and the back. The major disadvantage to this was it was difficult to sync the two engines because line of sight was not assured.

I'd like to build a larger train this year and would like to find a better way to link the motors. I've think that putting one motor in the back helps with weight distribution, although this idea may be flawed.

What the best way to link multiple Power Functions motors together without having to rely on multiple IR receivers?

---

Below are some photos that provide more detail about the train in question.

**All photos** http://www.flickr.com/photos/craigmoliver/sets/72157628313822041/

**Relevant photos**

Front engine, standard Emerald Night (10194-1):

Rear power car, custom (MOC):

# Answer
If the motors are far apart, you could simply connect them both to the same receiver using some extension cables. To the best of my knowledge, there is no problem connecting two motors on the same input of one IR receiver.

If you're using Technic motors instead of train motors, as Zhaph said, you'll probably want to have them coupled through a differential so that no motor can stress the other. That's the standard way of doing it in any Technic creation, and since it effectively adds the two input speeds (from the motors), it means you can create some variation in speed very easily.

I did that to power a PF-modified 7740 engine with two medium motors when the only remote available was the simple on/off one: one motor had its speed reduced to 1/3, so the range of available speeds where 4/3 (both motors on), 3/3 (regular motor on, 1/3 motor off), 2/3 (regular motor forward, 1/3 motor reverse), 1/3 (1/3 motor only), 0, and the same in reverse. Was awfully complicated to use the remote to go from one speed to the next, though. And then LEGO produced a speed-control remote and I didn't look back to that idea again.)
> 7 votes

# Answer
Digging around a bit, I found the reference I mentioned:

Jason Stienhurst's LEGO Big Boy Mechanicals on Flicker

You can see there he's using 4 M motors from the Power Functions range in pairs. In the comments for this picture he describes the set up as:

> Both motors have a 12 tooth beveled gear. The front motor and rear motor of each driver set face in opposite directions, which allows both of the motors' ouput gears to be meshed into a single gear (another 12 tooth bevel) that is impaled by the vertical axle shaft that runs through the turntable.

These then have another bevelled gear at the end, and mesh with a bevelled gear on the driving axle.

Jason is powering all four motors from one battery unit, and I don't believe he was worrying too much about IR control.
> 3 votes

# Answer
I put 2 train motors in the red cargo train and it worked well though I didn't add cars to the back . . . my goal was to get it to go up an incline so it could go from the "industrial area" around the tree to, well, a table, where I setup the city. I tried adding the passenger train motor car to the back but that didn't work . . . the weight of the motor cars was too much to go up the incline even without any other cars. Only two motors in the engine car of the red cargo train ever worked and even then it couldn't pull up all of the cars . . . only two little ones or one bigger one would ever make it up. The problem with adding cars wasn't that the motors stalled (which was the problem when there was only one motor), it was that they started slipping. So then I thought I would add some weight . . . but of course that didn't work because more weight made the motors stall.

Learned a lot about physics that week.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: power-functions, trains, moc
---


title: DeathStar maintenance

text:
# Question
Title: DeathStar maintenance
I have a LEGO Deathstar and have already built stage one of four. However, I haven't been able to get to it lately and it has become rather dusty. How should I clean it? And I travel a lot, so is there any way I can carry it with me by flight without dismantling it?

# Answer
> 0 votes
Which Death Star?

Either way, I can't imagine trying to travel with either Death Star model that LEGO has produced.

Removing dust can be done with a mini-vacuum or some sort of blower, like a hair drier. Canned air is advised against as it has icky propellants that get on your bricks.

---
Tags: star-wars, cleaning
---


# Question
Title: reference number and instruction of a spaceship
I have only an image of that spaceship, (and all briks of course) but I don't know its serial number which makes me hard to find instructions to rebuild it. The image of the spaceship is this one, anybody can help me to rebuild it?

# Answer
> 8 votes
This set is 6848 Strategic Pursuer.

Instruction scans are available on Peeron.

---
Tags: instructions, vehicle
---


# Question
Title: What is the purpose of the Technic Axle 6 in set 6847?
In set 6847 (Space Dozer, http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/6847-1) there is a black Technic Axle 6 that has no structural or cosmetic function in the set. I don't have the original instructions or box, so it might have been included to build one of the alternate sets. Or some other reason?

# Answer
> 4 votes
It's structural, but not really mandatory:

The full (4 pages) instruction can be found by googling or e.g. there: http://lego.brickinstructions.com/lego\_instructions/set/6847/Space\_Dozer

# Answer
> 8 votes
When weight is applied on the structure, the wheels are are creating a twisting motion that will eventually dissasemble the 1x6 beams.

With the extra structural part when a load is applied there is a lot of flexing but the 1x6 beams are staying in place.

Effectively, the axle is preventing the beams from rotating out of place.

---
Tags: building, piece-information
---


title: Pre-Technic gears?

text:
# Question
Title: Pre-Technic gears?
I have this set of LEGO gears. I remember seeing them first at my grandparents in the mid 80's. They predate my first Technic sets (~84 or 85).

I have fond memories of my dad building a 3-speed gearbox with those.

The gears have a kind of spring (although some springs are missing) that snaps in the small dent at the end of the white axles. Also the gears have an odd number of teeth (9, 15 and 21) so you only have 1 chance out of 4 to align them correctly. Axles are compatible with (black) Technic axles, and the gears can be attached to Technic, even if the teeth sizes are not compatible.

I found some references to similar (in shape and color) Samsonite branded gears, but they're not alike. Also, it looks like Samsonite gears were sold in the US only, so it's very unlikely for such a set to be found at my grandparents in Europe.

My question is: from which set(s) are those cogs from? When were they produced? Are they pre-Technic or were they produced in parallel?

# Answer
The two larger gears were produced from 1970 to 1974, while the smaller gear remained in production for three additional years. There are six sets released during that time that contained all three parts:

800 Gear Set with Motor (1970)
802 Gear Supplementary Set (1970)
803 Gear/Wheel Set (1972)
810 Gear Truck Set (1974)
811 Gear Crane Set (1974)
812 Gear Supplementary Set (1974)
(Source)

The Lego Technic branding was introduced in 1977 (source), so while the sets listed above do not carry the Technic name, they may have sold well and inspired the Technic line.
> 10 votes

---
Tags: technic, part-identification, gears, set-identification
---


# Question
Title: Old lego set 1950s or 60s? TABAC and/or BAKEREI (from Europe)
My dad had a lego set (or 2 sets) in the late 50s or early 60s that his dad picked up in Europe (this was before they were sold in the states). It had 2 thick green rectangular tiles for bottoms (or one in each set) and made 2 buildings - TABAC and BAKEREI if he remembers the 1x6 blocks that had names on them correctly. Can anyone identify this set (or pair of sets)? Thanks so much

# Answer
The set(s) in question are likely two versions of set 1210 Small Store, released in 1955, or 210 Small Store, sold in 1958. They were available in a number of languages and with a variety of store names. "Tabak" means Tobacco in both Dutch and German. The Dutch word for bakery, however, is "bakkerij", while in German it is "Bäckerei". "Bakerei" is only used in Basque. Most likely, your father had two copies of the German versions of the sets.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: set-identification, vintage
---


# Question
Title: Which was the first set / minifig with two faces to choose from?
Some of my minifigs (like Iron Man, and Bilbo Baggins, and Harry Potter) have two different faces to show different emotions (usually something happy and something unhappy or upset or angry). How long have they been doing that? What was the first minifig to have 2 different faces to choose from?

# Answer
A quick search on Bricklink gives the following results:

Catalog: Parts: Minifig, Head: Search Results for dual sided

* Unknown year (41)
* 2001 (1)
* 2002 (10)
* 2005 (4)
* 2006 (7)
* 2007 (4)
* 2008 (4)
* 2009 (18)
* 2010 (27)
* 2011 (43)
* 2012 (86)
* 2013 (90)
* 335 Total Parts (View All)

This search was caried out at http://www.bricklink.com

Assuming that the Bricklink data are complete and correct, there are 41 double sided heads without a known release date, and the trend seems to have started in 2001 with this one:
> 8 votes

# Answer
I was a child with wealthy parents during the early 90's and thus own almost every set released during that period. apart from the harry potter one mentioned, the first that showed the same face with different emotion I remember getting was a small set that included a new skeleton face as well as a mummy. This Mummy was double sided with one face asleep, and one face awake.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: minifigures, history
---


# Question
Title: How do I remove a racing helmet from a garbage can?
We have a red Lego racing helmet that has become wedged with its round side up in a 2 handled Lego garbage can. I cannot access any of the visor indentations, the face slot or the neck circle. I tried banging on the upside down can, prying at the helmet with the little crowbar brick separater and broke a toothpick off between the helmet and the garbage can. I'm about to tell my kid that this can will just have to be considered full unless someone has a way to remove the helmet from it.

# Answer
> 20 votes
If the helmet were jammed head-down, you can use a needle-nose pliers to grasp the edge of the tube in the inside of the racing helmet, as shown, and then pull them apart. You may need to twist them apart as you pull.

In your case, since the helmet is jammed head-up, you need a way to push it out from the bottom. I suggest drilling a small hole through the tube recess in the bottom of the trash can. Unless you are intending to hold liquid in the trash can, there will be no functional impact whatsoever. The aesthetic impact is also minimal. I used a simple 3/32 wood drill bit I found in my garage. After drilling the hole, just push the drill bit through, and it should dislodge the helmet with minimal scratching. You can also pull the drill out and try pushing with another thin object. A wood skewer, for example, would be sufficiently rigid and less likely to scratch the helmet.

# Answer
> 5 votes
Short of damaging the parts (which oddTodd nicely documented, I'd tend to try to see if the part can't be removed by suction; although I'm not sure how you could generate enough.

Trying to inject a fluid underneath (with sufficient pressure) might do the trick too; that's what doctors do when dealing with clogged ears (usually with a sort of big syringe).

Lastly, you could glue some lever on the helmet and use it to pull it out, but you'd have to find a glue strong enough to make it work, and yet that you can remove afterwards. Note that if you value the trashcan more than the helmet (sounds unlikely, but you never know), this is the way to go (or you could use the drill trick with the helmet instead, I suppose).

# Answer
> 3 votes
Take a piece of hard sugar candy and screw a long thin screw into a small portion of it, small enough to fit in the garbage can without touching any of the sides. Wet the end of the candy to solve a bit of the sugar into a syrup and set it on the plastic helmet in the garbage can. Wait a day for it to dry, then pull the helmet out, and soak it in water to loosen the leftover candy on the helmet.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Besides the suggestions above another thing you might want to try is soapy water. Many times it will do the trick of separating elements stuck into each other.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Thank you all for your answers. Now I must share the solution my 13 year old arrived at. I found two scratched elements and the pocketknife that pried them apart on my computer desk this morning. This was definitely *NOT* the best way to get a helmet out of a garbage can as both elements were damaged in the process, but the helmet (which now looks like it was in a high speed crash) is out and the can (not as scratched as the helmet) is empty.

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can also use heat to un-jam parts that have been tightly stuck with an air pocket between them, which sounds like it describes this situation. Running the parts under warm/hot tap water will cause the air to expand, pushing the pieces apart.

---
Tags: disassembly, tools
---


title: Extra pieces in my set - Eiffel Tower

text:
# Question
Title: Extra pieces in my set - Eiffel Tower
I recently purchased a Eiffel Tower Architecture kit and I found it having 9 extra pieces. I know it is normal to have extras but I think the amount is a bit high. Any ideas or explanations?

Does anyone else have high numbers like this in their architecture sets?

# Answer
According to the BrickLink inventory, there should be three extra parts, so 9 seems a bit high.

It could be a mistake from LEGO, but honestly it's more likely that you forgot them yourself. Knowing what the 6 parts are through Bricklink, I suggest you check the model once more to verify where they could go.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: building
---


title: Advanced coloured lines following robot

text:
# Question
Title: Advanced coloured lines following robot
I am trying to build a coloured lines following robot, and I would like to know what kind of sensors do I use for my robot to differentiate and detect several different coloured lines?

# Answer
> 2 votes
If you are using the EV3 Sensors you should use the EV3 Color Sensor which can detect 8 colors (colorless, black, blue, green, yellow, red, white and brown). If you are using the NXT I would recommend the HiTechnic Color Sensor or HiTechnic Color Sensor V2... I hope I could help.

---
Tags: robotic
---


title: LEGO retiring old sets?

text:
# Question
Title: LEGO retiring old sets?
Why does The LEGO Group stop producing/selling older sets when they can still be hot items? I understand that they might affect the sale of future models but older models are rarely replaced by their newer counterparts.

As a fan of LEGO Trains, I cannot find anything for these ones:

**Level Crossing:** 7834 4532 7936 10128

**Train Crossing:** 7996 7857

These are just examples. There are a lot of other items, both train and non-train related, which are discontinued and are sold on eBay etc. for the price gold. Obviously if LEGO would keep on producing them, they will definitely benefit.

# Answer
> 9 votes
In order to sell older sets, TLG would have to either:

(1) continue a production run even when the demand for a set has dropped off

Production capacity is limited to a set number of components / sets at a time, and it makes sense to focus on newer, more profitable lines. For example, the moulds which produce LEGO parts are unbelievably expensive, but each mould can only produce a certain number of parts before it needs to be replaced.

or

(2) reproduce older sets

TLG has tried that in the past, and it hasn't proven particularly profitable for them. The problems are similar to (1).

or

(3) store sets longer in the hope that demand will pick up again

Which is risky, and typically less profitable than focusing resources on making new sets.

---

You can bet that TLG spend a lot of effort figuring out how to maximise the profitability of the company. Of course, it is possible that TLG has occasionally made the wrong decision and retired a set too early. I imagine, however, that these occasions are relatively rare (and even if they aren't, I don't suppose they'd tell us anyway).

# Answer
> 5 votes
There are a lot of factors to consider, but I believe the key one is a matter of production capacity. At any given time, the LEGO company can only produce a finite number of different elements and sets. As older sets stay in production, they would mean that less new sets can be produced, and the same goes for parts.

As far as parts are concerned, TLC pushes very hard toward a consistent parts system, and new parts are usually more functionnal or versatile than older ones. Again, the number of parts currently in production being limited, this means TLC has to retire older parts to make room for newer ones. While staple parts have a good chance of returning if their is a need for them, there is virtually no chance that older systems such as old train tracks, monorail tracks or samsonite gears would return. Considering old train tracks were much more fragile and aren't fully compatible with newer track, it wouldn't make sense to produce them again.

Gev's argument makes a lot of sense too: what you may perceive as "hot item" may in fact only have value because of its rarity and appeal to older fans. While a reissue in small production runs may work, I doubt TLC is willing to try this on a full scale. Keep in mind their goal is to run a profitable business, and selling big numbers of new sets probably works better - and don't forget their target audience is kids at the toy store, not adults on eBay. Actually, TLC tried at some point to reissue older sets ("Legends") and the very fact they don't do that anymore tells me that it didn't fare too well.

All in all, I'm fairly confident that TLC knows what "will definitely benefit" them way better than we can imagine ourselves.

---
Tags: sets, lego-group, discontinued
---


title: Price of EV3 education software

text:
# Question
Title: Price of EV3 education software
After looking around on the Lego Education website, I failed to find the price of the education software. I currently have the retail version of the software, but I want the extra features and blocks in the education version. Does anyone know how much the education EV3 software is?

# Answer
> 2 votes
The LEGO Education website does indeed not list prices, as you have to go through a distributor and get a quote there.

However, it seems that LEGO acts as its own distributor in the United States, which is slightly confusing, especially considering it's on a separate website: http://www.legoeducation.us/. There you can get prices, and you'll see a single-user license costs 99.95$ and a site license is 399.95$ (not sure how many installations that covers, though). Of course, outside of the United States you have to find a local distributor and request a quote.

---
Tags: mindstorms, ev3, software, education
---


# Question
Title: ERROR CODE 7- Cannot download needed file for the program
I am kind of new in LEGO MINDSTORMS, I tried to download a program to the NXT robot and got the Error code 7- "Cannot download needed file for the program" - can someone tell me what should i do?

# Answer
> 2 votes
This is most probably an accessory file (sound or image) not present on your machine. Verify all the sound or display blocks that might use such non-standard contents.

---
Tags: mindstorms, nxt, software
---


# Question
Title: Does cleaning LEGO parts affect their value?
I have a LEGO collection consisting of a number of rarer sets such as the monorail and 9V train sets.

I want to clean the pieces but I am curious if cleaning the parts affects their value? I plan on putting a few drops of dish soap in a laundry tub with warm water, gently mixing the pieces around, and then rinsing them off and letting them air dry. I obviously wouldn't do this with any 9V pieces or pieces with decals.

I know cleaning coins greatly decreases their value because it lightly scratches the surface of the coin. Should I be concerned with cleaning LEGO parts?

# Answer
Cleaning coins reduces their value because being metal they form a natural patina with age. The patina is an indication of the coin's age, and supports its authenticity. Removing any of the patina through cleaning reduces the value because it removes this sign of its authenticity.

Cleaning LEGO pieces does not affect their value in the same way it does coins. It is generally accepted that used pieces will have some small scratches and will have lost some of the shine of new pieces. Unless the scratches are deep enough to be seen easily or the piece is damaged, these incidental small scratches have little effect on the value of used pieces or sets.

LEGO pieces do not scratch one another, although they may cause scuffs (which can be removed). Scratches are caused by substances that are harder than the ABS plastic LEGO pieces are made from. This is usually dirt and dust that contain small particles of grit. This can settle on the pieces and scratch them as they are handled. Many pieces are played with on the floor, where they pick up grit and can be rubbed into carpet or flooring that contains abrasive particles.

Cleaning them can remove this abrasive grit and reduce further scratching, but aggressive rubbing can cause more scratching. When I clean pieces, I like to let them soak in warm water and mild soap for several hours - overnight usually - with no scrubbing and just a gentle mixing around of the pieces. Then I drain the water and rinse them until there are no soap suds and spread them out in a single layer on a clean towel to air dry. This will get all but the most dirty pieces clean.

For pieces that are very dusty, I will soak them then run them under a tap and use the water pressure to clean off as much dust as possible.

For pieces with dried-on dirt or other substances, you need to scrape it off with something softer than the plastic, like a fingernail, or try using the thin edge of a brick separator which is the same type of plastic.
> 8 votes

# Answer
It depends very much on how you clean them, and why.

Parts that were covered in mud or excrement will have lower value after that regardless of how you clean them, but I suggest it's not the cleaning that is the cause. Similarly for parts exposed to cigarette smoke or other toxic substances. If you check Bricklink, for example, many sellers of second hard parts say "smokefree household" as an advertising claim.

Careful cleaning with things that don't damage the Lego would normally increase the value, but not enough to cover the cost of doing it (otherwise more online sellers would say "all parts washed before sale"). Most Lego is kept pretty clean, except for smoke damage as noted above.

I have preciously sold Lego that I bought in a big, foul-smelling bin after washing it to remove the smell. The smell was slight rancid, slightly just "house that is never cleaned" musty/mouldy. So I used laundry detergent and warm water, soaking and agitating over a day or so, then rinsed a couple of times and dried in the shade. The smell disappeared, I sold most of the bricks (I bought the lot for some specific parts). I removed all the transparent parts before cleaning, and carefully hand-washed each transparent part specifically to avoid visible scratches. But the scratches from the general washing seem likely to be less than the scratches from normal keeping Lego in a big bin and carrying that around. I didn't see any obvious new damage, at least.

I suspect but have not tried that machine washing would cause more damage. Bag washing in a dishwasher or washing machine will involve more agitation and possibly hotter water than the hand-washing I've done. If I was going to do this I'd try it first on a bag of low-value Lego. AFOL groups often have a supply of very low-value bricks from people who regularly buy bulk lots of second hand Lego, so it would be worth asking around for how they clean it or whether they'd be willing to donate some bricks for your experiments.

I have heard of people deliberately using reactive chemicals to "clean" bricks in a damaging way. Normally this is done with old white Lego that has yellowed with age. Oxygen free radical cleaners will restore the whiteness, but make the Lego brittle. Doing that would definitely lower the value of the Lego.

I am assuming here that everyone involved is honest - obviously if you do use harsh cleaners but don't tell buyers that's not going to affect the value until the buyers discover the problem, and then only if they have some way of telling future buyers about your actions.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: cleaning
---


title: Is Mindstorms EV3 backwards compatible?

text:
# Question
Title: Is Mindstorms EV3 backwards compatible?
LEGO Group announced the next Mindstorms version, the EV3 which will be available in the Fall, 2013.

Does anyone know if the new version, specifically the controller, will be backwards compatible with the NXT 2.0 sensors and motors?

I'm assuming all of the other parts are standard Technics parts and should inter-operate without a problem.

# Answer
> 12 votes
The LEGO Group have advertised the EV3's excellent backwards compatibility with NXT.

As the cables are the same, the EV3 will work with NXT sensors, motors and, of course, LEGO Technic bricks. RCX sensors will work with the aid of converter cables.

Software designed for programming the NXT will *not* work for the EV3 as the NXT runs firmware, but the EV3 runs Linux. However, the graphical software that ships with the kit will be able to program older bricks.

From the official EV3 FAQ:

> **Q:** Can NXT sensors and motors be used with the EV3 P-brick?
> **A:** Yes. LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 uses the same LEGO® TECHNIC elements and RJ12 connector cables as the MINDSTORMS® NXT, so all your existing sensors, motors and building elements will work with the new platform, and the software will recognize them as NXT sensors/motors when they are plugged in.

# Answer
> 4 votes
The EV3 will run old sensors, motors, and lego bricks. I am sure it will run NXT 2.0 and NXT 1.0 motors, sensors, and etc. but not sure for RCX.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Some parts will be compatible with the EV version while others aren't. You can see a complete list with compatible parts in this article http://www.intorobotics.com/building-robots-lego-mindstorms-ev3-features-programming/.

# Answer
> 1 votes
This is not true in my experience! The NXT touch sensor is not detected by my EV3 with the latest firmware. I have tried the NXT touch sensor on the EV3 and it is NOT compatible. Since I have a few of these and really want to use them on my EV3 I investigated it further. The NXT sensor switch connects a 2k2 resistor between pins 1 and 3, with all other pins unconnected. The EV3 sensor is much more complicated, but the main difference is that it switches the 2k2 resistor between pins 4 and 6. I converted the NXT sensor to be EV3 compatible, by removing the existing 2k2 resistor, shorting pins 3 and 5, adding a 910 ohm resistor between pin 3 and 1, and changing the switch to switch the 2k2 resistor between pins 4 and 6. It is now detected and works fine. Why this sensor isn’t compatible I’m not sure, but the EV3 input ports are definitely different from the NXT to some degree. Looks like the intelligent sensors work though, as I can use the NXT ultrasonic and light sensors. Waiting for the EV3 HDK to investigate further…

---
Tags: nxt, mindstorms, ev3, compatibility
---


# Question
Title: Tips for hair loss problem in HeartLake world?
Is there anything to do to prevent the rubber hairs (or hats) from leaving Stephanie's head?

In my opinion, hairs and head stuffs for Friends don't stay in place as well as they do in the minifig's world.

My daughter is fed up with those girls with hair loss problems!

Any tips?!

# Answer
My LEGO Friends minifigs are just fine. Their hair doesn't come off that easy. Perhaps there is some difference in the mould and you ended up with some loose ones? It happends to regular minifigs too where the hair/helmet fits very loose or very tight. You could put a little bit of tacky-glue (blu-tack) inside the hair pieces to keep them on while still being able to remove/change them.

Also, I have to ask; are these minifigs directly from LEGO? There has been some sellers on eBay selling knock-off Friends minifigs from China. At first glance they look just like the real thing, but they are of lesser quality.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: friends
---


title: Duplo Train Thomas?

text:
# Question
Title: Duplo Train Thomas?
Anyone know if Lego will make new Thomas And Friend Duplo? The first sets were from 2005-2009 and I can't find any information about the future of this licences

# Answer
The Thomas and Friends license is currently with Mega Bloks (as of January 2014). For now, that means Lego is not planning on producing any new sets.

However, it is not unheard of for licenses to switch. The Marvel Superheros license, for example, was with Mega Bloks as well until Lego took it over last year:
> 6 votes

---
Tags: duplo
---


# Question
Title: How can I wirelessly connect the NXT and an iOS device?
I've seen videos around YouTube (like this one for a car) that show an ability to control a Mindstorms set via iOS (either iPhone or iPod Touch). I am just getting started with Mindstorms, but find this type of possibility very intriguing. How can I set this up? Should I use Bluetooth or something else?

# Answer
As stated in the description of that video, the big issue is that the iPhone won't pair with uncertified devices:

> The car is built with standard Lego Mindstorms NXT components. Since iPhone SDK does NOT allow using non certified devices (which are limited to other iPhones and some headsets etc.) I have used BTStack library.

I guess this is why there's an official app for Android, but not iPhone.

Note that the app itself is only available on Cydia, which I believe requires a JailBroken iPhone to run:

> LegoDrive is available on Cydia. Just install using Cydia on your iPhone/iPod, enter your Lego NXT's device ID and you can use LegoDrive too!
>
> LegoDrive (formerly presented as iCar) demonstrates how to control a Lego Mindstorms NXT robot using (rotating and tilting) iPhone over Bluetooth.

---

***Edit to add*** *(08-Jan-2013)*

The recently announced Mindstorms EV3 includes the statement that:

> LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 will also include full iOS and Android compatibility out of the box.

While the new "EV3 Intelligent Brick" features:

> New Linux-based firmware, a USB port and SD expansion slot \[which\] offer nearly unlimited programming and expansion capabilities
> 11 votes

# Answer
It's possible to control a NXT with the iPhone/Smartphone although this method requires either another iPhone, Smartphone, Laptop or PC with access to the internet.

The full programming and building instructions for the 'iPhoneRobot' can be found on BattleBricks. The source code for the server application and the NXT program is also available.

It's a clever way of controlling your NXT without jailbreaking your device, but it isn't a perfect solution. I'd like to try it out myself, but I find installing the server app to be too technical and the community that produced the instruction don't appear to be active any more.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Something like this app may come in handy:

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/inxt-remote/id317399938?mt=8

Note that for this app you must have a computer on the same network and have a bluetooth device on that computer. It's a bit of a workaround - You may want to search for some other apps that can use built-in bluetooth.
> 1 votes

# Answer
If you are looking for some info on sending commands over bluetooth, you might want to check out the link below:

http://www.robotappstore.com/Knowledge-Base/Programming-LEGO-NXT-Mindstorms/92.html

It's a pretty good introduction into sending direct commands to the NXT over bluetooth. That's what all the videos are doing that you see. What's convenient about this method is that it doesn't limit you to only using one particular type of software to communicate - where if you use the correct commands any type of software or programming language can be used.

Best, Ryan
> 1 votes

---
Tags: mindstorms, nxt, remote-control, ios
---


# Question
Title: Please tell me what tunnel-hull boat set this is?
I cannot figure out what this set would be...I like it and want to find instructions...but tried different wording and looking at images without luck.

# Answer
> 11 votes
After zooming the image and identifying the windscreen, I searched the Bricklink catalog and found the #4402 Sea Riders set in the list of sets using that windscreen in trans-black:

More details and instructions can be found here.

---
Tags: set-identification, creator
---


title: How can I contact LEGO set designers?

text:
# Question
Title: How can I contact LEGO set designers?
I would like to contact some of the set designers of the LEGO group to take part in a professional design forum, but I can't find any contact information. Is there a way I can contact them, or find more information on how to contact them?

# Answer
> 6 votes
Considering individual designers would need to ask for permissions from LEGO to do this, it may be more efficient not to contact them directly, but to go through the community team.

If that doesn't work, it's true that some designers do have an active online presence (check the answer to Are there any great LEGO designers that are well-known?) and shouldn't be too hard to get in touch with. There's always a chance they'll have to send you back to the community team or a legal team somewhere, but I suppose it's worth a try.

Anyway, we need them to spend their time on designing sets, so let's hope you don't demand too much of their time.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Have you checked Cuusoo? That seems to be a less formal designer's interface to the public.

---
Tags: design
---


# Question
Title: Alternative for Technic, Gear Rack 1 x 7 with Axle and Pin Holes?
We are trying to build a MOC which requires Technic, Gear Rack 1 x 7 with Axle and Pin Holes and we don't have that. Could we build it? Or are there any alternatives?

FYI we do have Technic Gear Rack 1 x 4 and 6630 - Technic, Gear Rack 1 x 8 with Holes

# Answer
> 14 votes
If it's your own creation, you should be able to adapt your model to fit the rack you have. One tricky problem I can see is if your construction is built as most studless models are nowadays and features uneven dimensions - which means a 7 rack is indeed easier than a 8.

You can of course build something around the old 1x4 rack place but it might get awkward depending how you want your model to work. Something like this might already work fine:

Also, I wouldn't discount the worm screw, as it can work as a rack as well:

Of course, this is just an example; with this solution you have a lot of freedom as to what you will connect at the ends of the axle, as well as to the length of it. Again, depending on your model, you'll surely be able to find something that suits your needs.

---
Tags: building, technic, moc
---


# Question
Title: How to tell the different ages of pieces?
I know that LEGO bricks have changed over the years, with regards to moulding pip locations, element ID numbers printed inside, etc, but I was wondering if anyone knows when these changes happened?

1. What year was the pip moved from on the side of the brick to on the stud?
2. What year did they start printing the element ID on the elements?
3. What year were the heads changed from solid stud to recessed stud?

The reason I ask is because I have started to collect earlier sets from the 1980s and 1990s and these are used sets. I want to know if they are the original parts or if they have been substituted for newer, cleaner parts.

# Answer
1. According to Leggodt.nl, the molding pip was moved from the side to the top of a stud beginning about 1974, but as Kramii points out there is no hard cutoff date, as LEGO used molds until they were worn out and included existing stock in sets until it was depleted. So you may find mixed types of bricks in sets between 1974 and 1979. By about 1980, the side-pip bricks were gone.
2. The element numbers were printed on the bricks subsequent to the "patent pending" period, which was when many bricks had either "pat. pend." molded underneath, or places where those words had been obscured. Obscured "pat. pend." bricks appeared in sets as late as 1978, which is also when the LEGO logo on the top studs was changed (according to Gary Istok's LEGO guide). I believe this is when the element numbers *started* to be molded on the underside of the pieces, but again there would be a transition period. By 1980 in the US, all modern pieces were in use.
3. The hollow-stud minifig head appeared in 1992 and was a change based on product safety requirements (to prevent choking.) According to an article at Gizmodo, LEGO decided to re-introduce the solid-stud heads after reviewing changes in safety laws. According to Peeron.com 1992 was the last year the solid-stud heads were included in sets and they began appearing again in 2006.
> 13 votes

# Answer
I don't think the molding pip was completely gone by 1980. I recently rediscovered my childhood Lego collection, which was mainly Classic Space from about 1980 (oldest set was 6970 Beta-1 Command Base) to about 1985 (the newest sets were 1984's 6951 Robot Command Center and a 6073 Black Falcon Knight's Castle and 1985's 6882 Walking Astro Grappler). The vast majority of bricks had a side molding pip, though most of the plates did not.

Just to give you an idea, my Knight's Castle contained a ration of roughly 4 to 1 old, side-molded 1x1 and 1x2 light grey bricks to ones with the molding pip on top.

I know this is all anecdotal to anyone other than myself, but I can assure you that the stock of old bricks was not depleted by 1980 - I would guess it was around 1984 that they really started to disappear.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: part-identification, piece-information, history, vintage
---


title: LEGO Digital Designer Alternatives

text:
# Question
Title: LEGO Digital Designer Alternatives
I am been using LDD (LEGO Digital Designer) for my latest NXT project and noticed a major delay in building and making instructions for my Projects (My Mindstorm projects contain well over 500 pieces) and the instructions look all weird for my big projects. And LDD is discontinued so I doubt LEGO will make an EV3 update.

I am curious if you guys know any paid or free software that allows you to make projects for LEGO (Mindstorm). I am looking for something fast, (optional) that will work for Mac and PC, have animation to present my projects, and finally make instructions for my projects.

# Answer
There are several editors which are based on the open LDraw part database.

I believe that the most popular are MLCAD and LeoCAD. I personally use LDD, so I can't speak to the quality of the instruction generation from these tools, but they do at least offer the ability to create instructions.

LeoCAD is probably your best bet for doing animations, and it is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.

BrickLink has recently released Stud.io in open beta, and it appears to combine the best of LDD and LDraw - it works with the LDraw part database but will import LDD models and offers a similar interface to LDD as well as collaboration and integration with the BrickLink shops for purchasing the elements for your models.
> 12 votes

# Answer
*Not exactly an answer to the question, more an answer to the tile of the question:*

For a much more lightweight alternative, check out the new LEGO designer from google. http://www.buildwithchrome.com/

It only works in Goolge's Chrome browser as it is essentially an experiment to show off Chrome's WebGL capabilities.

There is no download as it is completely browser based and it also gives you an easy way to share your builds with other users and view builds for other users around the world. Using location tagging you can actually place your build on a specific area of a google map and see your creation rendered in 3D in place.
> 3 votes

# Answer
SR 3D builder is another good alternative I like to use, it uses the Ldraw parts library, but has a more intuitive connection system than MLCad, without the connection restrictions LDD has.

I don't know that SR 3D builder supports mac, but I believe it fits your other requirements nicely.
> 1 votes

# Answer
There is also another solution called Mecabricks which is online based and works with WebGL. Therefore, you only need a browser to start building or check the 3D models already published by the other builders. However it is not compatible with LDD or Ldraw and part library is different and doesn't include as much parts as the others yet.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: technic, mindstorms, software, ldd
---


title: How well do LEGO assemblies hold water?

text:
# Question
Title: How well do LEGO assemblies hold water?
Water is commonly represented with blue pieces, but what if I tried adding real water to a setup?

For example, I create a simple blue base with a rectangle making a sort of pool. If I fill that rectangle, would the water be held inside the pool?

Example 2, make a river using taller pieces as the bank and run water over it.

I already saw that LEGO bricks can float so maybe adding a nifty crocodile into a moat or something.

# Answer
In my experience, this doesn't work very well. The gaps between LEGO bricks are too wide to hold water. The water will be contained for a short amount of time, but it will eventually leak out through the cracks.

Here's an experiment showing how your first example works. Notice the water leaking out the crack in the bottom right:

The leak continues to grow:

I haven't personally tested this with running water, but I can only imagine that this would increase the rate that water will leak out.

If you're interested in building some sort of running water feature, you may want to take a look at this answer that suggests waterproofing the bricks using liquid latex after assembly.
> 12 votes

# Answer
I did something like this once, I cut down a butter tub and built the lego around it, with plates hiding the top edge. It worked very well, but the stale tea that I used for the swamp stained my bricks.

I can only think that a brick-built wall with a plastic carrier bag secured by a plate layer at the very top would be your best bet, as none of the bricks would be modified, and the shape can be completely random.

And as you can see, both crocodiles and sharks float nicely.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: water
---


title: What are LEGO baseplates made from?

text:
# Question
Title: What are LEGO baseplates made from?
I want to lasercut a green LEGO baseplate for a project, but cannot cut a plastic with the laser if it contains PVC or Vinyl.

Does anyone know if the green baseplates are free from these materials.

# Answer
> 9 votes
LEGO baseplates are made from ABS plastic, like most of the opaque rigid plastic LEGO elements since 1970. ABS is a thermoplastic consisting of a styrene monomer with the addition of an acrylonitrile momomer and a butadiene monomer. There is no PVC or vinyl present.

I suggest reviewing this thread for more on laser-cutting ABS. It is not a trivial matter to get a good result.

Edited to add: In response to a query from a "safe toy" website, LEGO categorically stated that they do not use PVC in any of their products except in rare instances like electrical wiring insulation.

# Answer
> 1 votes
They are made from ABS injected into a mold. I actually got to see Legos made at legoland, a truly amazing experience!

---
Tags: manufacturing, plastics
---


# Question
Title: "The type or namespace name "Brick" could not be found" Xamarin Studio with MonoBrick
I managed to establish a wifi connection with the Ev3 Brick via WinSCD and am programming the Ev3 with XamarinStudio/Mono Develop(http://xamarin.com/studio "XamarinStudio"). My problem is that "The type or namespace name 'Brick' could not be found (are you missing a using directive or an assembly reference?)" The Code is:

```
var ev3 = new Brick <TouchSensor, IRSensor, ColorSensor, ColorSensor>("wifi");

```

as you can see at the screenshot below...

# Answer
> 1 votes
You need to be using the standard MonoBrick Communication Library if you want to connect remotely to the EV3.

You would then need to have the following `using` statement at the top of your code:

```
using MonoBrick.Ev3

```

I believe you are referencing the MonoBrick EV3 Firmware which doesn't need to connect to the brick as it *is* the brick.

---
Tags: mindstorms, programming, ev3, monobrick
---


# Question
Title: Is there an .lxf file resource of production Lego sets?
Is there an .lxf file resource site of production Lego sets? Specifically, I am looking for the Millennium Falcon 10179 lxf file, to load into Lego Digital Designer.

# Answer
The Eurobricks forum has a topic dedicated to user created LDD files of existing LEGO sets.

There are currently four different versions of the #10179 Millennium Falcon made by different users:

There is also a topic for official LEGO sets re-created in .
> 5 votes

---
Tags: sets, ldd
---


# Question
Title: Why are minifigure wrenches tapered at the end?
The common minifigure wrench is tapered at one end. Why? None of the other minifigure tools are shaped this way. Is the wrench meant to also serve as a minifigure pry bar? Or perhaps as some sort of flathead screwdriver?

# Answer
Your second guess was correct. It's not just a wrench. It's listed as a Screwdriver/spanner on Lego.com:

This part was also included in several sets in the Games line as a human tool to remove tiles from the dice. It's unclear (at least to me) whether this part was intended to be used for tile removal when it was introduced in 1979. Here's an example from the Creationary instructions:
> 16 votes

---
Tags: minifigures, piece-usage
---


# Question
Title: LEGO Power Functions M-Motor 8883 characteristics
I have a couple questions about LEGO Power Functions M-Motor 8883 (http://shop.lego.com/en-US/LEGO-Power-Functions-M-Motor-8883):

1. Is it synchronous or asynchronous?
2. It is powered by AC or DC?

# Answer
> 4 votes
The basic LEGO Power Functions motors (M, L, XL) use a fairly standard DC motor internally. The terms synchronous and asynchronous only apply to AC motors.

I'm not sure exactly where you are headed with this question, but if you are curious about whether or not PF motors can be controlled directly from a simple voltage source, the answer is yes. You don't need any complex control circuitry for the basic motors. Power is fed directly from the PF control lines (the middle two wires) to a DC motor.

The following image shows the internals of the PF XL motor. It is electrically identical to the M motor. You can see that it has no control circuitry, and connects the control lines directly to the terminals of a basic DC motor. The only additional components are a couple of capacitors to help eliminate signal noise.

More detailed information on the PF system can be found here:

http://www.philohome.com/pf/pf.htm

---
Tags: power-functions, motor
---


# Question
Title: Where do bulk LEGO sellers on eBay get their bricks?
The are a large number of people on ebay selling LEGO by the pound(or kg), for example, this guy. The LEGO is (implied to be) pre-owned as the eBay descriptions often say the bricks have been washed and sorted and non-LEGO brand bricks removed. These seller sometimes have 10's or maybe 100's of pounds of LEGO for sale.

Where do they get all this LEGO? And how much do they pay for it?

# Answer
> 17 votes
Garage-sales, estate-sales, second-hand stores, flea-markets and graigslists are the most common way to source out used LEGO. This is especially true in neighborhoods where there is a LEGO store nearby so a lot of kids have them, or where LEGO is popular in the community in general (suburbs and middle-class neighborhoods are especially great places to scout).

As far as how much they pay for it, it just depends on the deal, but of course the less is better. These buyers often make an offer on an entire lot to get the best deal, and they are very familiar with what sells the best and for how much.

They wash them, clean them, then cherry-pick the minifigs and expensive parts out they will sell separately on eBay or BrickLink and dump the rest on eBay as mixed lots. It is not easy work by any means, but it can be a lucrative business.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I asked a similar question about finding older sets and I got a good list of places to check out. This might be useful for your searches. Good hunting!

---
Tags: shopping, ebay
---


# Question
Title: How do I get instructions to fully motorize Technic 42006
I have just purchased the Technic 42006 and would like to make it fully remote controlled.

# Answer
I suggest using google to search for them.

When I did that I found two threads on EuroBricks discussing this - here and here. The first thread links to a youtube video that has downloadable instructions. Note that the instructions are 19MB and the website is fairly slow.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: technic, motor, instructions, set-modification
---


title: EV3 Event Delegation

text:
# Question
Title: EV3 Event Delegation
My problem is that the robot, which should just remain in the program until the Escape Button is pressed, just stays in the while-loop. The current code looks like this:

```
using System;
using MonoBrickFirmware;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Movement;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Display;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Sensors;
using MonoBrickFirmware.UserInput;
using System.Threading;

namespace ColorSensorExample
{
    class R_Main
    {
        public static void Main (string[] args)
        {
            R_Main main = new R_Main ();
        }

        public R_Main()
        {

            var sensor = new EV3ColorSensor (SensorPort.In2);
            ButtonEvents buts = new ButtonEvents ();
            buts.EscapePressed += new Action(onEscape);
            while (true)
            {

            }
        }

        private void onEscape()
        {
            EventWaitHandle stopped = new ManualResetEvent (false);
            stopped.Set ();
        }
    }
}

```

But it does work with the example from the Monobrick homepage:

```
using System;
using MonoBrickFirmware;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Movement;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Display;
using MonoBrickFirmware.Sensors;
using MonoBrickFirmware.UserInput;
using System.Threading;
namespace ColorSensorExample
{
class MainClass
{
  public static void Main (string[] args)
  {
        EventWaitHandle stopped = new ManualResetEvent(false);
        ColorMode[] modes = {ColorMode.Color, ColorMode.Reflection,
                             ColorMode.Ambient, ColorMode.Blue};
        int modeIdx = 0;
        var sensor = new ColorSensor(SensorPort.In1);
        ButtonEvents buts = new ButtonEvents ();

        buts.EscapePressed += () => {
            stopped.Set();
        };
        buts.UpPressed += () => {
            LcdConsole.WriteLine("Sensor value: " + sensor.ReadAsString());
        };
        buts.DownPressed += () => {
            LcdConsole.WriteLine("Raw sensor value: " + sensor.ReadRaw());
        };
        buts.EnterPressed += () => {
            modeIdx = (modeIdx+1)%modes.Length;
            sensor.Mode = modes[modeIdx];
            LcdConsole.WriteLine("Sensor mode is: " + modes[modeIdx]);
        };
        stopped.WaitOne();
    }
  }
}

```

# Answer
> 1 votes
> Note: I have no particular knowledge of how work.

You're never escaping the `while (true)` loop. The example you're pointing too use an event-based model, and it looks like you prefer a loop. This is what you want:

```
class R_Main
{
    public static void Main (string[] args)
    {
        R_Main main = new R_Main ();
    }

    public R_Main()
    {

        var sensor = new EV3ColorSensor (SensorPort.In2);
        bool continue = true;
        ButtonEvents buts = new ButtonEvents ();
        buts.EscapePressed += () => {continue = false;};
        while (continue)
        {

        }
    }
}

```

But depending on the internals of this might not work at all.

---
Tags: programming, ev3, monobrick
---


title: NXT program not running

text:
# Question
Title: NXT program not running
We have multiple NXT Bricks. We can read sensor data and motor degrees from View. Some are running FW 1.31, others FW 1.28.

When we try a simple 5-step NXT program, the motors will not turn. We tries wait blocks after the move blocks. This only occurs on some of the bricks, and there is no correlation with the FW version.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Did you use in program the same motors as you check via View? For example, maybe you view A and B motors, but in program uses C and D? If you have the following behaviour:

> You check motors via View, then create a program and it works. After that you substitute NXT brick for another one, check the same motors via View but that same program doesn't work.

In that case I'd suggest to refresh firmware.

---
Tags: mindstorms, nxt, motor
---


title: How do I Build a LEGO Digestive System?

text:
# Question
Title: 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.

# Answer
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. ;)
> 1 votes

---
Tags: instructions, design
---


# Question
Title: How make a 6x6 board rotate using LEGO technic parts?
Are there any common patterns for making a 6x6 (or bigger) LEGO board have a ability to rotate using technic with gears and such? Has to be without the help of the existing 2x2 lego part that rotates, its not big enough.

Seen from above:

# Answer
> 9 votes
You can use a large gear (3649) with connector pegs (970607) attached like this:

Then you can attach the 6x6 plate on top.

# Answer
> 7 votes
There's actually a specialized part to accomplish this task. Take a look at the Technic Turntable (2855):

This part can be used to create sturdy rotating platforms that can be controlled by gears. It consists of two parts (2855 and 2856) that snap together to allow for smooth rotation about the center. Here's an example from the classic Mobile Crane set:

With the crane boom mounted:

Note that this turntable is out of production, so it may be easier to find the new studless version, though it will obviously be a little more difficult to attach regular bricks to this one. The studless version is part 48452 and 48168. Here's what is looks like with the two halves snapped together:

---
Tags: technic, mechanical
---


title: What is the largest single LEGO piece?

text:
# Question
Title: What is the largest single LEGO piece?
What is the largest single LEGO piece ever produced? This does not include LEGO affiliates like Duplo.

### Clarifications

* It must be a purchasable block.
* By largest, I mean largest by Volume/Weight of Plastic

# Answer
> 41 votes
The "Extra Large" grey baseplate is 15"/38cm square, with 48 studs to a side.

Alternatively, the moulded castle baseplate had a greater volume (with height), and a base size of 32x48 studs and 6 bricks high (15"x10"/38x25cm) (in other colours as well):

Tim offered up the following, also with a base size of 32x48 studs, 6 bricks high (15"x10"/38x25cm) (it came in a few other colours too):

Peeron also lists a 48x48 Raised with Staircases and Pits:

Peeron.com

As well as a very old "Giant Base Plate" and a "Road 3-way Curve with Gray Pattern", both at 50x50 studs.

Joubarc suggested the "Boat Hull Floating 74 x 18 x 7":

Peeron.com

Stretching the definition of "Single Piece" somewhat, the "Electric Technic Control Centre with Yellow and Red Buttons" from the Technic Control Center was a beast of a part:

Peeron.com

---

Made this CW to allow others to add their contenders

# Answer
> 15 votes
this brick has always annoyed me, when sorting my bricks

# Answer
> 12 votes
if you're just counting the basal area, it seems to be the gray 48x48 baseplate:

# Answer
> 11 votes
If you go by Volume/Weight. This is heaviest single-element I've ever seen. It's not just plastic but it's one element made and sold by LEGO.

# Answer
> 5 votes
@Zhaph : (from my sister's LEGO collection)

---
Tags: piece-information, size, records, weight
---


# Question
Title: Please identify this broken LEGO Technic piece
This piece is from LEGO Technic 8070 Super Car. Can anyone please identify its name as it's broken and I need to get a new one.

# Answer
> 13 votes
Sure looks like one of these: Technic, Steering Gear with 4 Ball Joints, Complete Assembly with Black Base

It comes in a handful of sets

---
Tags: technic, part-identification
---


# Question
Title: Logging and performing mathmatical calc. during run?
Is it possible using the new EV3 to log data, and peform mathmatical calculation on the data while it's being logged, and peform some and thereby trigger some event if some value has been reached??

As far i can see, it is possible doing seperatly..

# Answer
Instead of using the datalog block from education version, you can create a custom version using the file access block. It's a bit more difficult, but more flexible... You won't be able to directly use EV3 datalog management, but you can structure the file to be directly compatible with csv format, readable by spreadsheet programs.
> 4 votes

# Answer
As @Philo mentioned, the EV3's native datalog block is very limited. Instead, you can use the File Access block and then export it to your computer.

CSV Format is as follows:

```
Year,Make,Model,Length
1997,Ford,E350,2.34
2000,Mercury,Cougar,2.38

```
> 0 votes

---
Tags: ev3, education
---


# Question
Title: How long are Star Wars exclusives usually in stock for?
I'm currently looking into purchasing the Super Star Destroyer, but I'm wondering how long they will be in stock for. The reason I ask is I know that LEGO used to have a Tie Fighter in their exclusives that they no longer have in stock.

Are exclusives usually in stock for a few years? A couple of months?

# Answer
> 9 votes
I don't think there's any rule about that, and most probably various factors influence the length of time for which a set is available. From experience, I'd tend to say that most sets last around 2 years, but it's certainly not fixed in stone, so don't take my word for it.

Considering exclusives usually mean more benefit for LEGO, it would make sense for example that well-selling sets are produced for a longer time - if it sells, there's less incentive to stop producing it, apart from production issues (the number of set in production at a current time being limited, and the same is true for parts so if the set has specific parts maybe it'll be phased out faster).

In the past, LEGO has even reissued sets which were in high demand, the best example being the Maersk ship for which LEGO had said there would be no more of them because they hadn't any granulate left of that colour, until Maersk intervened and a reissue was possible.

However, there is now another help for that, as LEGO recently created a "retiring soon" page which should give an good indication of soon-to-retire sets. It may not always be accurate, it seems to be limited to the US at the moment, but if your set is on the list, it's probably a good idea not to wait too long. But if it's not on the list, it doesn't necessarily mean you can sleep on it too long either.

Of course, some sets land in the Sales & Deals page at the end of their life, and when they do, you better act real fast or risk having to pay more than list price (example: the modular Green Grocer, which had been heavily discounted before selling out in a matter of hours, if not minutes. Good luck finding a cheap one now.). It may actually end up that way with the "retiring soon" page as fans hurry to buy the sets there, and there are indeed a few which are now sold out.

So, in short, don't wait too long if you can avoid it. Just because LEGO has sent a retired set to a kid doesn't mean they'd do the same for you :-)

# Answer
> 1 votes
It depends of the set's inventory parts, I mean pieces. For example, the Hoth Rebel Base from 2007 was only available in stores for 5 months, and if you look at it, it's an amazing set (I have it) So, it depends, and as Joubarc said, there is not a rule for that.

---
Tags: shopping, star-wars
---


# Question
Title: On Lego Mindstorms EV3, is there a way to change the input parameters of a My Block?
I am writing a program for which I did a My Block. I later realize that I need to add a new input parameter and I can't find a way of doing this without creating a new My Block. This seems it should be trivial but its driving me crazy not being able to find out how. Any help would be very much appreciated. Thanks

# Answer
> 3 votes
Unfortunately, there is no way to add a parameter to an existing MyBlock in both the NXT and EV3 series. You will have to create a new one with more input parameters.

---
Tags: mindstorms, ev3, ev3-g
---


# Question
Title: Why are there no faces drawn on the black heads?
There were two black heads in the Star Wars 2011 advent calendar and neither had a face drawn. Is that because there was no face necessary since it was going to be covered with a mask anyway or is there a rule that the faces only go on the yellow heads?

# Answer
They made them solid black so there are no alignment issues when veiwing the masked minifigures. By leaving them blank LEGO ensured the eye slots always appear black. Side note: The only Stormtroopers seen without helmets in the StarWars Movies were Han and Luke in disguise, therefore Stormtroopers are faceless.
> 12 votes

# Answer
The latest Star Wars sets (for example 9489 - Endor Rebel Trooper & Imperial Trooper Battle Pack) do have faces printed on the black Storm Trooper heads, which doesn't work all that well with the Scout Trooper, unless you put it on backwards:

However, looking at them, you can clearly see there are issues with printing on black plastic - the faces aren't quite the right colours (although I'll need to work on some better photos for this to really show).

**Edit to add:**

Noticed while rebuilding the set the other day that Jango Fett's head was also black with a printed face, released in 2002:
> 8 votes

# Answer
Well, they don't print them because they don't know how are their faces. For example, have you ever seen a stormtrooper's face? No, but that's weird, the stormtroopers were suposed to be clones. Anyway, they don't print them because they or we haven't ever seen a stormtrooper, scoutrooper, or whatever unmasked.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: minifigures, star-wars
---


# Question
Title: EV3 Rapt3r's head cable interfering with slithering
My Rapt3r is working great, except that the cable that goes from the head to the "Intelligent Brick" physically interferes with the slithering on the side on which it is plugged (port 4).

Physically interfering in the sense that the cable being somewhat stiff prevents the motor from turning all the way on that side.

If I unplug the cable the slithering is much more balanced between the two sides. Is there a better way to thread that cable than what is shown in the instructions?

# Answer
That's bad. Try to unplug and plug fast and see what happens. Or try to connect the cable on the port that is beside, and then, connect it to its port. I hope that works.
> -2 votes

---
Tags: ev3
---