# Question
Title: Can several users control one Powered Up train using different devices?
According to this review of the new 60197 passenger train you can only have one Bluetooth thing talk to the new LEGO battery box at a time.

> The new Power Up system as it currently appears in this set is very rigid. One remote or device can be used to operate one battery box/receiver, which in turn can operate one train motor. All of the flexibility of the old system seems to be gone.

I'm hoping to put a train in my office before Christmas and it would be great if multiple people could install the app and change the speed. Is that too much to hope for with LEGO's current evolution of this technology? This seems like a normal thing to expect for something that uses Bluetooth, but the review above makes me doubt that applies to LEGO. Has anyone tried this?

# Answer
> 5 votes
As far as I know, this is not possible using the current stock firmware. The battery box can only pair with one device. The UI on the battery box is a single button, and for simplicity the device is either in a mode where it is looking for a device to pair with (flashing light) or already paired (solid light). There isn't a way to pair it with another device once it is already paired, and pressing the button while paired cancels the current pairing.

> I'm hoping to put a train in my office before Christmas and it would be great if multiple people could install the app and change the speed.

There are ways to allow multiple people to control a device, but it will likely require a bit of software development.

## Update

My students and I have been working on a possible solution to this problem that I wanted to share. We've created an open source project for the Raspberry Pi called twitch-powered-up that allows a LEGO model to be streamed from a webcam and controlled via simple natural language commands on Twitch chat. Here's the basic idea:

# Answer
> 3 votes
I can confirm that using something like jncranton suggested (a third-party library that speaks to PoweredUp devices over bluetooth), you can use a computer to control several PoweredUp devices at once.

The limit seems to be the number of devices your Bluetooth will pair with.

The Remote is a smart hub like the battery box so each remote counts as one device and each battery box likewise counts as one.

When paired in this fashion, the buttons on the remote do nothing. You'll need to write code to dispatch messages to the battery box to perform whatever action you want your remote to control. I wrote a script that makes the remote behave like the remote in the box, i.e. it makes the train go faster or slower. But as the train only uses one side of the remote, I programmed the other buttons to raise and lower the gate at the level crossing, using a Boost brick which was also part of this program.

# Answer
> 3 votes
I've done some experimentation with using one powered up controller over two hub devices ... ( You must have one motor on channel A in Hub 1 & the other on Channel B in Hub 2 ) Seems to work, pairing involves turning on all devices at once, ( controller & Hub ) and waiting for it to sync + same with turning it off - press & hold all devices for 5 sec ...

The other program I've looked into ( but not tried yet ) is "The Lego Train Project". Found here : https://www.eurobricks.com/forum/index.php?/forums/topic/169318-control-all-your-powered-up-power-function-sbrick-devices-with-a-single-software/

Add : This program requires windows 10 to operate ... :(

Should give that a go to see if it can control trains from multiple locations ... :)

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Tags: trains, bluetooth, remote-control, powered-up
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# Question
Title: List of Lego Technic sets with remote controller?
I am interested in buying a set with motors (etc) with a remote controller.

Is there a website that allows to search with this conditions? Official website is pretty bad.

I have found the Lego Technic 9398 4x4 until now: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mjlo7G661Iw

Are there any other?

# Answer
> 8 votes
There have been many remote controlled Technic sets over the years. I've organized this list with the most recent generations of remote control elements first.

# Control+

Current remote controlled Technic sets will contain a Control+ hub. We can find them by showing the sets that contain that part on Bricklink.

# Power Functions

For Power Functions, we can look for sets containing the Power Functions IR Receiver and sets containing the PF IR Receiver V2. It looks like the following sets contain that part and are remote controlled:

* Motorized Bulldozer 8275
* Motorized Excavator 8043
* 4x4 Crawler 9398
* 4x4 Crawler Exclusive Edition 41999
* 6x6 All Terrain Tow Truck 42070
* Volvo L350F Wheel Loader 42030
* RC Tracked Racer 42065
* Remote-Controlled Stunt Racer 42095

# RC

Prior to Power Functions, there were dedicated RC elements used to provide remote control functionality to sets. These can be found in this category on Bricklink. Most of those sets aren't really Technic, but some are. For proper Technic sets, it's probably helpful to look at just the RC sets containing a separate buggy motor instead of the large integrated vehicle base. Those three sets are:

* Hot Flame 8376
* RC Race Buggy 8475
* Supersonic RC 8366

# Answer
> 1 votes
Besides Power Functions and Control+, there is also Lego Mindstorms. The EV3 generation includes a remote control, and you can also make block-based programs for your robots if using the remote isn't suitable.

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Tags: technic, remote-control
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title: 2x2 macaroni pieces

text:
# Question
Title: 2x2 macaroni pieces
I don't own any of the brick, round corner 2 x 2 macaroni pieces. If you make a circle with them, can you fit a 2x2 round snugly within that circle?

# Answer
Yes it fits as well as you'd expect. same as any adjacent brick, so there's not much friction if you want to slide it up and down like a piston.
> 8 votes

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Tags: design, piece-usage
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# Question
Title: Does anyone have any successful techniques in searching for lego bricks in a pile?
We typically tip our box of Lego bricks onto a giant sheet (so that it can be easily picked up) but searching for bricks becomes really tricky and time consuming. You often remind yourself, "you'll find it once you stop looking," but is there more to it than that?

Are there ways to look through the collection more closely? I guess in a sense, are there ways of skimming the collection that help you spot that particular piece? The easiest trap I find is to look for colours because there aren't that many colours... looking for the shape would be better, but it doesn't seem to help.

Likely the best option would be to spread the pieces out so that they are all visible, flat on the ground, but that isn't practical space wise.

# Answer
Properly sorting is the best solution, although it doesn't seem like that is what you want.

---

Before starting, it helps to have a quick look through the pile and pick out any interesting bricks you might use. If you don't have your mind set on an exact design, it can be just as much fun to build using parts picked out before hand instead of constantly searching.

Once you start building I recommend building as much of your creation before searching - keep track of a list of pieces that you need. If you can't immediately find an important piece, then use a temporary one that has the same functionality. Once you're done, go through the pile looking for each piece you need. It will be faster to look for several pieces at the same time as opposed to one.

---

For the actual sorting, I use the most distinguishing feature of the piece. If it's a unique color, then use that. If it's a strange shape look for that. The method I use for searching in a random pile is to focus on a small area - once I have verified that the piece isn't there I'll separate the area from the pile and move onto the next area. This prevents looking over the same area twice.
> 14 votes

# Answer
One thing you could do is to presort your Lego bricks. Take your giant pile of Lego bricks and try to split it up into 5-10 categories.

Those categories could be color, size, or any other features, it doesn't really matter. (I'm a Technic builder, so I would sort them into axles, pins, pin-connectors, beams and gears for example.) To get the best results these categories should be as close to equal in size.

Presorting might seem to be a bit of work, however next time you need a brick it will be several times faster (roughly equal to the amount of categories) to find it since you only have to look through a subset of bricks. One you have done the presort, you don't need to do it again (until you trow them back into your box) so it makes most sense to do this during a building session where you might need to look after another brick in the near future.

Remember that your piles could contain sub-categories, if you had sorted after color you could use size to skim through the pile in order to find that brick. You could also split those up into even more sub-piles if you wanted. The more you sort, the less time you need to search after bricks, however you will spend more time during your presort. Try to experiment and find a balance between sorting and searching that you like.

---

In order to not presort more than necessary, do the presorting while you are looking after a brick. Like Pubby suggested, take a small area and look through that. However instead of simply trowing them into a separate pile if you don't find it, sort them into your category piles. Continue this process until you find the brick you were looking for.

Next time you need a brick, look through the incomplete sub-piles first to see if it is there. If not, continue with the giant unsorted pile like before, presorting your bricks until you find the brick.
> 10 votes

# Answer
Some hints that work for me:

* Get to know your lego. There is no point looking for a component that isn't there.
* Get someone to help you. Sometimes other people can spot what you've missed. Small people often have sharper eyes than big people. My 7 year old son can spot things *far* more qickly than me.
* If you're looking for a small piece, it is almost certainly at the bottom of a collection of larger bricks. So, for small components, dig deep. This should also work when you've spread the components out, but is especially useful if you're searching through a big box. In fact, if you gently shake a box of parts to encourage the big ones to rise and then *rapidly* invert the box onto your play area, you'll probably find that you get a nice layer of small bits on the top of the heap.
* Store parts in a big plastic container rather than a cardboard box. Otherwise you'll eventually find the part you're looking for under the flaps at the bottom of the box.
* As others have said, you can't really avoid some kind of sorting, even if it is primitve on-the-fly sorting. For this reason, some of thie ideas in this answer could help, even if you implement them as you're looking for parts rather than when you store your lego.
* Pull out the big base boards and any instructions etc. that get in the way of your looking for parts. It is also worth pulling out any cables or string as they can be annoying to look through, too.
* When you see pairs of parts that belong together, stick them together. For example, wheels and tires, windows and glass, aircraft wings etc. That way, when you've found one you've found the other.
* Similarly, when you take things apart, leave 'interesting' assemblies partially built. It is sometimes easier to find what you're looking for when it is stuck to something else. For example, leave minifigs assembled, even if you anticipate needing their parts in a different configuration in the future.
* When you're looking, look for several parts at a time.
* If you find an interesting part, pull it out and keep it separate, even if it isn't what you want at the moment. Chances are, there parts will stimulate your imagination and you'll want them anyway.
* Start building a proper system for organising your parts. For example, my son keeps his minifigs and their gear separate from everything else.
* Sometimes you can't help but look through every part in the heap. If you end up doing that, divide the heap into smaller, more managable sections and paw through them one at a time.
> 6 votes

# Answer
You may want to use a smooth surface on which elements can glide easily without being scratched This allows you to move unwanted parts around quite fast so that you can find the one you're after.

But I agree with others, ultimately you'll need to sort. The smooth surface can help here too, and one good trick is to focus on retrieving elements which are abundant first. But don't over do it, if looking for, say, 1x2 blue bricks is easy because you see a lot of them, fine, take them out first; but don't try to catch them all, these are no pokemons. Once you don't see them so easily anymore, switch to something else.
> 4 votes

# Answer
* I also don't like bins of parts.
* So what I do is sort by shape, in "crystals" - assemblies of each shape all connected together.
* Then you can put these assemblies in your big bucket, where they will stay (mostly) connected together.

Here's a post from EvilMadScientist which describes the basic idea:

http://www.evilmadscientist.com/2008/how-to-organize-your-lego-bricks-for-efficient-building/
> 1 votes

# Answer
I bought a desk organizer insert with 9 bins in it. I put parts with the same color in one of the bins. If there's a lot of one color, I split it into another bin by size or type. If you're building a set, you can do this bag by bag as you work through the instructions.
> 1 votes

# Answer
if you are building a set you can build multiple sets at once so If you get stuck you can go to another set and start searching for the piece and building
> 0 votes

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Tags: organisation
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title: LDD lacks almost all functionality

text:
# Question
Title: LDD lacks almost all functionality
I have installed LDD on my Windows 10 today, and after installing the application it automatically opened up. But I realized that when using the Desktop shortcut, the app can't be found. Here's the given error:

So I used the installer again, and it said that LDD was already installed. But I couldn't find the files anywhere, only the shortcut. So I reinstalled anyway and stored them in a directory I recognized, yet after installing when I checked the directory, **it wasn't there.** Once again I tried this process, but the problem persisted. I also notice that any LXF file I try to open doesn't do anything and LDD doesn't detect the file when I open it from the application itself. So LDD is quite crippled, tbh.

How do I solve this??

# Answer
## Update as of 12 January 2022

The LEGO Group has announced via a press release they will be closing the LDD site from 31 January 2022, and encourage all users to migrate to Bricklink Studio.

> The LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) website will close on January 31st, after which time LDD will no longer be available for download. While downloaded versions of the LDD application will continue to work, people are encouraged to download BrickLink Studio, import their LDD files, and use Studio for 3D LEGO building files, and use Studio for 3D LEGO building.

## Original answer

As Phil B commented - you'd probably be better off with Studio now. This was originally developed by a team at BrickLink, and when they were acquired by The LEGO Group made the following statement:

> 7. What about Studio and LEGO Digital Designer (LDD) – what will happen with the two digital building experiences since they’re quite similar?
> **The LEGO Group is planning to support and evolve Studio and will review opportunities for both services following the closing of the deal.**

So going forwards, Studio is the supported option. If you feel you really must stick with LDD, please also ensure that you use the last-but-one version, as the very latest version is missing a number of elements.

Finally, ensure that you download the installer from official sources (such as the LEGO CDN as linked in that answer), rather than "free software" sites, which might have tampered with the package.
> 8 votes

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Tags: ldd
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# Question
Title: Does anybody know the part number of this tile?
Does anybody know the part number of this tile? The size is 2x14. It has an unusual height. It's higher than 1 plate, lower than 2, so it's an exact 1/2 of a brick. See the given picture for the bottom:

# Answer
> 8 votes
That's Train Level Crossing Center Rail Cap Insert 2 x 14 x 2/3. Although as naming suggests it is 2/3 of a brick, so it must be two plates high.

Picture from Bricklink:

And here is a list of 6 sets it was part of.

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Tags: part-identification, piece-information, part-database
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title: Looking for a torso piece

text:
# Question
Title: Looking for a torso piece
I'm looking for this white torso piece here on Aladdin:

I've searched Brickset, Peeron and Bricklink for white torsos and haven't been able to find it anywhere

Does anybody recognize it?

# Answer
That's Torso LotR Shirt with Ornate Silver Fabric and Gold Clasps Pattern (Saruman) / White Arms / Light Nougat Hands
> 5 votes

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Tags: part-identification
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# Question
Title: Can anyone identify this Lego set please?
I have these parts mixed in with other Lego Bricks, but no instructions. I would like to be able to download the instructions, but I don’t know the set number. Any help to identify the set is greatly appreciated!

# Answer
> 8 votes
That's V-19 Torrent (7674). Instructions are available from LEGO to download or from Bricklink to purchase.

Identified by Trans-Clear Technic, Shock Absorber 10L Damped - No Spring, which is available in this set only.

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Tags: set-identification, sets
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# Question
Title: Who are the Lego Certified Professionals?
So, I was just watching Lego Masters, and it's mentioned that the show's judge, Ryan "Brickman" McNaught, is one of fourteen Lego Certified Professionals in the world. I was wondering who those fourteen people were. I found this article from in the answers one of the other questions on this site; however, it only lists 12 individuals, so it's clearly not an up-to-date list. I also found this post from 2019 on an official Lego website that states that there are currently 20 Lego Certified Professionals, not 14.

Is there a complete, up-to-date list of the identities of the Lego Certified Professionals?

# Answer
**November 2021 update**

New LCP in Russia has been announced \- Vladimir Golubev.

Number of LCP's is now - 22 (listed below). TLG has details on all of the members, except Vladimir. You can find more information about each member on the LEGO Certified Professionals webpage.

**Americas**

1. Robin Sather
2. Nathan Sawaya
3. Graeme Dymond

**Europe & Middle East**

1. Dirk Denoyelle
2. Georg Schmitt
3. Matija Puzar
4. Rene Hoffmeister
5. Kevin Hall
6. Ricardo Zangelmi
7. Luke Reveruzzi
8. Caspar Bennedsen
9. Balazs Doczy
10. Vladimir Golubev

**Asia-Pacific**

1. Prince (Shenghui) Jiang
2. Jumpei Mitsui
3. Wani Kim
4. Jae Won Lee
5. Wei Wei Shannon Gluckman
6. Nicholas Foo
7. Yenchih Huang
8. Andy Hung
9. Ryan McNaught
> 8 votes

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Tags: lego-group, afol, lcp
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title: Are both of these fences made by Lego?

text:
# Question
Title: Are both of these fences made by Lego?
I have a group of 1 x 4 x 2 fences (Lego part 3633) in black, light bluish gray, and yellow.

However only a few of them say "Lego" on the bottom. These have hollow bottom pins (see picture below, right side). The others do not say Lego or have a part number. They have solid bottom pins (see picture below, left side).

Normally I can feel the difference between Lego and non-Lego parts. But the parts with the solid pins have a Lego feel. Also the yellow ones are the same shade of yellow as my Legos and not the shade of MegaBloks I have.

Is it possible these solid pin fences are really Lego? Or have I been fooled?

# Answer
> 4 votes
I've got some of the left-hand side version with the solid pins and no markings in red.
They are most definitely original Lego as I never owned any non-Lego parts.
I'm fairly certain they came with the 1978 firetruck set nr. 620.

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Tags: part-identification
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title: Is this from a Lego set?

text:
# Question
Title: Is this from a Lego set?
Can anyone tell me which set this partial build is from? Any help to identify it is greatly appreciated!

# Answer
> 2 votes
It's most likely that this is not an official Lego set. There has been such a piece (the purple ones) but it never came in that color, therefore it must have been manufactured from a clone brand. There could be that 00.1% chance of it being a piece from an official Lego set, but based on the poor quality of the build in the image and the fact that Bricklink couldn't find it, I still think it's from a clone brand. Also, if any of the plates have only specific studs with holes in them that aren't in a reasonable pattern (such as outline of house walls), then there's a big chance that the plate came from Mega Blocks and not Lego™.

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Tags: part-identification, set-identification
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# Question
Title: Identify LEGO set with caped red minifigure
Hi just wondered if someone can help identify a set for us? The best clue I have is a red minifigure with a red cape, red full face helmet & black head (no face). I also have an orange square with a face on it which may go with this figure. Thanks heaps!

# Answer
> 13 votes
These items are from different sets.

Let's begin with the most obvious - minifigure. It is a Royal Guard from Star Wars and there are couple of versions of them. Yours seems to be with arms and hands in Dark Red. Yet, there are still two version of them (depends on the type of cape you got):

Royal Guard with Dark Red Arms and Hands was part of two sets in 2014-2015.

Or, it can be Royal Guard with Dark Red Arms and Hands (Spongy Cape) that was part of another two sets in 2016 and 2019.

Next comes a tile. Your picture is tiny, however I think I have identified it correctly as Tile 1 x 1 with Groove with Face with Narrowed Eyes, One Eyebrow Raised and Small Frown (Kryptomite) Pattern in Orange. It was available in two sets (non Star Wars).

It is impossible to identify correctly which wedge plate version you got in your picture. It is either Wedge, Plate 4 x 9 without Stud Notches which appeared in 58 sets in White color, or Wedge, Plate 4 x 9 with Stud Notches that was part of 14 sets in White.

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Tags: set-identification, minifigures
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# Question
Title: Why do some sets contain parts of an unrelated colour that are hidden on the final model?
With recent and current sets, I noticed that some contain parts of a totally different colour than the rest of the set. An example is *8200-1: Radiator Springs Lightning McQueen*, which contains a blue 2×6 plate, 3 yellow 1×2 plates, 2 white 1×2/1×4 angle plates, and 2 grey 1×4 plates, while Lightning McQueen is red.

Parts like these aren't usually visible in the finished model.

Why are they used?

These are parts that should be available in most colours, including red. Did they have an overstock in these colours? Is it to make for easier building? Since this way both the model and the instructions aren't a big blob of red?

# Answer
> 23 votes
I believe the main reason is so that the pieces are easy to identify in the instructions - as many LEGO sets don't have the Technic style "List of elements used in this step" it's always a fun game of "Spot the difference" to see what's changed:

If those pieces were all red, then the target audience (5+ on those sets for example) might find it very frustrating to build.

(Even with the list of elements to use in a step it can often be quite an effort to find where a particular part goes.)

# Answer
> 4 votes
One reason is ease of identification, even in sets not intended for the youngest age range.

For example in the Millennium Falcon 7000-piece "mega set" all the 1x16 Technic beams are dark grey, the 1x14 are black, and the 1x12 are light grey. There are about 70 of these beams in total. Almost all of them are invisible in the final model since their main purpose is to give the model its structural strength, but it's an easy way to sort them. There is a similar color coding for the longest "1 x whatever" bricks, as well.

In the same model, the half-built structural frame is almost symmetrical end-to-end, the sides are mirror images, and it is almost identical when turned upside down, but a small number of coloured parts make it easy to orient it correctly and avoid discovering a mistake after many building steps.

Some color coding seems almost universal across sets - for example black and blue Technic connector pins. Again, an easy way to avoid mix-ups when building.

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Tags: sets, colour, piece-information
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title: What set do these pieces belong to?

text:
# Question
Title: What set do these pieces belong to?
Black pieces rotate, if it helps? Thanks

# Answer
> 12 votes
Having checked various different parts (including severely underestimating how widespread Trans-Light Blue Brick, Round 2 x 2 with Axle Hole is) I believe that this may be LEGO Friends: Pop Star Show Stage, based on Bright Light Orange Plate, Round 4 x 4 with Hole, which only appeared in 10 sets

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Tags: set-identification, piece-information
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title: Ridable Winged Horse

text:
# Question
Title: Ridable Winged Horse
Is there a horse that a minifigure can ride and you can still put wings on? I've looked at several sets and they all have pieces in the 'saddle' section to hold the wings.

# Answer
> 7 votes
The Black Horse, Skeletal with White Eyes Pattern (Thestral) from the Harry Potter / Fantastic Beasts set "Grindelwald's Escape" has a "saddle" section which is **2x2**, instead of **1x2**.

This would allow you to connect use both Wings a MiniFig, each using 1x2. However, it doesn't exactly look like a regular horse:
<sub>(source: bricklink.com)</sub>

Or, potentially, you could try combining Horse Saddle with Two Clips with a pair of either Bar 1L with Clip Mechanical Claw or Arm Piece with Tow Ball and Clip, to rotate the connection from Vertical to Horizontal, and connect wings to that. I am not sure if there is enough clearance at the sides of the saddle to orient these correctly though.

# Answer
> 6 votes
Since you didn't specify how close to reality horse should look like you can build one using bricks. It would look more like a Minecraft animal though (this might be not a disadvantage). Such approach gives freedom of design and looks as well as a plenty of possibilities for wing placement and still have a place for minifigure.

There is an alternative to horse mentioned by Chronocidal with 2x2 stud area for you to use/build saddle and contraption for wings. 19 versions, to be precise.

One as example:

Last suggestion would be to use which ever horse you like and can be used to build wings of choice and then just strap the minifigure with rubber band on top

# Answer
> 4 votes
I don't think there are any horses with clips to hold wings on the body, but if you use plates with clip, most of the cutout will still be available for a minifigure's legs.

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Tags: minifigures, design
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# Question
Title: Where's the iNXTG app for programming NXT from iPad?
I'm trying to find the old iNXTG to program NXT bricks via iPad but it is no longer available in the Apple Store. Does anyone know if there exists an archive for programs like that?

The problem is that the new LEGO programmer for EV3 does not recognize the NXT brick with Bluetooth or a USB connection. We have no laptops in school, just iPads and Chromebooks.

Does anyone know of an NXTG version that would run on iPads or Chromebooks?

# Answer
> 1 votes
Unfortunately there is no good solution for controlling NXT’s from an iPad. There are plenty of *Android* apps to control them manually, but you’re best bet on iOS is to write something on your own. LEGO does provide a Bluetooth Developer Kit with the info so it is possible.

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Tags: nxt, programming, software, ios
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# Question
Title: Why stickers instead of printed decoration and vice versa?
I was recently just wondering why LEGO™ would use stickers in some cases and printed decoration in others. I understand it wouldn't be reasonable to put stickers on say, a 1-by-3 brick, but sometimes it appears to be just random. For example, on one of the smooth bricks in set 17101, there is a printed decoration of a code block but I recall seeing in other sets that such pieces related to it have you put stickers instead of printed decoration, such as in this image (with a sticker typo):

Also in set 31313, there are stickers you use on the white technic pieces, which I find quite reasonable unless I don't consider how in the world a factory machine is supposed to print on those curved parts. But now that I've thought about factory machines printing on curved bricks, I'm starting to wonder how they managed to print the decoration on that piece in set 17101.

Long story short, what circumstances cause LEGO™ to print decoration and what circumstances cause them to make stickers instead??

# Answer
> 3 votes
I think it depends on series, if set is licensed as well as targeting audience. Sometime printed parts are used in a place where sticker would be hard to apply.

Architecture series, is a good example where stickers are not used since series are advertised as premium product. Duplo and Juniors use printed parts too as these are targeted for young kids.

Licensed sets usually have stickers though. This may be related to the fact that LEGO treats licensed set a little different, where you cannot buy extra item in B'n'P or get a replacement of specific license related item. So it is better having it unprinted and have an option to replace/acquire a part.

Printed elements also limit their practical use (re-use). Stickers give you choice of applying them or not, while printed parts are there forever1. Good example is 42096 Porsche 911 RSR. It has white wheel arches/fenders with unique print for each of 4 included pieces. Non-printed counter part doesn't exist in this color yet, so these may not fit your MOC. The rest of the Technic Panels have stickers. This leaves a lot of room for using them in other creations (if sticker are not applied). Otherwise panels would be rendered useless if all of them would be printed.

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1. Not really

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Tags: design, stickers, printing
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title: Do all the 'balls' fit in the bowls?

text:
# Question
Title: Do all the 'balls' fit in the bowls?
Will this ball fit in this bowl?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Only for a given value of "fit".

Both of these pieces are part of set 70156-1, Legends of Chima "Fire vs. Ice". On the front of the box, you can clearly see the blue ball 'sitting in' or resting on top of the white bowl, in front of the orange vehicle on the left. It does not sit snugly inside.

# Answer
> 2 votes
No, both have a size of 2 studs.

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Tags: design
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# Question
Title: How to load an RCX from a modern system?
I recently bought a new in box 1.5 Mindstorms kit featuring the RCX. My computer unfortunately does not have a 9-pin connection, and the software does not appear to work on Windows 10. Short of buying an old computer, what can I do to still load programs onto the RCX?

# Answer
1. Buy a USB to Serial adapter. There are USB IR Towers, but the drivers are only for older version of Windows. A new USB/Serial adapter, on the other hand, should be compatible with Windows 10 (Windows 10 requires signed drivers, so do your homework before buying).
2. Use 3rd party software. For example, Brickx Command Center and leJOS are compatible with RCX and have a better chance of running on Windows 10 than the official LEGO software for RCX.

I also found this site, which has the same advice, but with pretty pictures and more details: http://www.instructables.com/id/Making-Mindstorms-RCX-Work-Again/

Note: If you use Linux, there is a built-in driver for the USB IR Tower in the kernel, so just about any Linux desktop system will "just work".
> 8 votes

# Answer
Honestly... it was WAY easier for us to find a computer on eBay! We bought an IBM ThinkPad with Windows 2000 installed on it. We won the auction with a bid of $28 and with shipping it was the best $40 I've spent on eBay! The laptop fired right up, we inserted the Lego Mindstorms Robotics Invention System disc, and voila! It installed quickly and easily. The USB tower was recognized right away and my son was programming his RCX 2.0 within 15 minutes of opening the eBay package! We have the Mars expansion set and the RoboSports set also. We are BIG fans of the 20 year old RCX systems!
> 5 votes

# Answer
There are a few hurdles to jump through.

For the IR tower, you need one of the following:

A 32-bit system to run the software on. If you don't have such a system, one option is to install an old 32-bit version of Windows in a virtual machine, and pass the USB device through to the VM.
> 3 votes

# Answer
The USB RCX Tower only has 32-bit support, which doesn't work on modern Windows versions. It has been reported to work on Linux though (I didn't try that myself).

I own a serial USB RCX Tower which I connected to my computer USB (modern Windows 10) using a (modern) LogiLink AU0002E RS232 adapter which has a Windows 10-compatible 64-bit driver.

I use leJOS and because it is Java I have IntelliJ IDEA community edition as programming environment. This doesn't work with Java 5 and older versions. IntelliJ IDEA does however still support Apache Ant 1.9.14 which in turn supports Java 5 and newer.

Java 5 is the maximum version for leJOS and the minimum version voor Apache Ant 1.9.14 so Java 5 is just right. An Ant build script can compile the java source code and send it directly to the RCX, all from the programming environment.

I started documenting everything here: https://github.com/oversticht/lego-rcx-lejos/blob/master/README.md
> 2 votes

---
Tags: mindstorms, software, rcx
---


title: Why are the new Star Wars busts 18+?

text:
# Question
Title: Why are the new Star Wars busts 18+?
My new Boba Fett set 75277 arrived this morning, and the first thing that struck me was the 18+ classification. Am I right in thinking this is purely there because the set is intended for a more mature builder?

# Answer
> 3 votes
Product description (cannot embed URL for description, so you have to click on "DESCRIPTION" tab) explains why adults are a target audience. (emphasis is mine)

> It’s a super LEGO Star Wars™ gift idea for adult fans and **offers a testing challenge for experienced LEGO builders**, with the familiar shape and authentic details of the helmet beautifully recreated using LEGO bricks.
>
> Pay homage to one of the most fearsome bounty hunters in the Star Wars™ universe and **challenge your LEGO® building skills** to construct this awesome Boba Fett Helmet (75277) memorabilia model for display.
>
> The authentic details of the Boba Fett Helmet are beautifully reproduced with LEGO® bricks. Displayed on its base with nameplate, this model will spark memories of thrilling Star Wars™ scenes.
>
> This Boba Fett Helmet is part of a range of collectible LEGO® Star Wars™ **build-and-display models** – also watch out for the Stormtrooper Helmet (75276).
>
> The best birthday gift, Christmas present or special surprise **for Star Wars™ fans aged 18+ and any experienced LEGO® builder**, this 625-piece Star Wars Boba Fett Helmet offers a challenging construction project.
>
> This LEGO® Star Wars™ Boba Fett Helmet measures 8.5” (21cm) high, 4.5” (11cm) wide and 4.5” (11cm) deep – it doesn’t take up lot of space, but its striking details are sure to delight any Star Wars fan.
>
> This cool, battery-free construction **set for creative adults offers a stress-relieving, relaxing build**. So, take time out, find your building Zen and construct a fantastic Star Wars™ character build-and-display model!
>
> **Thinking of buying this Boba Fett memorabilia for a Star Wars™ fan new to LEGO® sets? No worries. It comes with clear, step-by-step instructions so they can take on this complex building challenge with confidence.**
>
> LEGO® Star Wars™ construction sets are great for kids and adult fans to build and display the models, recreate classic Star Wars movie scenes and create their own exciting stories. There’s something for everyone!
>
> No need to use the Force to connect or pull apart LEGO® bricks! They meet the highest industry standards to ensure consistency and a perfect, easy connection.
>
> LEGO® bricks and pieces are dropped, heated, crushed, twisted and analyzed to ensure that this LEGO Star Wars™ set meets the highest safety standards on Earth (and in galaxies far, far away!).

Basically a little more challenging build and not intended for play are the main reasons, I suppose.

Although I'm not sure why they both mention "+18", "adults" as well kids in the same description, like here:

> LEGO® Star Wars™ construction sets are great for kids and adult fans to build and display the models, recreate classic Star Wars movie scenes and create their own exciting stories. There’s something for everyone!

**EDIT**. LEGO has released new 10273 Haunted House set with a press release explaining why some new sets have "18+" marking.

> Addressing the new packaging, Senior Marketing Manager Anders Hellegaard Iversen said: “So many of our older builders love the Creator Expert products, as they allow them to show off their passion for the bricks. Whether it’s their favourite film moments, sport icons, travel destinations, buildings, fairgrounds or vehicles, LEGO sets help to bring these to life in brick form. That’s also why we have decided to stop using the Creator Expert branding and, instead, use the new adult-focused packaging design to make it clearer which hobbies or brand products they can relate to. We hope this will make it easier for fans to track down models they would be proud to display once completed. Of course, our product range will continue to include the same advanced-build, collectible products that guarantee hours of building enjoyment for fans.”

---
Tags: star-wars
---


# Question
Title: Received 2 LEGO bags with no instructions
My wife and I received 2 LEGO bags and we are trying to identify what they are so my son and I can find the manual. I’ve attached pictures, thanks!

Also this picture shows the figures included.

# Answer
> 7 votes
Both are from Jungle Tree House (41059)

First polypag is identified by Container, Barrel Half Large with Axle Hole in Medium Lavender and Sand Green Mini Doll Friends Hips and Skirt

Second polybag has combination of Tile, Modified 4 x 4 with Studs on Edge in Dark Pink and Brick, Modified 1 x 2 Log in Lavender color.

Instructions can be downloaded from LEGO Service web page.

---
Tags: set-identification
---


# Question
Title: What is part number for this yellow cylinder?
I looked through hundreds of bricks on BrickLink and can not find this thing. Does anyone know what this is? The yellow piece on the axle:

# Answer
That would be 75535 Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L without Slot (Pin Joiner Round)

There's a newer variation on the part which has a slot, but you can tell the difference by the hairline crack in the picture.

62462 Technic, Pin Connector Round 2L with Slot (Pin Joiner Round)
> 10 votes

---
Tags: part-identification
---


# Question
Title: What is this LEGO part (kind of wheel or gear) number?
I recently found a really nice MOC of the AT-TE from which I try to get inspiration. But there is one part that I really cannot identify... I wonder if anyone can tell me its part number. Here is a picture:

It seems to me to be a kind of Technic wheel or gear, but I couldn't find it on Bricklink...

# Answer
> 12 votes
It is a bit tricky to find this piece on Bricklink. Even though I knew the part it took me a little to find it.

The part you are interested in is Hero Factory Weapon Barrel with 2 Pin Holes and 3 Axle Holes. Default item part number is 98585, but 31511, 31520 could also be used for other colors by LEGO.

---
Tags: part-identification
---


title: Horizontal connection between plates

text:
# Question
Title: Horizontal connection between plates
If I only have minimum height available (one plate), how can I make a horizontal connection between two components? I need the connection to be easily disconnectable yet sturdy (like technic bricks with grey connectors).

I thought about hinge plates (4276/4275), but they are far too tight. I don't own any of the old ones (x1125/x1126), so I cannot check myself, but are they less tight?

Clarification - the components are built regularly (studs up), and sit next to each other and should be moved horizontally to separate or reconnect them.

There's no such thing as 2921 but only one plate high? I'd use that together with 4085, that would be perfect.

# Answer
> 4 votes
Mr. Blue and Ms. Red live next doors. Their houses are simple. The walls are one stud wide, the ceiling's one plate thick, some slopes on the roof.

Now they want to move their houses wall to wall. Mr. Blue bores a hole into the wall and happily bolts in a big peg. But Ms. Red thinks that's just a big eyesore!

So they try to hide some clips in the ceiling, but as it turns out...

...they leave a gap one stud wide.

And they don't fit onto a stud. They need at least one more layer of plates in the ceiling.

Okay. That's how I understand the situation. You cannot use Technic bricks (one can see them on the inside), your ceiling's height is just one plate.

So, why not go **on top** of the ceiling? **Up onto the roof**, between the slopes and hide some clips or hinges in a chimney or under an antenna?

Just two ideas, the yellow plates represent your ceiling layer.

Fun fact: here the amount of clutch depends on the length of the blue antenna's tip; slide it up to adjust.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Have you tried horizontal clips? They will be a little taller than 1 plate in the center, but you might be able to adapt them to your needs given that the connection point is just one plate. Perhaps these parts:

60470b

48336

Something like 4623 with a vertical clip might also be a possibility depending on your constraints:

# Answer
> 2 votes
You've already been given a number of solutions, where the part that actually goes within the components is only one plate high, while the actual connection is a bit more. I can't do any better, but I want to suggest another option:

A combination of  or

With either  or

The right combination of these parts allow some offset (if the parts fit), and these also allow movement in more than one direction.

# Answer
> 2 votes
How about trying Hinge Vehicle Roof Holder 1 x 4 with Hinge Train Gate 2 x 4?

Their connection is a lot looser (at least for old parts) than the 1x2 finger plate hinges.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Modern hinges, like below, may give you desired result.

Here are Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 2 Fingers on Side and Hinge Plate 1 x 2 Locking with 1 Finger on Side with Bottom Groove

---
Tags: building, connections
---


# Question
Title: How can I invert the direction of blocks in a structure?
I have a structure with some blocks facing in the 'normal' direction:

```
 nn  nn  nn  nn
|  ||  ||  ||  |
 --  --  --  --

```

I would like to somehow connect a layer above this that has the blocks facing the other way so that I end up with:

```
 --  --  --  --
|  ||  ||  ||  |
 uu  uu  uu  uu

 nn  nn  nn  nn
|  ||  ||  ||  |
 --  --  --  --

```

How can I achieve this?

# Answer
> 32 votes
It depends on how close they need to be.

The following solution works, if you're happy to have things sticking out around the join:

"Brick 1x2 M. 2 Holes Ø 4,87", \[part:32000:7\]; There's also a 1x1 brick with a hole, \[part:6541:7\].

Which could be used as:

For tighter coupling, the Minifig Wrench \[part:6246d:0\] can also fit over a stud, and is deeper than one stud, allowing two bricks to be inserted:

Respect goes to Erik Amzallag for this one.

I guess it comes down to how you want to hide the join - you could use tiles on the studs that stick out, which wouldn't be possible with the wrench method.

# Answer
> 22 votes
Holger Matthes has a good page on SNOT building which includes a few techniques on how to get stud-down orientation.

Also, don't underestimate tiles, sometimes you can just lock the upside-down part into place without attaching it with studs at all (I did this when I was a kid to use a black 3943 — Cone 4 x 4 x 2 as a train chimney as the inverted part didn't exist at the time:

None of the inverted parts are actually attached, but they are locked in place by surrounding parts. You can see inverted parts in orange in this partial build; the blue parts are tiles in the usual direction:

Another good part to inverse stud direction is the 4081b — Plate 1 x 1 with Clip Light - Type 2 ( as the studs are exactly one plate apart. You'll need to hide it in the construction somehow, but it can be very handy.

For example, both that part and the tile-on-tile technique are used in this window roof to inverse the below arch:

It all rests on a tan Tile 4 x 4 with Studs on Edge, which is also used higher with a Train Roof 6 x 6 Double Slope 45 / Slope 33 to finish the roof. The following image illustrate a partial build, will all upside-down parts colored orange:

---

Edit: there are of course more techniques to be found on the Internet, but some are more simple or place-efficient than others. For plates for example, the use of levers is as compact as you'll ever find. For bricks, you can also stuff a Technic axle in the tubes, as illustrated here. Simple and efficient.

---

Another edit, this time answering the question with the intended stud direction.
On a 2x4 brick/plate, place a 3185 — Fence 1 x 4 x 2, then add two 87580 — Plate 2 x 2 with 1 Stud with the stud facing down in one of the empty holes of the fence. This is probably the smallest offset you'll get, but the thickness of the fence isn't really standard, so whether it's useful or not depends on the rest of your creation.

If you're willing, there's also the Clikits Bead, Ring Thick Small with Hole which accepts a stud in both directions.

# Answer
> 9 votes
This is very old-school, but that's how I was doing SNOT in the early 80's: a plate, or a tile (as shown) snaps between 2 studs. I prefer tiles to plates, as I don't have studs-alignment issues, but I've used both, and both work.

# Answer
> 6 votes
I have never found a solution that I was completely pleased with (and gluing is a no-go), but the closest I've ever come is using these.

# Answer
> 6 votes
Using Technic beams can work in this situation. As the holes are the diameter of a stud and are deeper than two studs' height, it can be used to some extent. See When did Lego decide that it was okay to put a stud into a technic hole? for more information on the limitations of this strategy.

# Answer
> 4 votes
I came up with this

(6 plates / 2 bricks)

Blue = Plate 1 x4

Orange = Plate 2 x4

White = Tile 1 x4

Yellow = Tile 2 x 4

DkblGray = Bracket 1 x 2 - 1 x 2 Inverted

also this (2 plates thick)

Part# 15535 : Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Hole

and Part# 18674 : Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Open Stud

* This one i saw somewhere else

("2.5" plates thick)

Part# 18654 : Technic, Pin Connector Round 2/3 L

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can wedge a 1xN plate between studs (at a 90 degree angle) to the "normal" orientation. Repeat a second time, and now 2 bricks are stud-to-stud.

---
Tags: building, snot
---


# Question
Title: EV3-specific bricks missing from Lego Digital Designer 4.3.11 (Win)?
I have LDD on my Mac and have used it to create EV3 models (like an FLL robot, or a Lego dot-matrix printer). Recently, I purchased a cheap Windows laptop for use by a FLL team.

After twice installing LDD v4.3.11 on the PC, however, I am running into a roadblock. It doesn't seem to have EV3-specific parts, such as EV3 motors, sensors, or brick/brain.

For example, if on the PC I try to load a model I designed using LDD on my Mac (which *does* have these parts), I get the following error:

If I search the parts either by specific part number or by the term "EV3", I find nothing. It also doesn't matter which mode I use ("Mindstorms", "Extended", etc).

I think they are just missing from v4.3.11 for Windows!

Can anyone confirm? Can anyone suggest a way to get them back?

# Answer
The current download link at https://www.lego.com/en-us/ldd is https://www.lego.com/assets/franchisesites/ldd/installer/setupldd-pc-4\_3\_12.exe. When installed it still shows the version as 4.3.11 even though the file name hints that it is 4.3.12. This version is missing EV3 parts.

Here are some links for previous versions:

UPDATE May 2020: These links are broken.

Try archive.org instead:

---

Also found a hint for installing old versions on Windows 10 if Adobe Flash Player fails to install: https://breeks.gr/index.php/el/menu-gr-main-forum/general-discussion-english/183-installing-ldd-on-windows-10.html

---

For anyone looking for an alternative to LDD since it is not longer supported by LEGO, Studio from Bricklink has a similar building experience and can even open LDD files.
> 6 votes

# Answer
I think I might have a more elegant solution rather than downgrading to LDD 4.3.11 :

**You just need to replace "Assets.lif" file in the 4.3.12 installation folder with the same file from 4.3.11 version.** I happen to have this file archived here. After you replace the file and restart LDD, all bricks will be available and all your previous creations will open without errors.

*Notes:*

If you don't trust my version of the file, you can do it yourself easily, since the "setupldd-pc-4\_3\_11.exe" distributive is essentially an archive and the file can be easily extracted with tools like WinRar or 7-zip from there.

Why choose file swapping instead of downgrading: in version 4.3.12 LEGO has removed the Flash dependability (or Silverlight, i don't remember now). That resulted in more convenient install on latest Win 10 systems, which is nice, since I personally had trouble installing 4.3.11 on a fully updated Win 10. Unfortunately LEGO developers also somehow corrupted the Assets.lif file that contains the brick library. It seems that the file got simply truncated at some point, which is obvious when you compare the file sizes of the 4.3.11 and 4.3.12 versions.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: ev3, software, design, ldd
---


# Question
Title: Lego Duplo Train Track Switcher washable? / Best way to clean them?
I've found some pretty old Lego Duplo train track parts, that I'm looking to sell on Ebay.

As these are pretty old and caked with dust, I wanted to used my usual method I usually use to clean all kinds of Lego parts: Put them in a duvet cover with a zipper so they don't go everywhere, and put them in the washing machine, and wash without any detergent and no spin cycle.

Afterwards I take them out of the machine (thanks to the duvet cover I can take them out just like a bag) and spread them on my terrace to leave them in the sun to dry.

As these track switchers have metal springs in them (at least I think so, judging based on the sound when moving the red thing) I was not sure, if they were just normal steel or stainless. Does anyone of you know about this, or know a way to open them without destroying them?

# Answer
> 6 votes
According to this page it is glued together and can not be opened without damaging the part

You are correct about it containing a metal spring

I would just wipe it with a slighty wet towel

---
Tags: piece-information, trains, duplo, cleaning, disassembly
---


# Question
Title: How tall is the Saturn V set in LEGO units (studs, bricks etc.)?
I'm building a MOC to scale with the Saturn V set and am having trouble figuring out how tall the 1st stage engines are but the entire thing would be really helpful! Thanks!

# Answer
I've been contemplating this question for quite a while. In the great tradition of this site I felt this needed practical verification. I decided to make a ruler based on scaling up set 5005107, LEGO Buildable Ruler to measure the Saturn V myself.

# tl;dr

```
| STAGE             | Studs Tall | Bricks Tall |
|-------------------|------------|-------------|
| S-IC first stage  | 52.2 studs | 43.8 bricks |
| S-II second stage | 33.8 studs | 28.3 bricks |
| S-IVB third stage | 50.5 studs | 42.1 bricks |

```

My conversions are not perfect based on the calculator, but they're close enough that I don't think I messed up anything.

# Overall

As we know, this is a huge set. I needed my ruler to be \>32 studs tall to measure any of the stages. Here's my setup:

I've included pictures of the bottoms of the rockets since they nest somewhat so you can see how tall the rocket engine part ends up being versus the entire shell of the rocket.

# S-IC first stage

The bottom:

The top:

I read that as 52.2 studs or 43.8 bricks tall.

# S-II second stage

The bottom:

The top:

I read that as 33.8 studs or 28.3 bricks high.

# S-IVB third stage

The bottom:

The top:

I read that as 50.5 studs or 42.1 bricks tall.
> 16 votes

# Answer
Other answers seem to be focused on stage dimensions, rather than engines as asked in the question, so I'll address that.

Scaling is a pretty easy math. Stud is 8 mm and brick height is 9.6 mm. Given that the entire 100 cm (1000 mm) Saturn V rocket is 125 studs or 104 bricks and half plate high (104.166667).

The real Saturn V is 363.0 ft (110.6 m) tall. So given the height of a rocket of 1 meter scale is very easy to calculate as 1/110.6 or rounded to 1/111.

Now let's get to the size of Rocketdyne F-1 engines made from LEGO. The following image shows side engines are made of just 4 parts (height wise) and are 1+2+1/3+2=5 and 1/3 bricks tall (or 16 plates). Converting to studs we get 6.4 studs and in metric it is 51.2 mm.
> 7 votes

# Answer
On the box the entire rocket is shown to be 100cm. I just measured the first stage, that is 40,7cm.

Else you can go to service.lego.com and download the instructions aand start counting/calculating (the studs face in different directions, so you can't just count).
> 1 votes

---
Tags: moc, micro-scale, ideas
---


title: Need help identifying helmet

text:
# Question
Title: Need help identifying helmet
I cannot identify this minifigure helmet I have. It looks like some sort of a biker helmet.

This piece came in a bulk of parts, which are LEGO, however not entirely sure this is legit LEGO piece. It fits snugly onto minifigure head, however doesn't have any usual LEGO marking. The inside has just a number "3". Which is the reason for tag. I did check on Bricklink, but I'm not very familiar with minifigure items.

# Answer
> 4 votes
This appears to part# 30171 Minifigure, Headgear Cap, Aviator

In black it appears in 118 sets.

However, I checked with my helmet from Robo Pilot and that one has a LEGO marking on the inside, yours could be a older mold though.

* Edit, I also have one with a 7 marking inside , no logo, so I would assume it is from an older mold.

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


# Question
Title: Electric train set not working - even though the light is on
My son just received an old LEGO 9V electric train (no model numbers or instructions) from a family member.

I've set it up and turned it on. It lights up but when I put one of the trains or just the train motor (refer to image below) on the tracks nothing happens.

I've connected the Train Speed Regulator to the power adapter and turned it on, then connected (to the top of the speed regulator) the extension wire with the train track clip things to each side of the tracks - refer below.

Is this the correct way to set it up?

And set up the track in the smallest possible loop for testing:

If anyone has any suggestions or solutions on how to make this work or the correct way to set it up it would be greatly appreciated!

# Answer
The speed regulator light being on is a good start. It looks like you have things set up correctly as far as I can tell.

The first step is to identify which part is having issues. All of these parts can be purchased on Bricklink, so once you know what has failed, you can replace the defective part.

Here are some ideas for testing components:

* If you have a 9V light brick or similar, you can attach it directly to the speed regulator to see if that is delivering power.
* It's fairly easy to test if power is getting to the track if you have a volt meter handy. You can simply measure the voltage between the tracks when you have the regulator turned all the way up. If this reads around 9 volts, then everything is working except the train motor.
* You can test the motor by connecting one pole of a 9V battery to one side of the wheels and one side of the battery to the other. You'll need to use a paper clip or something to bridge the gap. If the motor spins, you know that it isn't the issue.
* You can also directly power the track using a 9V battery. You just need one pole on one rail and one on the other. You can make the connection using a small wire, paper clip, or whatever you have handy.

If any of that doesn't make sense, let me know and I can add more detail and/or pictures. Let us know what works and then we can go from there.
> 6 votes

# Answer
If there is a suspicion that the metal surfaces have developed dust and grime or any other insulating layer, a solution would be to give the tracks a Brasso (or other metal polish) wipe and quick rinse and dry with water. Also give the train motor wheels a wipe of the same polish.

Also check this YouTube video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RCda7voqyUY

Edit 2: not having Brasso made me try a standard cleaning wet-wipe and after a few wipes it felt smoother (less sticky/rubbing) and guess what? One motor runs perfectly fine, the other stops after a few seconds, I've opened that one up and cleaned the insides (grease got dusty and hard) and it now runs fine without any grease and sounds way better!
> 4 votes

---
Tags: trains, 9v, tracks
---


# Question
Title: What are the buildings in Miniland in the Legoland Park set 40346-1?
The Legoland Park set 40346-1 contains three plates with buildings/structures from the Legoland Miniland: https://www.mecabricks.com/en/models/8xaDX5zwaB7 (building instructions: https://www.lego.com/biassets/bi/6282853.pdf )

I can recognize some of them: Statue of Liberty, Golden Gate Bridge, Big Ben, Brandenburger Tor, perhaps Nyhavn.

But what are the rest supposed to be?

# Answer
> 6 votes
The comment by user "Stephan3321" (the creator of the digital model) on the linked page lists the following buildings / monuments:

* Statue of Liberty
* Tower of London
* Steamboat Willie
* Golden Gate Bridge
* Brandenburg Gate
* Neuschwanstein Castle
* Burj Khalifa
* Petronas Twin Towers

The blue, lime, orange and brown buildings could be Nyhavn, indeed, but I couldn't find any official description.

---
Tags: model-identification
---


# Question
Title: Does each LEGO set include a unique piece?
If I had 100 lego sets would I be able to fully build a lego set that I didn't have? Or would it always be impossible due to each set having at least one unique piece?

To further clarify, let's say I own every LEGO set except for one. Does the set I don't own always contain at least one brick/piece that can't be found in all the sets I do own? Of course color doesn't matter.

# Answer
Most of sets doesn't contain unique elements, however there are exceptions. This (uniqueness) is especially common with minifigures or limited edition/availability sets.

The easiest set (polybag) to confirm the fact that only some sets have unique parts is to take 624210, which consists of 6 pcs. of iconic 2 x 4 bricks in Red, which were available in numerous sets. Another option, of a boxed set, is to take any set consisting of basic bricks, like 5576. Parts included in 5576 are widely available and can be found in multiple sets.

However if you take something exclusive, like 41999. This set contains some unique parts available in this set only.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Flicking through Sets on BrickLink, sorted by number of parts (and ignoring small-scale items such as "Advent Calendar" models), I identified the 61-part set 4736-1 "Freeing Dobby" from 2010, which included no new parts - and, as such, no *unique* parts.

The rarest part of the set appears to be Tan Tile 1 x 2 with Groove with HP Sock Pattern, which appears in two other sets

This then proves that **not** all Lego sets include unique parts.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I really doubt that every single Lego set on the planet has at least one unique piece, and besides, I think that's up to **you** to decide which pieces are “unique” and which are not. Every single set that I try thinking of seems to have a unique piece, but I bet the real reason for that is because I have just never seen how many sets have that same piece, therefore I think it's rare when it's really not. One group of sets that is always guaranteed to have rare pieces is the Lego Minifigures series.

So the short answer is most likely no.
> 1 votes

# Answer
My understanding is that it costs Lego quite a bit to create a new mold, so it's in their interest to reuse their pieces a lot.
> 0 votes

# Answer
The question of uniqueness has already a lot of answers, I will concentrate on this question from the text

*If I had 100 lego sets would I be able to fully build a lego set that I didn't have?*

There is another factor, namely **time**, to consider. While the basic LEGO bricks remain unchanged over the decades, other items are retired and new ones are introduced. The style of doors, fences, and windows has changed considerably over time, and you need sets covering a certain period to rebuild another period set. 100 sets of the 1980ies will not help you in rebuilding a modern model, and 100 contemporary sets will not be sufficient to rebuild an original Black Seas Barracuda from 1989 because this brick was phased out in 2007 and in yellow, it was last seen in 2002.
> 0 votes

# Answer
**Degrees of uniqueness**

*Unique molds*

A special mold is the most expansive form of uniqueness that involves a lot of investment by the LEGO company. Really unique molds are rare, but they occur, e.g., in licenced sets, as minifigure parts or accessories. For a long time, the One Ring from one LoTR LEGO set was unique, until recently revied as a wedding ring in the Brickheads series.

*Unique colourings*

This kind of uniqueness is somewhat more frequent: You can have known element in a unique or rare colour for some model.

*Unique prints*

Even more frequent are unique prints on known elements of known colours, including the bodies, legs, and heads of minifigures, or special printings bricks.

*Stickers*

Stickers from sticker sets are really often unique. It is not unusual for them to contain a sticker with the official set number.
> 0 votes

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Tags: sets
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title: Why was 4265 redesigned?

text:
# Question
Title: Why was 4265 redesigned?
According to Bricklink, there are three versions of the part 4265:

* 4265a with teeth and tight-fit axle hole
* 4265b with teeth and loose axle hole
* 4265c without teeth and loose axle hole

Looking at the release dates it seems like **B** superseded **A** and **C** superseded **B**, although there were long overlap periods. My guess is **B** was introduced to reduce the amount of plastic used per-part and possibly to make it easier to slide it on an axle. Then **C** removed teeth because they're fragile and tend to break off.

*Is my theory correct? If not, then why was that part redesigned?*

# Answer
> 6 votes
I'll speak from my experience with these items as I don't have any formation backed by TLG.

The teeth themselves, found on **A** and **B** version of the 4265, while looking fragile, weren't the cause of the redesign I think. These could bend or deform but still be gripping with Technic plates with toothed ends as well as toothed pin axle connectors (which I think was the primary reason teeth existed on half bushes at first).

First two versions seem to be quite weak since they tend to crack quite often. Especially with aging, when clutch strength increases (perhaps parts shrink a little over time?). Don't know the reason behind designing version **B**, but it looks like the issue with cracking was observed and TLG tried to remediate this.

As for version **C**, I cannot really tell if supplemental sets released in 1993 really had this version included. It looks like the actual year **C** version was used is 1997, being part of several sets. You'll also notice this is also the year modern Technic connectors (like 32016) were introduced. These new connectors have the same angles you could construct from toothed pin axle connectors with busing of **A** or **B** type and are much stronger. Due to this there's no need for half-bushing to have teeth, thus it can have a little more plastic to make it stronger. In fact, I cannot really remember if any of modern 1/2 bushing I have got cracked or broken.

As seen on this picture from Rebrickable **C** version (represented here as 32123a and 32123b) had minor mould change over its production as well. Bricklink doesn't distinguish these variations and use 4265c part number for both.

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Tags: piece-information, history
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# Question
Title: What set has a monster food truck with a burger on top?
I saw this image of a Lego truck with a giant burger on top, but the set number was not given. If anyone could tell me what set this is, I'd appreciate it!

# Answer
That is the Creator 3-in-1 Monster Burger Truck, set number 31104. It has a piece count of 499, and it sells on LEGO.com for $49.99. It was released in January 2020.
> 6 votes

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Tags: set-identification
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# Question
Title: PF: One battery block, one IR receiver, two motors on same port
I have a heavy train with Power Functions. Now I want to use two train motors on the single loco. But as I understand, this is not possible with original LEGO parts? Do I need something like a three-way cable to connect two motors to the red pin of the IR receiver? If I connect one motor to red pin and second motor to blue pin — I will not be able to control both motors from one RC simultaneously, right?

**UPDATE:** Hey, I can stack connectors? Didn't notice that before.

# Answer
> 4 votes
You can attach (stack) more than one motor on the same connector (red or blue) of PF IR Receiver to control them at the same time. This is exactly what is being done in 9398 set, for example (although it uses V2 of PF IR Receiver). They will be spinning in the same direction with a push of a single button. If you need to reverse the rotation of one of the motors Pole Reverser comes to the rescue.

At this point of time there is no option with Powered Up to control both ports on the same receiver with a single button. Each port accepts just one motor, so you cannot make both motors attached to same receiver spin at the click of a single button - you need another receiver (on the same channel as the first one) for second motor to be controlled simultaneously.

**Edit**. Stacking motors on the same PF port/connector doesn't provide unlimited power and has its limit. Usually, couple of motors doesn't cause overheating protection to kick in, unless they are strained.

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Tags: trains, power-functions
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title: Looking for two specific Lego pieces

text:
# Question
Title: Looking for two specific Lego pieces
I've been browsing through Bricklink for most of my morning trying to find these two specific LEGO pieces. If someone could help me find the number ID for these, I'd greatly appreciate it.

Sorry for the image quality, it's the best I can do.

Edit: Here's another pic of the first piece:

Edit Edit: Okay so I did find the first piece on Bricklink. It's categorized as a minifig weapon and its' ID is 15071.

# Answer
> 5 votes
Cannot recognize the first one as it might be a clone-brand part, but the other is Pneumatic Hose Connector with Axle Connector

# Answer
> 6 votes
The first piece is: Minifigure, Weapon Gun, Blaster 1 x 2 x 2/3 with Studs on Sides and Handle

Part # 15071

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Tags: part-identification
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title: Set identification - Movie set

text:
# Question
Title: Set identification - Movie set
I have a set that could be a partial set and, to make things even more difficult, include parts of a different set.

It looks to me like a movie set, with a director and an aide. There are some other guys that could be movie actors or just part of a different set (a red herring).

I never got any kind of instructions when I acquired this set, and now my oldest kid an I are trying to put together all our sets (many of which were in pieces or were cannibalized to make other creations), and I would love to know if this is a complete set and I can do something with it.

# Answer
> 10 votes
There are multiple sets indeed.

First and last minifigures are part of 1356 Stuntman Catapult set. Stuntman is unique to this set.

Looks like the second and third minifigures, camera as well as most of the parts are from 1355 Temple of Gloom

This leaves us with some bits as well as last minifigure - fourth from left is Baron Von Barron with Pith Helmet and White Epaulettes, also appears in 11 sets. This minifigure as well as baby dinosaur, including some leftovers after first two sets indicate these could be from 5914 Baby T-Rex Trap.

# Answer
> 2 votes
It doesn’t look like a complete set to me, and it does seem to include parts from more than one set. Some of the parts and minifigs are from 1349 - Steven Spielberg Moviemaker Set. Some of the minifigs that are not in that set look like they’re from other sets in the LEGO Studios theme.

# Answer
> 1 votes
\[ *Alex and Andrew have already identified the sets, but I'd like to add a bit of context.* \]

Seeing the directors and camera instantly reminded me of the Moveimaker sets.

I had forgotten that there wasn't a "Moviemaker" theme, but LEGO Group called it "Studios". As the brickfilms wiki describe this theme:

> LEGO Studios was a LEGO theme that focused on stop-motion animation and filmmaking. Sets in the line were released from 2000 to 2002. The flagship set, 1349 LEGO Studios Steven Spielberg MovieMaker Set, included a special LEGO webcam and proprietary software that included stop-motion capture, timeline editing, and sound recording and editing. LEGO Studios was instrumental in popularizing the hobby of brickfilming.

So despite the short life of this theme, many folks who probably never even owned any of the sets in this theme have seen the amazing results and added their own art to the genre.

Given how much you have from this theme already check out the other sets on brickset or bricklink and see how many more parts you may have.

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Tags: set-identification
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title: What set does this brick come in?

text:
# Question
Title: What set does this brick come in?
This brick is part of a 1980-1990's set. Does anyone know which one?

# Answer
> 3 votes
That's Slope 45 2 x 2 with 3 Gauges and 3 Knobs Pattern and was available in 23 sets.

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Tags: part-identification, set-identification
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# Question
Title: Bag sets identification please Star Wars © 2007
I just purchased a box of random Lego with some sealed bags I’m wondering what they are. The guy I purchased from was vague but said he thinks they’re Star Wars. Note bags 4,5,6,7,8 are there. Mostly black, some technic parts throughout and ©2007 on each bag. Thanks

# Answer
Based on the parts

it should be (as Uli commented) 7672-1: Rogue Shadow:
> 7 votes

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Tags: star-wars
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# Question
Title: Help finding number so I can find the set
I am looking for the codes of these 2 bricks. I inherited a big box of LEGO, but can't find the number to identify the set they go in.

# Answer
That's 772p01 - Brick 1 x 2 x 2 without Bottom Tube with Window Pattern was available in one of these 4 sets.

And 3145 - Vehicle, Tipper End Flat with Pins in White color could be found in just 2 sets.
> 5 votes

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Tags: part-identification, set-identification
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# Question
Title: Suitable arched bricks for building a bridge
I'm working on a LEGO project with my son and we want to include a bridge. However, I cannot find individual arch pieces that would work for a bridge.

# Answer
This sounds like a fun project! There are lots of options available for arches. It might be helpful to know a bit more about what you are looking for. If you are trying to build an arch bridge such as this:

The 18838 arch or similar might be a good fit. These can be purchased on Bricklink or directly from LEGO fairly inexpensively.

If you don't have an easy way to get that piece or a regular arch piece doesn't meet your needs, you can get pretty good results emulating arches of any shape using inverted slopes (or regular slopes if you get clever). Here's an example brick-built arch by Tom Alphin:
> 10 votes

# Answer
You can find arched bricks produced by LEGO on Bricklink. You can also find available colors for each item as well as purchase if you need extra.
> 0 votes

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Tags: piece-information
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title: Set to this brick

text:
# Question
Title: Set to this brick
Do you know this piece? I would like to know the number of this item to see the set.

# Answer
I have never seen this piece before, but it seems like this is Vehicle, Steering Gear. In case this is the right one, black colored one was available in 12 sets.
> 6 votes

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Tags: part-identification, set-identification
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title: Minifigures - Series 20 The Knight

text:
# Question
Title: Minifigures - Series 20 The Knight
Is the knight in the new Minifigures Series 20 based on the character in the movie *Monty Python and The Holy Grail*?

Here's what it looks like:

# Answer
This seems to match my recollection of the major knights from the film, so pretty much probably not:

There wasn't a black (sable) and yellow (or) quartered knight, nor a martlet or raven on his shield.

That helmet element (Mini Knight's Helmet Closed) has been around since 2010, and has often been used in tournament and jousting sets, as well as general Castle sets of the time.
> 4 votes

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Tags: minifigures
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title: Procuring alternative rubber bands

text:
# Question
Title: Procuring alternative rubber bands
I am reassembling old sets from my LEGO collection and, naturally, some parts are missing. Many parts are easy to get on Bricklink, but some parts are either missing or too expensive to buy for the little aesthetic value they bring.

---

Rubber bands. They've been with LEGO since 1969. They have the tendency to snap, they love to get lost and with age start to crumble (or is it just mine?) If you want to reassemble decade-old sets you probably have to look for replacements. I can see two ways to go:

* Buy it on Bricklink if the type-color combination is still used in new sets (say Blue x37 or you're fine paying a lot for the part or the shipping Bright-green x37 was last seen in 2007).
* Look for alternatives.

Call me stingy, but if I can get bootleg all-rubber-bands-I-ever-need for $1 versus a single rubber band from Brazil for a total of $11 I will go for the former. But are there any tricks to it?

1. Is there any company/shop that sells rubber bands with the same/similar sizes, colors, shapes and strengths?
2. Are there any good guidelines to follow when buying bands from anywhere else?

# Answer
I am doing research for this answer from time to time and this answer is going to be updated as I learn new things. Feel free to suggest edits or post your own answer if you have better information.

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# Problems

There are five problems that need to be solved when looking for a replacement rubber band:

## Diameter

(image source)

This is probably the easiest. There are a lot of rubber bands available in every corner of the Internet and for most cases you'll likely be okay with slight variation in size.

## Height

Height being how tall the band is when you lie it down - too tall and it won't fit on bushes or wedge belts. Sometimes seller will specify this dimension, if not you can always try asking.

## Thickness

For most intents and purposes thickness should not matter much, unless you're dealing with severely limited space which in my experience is rarely an issue with official sets.

## Cross-section

LEGO rubber bands come in two cross-sections - square/rectangle and circle. While I've found countless square/rectangle rubber bands I'm yet to find a single seller who deals with round. Even on Aliexpress which is said to have everything available.

Unless you're lucky you'll have to manage with square ones.

## Tensile strenght & stretchability

LEGO sets rarely deal with forces sufficient to snap a rubber band, though how much energy is required to stretch it might be important. That's not an easily found information, so you have to deal with it by either contact the seller (or even better manufacturer), or buying different kinds and trying them out.

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# Solution

Even though the question is about finding alternatives, your first line of action should be seeing if the official ones are available.

1. Check on Bricklink and other LEGO marketplaces if the specific rubber band you're looking for is available in an acceptable price. Just remember that rubber bands from very old sets even in mint condition can be weakened by old age.
2. There is an official rubber band pack from LEGO (2000707-1) which can be fairly easily found but it's not cheap. There are likely other sets. Make sure to email LEGO customer support requesting they release new sets of rubber bands in different colors - the more emails they get the more likely they'll actually do something about it.

If the above are not acceptable options here is what I'd do:

1. Assemble the set that requires the rubber bands as much as you can. Use any bands you have at home to finish it.
2. Determine what's the acceptable difference in size, strength, stretchability and color.
3. Repeat the same process for all other sets you own that are missing bands.
4. Shop online for bands that are the closest to your requirements. Amazon, EBay, local equivalents. Maybe you can find a local manufacturer or distributor - don't hesitate to contact them.
> 7 votes

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Tags: replacement-parts, rubber-bands
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title: Missing instructions and box

text:
# Question
Title: Missing instructions and box
My mom bought this set at a garage sale, with no instructions and no box. There are some obvious identifying pieces but I don’t know what set they are from, or if I even have all the pieces I need. I also don’t know if the wheels that came with it are actually part of the set. Any help appreciated! (2011 on the bag)

# Answer
> 6 votes
The loose part are gray and red speeder from: 75012-1: BARC Speeder with Sidecar

based on:

Coupling Plate 2X2 in Medium Stone Grey

Roof Tile 2X1X2 in New Dark Red

Lt Suspension in Dark Stone Grey

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Tags: set-identification
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title: Missing instructions

text:
# Question
Title: Missing instructions
I have the set 6983 Ice Station Odyssey from when my husband was a kid. Anyone have instructions for it? They seem to have been misplaced. I couldn’t find any online anywhere so I thought I would check here.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Unfortunately, LEGO does not offer instructions for this set on their website. Fortunately, there are scanned versions you can find on letsbuilditagain.com or brickinstructions.com

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Tags: instructions
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title: RCX Windows 10?

text:
# Question
Title: RCX Windows 10?
I am a teacher and I use for years Lego RCX in science and technology . Now that I have Windows Surface Pro 2 , I would like if possible to use my RCX robotics kits on windows 10 ? Is that possible ?

# Answer
> 3 votes
I have successfully used RCX with a USB to Serial converter (hardware) to connect to the tower, and Bricxcc software with Windows 7. The Bricxcc is free software. I found that I had to start by upgrading the RCX firmware to

firm0332.lgo: RCX firmware version 3.32. This version came with the last Robotics sets with the RCX released by LEGO Education. As far as I’m aware , this is the last version ever released by LEGO.

as recommended on the pbrick dot info site. After that everything went smoothly. I used nqc for all the programming.

My son built the Minerva robot from the book "The Unofficial Guide to Lego Mindstorms Robots" for a school project and a biped from another book with the RCX.

We didn't try to get the "RCX Code Graphical Programming Environment" working at all.

If what you want is to run the Lego RCX software under Windows 10, I cannot answer that, but you can still use the RCX brick as long as you can access the tower to send code to it.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Don't bother unless you want lots of pain with little results. You can try a windows emulator, either on a Windows or Mac host. I recall parallels on the Mac worked quite well.

It won't work with Linux or Mac Wine very well, though you will have better luck if you have a traditional serial tower with some hosts.

As per the other answer, switch to another environment like BricxCC or NQC or LejOS.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Update in 2020:

The original, "official" Lego software doesn't work on modern Windows. It was designed for Windows 98, and then abandoned in favor of the NXT ecosystem. Some people have gotten it to work on Windows XP, with some difficulty, but that's not exactly "modern" either.

So it seems that that software is effectively dead, unless you have a Windows 98 machine to run it on. Physically or in a virtual machine.

---

**BUT,** there is an independent programming environment called BricxCC, which is available to download here, and you can visit the home page here. The program itself runs just fine on my Windows 10 machine, but it still has some trouble with communication.

The Lego USB tower, like the software, isn't very well supported on modern systems. There's no official, modern driver for it.
But the serial tower is timeless! You just have to have a serial port to run it.
(The serial "driver" is built into BricxCC itself just because of how serial ports work in general. That's one of the few advantages of the old computing idea of having each application run the hardware directly.)

So now we need to get a 9-pin serial port on a modern system. Yes, Windows 10 still supports it...but it doesn't support all of the USB adapters that there ever were. Same problem as the Lego USB tower: no driver. So if you pull a USB to Serial Adapter out of the old-parts drawer, it may or may not work, no fault of the adapter.

You can buy one that IS supported, or you can do like me and flip over to my Linux side (dual-booting is nice!), and see that the same adapter works just fine over there!
And then there's the problem of running BricxCC, which is only made for Windows, on Linux.

Fortunately for that, there's Wine!
Install Wine on Linux by the usual means, and then the BricxCC installer and application run in Wine as if it were Windows. Not every program works like that, hence the bad reviews for Wine, but this one does, as well as the LDraw tools.
(When the installers ask, I'd install everything, grab some lunch while it runs, and then poke around later to see what the entire package can do.)

And a bit of housekeeping:

---

And now I have a fully-working RCX programming environment on a fully modern system!
(Lubuntu 20.04 LTS)

It's text-based, similar to C, instead of the original drag-and-drop graphical thing that Lego had, but if you're going to advance much past this, you're going to use text-based languages anyway. (C, Python, Java, etc.)

It does have a template box that you can select from, so you don't have to "just know" what to type. And the help file is pretty good too.

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Tags: rcx
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# Question
Title: Can you tell me what Star Wars vehicle these are from?
Not sure what those round grey parts are. They have a blue "light" on them. My son has almost exclusively Star Wars sets but we can’t figure out what these are from.

# Answer
Welcome to Bricks.SE, Laura! These pieces are not very rare, and hence finding the set they come from is going to be pretty hard. With your hint that your son only has Star Wars sets, I think this is from 75166 First Order Transport Speeder Battle Pack, where these parts form the engine outlets of the small vehicle.
> 7 votes

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Tags: part-identification
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# Question
Title: Read power usage and respond when motor is straining
Is there a way to know if the drive wheels are "straining", like when locked up with an opposing bot?

This is for a Lego sumo bot using the Lego Mindstorms Education EV3 Core Set (EV3 Large Motor 6009430 and Lego Mindstorms EV3 Home Edition).

The approach that should have worked is based on the difference between the "regulated motor" green block and the "unregulated motor" blue block. The regulated motor retains a consistent speed, adjusting the power necessary to keep that speed, while the unregulated motor sends a constant power so the speed may change based on resistance.

There's a yellow block called "Motor Rotation" which has a setting to read something called the motor's "Current Power". Instinctively, I figured that would tell me the power being sent to the motor, so if it was driving using the regulated drive block, I would expect to see a number that would go up when the motor encounters resistance and needs more power. (And the number would go down hypothetically if the bot was going downhill and needed less power to maintain speed).

But, in practice, the number returned from the read "Current Power" matched the speed number I sent to the regulated motor block, **and when resistance was applied, the number went down**. I tested this by having the number displayed on the screen, the number displayed matched the "Current Power" number shown in the live "Port View" in the Mindstorms computer app, both went down when the wheel slowed.

Is there a way to read the real "Current Power"? Is there any other way to know when a motor is straining?

# Answer
I was playing around with my EV3 robot and I intentionally prevented it from being able to turn a full 360 degrees. Right out of the blue when it couldn't move a full rotation the EV3 light started blinking orange. When I let go it turned the rest of it's rotation and the program stopped, which makes sense since there were no other instructions for the robot to complete. I repeated this process and got the same results, and that was odd since the program didn't interfere with the light in any way.

I found out a few details about this:

• Even after you let go, the flashing orange light still stays.

• It occurs when the EV3 cannot move it's motor(s) far enough (in this case the big servo motors), specifically when it can't even budge.

• The program will not continue unless you allow the motor to continue it's rotation.

• It doesn't seem possible to program the EV3 to stop the orange light after the motor can continue it's rotation (or maybe it is, I'm not certain).

Again, this doesn't suit your needs, since the orange light will remain from that point on. The energy meter probably doesn't tell if the motor is stuck, and this automatic light system isn't suitable either. But at least I tried!
> 0 votes

# Answer
When I was looking in the sensors tab of the LABVIEW EV3 block-based coding software, I saw something that kind of looked like an alternative NXT Brick.

It was actually an Energy Meter, and because of its name, I thought it would suit your needs. However, it's wire port looks like it's intended for Lego Power Functions, but if it's in the EV3 programming software, then obviously there must be some sort of way to get it to work with EV3.
> 0 votes

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Tags: ev3, motor
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# Question
Title: Can you identify the set for these two LEGO bags?
Looking to identify the following 2 bags

1. Bag 6 identifying possible help = 741R7 2015 Lego Group 135149
2. Bag 8 identifying possible help = 142R7 2015 Lego Group 135149

I am hoping the minifig heads might help.

Let me know what you experts think. I just randomly found in my stash.

# Answer
This is set # 70909-1: Batcave Break-In

Based on

Plate, Modified 10 x 10 Octagonal Open Center

and

Hips and Legs with Jacket Tails Pattern
> 5 votes

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Tags: set-identification, minifigures, set-numbering
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# Question
Title: Which pieces were used to make the flexible mesh skin for the life size Lego Bugatti?
In the linked video, around the 1:50 - 1:55 mark, a person can be seen picking up a flexible hexagonal mesh, and bringing it to the side of the vehicle. Also, close ups are visible around 2:03 - 2:37. Last, the are apparently two styles of mesh being used, one light colored one dark colored.

What are the Lego parts used to build these two meshes?

# Answer
> 5 votes
There doesn't seem to be a difference in a shape of triangles (that's how they mention them in the video) seen in Dark Azure as well as Dark Blue colors. However there are two shapes - bigger and smaller triangles. Smaller triangle's edge is half the length of bigger one - you can attach two of these to bigger triangle.

Larger one requires parts listed below. I didn't include half bushes seen in some images (funny thing is that half of same assembly had them, while the other didn't) as they put too much stress into assembly. It is also worth mentioning LEGO used a lot of parts which cannot be found in any of sets.

Smaller one needs these:

Then they are connected together with either of two following parts (both seen in use). First one is made of rubber so it allows some twisting and stretching which is what allows the skin to take shape.

**Warning.** I've built both versions and some parts here are a bit stressed (definitely illegal connections involved) which means they could deform over time.

**Note**. I've missed 3 pieces of 3L half thickness Technic beams in smaller triangle in my assembly to cover some axles, however part list has correct amount.

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Tags: part-identification, technic, building, piece-usage
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title: Unable to save NXT program

text:
# Question
Title: Unable to save NXT program
I pulled out my NXT recently to tinker around with it. After reconstructing one of the suggested builds, I was writing a small program for it. About halfway through, I needed to leave my work, so I tried to save the file, but I was unable to. I received the following completely straightforward and not confusing error message:

The text of the error message reads

`Insane object at BHDP+3C18 in "Arm4Caleb.rbt": {graphics } (0x80): Loop Tunnel DCO )`

with Arm4Caleb.rbt being the name of the file. I have failed to find what this error message may be referring to.

I also attempted to save a blank NXT program file; this was successful, leading me to believe that there was something wrong with my particular program. Consequently, I attach an image of the NXT program (I can't post the file because I can't save it):

The program is in collapsed mode so that I can screenshot it; the alternate decision for the largest switch "box" is a use of the C motor; the alternate decision for the medium box is a use of the C motor in the opposite direction; the alternate decision for the smallest box is doing nothing.

It's been a while since I've tried this visual coding stuff; I suppose I have an error somewhere in here? I'm not sure why it would prevent me from at least saving the file, though.

# Answer
Apparently, all that I was missing was a `STOP` block at the end of the thread. Hopefully my oversight helps future users.

The `STOP` block looks like so:
> 3 votes

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Tags: nxt, nxt-g
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title: Identify this minifigure

text:
# Question
Title: Identify this minifigure
I found this minifigure on the street.

Can anyone help me identify what it is and what set is it from?

The hands were not originally grey, they were in the colour of the head.

# Answer
> 7 votes
The torso for this figure is 973pb0321c02 Torso Town Vest with Pockets and Striped Tie over White Open Collar Shirt Pattern / White Arms / Yellow Hands.

It comes in several minifigures, but none of them are like yours, so I think this is composed of other parts ( a MOC figure) and not directly from a set.

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Tags: set-identification, minifigure-identification
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# Question
Title: Is it okay to put rechargeable AA batteries into the EV3?
Is it really okay to put rechargeable AA batteries into the EV3 and continuously put them in after recharging them each time? Boring old one-use AA batteries are getting too expensive for me, and I know that I should use the rechargeable battery which is intended for EV3. But still, will it work?

# Answer
> 2 votes
According to the posts in this Eurobricks thread, it is indeed possible, even if there are a few caveats to keep in mind (like the maximal current the batteries can supply versus the maximal current the attached motors can draw).

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Tags: ev3
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# Question
Title: Error message when using loop index as an array index to get value in arrays
My program moves an ultrasonic sensor around 260 degrees and the values are recorded down in an array variable every 2 degrees it turns. It moves back and measure it 3 more times, storing each measurement in a different array variable (in total there are 4 array variables).

I want to get the average value from the four array variable thus I use the 'read at index' mode of the array operations.

It uses the loop index to get the index of the arrays. Then it takes the values and calculates the average before putting them in another variable array. However, the brick shows an error message right after the ultrasonic sensor is finished measuring.

I removed some parts of the program in order to find the cause of the error and I found that it might have something to do with the loop index. It might also have been because the array is not found. I tried using another variable that adds one every loop and then uses it to get the index but the message would appear.

I am not sure why there is the error, nothing contradicts the program, there is no math error, it should have worked. I hope you guys can tell me why this happens and how to solve it. Thank you!

Here is the complete program:  **Clarifications** It loops 130 times as the ultrasonic sensor measures every 2 degrees it turns, so if it turns 260 degrees, there will be 130 measurements, 130 values in the arrays.

# Answer
After testing and researching for a while, I found out that the first lines of code that controls the moving of the ultrasonic sensor is the cause of the error. Previously, the code will make the motor move 2 degrees, then get the measurement of the ultrasonic sensor and put it inside the numerical array. It then loops 130 times so there is 130 measurements and 260 degrees of rotation.  What I am doing is to replace the entire array with that one value. Thus, when I get the value of the array, I am getting an non-existent value. Also, the array starts from zero, not one, so using the loop index for the array will not work as the loop index will not display a zero value index.

Instead, I should use the 'write at index' mode of array operations. This way, it will add values to the array, not replace the entire array with that one value.  Now this is correct. Before that, I thought that the loop index was the cause of error.

First time answering my own question, Im so proud lol.
> 2 votes

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Tags: ev3, programming
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# Question
Title: How do I remove programs from my Lego Mindstorms EV3 project?
The title says it all. But to be more specific, I find it annoying that I have to download one single program to the EV3 Brick but then all the others in the project end up in the brick too, therefore I have to look in the EV3 storage to remove the specific programs I don't want. I bet there is a way to permanently delete certain programs from a project, but how??

# Answer
> 3 votes
If you click the little wrench button, you can see your programs, images, sounds and more. You just have to click on the program you do not want and delete it. Alternatively, you can hide it.

Hope it helped.

Sorry my handwriting is terrible with a mouse.

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Tags: ev3, software
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title: How to mirror an EV3 motor?

text:
# Question
Title: How to mirror an EV3 motor?
I want to get one EV3 large motor to copy the other. So if I move one half a rotation the other copies.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I am assuming that you want motor a to copy motor d and motor to is controlled manually(with your hands).

You can use the motor sensor to sense the degree of movements of motor d, then use link it to how much motor a turns. However, as motor d will still retain the degree it has been turn, motor a will continue moving even after motor d has stopped(unless you turn back motor d). To counter this, you have to use the switch block and a bunch of compare blocks. You will have to make it so that if motor a's degree is the same or more than b's degree, the motor degree will reset. However, if I turn d counter clockwise, d's degree will be negative and the comparison(same or **more** than)will not work and it will keep spinning. Thus, I added another switch block that will compare motor a's degree and motor b's degree, this time resetting the motor's degree when it is a is equal to or **smaller** than d.

This way what ever rotation done to d will happen to a.

Hope this helps you!

# Answer
> 0 votes
I would make a my block (with turquoise-colored tab) and move motor A and B in that block. You can make two parameters for speed and revolutions.

EDIT: Now you can control that motor-couple by using that my block.

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Tags: ev3, programming, motor
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title: Please identify this figure/build

text:
# Question
Title: Please identify this figure/build
I would like to know from what set this figure/build is? It looks like a tiger/human hybrid.

# Answer
That is Tiger, Standing (Tygurah) from 7411 set
> 12 votes

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Tags: set-identification, minifigure-identification
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