# Question
Title: How does the motorized lighthouse rotate continuously without tangling the wire powering the light?
I'm curious about the Motorized Lighthouse (21335):

As the title suggests, this set is motorized to allow the light on top to rotate continuously:

From the looking at the inventory, it is clear that it uses the Powered Up lights:

How does the wire not get tangled/twisted while the top of the lighthouse rotates?

# Answer
> 36 votes
This required a clever design and one novel element.

The power for the light comes from the very bottom of the model where a battery box is stowed inside the mountain:

The wire leaves the mountain via the top and heads upward.

It then snakes its way around and up into the tower. Interestingly, the Powered Up lights include dual LEDs, as they are often used for headlights. Only one is needed for main light, so the other is used to add a glow to the woodstove in the cabin.

Up at the top, the light is attached facing upward underneath a construction that will be powered by the motor in the bottom of the lighthouse via a long vertical axle.

We need the light traveling horizontally, so we add a stickered mirror at roughly 45 degrees to vertical:

This would sort of work, but the light from the Powered Up LEDs disperses significantly and is not able to travel very far. In real lighthouses, a Fresnel lens if often used to appropriately direct the beam from a diffuse light source. The basic operation can be seen here:

TLG saw fit to create a Fresnel lens element to enhance the performance of this set. Here are some of the prototypes that folks iterated through:

The final version is a unique element with the footprint of a 2x4 plate. It attaches to our mirror assembly providing light that is now traveling in the correct direction and is more focused than it would have otherwise been.

This assembly is then attached to the top of the lighthouse and driven by gear so that it is able to rotate:

In this way, the mirror and lens assembly is able to rotate without the wired lights rotating and creating twists and tangles.

---
Tags: motor, powered-up, ideas, lighting
---


# Question
Title: What are the largest Technic-compatible tires on the market?
I am looking for the largest LEGO wheels with tires available to build a nice-sized RC LEGO car.

Of course I will start with the simplest prototype, but I would like to achieve a design which will embed an automatic gear box and quite a large propulsion system. So the size of the wheels will be important.

---

**Edit**: The "Wheel 81.6x15" 2903 @Pubby8 found seem to be the biggest. But they are thin... Are there any other larger ones? Even 3rd party would be good.

**Edit**: @Joubarc & @Pubby8 found the biggest wheels but without tires I am still looking for 3rd party solutions before accepting an answer.

# Answer
> 16 votes
The largest wheels I know are these (I measured 110x63 mm, including tyres), but they are quite rare (only available in one single set):

Weels: 22969 "Wheel Technic Racing"
Tyres: 32298 "Tyre Power Puller"

The wheels itself are not that big, but if you include the tyres, they are really huge:

They would probably work really well for an RC car.

# Answer
> 10 votes
The largest wheels I've seen are "Wheel 81.6x15" 2903

To show scale:

There are larger ones on the Hailfire Droid but these probably aren't good for your needs:

# Answer
> 10 votes
An alternative is the 94.8x44 balloon tires. While they are not as big as the ones elusive suggested, I imagine they are easier to get as they have been in some recent sets.

Comparison:

* Left: 81.6x15
* Middle: 94.8x44 balloon
* Right: 81.6x38 balloon

# Answer
> 7 votes
Answer to this question is no longer entirely accurate, the power puller wheel https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=32298  has been superseded in diameter by the tractor wheel https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=23798

by an entire mm :) (resp. 106-107 mm)

# Answer
> 6 votes
There is also the Technic Gear Mobile Devastator Wheel, but it's not really suited if you want a realistic car. If you want to build a funny-looking vehicle, however... You could even build a complete vehicle which fits completely inside the radius of two such wheels, so that it can turn on itself when you reverse the polarity. Again, not a car, but super funny.

# Answer
> 4 votes
I personally have the Lego Group 62.4 x 20 S tires which came with the Lego Creator 7291 2-in-1 Motorcycle kit.

# Answer
> 4 votes
The largest (by diameter) tyre so far is Tire 139mm D. x 37mm Motorcycle Racing Tread

with Tire 132.6mm D. x 27mm Motorcycle Racing Tread Narrow coming next.

Both are included in following sets:

# Answer
> 1 votes
The new `6141782: TYRE TRACTOR DIA. 107X44` is now the largest ever wheel available and made by LEGO.

https://brickset.com/parts/6141782

# Answer
> 0 votes
Well if your doing an RC car you can go what I call "lazy fashion" and get the 47349c05 which were for that and pretty huge.

But the 2902's and 6596's work great for me as well.

But my personal favorite is 92912. Its a bit smaller then 32298 but much meaner if you ask me.

I buy most of my tires from ItsaGoodyear. Its been a while sense I last needing anything though.

Another tire you might want to try is "3740" I never used it myself but if its anything like its smaller counter part 4267. It might work great :D

Also 11957 might be a good one to look into.

# Answer
> -1 votes
How about the old school tyres of the #8860 chassis: http://www.peeron.com/inv/sets/8860-1

Cheers,

Dennis

---
Tags: technic, size, wheel
---


# Question
Title: Is a huge box of old unsorted Lego and non-Lego pieces with no instructions or boxes of any value?
I have an old big bin of at least 20,000 Lego and Lego-like pieces. I never kept the boxes or the instructions when I was finished building sets and I have Lego pieces from at least 50 different sets, plus other non-Lego brand bricks of various types. I could sort it out, but that would take an extraordinarily long time. I want to know if they have any play value left; if I can still use them as Lego without any instructions or boxes, and no memory of what half of the sets that went into it were. Do these pieces have any play value, since they are random pieces with no way to reassemble the original sets?

# Answer
It definitely has a lot of play value for random creative building. With a box like that I would recommend to donate it to a primary school or kindergarden. If they have lego it would be in exactly that form anyway. A nicely ordered collection of indivual boxes with manuals would just quickly be turned into a huge mixed box anyway.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: building, clone-brands, value
---


title: Which set is this roller from?

text:
# Question
Title: Which set is this roller from?
We found this roller build. Is this from a set? I looked through the instruction manuals on the LEGO app and did a Google image search but no success.

# Answer
> 8 votes
That is from Batman and the Joker (76013):

---
Tags: set-identification
---


title: Can you identify these Bionicle sets?

text:
# Question
Title: Can you identify these Bionicle sets?
Also, I have a box of parts. If I display the heads, will that lead me to what these are?

Thanks for any help. My grandson loves to put LEGO parts together so I want to take these apart and have instructions for him.

# Answer
Sadly you have pretty much a jumbled mess of pieces instead of actual sets. You may want to go on ebay and look for bionicle sets that both say complete and that say with manual/instructions

The top image: The torso is from the black toa ignika The back silver spines are from spinax from the Maxilos and Spinax set The two curled spiked silver pieces on the weapon are from one of the barraki sets The mask is from Onua of the Mistika variety The one upper leg armor piece is from a black piraka The bottom two are similar in the way that they come from many sets, nothing complete sadly
> 3 votes

# Answer
The two Bionicles on the right are for sure a mix of different parts from different sets, and, without seeing much close-up details, it will be very difficult to tell you which original sets the parts came from. The white piece on the foreground is part of an Exo Force set from 2006 called 7700 Stealth Hunter (https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?S=7700-1).

The set on the left might largely consist of pieces from one specific Bionicle, but I have not been able to identify him yet. However, the whole idea behind the Constraction sets like Bionicle and Exo Force is that you can combine them and make your own creations, which seems like what you have here. Your grandson should have a blast playing with them, no matter if they belong to a set or not. Have fun!
> 2 votes

# Answer
that's Onua Mistika and he looks about 70% complete
> 0 votes

---
Tags: part-identification, set-identification, bionicle
---


# Question
Title: What's this round blue gear piece from set 76911?
This piece was in with all of set 76911's spare pieces in a separate bag. 76911 is the only Speed Champions set I have so I don't know if the piece comes in any others. I looked at the inventory for 76911 on Brickset & BrickLink and the piece isn't listed there (I also looked through New Elementary's blog posts on new pieces and I couldn't find them mentioning it either).

It seems like a utility part like the brick seperator or wrench/crowbar, but its two holes at each end are too small to do anything: the large one is too small to connect to a stud and the small one is too small to fit a rod into. So this piece is completely bizarre to me...

# Answer
> 15 votes
This is a blue Non-Vented Double Dead-Ender Cap (or a variation thereof), also called a Luer taper/lock, sold by various OEM suppliers. According to the supplier KempCo Specialties, these are multi-purpose fittings that are used in various industries including industries that involve pneumatics.

I suspect either the injecting molding machines or the dye mixers use these caps. You should report this to LEGO, alongside whatever batch markings are on the box, so they can track down when and where it happened. As for the piece, I guess you now own a part of the LEGO production process :)

I figured this out by employing Google Lens and having Google compare the photo with images online.

# Answer
> 13 votes
Ok everyone, I have a disappointing update but it does answer my question. I didn't actually get round to contacting Lego about this because I mentioned my discoververy to my mum first. She immediately said "Oh your father put that in there!" She told me a story about how he found the piece on the floor, thought he dropped it, asked my mum if it was Lego, then when she said no, he put it in the bag (I don't know why he didn't just put it in the bin, but okay). I was SURE the bag of spare parts was sealed, so this confused me even more. So I fished the bag out of the bin: you can see the big rip I made in it, but if you look closely, there's a teeny tiny rip at the top too... So I guess my dad just didn't want to spill the spare parts, so he made the tiniest opening he could to put the blue piece in there. The rip was very small and in the seam part of the bag, so I didn't see it and thought it was a sealed bag when I saw the piece in there! (So, SanderDeDycker's comment about the piece possibly getting into the bag after it was opened was 100% correct after all).

I'm marking MMM's answer as the accepted one because they found out what the piece actually is, which is very interesting :)

Sorry for the wild non-Lego related goose chase everyone, the story is kinda funny though (so I'll be keeping the piece)

# Answer
> 0 votes
Looks like an unofficial LEGO brick, because there is no LEGO print on it and it is not listed in the instruction.

---
Tags: part-identification, gears
---


title: Best Places to show MOC online?

text:
# Question
Title: Best Places to show MOC online?
Well, I finally finished one of my projects. Is there a friendly place online where I can post a few pictures of it for people to see?

# Answer
> 9 votes
I have several places to offer for you to share your MOC.

Eurobricks \- here we have a forum, split into several subforums based on the primary topic. Don't be afraid of "Euro" in its name - there are members from all over the world.

Flickr \- photo hosting website, however there is still a strong LEGO community. You'd upload an image and add it to related LEGO groups for others to see. Having more followers makes it easier to be spotted by others.

Instagram \- this doesn't need an introduction I hope. Posting your very first picture over there may not result in many likes. You need to invest time in getting followers.

Youtube \- some people prefer making video of their creations rather than pictures.

Rebrickable \- this website has multiple LEGO related uses. One of them allows you to share your MOC, but it needs to have a building instruction. So other people could also build your model and it is not just for show off.

Reddit \- is another community which is about all things LEGO®. As Arturo Moncada-Torres suggested in comments you can also share your creations, just don't forget to tag it as `MOC`.

# Answer
> 0 votes
As noted in the comment below, you can disregard this recommendation. It WAS a great place, but it was abandoned by the founder.

Might I also recommend MOC-Pages? I haven't been active for some time, but I still check it out from time to time. Posts are more like blog posts, with editable HTML. There are also groups and contests to explore.

# Answer
> 0 votes
You can upload your MOCs to

https://bellevebricks.com/

They have a modern design and it's easy to find MOCs.

---
Tags: moc
---


# Question
Title: Help, identifying mega blok kit - bag label X1033A and X1031A
I need help identifying this kit, thanks

One bag is labeled X1033A and X1031A I tried looking at Halo kits

# Answer
> 6 votes
I think these parts are from:

Mega Bloks Halo-Covenant Wraith Ambush

---
Tags: set-identification, clone-brands
---


# Question
Title: What's inside the non-Bluetooth Powered Up hub?
What's inside the non-Bluetooth Powered Up Hub (85825)?

In particular, what sort of electronic components are present?

# Answer
> 10 votes
We can begin to explore this part by carefully removing the top cover to reveal the PCB:

On the left, we can see a current-limiting thermistor (MF-MSMF075). On the right, we have a pair of Powered Up connectors. In between the connectors, there is a surface mount LED labelled D1 that is used as a power indicator.

Let's remove the PCB:

Under the PCB, there are a couple of metal springs. These provide the physical resistance and locking capabilities for the switch but perform no electrical function.

That's the main housing without the springs present.

Let's look at the bottom of the PCB:

This clearly shows how the electrical side of the switches are implemented. The two components on the right are usually in contact with the board and are allowed to slide to make or break contact with the contacts shown on the board. A quick examination of the traces shows that the contacts are used as DPDT switches that are wired as crossovers to allow polarity reversal.

Overall, this is a very basic basic battery box much like those for older systems such as Power Functions, with the exception that this box allows two motors to be controlled independently.

---
Tags: powered-up
---


title: Identify my old motorbike

text:
# Question
Title: Identify my old motorbike
My old motorbike part, I want help to identify please.

# Answer
> 14 votes
BrickLink calls it a Fabuland Scooter. In white, it seems to have been in two sets.

---
Tags: part-identification
---


title: Replace brick inplace in Studio 2.0

text:
# Question
Title: Replace brick inplace in Studio 2.0
I'm using Studio 2.0 to design my MOC.

Is there a way to replace a brick in my design by another other than removing it an setting a new brick on the old place? Best would be when the replaced brick keeps the properties (color, rotation) of the old one.

# Answer
> 2 votes
The latest versions of Bricklink have a "Replace" feature when clicking on a part. You can find all the parts by part number in your build by searching the part number in the Step List. I used this to replace rare colors of 1x2 jumper plates 3794a with the more modern and cheaper 15573.

Related: How to Replace Expensive Parts in your MOCs video

# Answer
> 4 votes
1. In Bricklink Studio go to *File \> Export As \> **Export as LDraw...***
2. Open the file in any text editor such as Notepad
3. Find the Bricklink part ID you want to replace it. It will be a number followed by a **.dat** extension.
4. If you have multiple identical bricks with different colours, check the colour id in the second column. Bricklink has a list of colour ids for reference.
5. Replace the part ID that precedes the file extension with a valid Bricklink part ID.
6. Save the file (as a **.ldr** file)
7. In Bricklink Studio open the file with *File \> Import \> **Import Model...***

---

In this example I replaced the Green (ID 2) #3003 2x2 brick with a #3941 2x2 round brick.

The rest of the data includes rotation, transformation and meta data which you should leave unless you know for sure how it works. There are no guarantees connections will be valid, as each part has their own unique geometry and fixed pivot point.

In this case I could safely replace these two parts as their geometry is very similar.

```
0 Untitled Model
0 Name:  Block Tower
0 Author:  Ambo100
0 CustomBrick
1 4 20.000000 -24.000000 -60.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 3003.dat
1 14 20.000000 -48.000000 -60.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 3003.dat
1 2 20.000000 -72.000000 -60.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 3941.dat
1 1 20.000000 -96.000000 -60.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 0.000000 0.000000 0.000000 1.000000 3003.dat

```

---

## Notes

This may interfere with generated instructions, it is recommended to replace all parts before creating instructions.

Many text editors have a 'Find and replace' feature you can use to replace all parts as each line only refers to one part. I would recommend using regex expressions if you are familiar with them, I have created an example that can be played with here.

Add the following replacement expression in the 'Replace' window on the bottom of the screen. NEWPARTID must be changed to the new part you want to replace with. (3941 for example). Make sure you don't remove the 1 at the start.

```
$1NEWPARTID.dat

```

For finding only certain colours you can use this search expression.

```
((?:\d+\s+)(?:COLOURID)(?:\s.*))(?:(PARTID).dat)

```

Replace COLOURID and PART ID (14 and 3003 for example).

---
Tags: bricklink-studio
---


title: How to build this flower?

text:
# Question
Title: How to build this flower?
I found this picture of a flower in a book and would like to build it. I'm wondering what's inside the white bloom?

# Answer
> 13 votes
It seems to me this would be made something like pictured below. Obviously flower stems need to be rotated for better alignment and may need to attach an extra *apollo* stud brick to make some space.

Key parts:

# Answer
> 4 votes
There is a very similar design to this tree used in the 10247 Ferris Wheel set. (Page 96)

It uses another part (6081986) Bar 6L with Stop Ring which cannot be seen which strengthens the connections between the round bricks to stop it from snapping.

---
Tags: part-identification, building
---


# Question
Title: Building a window with the tie-fighter round dish
Is there an elegant way to build a round window with the Radial Cockpit Window? I've tried experimenting with vertical clip plates but it just ends up looking odd.

# Answer
I'm gonna suggest a SNOT contraption relying on two 3659 Arch 1x4, two 1x1 round plates in trans clear, and one 2654 2x2 round plate with rounded bottom, also in trans-clear:

The 2x2 plus 1x1 round plates should just fit within the arches of the arch bricks and provide just enough friction to hold:

If stability is a bigger concern, replace one of the 1x1 round plates with a 2x2 plate in trans-clear. This should keep the window from wiggling:

There *should* be enough room inside the 1x4 arch brick to snugly accommodate the 2x2 plate:
> 10 votes

# Answer
It's also possible to use the (relatively new) part 78666 Arch 1x2 Inverted together with 3659Arch 1x4 to achieve a SNOT-less window frame, for example:

Bear in mind that the curve of the inverted 1x2 arches is not the same as the 1x4 arch, and there'll be a small (about 1/10th of a stud) gap between the inverted arches and the 2x2 dish:
> 3 votes

---
Tags: building, design
---


title: Lego D11 ripper cylinder

text:
# Question
Title: Lego D11 ripper cylinder
I'm building the Lego set 42131 D11 bulldozer and my back ripper cylinders (linear actuators) are in the complete up position and it's keeping me from completing the build.

How do you get them to go down? I tried the control on my phone but it just keeps calibrating and won’t move past that screen.

# Answer
You can adjust the length (extension) of linear actuators manually in two ways:

* The same motor would do - by rotating the axle on its end.
* By rotating an extending shaft. Just make sure the other end is fixed, otherwise it would spin freely without doing anything.
> 2 votes

---
Tags: technic, building
---


# Question
Title: Looking for piece name with 3 small bars, adjoined to each other, and 2 larger circles on the side
I am looking for the name of a piece. I haven't seen this piece before, but it's a perfect match for micro scale Dutch bridges. It's a piece with 3 small bars, adjoined to each other. The bottom bar has 2 larger circles on the side. I think its size is about 1x3.

I have added 2 pictures of it:

# Answer
> 13 votes
That's part 969 Trailer Stand.

Apparently it appeared only in (old) light grey in sets from the early 70s, and not in white as your picture suggests.

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


# Question
Title: Please help identify this vintage (but non-Lego) brick!
It's time to play the "what brick is this" game, and this time our contestant is definitely non-Lego, yet vintage. This brick was in a small lot of early-60's Samsonite Lego bricks, and I am assuming it is nearly as old as those.

It appears to be CA plastic, has studs (but they are taller than Lego studs), and a stylized "S" logo of some sort in the center of the surface of the brick. Inside are slots and sidebars, rather than tubes. Here are some photos to help.

# Answer
> 14 votes
That is a Kawada Dia Block made in Japan. Entex and Sears imported those into the US in the 70’s and 80’s and repackaged them under such brands as Loc Bloc and Brix Blox. The “S” is actually a K on top of a D, which is the emblem for the Japanese toy company Kawada. Dia Blocks are still made and available in Japan today.

# Answer
> 9 votes
I have solved the mystery. After searching up many different vintage plastic bricks (I had no idea there were so many), I stumbled upon LOC BLOC, made in the USA in the 1970's by a company called Entex. I still don't get what the "S" symbol on top of the brick is, but they match completely.

http://www.architoys.net/toys/toypages/locblocs.html

# Answer
> 4 votes
This is positively a Kawada brick:

Thanks to @Dean Rumsey for pointing me in the right direction to find an example so any doubts can be put to rest. He seems to be paraphrasing the Wiki article that briefly covers their history; https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loc\_Blocs

> "They were marketed in the 1970s and 1980s by Entex Industries, and manufactured in Japan as Dia Block by Kawada Co., which still produces sets to this day."
>
> "They were also sold by Sears, Roebuck and Co. under their house brand "Brix Blox." Today, similar blocks are still manufactured in Japan as Diabloks and sold in the U.S.A. under the name "Disney Build-It" blocks."

To further complicate things, I found inconsistencies in the way these blocks were marked. In my research I found that most of the bricks sold under the Entex/Loc Bloc and Sears/Brix Blox name were not marked with the Kawada company logo on them. However, I found one example of a Loc Blocs set that did appear to contain bricks with the Kawada logo (assuming the bricks were all original):

Based on these findings, this brick could have come from any set using bricks made by Kawada, regardless of the brand it sold under.

# Answer
> 0 votes
This appears to be a nano-block, though I can't be sure, as I can't make out the size of that brick.

This is the nano-block website. http://www.nanoblockuk.com/

# Answer
> 0 votes
I had these bricks when I was a child in the 50´s, so they can´t be neither Nano-blocks nor Loc-Blocks. Sorry, I can´t give you any moore info. The bricks were lost some time in the late fifties.

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


# Question
Title: Is this "moon buggy" an official Lego set?
This six-wheeled "moon buggy" has been in approximately this form in our Lego box since the 1980s. Is it from / based on an official Lego set or something my brother made up?

# Answer
The distinctive parts of that build are 4288 Wheel Full Rubber Balloon with Axle Hole and 3787 Vehicle, Mudguard 2 x 4 with Arch Smooth (in old grey colour). They do appear in several classic space sets.

But a search for sets which contains both of these parts together tells us that your buggy is not an official set.
> 7 votes

---
Tags: set-identification
---


# Question
Title: Help identifying sealed Lego Bag 4 from 2017 set long red flat pieces, blue flames, green bricks, blue tint windows misc small black parts
Need help to identify which set bag 4 came from? Have a random bag #4. No idea which set it goes to. Bag label is 706R2. Bag year is 2017. Has green bricks and red pieces, four blue flames, and 7 blue windows like pieces.

# Answer
This appears to be the bag for the car wash in Town Center (60292):
> 5 votes

---
Tags: set-identification
---


# Question
Title: How do I join the LEGO Ambassador Network?
I am a bit confused about the LEGO Ambassador Network.

How do I get free sets from LEGO? Do I have to be a content creator or can I just be a member of a community? Also how can I find a community to join?

# Answer
> 7 votes
LEGO Ambassador here. There is an onboarding process happening every couple of months and you essentially have to get noticed by LEGO to get invited. You can also get referred by another community that already has a LAN access. But I can tell you right now that if your only goal is "to get free sets", then you're approaching it wrong and missing the point of LAN network in the first place.

# Answer
> 6 votes
> The LEGO® Ambassador Network is a program that allows The LEGO Group to work with communities of LEGO fans. There are three different types of communities:
>
> * Recognized Online Communities
> * Recognized Fan Media
> * Recognized LEGO User Groups
>
> Anyone can create or join a group of LEGO fans but to be recognized they’ll need to fit a set of criteria outlined in the program.

About the LEGO® Ambassador Network (LAN)

The minimum requirements to join can be found on the LAN forum. The basic requirements are:

* Complying with certain policies (Novelty Policy, Confidentiality Policy and IP Guidelines and several other policies)
* Must exist for a full year.
* Must have an active community with a reasonable number of people (depending on community type.

As of posting, Bricks Stack Exchange is one of the 110 online communities, there are also many regional user groups you can join.

---
Tags: lego-group
---


# Question
Title: Are there any cases of Illegal Building in an official lego build?
I am defining illegal as it is in this answer, specifically the following

> * Studs-on-side bricks cannot have their side stud in the hole of a technic brick
> * Bricks mounted SNOT style onto Ehrling/Headlight bricks cannot sit directly above a normal stud (the minimal height of the LEGO embossing makes that combination illegal)
> * Technic pins have to be fully inserted into technic holes, otherwise they stay in compressed state which causes stress on the element.
> * Plates cannot be inserted with their studs into technic bricks, unless it is a 1x1 plate (so only 1 hole is used) and there is no brick attached to the technic brick directly above the inserted plate.
> * As mentioned by you already, you cannot insert plates between studs (this used to be a valid technique 20+ years ago, but is no longer considered "legal" by LEGO).

I am also including one other situation:

> A round piece between four studs as stated in a comment by Sandra.

When, if ever, have any of these methods been used in an official Lego Build?

# Answer
> 3 votes
> As mentioned by you already, you cannot insert plates between studs (this used to be a valid technique 20+ years ago, but is no longer considered "legal" by LEGO)

This technique is used in 21309 Saturn V, to mount the flag piece as part of the moon diorama.

Given this set was released in 2017, I’d say its definitely a modern usage.

# Answer
> 1 votes
The 1x1 round piece between 4 studs is used in the part of the Y-wing extra in set 4489. The extra build came across the 4 sets 4488-4491.

Remember getting this as a child and not being able to finish the Y-wing because I couldn't place this piece, definitely feels illegal.

---
Tags: building, history
---


# Question
Title: identifying mega bloks parts, including a lot of big fig parts
Morning all,

I have got a massive box of mega bloks, but am really struggling to find what sets they are from. I have tried to find the more obscure bits so it can hopefully narrow things a bit.

#1

#2

#3

#4

#5

#6

#7

# Answer
> 6 votes
The part on the 1st photo is from MEGABLOKS set 9728 :Blue Thunder  Source : Partlist from Manual

I think the part on photo # 2 is from MEGABLOKS set 1401: Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 1/4 pipe fight

The raised base plate on the 3th photo is from the Megabloks Dragon line

The part on photo #4 is from MEGABLOKS set # 9337 Transforming Blok-Bots - Spy

The brown arm is from MEGABLOKS set# 9358 : Transforming Blok-Bots - Gladiator & Lion

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


title: Identify this Super Mario Lego set

text:
# Question
Title: Identify this Super Mario Lego set
My son has a super mario LEGO set and we lost the box with the instructions in it. Can someone tell me what Super Mario Set this is??

# Answer
These parts are from :

1388: Boss Sumo Bro Topple

keyparts:
> 7 votes

---
Tags: set-identification, super-mario
---


# Question
Title: What is the Bluetooth PIN for the LEGO train PUP remote (88010)
I'd like to use the Powered Up train remote, #88010 as a simple controller (bang-bang only, obviously).

It's Bluetooth, and it shows up as a device, but the PINs `0000` and `1234` don't appear to work.

Once paired, it presumably operates as an input device (?) so would "just work" with Brickcontroller 2.

# Answer
The remote control uses Bluetooth Low Energy rather than Bluetooth Classic. None of the GATT characteristics require authentication. This means you do not need to pair the device so there is no need for a PIN.

The remote control is not an HID input device, but rather uses a custom protocol that is documented at https://lego.github.io/lego-ble-wireless-protocol-docs/.
> 3 votes

# Answer
You must allow application to access your location then you don't need to pair train with mobile at all.
> -1 votes

---
Tags: technic, bluetooth, powered-up
---


title: What were vintage LEGO promos like?

text:
# Question
Title: What were vintage LEGO promos like?
Does anyone know of any undocumented vintage LEGO sets such as Promos or mail in order items? I know of some but it'd be interesting to find out if there were others.

# Answer
> 0 votes
I cannot think of comprehensive resource that would list this kind of details. The only thing on my mind is The Unofficial LEGO Sets/Parts Collectors Guide, which can have some of the information you are looking for.

Gary Istok aka "LEGO Historian" has been known for gathering information on lots of old and obscure LEGO stuff. He has occasionally shared some of this in form of posts on Eurobricks.

---
Tags: vintage
---


# Question
Title: Minifig head hollow stud vs blocked open & others
These three heads have the same print. I have one I’m trying to identify. It appears to be 3626bpb0704.

However it could be 3626cpb0704:

or 3626cpb0647:

Is there a way to determine for sure? I’m asking for advice on this part but all similar parts in general too.

# Answer
> 3 votes
The first two differ in their **mold type** (and specifically their stud type). The mold is identified by the first part of the bricklink id ("3626b" and "3626c" in your examples)

Here's an overview of the different minifig head stud types, an how they're named on bricklink :

The third has a different (but similar) **print** : most notably, differently shaped eyebrows, a wrinkle between the eyes, and a slight smirk. The print is identified by the last part of the bricklink id ("pb0704" and "pb0647" in your examples).

---
Tags: part-identification
---


title: Instructions for these two LEGO bags?

text:
# Question
Title: Instructions for these two LEGO bags?
Looking for some help. Christmas morning was a blur, and we ended up with two LEGO bags with no matching instructions. Can you all help identify the contents and correlating instructions?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Both bags appear to be from set 11018 - Creative Ocean Fun

Building instructions are available from Lego customer service here.

---
Tags: set-identification, instructions
---


# Question
Title: Searching for a part like 48989 but without the pins
I am searching for a part like LEGO 48989, but without the 4 pins.

The manufacturer doesn't matter as long as the part is compatible with LEGO bricks. Also, a combination of parts is ok if it has the same function and no overlapping parts.

The construction problem:

* the upper holes will hold pins with friction ridges (3L or normal)
* the sideways hole will hold a pin with friction ridges (3L or normal)

# Answer
> 2 votes
I have found the part on several marketplaces on aliexpress and bought it. I don't know if its from Cada or other clone company, but the parts are working fine.

# Answer
> 10 votes
Your updated question mentions axle holes are not an option for your needs, and just pin holes are allowed. There's no LEGO part (I know of) with that exact topology, nor do I see a way of combining parts to achieve the desired topology within a 3L size restriction.

If none of the below suggestions suit your exact needs, and assuming cutting off the pins of a 48989 part is not an option, then non-LEGO parts are your only option it seems. I'll have to defer to someone else in that case. I'll leave this answer up, since it might provide inspiration.

## LEGO Technic connectors with 90 degree offset holes, limited to 3L size (but with axle holes)

The closest is probably Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 3L with Center Pin Hole, albeit with axle holes rather than pin holes :

There exist similar parts as well, like eg. Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular 3L with 2 Pin Holes :

Or the smaller Technic, Axle and Pin Connector Perpendicular :

## LEGO Technic connectors with 90 degree offset holes, with just pin holes (but exceeding 3L size)

There are some parts that have just pin holes, offset by 90 degrees, like Technic, Pin Connector Perpendicular 2 x 2 Bent :

Or the bigger and more recent Technic, Pin Connector Block, Liftarm 1 x 3 x 3 :

Or even Technic, Liftarm, Modified H-Shape Thick 3 x 5 Perpendicular :

---
Tags: technic, piece-information, shopping, clone-brands, connections
---


# Question
Title: Looking for a LEGO promotional, Christmas-themed video game from the 90s-00s about spaceships
This is one of my childhood white whales and I cannot find the answer anywhere.

When I grew up in France, I remember a very short computer game which was actually an ad for LEGO spaceships. Given the fact that I was born in 1996, and it was on a relatively early computer, I think it is from around 1999 to 2003, approximately. I could be wrong though. Here are the things I remember:

* The story starts, it's set in the snow. There is a small wooden house, a snowman, and probably Christmas-themed decoratons. It is a point and click game, I think, and a snowman gives you instructions.
* You find something (what?) and the snowman says "You should not trust the appearances!" (*"il ne faut pas se fier aux apparances !"*, sentence is stuck in my head since).
* The plot evolves, I think a spider is involved? The game is very short, in my memory.
* It ends with a spaceship race. You have to pick between three LEGO spaceships: a yellow one, a blue one and a red one. I think it is a minigame, you see the spaceship from behind and you have to dodge obstacles.
* When you win, the game ends. A screen, white and snow-themed, prompts you to get the Lego spaceships IRL. The three of them are displayed simultaneously on the screen.

This is all I remember and it is KILLING me. It's been bothering me for literal years, I looked everywhere in my parents' basement to find the CD, but couldn't.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm gonna go on a hunch and say this is either Lego Racers from 1999, or Lego Racers 2 from 2001.

Both of these fit some of your criteria:

* The timeline (1999-2003)
* There's an ice level
* Last level is on an spaceship-themed alien planet
* They're rather short: a playthrough can be completed in about an hour.

But they don't fit the "point-and-click" criteria, which leads me to think your brain is confusing memories of (one of) these games with memories of some other point-and-click game. *It's hard to tell with the information you've provided*.

Judging by gameplay videos of Lego Racers 2, the player drives a blue(-ish) car, the main opponent drives a red one, and cars flash yellow when using a power-up. This might have led you to think there's blue, red and yellow ships. The winner podium is red-yellow-blue as well.

In the second game, there's also an ice monster in the ice stage.

---
Tags: video-games, lego-games
---


title: What's inside a linear actuator?

text:
# Question
Title: What's inside a linear actuator?
The two linear actuators that I know, 61927c01 Linear Actuator and 92693c01 Linear Actuator Mini, have a built-in clutch (that makes a clicking sound when feeding the actuator torque when it's fully retracted or fully extended).

What's inside the actuators? Is there a worm gear inside? How does the internal clutch work?

# Answer
> 6 votes
There is definitely a worm gear and a clutch inside, as reported by the (now defunct, but luckily archived*) TechnicBricks blog:

The orange part is the input and engages with its serrated surface the pins of the white cylinder. The flexibility of these pins allows the rotation of the input axle while the actuator shaft is blocked - providing the clutch functionality.

The inside of the white cylinder has grooves in it which then engage and drive the worm gear structure of the actuator shaft - provided the end of the shaft is prevented from rotating. Otherwise the cylinder and shaft just rotate together.

The Eurobricks forum has a thread detailing the differences between the various iterations of the linear actuator, with the following images of the internal components as they got updated based on customer feedback:

---

* Have you considered donating to the Internet Archive?

---
Tags: technic, piece-information, disassembly
---


# Question
Title: Salt Lake Temple: Downward facing triangles
Another question in my SLC temple series: How can I replicate the downward facing triangles in the stonework of some of the spire/columns. Currently I'm planning on just using cheese slopes but those are kind of square. I could maybe use quarter tiles but they're not quite the same either.

# Answer
> 5 votes
Judging by a previous question by @MonteGardner, I'll assume that the build is mainly in light bluish gray ("bley") colour, and the distance between the columns of a tower (the length of the downward triangle strips) is 8 studs.

I'll suggest using 1x1 plate with tooth for the triangles (with some SNOT supports and tiles for the battlements), plus slope 75° 2x2x3 for the pyramid endings.

---
Tags: building, design
---


# Question
Title: Help me find the id of a part - two clips back-to-back
Help me find the id of this LEGO part please!

# Answer
> 7 votes
This is definitely not a LEGO part, but one from a compatible brand. Looks like a Brickarms U-Clip.

---
Tags: part-identification
---


# Question
Title: Identify this part: two 2x2 plates connected by a strip
Bought a Bulk Lego lot and got some older (1960-1970s) Lego mixed in. Came across a plate that is best described as a 2x2 plate attached to another 2x2 plate by a thin strip of plastic kind of like a barbell. The piece is about 2 inches long from plate to plate, I have never seen the this piece before and it is stamped Lego on top of all the studs. Any help in identifying this part?

# Answer
That's gotta be part 650 2x7 hinge plate with 3L bendable coupling nylon:

It only appears in sets from the 1960s, as a means of attaching a vehicle to a trailer.
> 10 votes

# Answer
Depending on the scale it could be a Duplo Bar with 2 x 2 Plates on Ends.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: part-identification
---


# Question
Title: Need help to identify a 1x6 support or wall piece
I have looked through pick a brick to find it. I even went searched up the specific set for it but still can't find it.

# Answer
> 6 votes
This is Support 1 x 6 x 5 Girder Rectangular (64448).

The element ID for this is hard to make out in the photo, but it is 6186296.

PaB won't have all elements, especially if they aren't currently in production. This element hasn't been used in a set since 2020. It was last used in the Saturn V remake that is no longer in production.

You can search by element ID on other sites such as Brickset, Rebrickable, or Bricklink to lookup information about a given element ID.

---
Tags: piece-information
---


# Question
Title: What's the smallest LEGO component, based on its largest dimension?
There's already a question asking what the smallest component is.

However, according to its answer, the smallest piece would be the screwdriver.
It *is* pretty small, but its length is over 2 studs, perhaps even exactly three (I don't have one on hand to check). A regular 1x2 plate is smaller in that regard.

**What is the smallest piece measured by its largest dimension?**

---

The smallest I could come up with is the 1x1 round plate. Is there anything smaller?

# Answer
> 16 votes
This tiny tiara piece is smaller than the 1x1 round plate on all sides (middle piece in my image below).

# Answer
> 5 votes
You'll have to ask my vacuum cleaner, It might have escaped *me* ;).

It depends on what qualifies as "Lego component", though. Made by Lego for Lego would be one of the obvious restrictions, I assume. Is there a restriction on material? If not, it's probably hard to beat the smaller ones of the *stickers*, but I'd be reluctant to consider them as qualifying, probably because I always considered them more of a disfigurement of good bricks.

I would habe considered the evasive 1x1 glass pane a near perfect candidate due to its 3rd dimension challenge, but that tiny tiara is hard to beat! Anyone able to compare both?

# Answer
> 1 votes
I'm thinking this trigger component for stud-blasters may be even smaller than the tiara. I don't have a tiara though, so I can't check :( Here is the piece

# Answer
> 1 votes
This would be a comment but for the need for pictures.

The Friends bow was listed as a possible contender, but it's a fair bit bigger than the tiara (which I don't have to show them side-by-side).

.

The binoculars/robot head come in a touch smaller in the largest dimension, and the flower smaller still. The bow is 12×10.5 mm, the binoculars 11.3×7.9 mm, and the flower 9.6 mm across. Scaling off the photo in TheBrickBlogger's answer the tiara is about 6.8 mm in both visible dimension.

As a comparison a minifig hand is 11 mm long, while a Friends microphone is 12.8 mm long

# Answer
> 0 votes
I think the smallest piece is the 58176 pin piece from Captain Phasma; it's **super** small.

# Answer
> 0 votes
What about this one (4125253)? It's a part of a Tallneck from Horizon: Forbidden West set. It's even smaller than 1x1 flat piece.

# Answer
> -1 votes
I would say that the smallest piece of Lego (not an accessory) would be a piece that is one stud square, and flat on top. I'm looking at a white one right now, as I have nearly finished going through a gigantic pile of Lego from 1978-1982..

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


title: What is the smallest LEGO component?

text:
# Question
Title: What is the smallest LEGO component?
When I purchase bulk LEGO bricks, one of the first things I do is to tip the whole lot into a mesh bag and give them a good soak in the bath (of course, I remove all the electrical bits etc. first). This usually gets rid of most of the accululated muck etc.

However, I am concerned that the very smallest pieces will slip through the net and end up getting lost *en route* to the bath or even disappear down the plugh hole.

The solution is obvious: to make sure that I use a bag with small enough holes that the smallest pieces can't fit through.

**What, therefore, is the smallest component that LEGO have made?**

# Answer
The screwdriver is also very small, but I'm not sure it beats the lever handle. Also, one could argue it has to be detached from the tools wheel first. But if you buy second-hand lots, there's a good chance it would be detached, and it would easily escape through small holes.

Similarly, the various plumes aren't very large either:
> 23 votes

# Answer
One of the smallest pieces is the detachable handle on the 1 stud gear shift element.

The black part in this complete lever:
> 25 votes

# Answer
I had guessed that smallest piece I have owned is one of these (image courtesy peeron):

It really is *stupidly* small (so small that I've lost the only example that I possessed).

However, I have since discovered that the lever weighs less, and that the screwdriver will fit through smaller holes.

---

Update: I've recently come across some of these:

It's an antenna from the Twitch minifig in set 7599: Garbage Truck Getaway. They're pretty small.
> 18 votes

# Answer
Minifigure hands are very small:

(picture not to scale)
> 7 votes

# Answer
The treasure coin (70501):

I think its one of if not the only element that doesn't connect to any other element.
> 6 votes

# Answer
I've always thought those flat, round 1x1 pieces were the smallest sphere-esque shape. Most of the other pieces here are longer in at least one dimension than these guys.

This is probably the smallest LEGO brick that is compatible with a stud/tube connection.

There's a version with a hole in the stud that is 'smaller' in that it weighs less, although the external dimensions are the same.
> 4 votes

# Answer
The smallest part in terms of fitting through holes in a mesh bag or sorting tray would be Technic Flex Cable, the shortest being 5L. This could fit through a hole of diameter 1.6mm (of slightly larger without friction).
> 1 votes

# Answer
If we're going for the lego **part** with the smallest **cross-section**, I'll nominate x77ac15 "String, Cord Thin 15cm":

I owned the 75cm variant, as part of set 6361 (now lost and replaced, due to wear&tear). But if memory serves right, its thickness was around half a millimeter.
> 1 votes

# Answer
The smallest Lego thing I briefly owned was a thin, extremely small, piece of a metallic substance (as far as I know). Possibly about 10 mm long and 4 mm wide, this little sliver was apparently meant to separate a small battery and a light bulb during storage, to stop the battery being drained.

Lego set: Creator 31062 comes with a light brick. I unpacked the secondhand set bought in a thrift store, and checked that all pieces were present. Then wrapped it for a Christmas present for my grandson. After the celebration and cleaning up, I found this little thing. Vacuumed it away with the rest of the crumbs not even realizing what it was.

Lol, looking up light-bricks, I found that the little insert was a tab and was probably not classified as a brick proper, but is part of a new brick's packing. I wish we still had it to eke out the battery which emptied very quickly.

I expect that there are more such extremely small but important components and so wouldn't tip everything into a mesh bag in the first instance. Get some shoe box lids and chocolate boxes and their lids. Spread new components in a single layer. Do a rough sort: big, medium, small into different mesh sized bags. The grit left will be the tinies. Use a linen bag to wash these. Good luck not throwing out tabs!
> 0 votes

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


# Question
Title: At what voltage do the c1 and c2 lines run at when controlling a lego servo motor?
related: how to control a servo motor from a raspberry pi

The raspberry Pi normally outputs 3.3 V signals from it's pins, however there are logic level converters for interfacing with higher-voltage parts as well, and I am not sure if there was one in use in the linked question or not (yes, I asked it as a comment a while ago - no answer), thus this question

Philo has managed to DIY-control it, but I don't see the details from his site

P.S. If it wasn't clear, I am looking for the level at which the control signal is, not the 9v/7.4v power line runs at

# Answer
The answer to the question you linked contains the answer you are looking for:

> * To move in one direction, send a PWM signal (1200 Hz, 0 to 100% duty cycle) on C1 and keep C2 at GND level. As duty cycle varies, servo motor will move along 7 positions on one side. See this video.
> * To move in the other direction and reach the 7 other positions, send PWM to C2 and keep C1 at ground level.

PWM means Pulse Width Modulation, so you need something capable of generating this signal. The voltage is the same as what you apply to the 9V terminal. Only the pulse width is varied. And GND means "ground" which is another way of saying 0V.

So, to do this with a Raspberry Pi or other microcontroller, you will need a transistor to convert the voltage. There is virtually no load on C1/C2 in this case, so any size of transistor will do the job without risk of overload. See this page for some example circuits.
> 2 votes

# Answer
The C1 and C2 lines are either connected to the 9V power supply or grounded because they directly drive classic PF motors and are not just used to carry commands. The 9V and GND poles also need to be properly connected because the PF servo will draw power from those.

To drive **any** LEGO Power Functions motor using a single-board computer (Pi / BeagleBone / Arduino), the easiest way is to use an H-bridge Integrated Circuit, which will safely separate the SBC (3.3V or 5V) from the high-power stuff (9V motors). There are readily-made circuit boards which are easy to interface with an SBC on e.g. dx.com or aliexpress.

Don't drive LEGO PF motors with the output of your SBC directly or you may very well fry it, because motors will draw too much current.

I successfully used this L298N-based circuit board to drive up to 4 PF motors at any speed in both directions with a Beaglebone Black. It can accept 3.3V commands directly but the PWM output from the SBC better be level-shifted to 5V so that the duty cycle is really respected. You can use something like this to shift the voltage. The board also features a 5V power source so you can power the SBC from it using only LEGO battery boxes.

This H-brige module accepts 3 inputs per motor:

* forward
* barckward
* enable

`forward`/`backward` inputs of the control module can be tied to ON/OFF outputs of the GPIO and the `enable` input to a PWM output of the GPIO. The duty cycle of the PWM can then be used to control the speed of a classic PF motor, or the angle of a PF servo motor, while `forward`/`backward` will control the direction (enabling both will result in braking the motor).

Note that you'll have to be carefull with the outputs of the RPi as those are open-collector outputs, so don't fry your SBC. Arduino and Beaglebone are easier to use.
> 2 votes

# Answer
You can make a level converter that will safely mediate between 9v and 3.3 or 5v using a couple of resistors and a FET - the operation is a bit subtle, as it depends on a peculiar characteristic of typical FETs, but it does work. See sketch - you can buy these as ready made units with four or more level shifters per tiny board, for very little money, from the same kind of suppliers who sell arduinos etc. This design has the added advantage of being bi-directional in a way that works with I2C, too.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: piece-information, technic, motor, power-functions, compatibility
---


# Question
Title: What is the carbon footprint of running a Spike Prime robot?
We are trying to calculate how much carbon is emitted from running a Spike Prime robot off one charge (roughly 8-10 hours)?

# Answer
> 4 votes
None, running the robot doesn't produce any carbon as it doesn't run on fossil fuels but consumes electrical energy.

Producing the electrical energy to charge the battery does have a carbon footprint, so I'm going to assume you meant to ask that. I'm also going to assume that you completely deplete the battery before you recharge it. Specs say that the battery capacity is 2100 mAh at 7.3 V... Hence, power usage is 2100 x 7.3 / 1000 = 15,33 Watt hours (Wh) = 0.01533 kWh

How much carbon is emitted depends on how the electricity to charge the battery is produced, which basically depends on how electricity is generated where you live. assuming you are from the US I found the following data: https://www.eia.gov/tools/faqs/faq.php?id=74&t=11 Which states that 0.855 pounds of CO2 is produced per kWh

So I get 0.01533 kWh times 0.855 ~=~ 0.0131 pounds = 0.209 ounces

# Answer
> 1 votes
The official rechargeable battery for the large hub has 2100mAh capacity at 7.3V - This lets you calculate the total watt-hours in one full charge (let us know if you need help with this), which you'll then need to multiply by the CO2-factor of your current local energy provider.

This last part makes the question ultimately not answerable in a universal way, as you'll get entirely different results if the electricity you use comes from a hydro power plant or from a plant burning brown coal.

---
Tags: electronics, battery, spike-prime
---


# Question
Title: Does the LEGO Mario app support three player?
There are 3 playable characters currently in the LEGO Mario theme (Mario, Luigi, and Peach).

The app makes a two player mode available. Is it possible to play with all three characters in the app?

# Answer
> 2 votes
I ran into this issue recently. Unfortunately, this is not currently supported in the LEGO Mario app. Any two characters can be used together (even matching characters), but you can't connect more than two characters simultaneously.

This was clear in the app update that added support for Peach (emphasis added):

> LEGO Peach comes with a bunch of new reactions and can be connected to **either LEGO® Mario™ or LEGO® Luigi™** (sets are sold separately) to win bonus coins for teamwork.

Subsequent updates have not upgraded the multiplayer mode to support additional players.

---
Tags: software, super-mario
---


# Question
Title: Kazi train - struggles to run, maybe due to weight
I've ordered 2 Kazi trains on aliexpress. Seemed like a nice set with some tracks for my kids. As seen below it's a set where the power box is a separate part and it runs a motor that connects to the wheels by a bunch of gears. Problem I have is that the trains are struggling to run. Yellow one more than green, maybe due to weight. Anyone had a similar problem and knows how to improve the set? I'm wondering if switching to the undercarriage motor would work on these sets. The larger ones seem to have a different kind of motor that has no gears to get it moving and provides power directly to the wheels but not sure if that one would fit. Considered applying some grease but not sure how much that can help in this case without making everything sticky.

\[

\[\]

# Answer
So I have done some more investigation into the problem on my side and there are several ways to go into this. First thing I did is I switched the battery brand from regular Maxell to GP extra which improved the condition but I still could not fully use the battery box in terms of speed regulation but an improvement none the less. Then I tried a couple of combinations:

1. changed the rubber on the wheels - no significant improvement all though the rubber I got originally is a lot worse in terms of quality
2. I used a combination of the original battery box and the undercarriage motor - best solution if it fits your train - you need some additional bricks to do the change probably - speed settings work well also
3. New motor and a 6 AAA battery power box - works well but no way of changing the speed with this power box - does not improve with the 5 battery box

So essentially the problem is in the gears which get stuck a lot, make a lot of noise and have a lot of wear - a lot of dust everywhere.

In case you're considering buying a train that is using the M motor like mine the best solution is to switch to undercarriage. Some trains are bigger and use the undercarriage by default so those will probably work better although the overall train weight is higher.
> 1 votes

# Answer
First thing is what batteries are you using with it ?

Some devices do not run well on rechargeable NiMh or NiCad batteries as their voltage is lower initially. So you may see lights that are more dim, motors run slower or so on.

Many devices may have voltage regulators or DC-DC converters where this not an issue. Simpler childrens toys and so on are often wired directly with no power circuit and are not optimal for rechargeable batteries.

You can also have some issues with heavy duty batteries not working correctly (not just shorter life), so if not already done troubleshoot with a set of fresh decent quality alkalines and go from there.

If that is already the case we can move on to looking at other possibilities.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: clone-brands, trains
---


# Question
Title: How do I identify a new sealed bag of Lego
I've bought the Lego set 11019 Fun Functions for my daughter. Bag number 5 isn’t in it just a blank bag plus the pieces don’t match up with the helicopter instructions number 5 is supposed to make. They don’t match anything else you can make from the box so how can I find out what you are supposed to make from it. I scanned the QR code and it’s number 6172062 on it.

# Answer
> 1 votes
I got in touch with Lego and they confirmed the extra bag is just extra bricks to build with.

---
Tags: part-identification, set-identification
---


# Question
Title: Recommendation on how to build a "brick presence detector"?
I want to build a model of a complex machine with Lego and Arduino or a Raspberry. The machine model also features several accessories that can be added or removed during operation of the machine which influences its behavior. I plan to glue together the accessory bricks. My goal is to detect if that accessory is present on the machine or not.

Are there any standard bricks with contacts built-in, or do I have to make them myself somehow? (NFC/RFID would also work but the simplest solution will do it)

# Answer
> 8 votes
I'll suggest going the Arduino way and relying on magnetic contact switches \- fairly inexpensive, and invisible once embedded in a build.

Another commonly used trick is using an ultrasound distance sensor on the receptacle - the distance will be (near) zero if there's anything attached.

> Are there any standard bricks with contacts built-in\[?\]

Yes - the 9V system which started in the late 80s featured 2x2 plates with conductive metal inserts, e.g. part 5306bc011 "Electric, Wire with Brick 2 x 2 x 2/3 Pair, 11 Studs Long" (besides battery packs, train motors and lights):

Note that:

* Each wire is connected to both two studs on the top and two antistuds on the bottom, and
* 9V-compatible parts are not being manufactured anymore, and therefore are only available in the aftermarket
* Any 9V parts in the aftermarket are *at least* a decade old, and cables are subject to wear&tear.

Since you are not afraid of using glue, and **if** you're keen on going the "closing an electric circuit" route, you might instead want to use copper foil tape (which should be readily available at crafts stores), or even conductive ink.

Finally, if you want an unconventional approach with contemporary available parts, you can always use Mario pants.

# Answer
> 7 votes
LEGO Dimensions had NFC tags in the round bases, e.g. part 18602c01 "Dimensions Toy Tag 4 x 4 x 2/3, generic":

These can be integrated into the accessories. The tag, and therefore the accessory, can be identified using a 3rd party NFC reader.

# Answer
> 3 votes
If you wanted an entirely Lego based solution, Lego Boost has a colour sensor part 6182145 that can detect colour and is, I think, compatible with the EV3 Mindstorms sets controller as well as the Boost controller. The EV3 apparently also has a colour sensor (and an IR sensor) in the basic kit, but I've not used them. I don't know if any of these are compatible with devices like the Arduino (depends on the connectors I would think), but it looks like a modified ethernet-style port for the I/O. You could potentially daisy-chain a Pi and the mindstorms hub, using the Pi to program the mindstorm.

If you have colour coded accessories, these options could tell you if they are present and which ones are present.

---
Tags: piece-information, electronics, 3rd-party, arduino
---


title: LEGO ideas (with traditional bricks)

text:
# Question
Title: LEGO ideas (with traditional bricks)
I would like to find a large catalog of LEGO designs/ideas that can be built with "traditional" LEGO bricks (both normal and DUPLO).

I have found many nice designs in the web, but most of them require exotic pieces. I am interested more in a catalog of models (for inspiration) that do not require me buying a specific set or making a specific order to the LEGO shop.

I found this book: http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0756686067/geekdad0b-20 but I am wondering if a free resource exists somewhere ?

**UPDATE:**

I have just read this review of the book I linked above, apparently, it also suffers from the problem of requiring too many non-standard pieces:

> We thought this book would be great since my 5-year-old is just getting into LEGO bricks. Opened it up and realized that every project in this book looks like it requires non-standard, specialty LEGO kit pieces- and lots of them. I didn't see any projects in this book that you could build using standard LEGO pieces. Returned the book the next day.

# Answer
LEGO has released a number of large brick buckets over the years. A few of these came with instructions and ideas for models that could be built with the contents. These include lots of ideas for animals, vehicles, and structures. Here are a few examples:

There are plenty of ideas available if you browse through the instructions for these sets. Here are some of the larger brick set with links to their instruction scans:
> 7 votes

# Answer
here are some additional sets that mostly use fairly standard pieces you're likely to have in a basic lego collection:

## Peeron Lego Instruction Sets

To add to jncraton's excellent answer, here are additional sets from Peeron's Lego Instructions Archive using generic bricks:

## Official Lego Instructions Site

Lego's Customer service website you can browse various instruction sets by category, numeric id, or keyword. http://service.lego.com/en-us/buildinginstructions/

Some sets likely to be possible with generic bricks include:

## Small Lego Sets

Lego also has a whole categories of sets which are almost all small holiday themed sets made out of common pieces, such as snowmen, chicks, turkeys, etc.

## Mini Builds

Lego also makes a variety of monthly "mini-builds" which are small items made with fairly common pieces. They only keep the current one available on lego's website, but others have collected the old instruction sheets for various mini-builds.
and they appear to in some cases overlap items from the "seasonal" instructions above.
> 6 votes

# Answer
Here's a suggestion: Go to Brickset.com. They have scans of the boxes of almost every set every released. Many of the earlier sets (i.e., those released in the 1970s) are built almost entirely out of basic bricks, and you can usually figure out how they are built just from looking at the picture. Some links to get you started:

Browse list of sets by year or theme. Click on the set number to quickly pull up the picture. Also check out old sets listed under the "Basic" theme.

a simple firetruck:

a jumbo jet:

Good luck!
> 3 votes

# Answer
There is a ***popular site, which my kids love,*** with step-by-step instructions: **www.buildingexamples.com** The lego instructions are categorized by age and type and are also available as ***App for smartphone and tablet.*** You can build animals, rockets, buildings and even the Eiffel tower. The youngest children start with small examples, while older children can use more complex instructions. All are based on basic building blocks.

**Have fun! My kids love it.**
> 2 votes

# Answer
You can try this blog http://legoideas.si/

It's oriented towards Duplo, but similar designs can also be made out of standard Legos.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I have two idea books from the 1960's: N°2 (238-5) and N°3 (238-8). I've downloaded N°1 (238-1) from Peeron.
> 2 votes

# Answer
There is this site you can try - Rebrickable. You can enter what sets/parts you own and then browse what other creations you can build with the parts you have (or almost have).
> 1 votes

# Answer
I do not know of any book that would have a large catalog of models built only with traditional bricks. I agree with Sergio above, that the best approach is to get a set that comes with lots of alternate instructions. LEGO Creator buckets and LEGO BrickMaster books are excellent in this regard.

Also, I would like to add that building anything from basic LEGO bricks is actually very easy. It is basically the same as building with traditional wooden blocks. You won't find a lot of instructions for those either because children just naturally figure out how to stack them to make a tower, a house, a bridge... so you could simply pour out the LEGO bricks and say, "Let's build a house!", then start stacking bricks to make the walls, leave openings for windows and doors, etc. You can also mix toys and use LEGO to build a castle for example and use Playmobil soldiers to populate it.

The beauty of LEGO is that it is an educational and creative tool. Learning how to free-build with LEGO is one of the greatest joys of this hobby. Most 5-year-olds will much prefer that over following instructions or the designs of others. So you could just look through picture books (or the world outside) and when your child says "Oh, I would like to build a tower like that!", then get the LEGO out and just build it!...(c:
> 1 votes

# Answer
The *"LEGO Ideas Book"* (http://www.amazon.co.uk/LEGO%C2%AE-Ideas-Book-Daniel-Lipkowitz/dp/1405350679) provides many different ideas, many of which can be achieved with simple bricks. It ranges from easy to harder models, which can help develop your LEGO skills over time.
> 0 votes

---
Tags: building, design
---


# Question
Title: In the Ferrari 42143 build at Stage 85 should the yellow assembly be loose?
I have gone beyond step 85 but the yellow assembly installed then is still loose, not connected to anything and can be pulled out. I want to make sure this is right as I do not want to go much further and find I have to disassemble and go back. Does it connect later?

# Answer
I haven't assembled this model, so my answer is based on online building instructions.

Here's the picture of Step 85 you have mentioned. I have added numbers (in lime green) just below connection points I would like to mark on Red L-shaped beam/liftarm and Light Bluish Gray 13L one.

Now if we go back to Step 82 we can see what's is going on behind assembly seen in Step 85. Here, I've marked same points that would be visible behind Light Bluish Gray 13L beam. So assembly in Step 85 goes into "7" connection point and would be inserted into one of two Yellow 2L Technic connectors.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: technic, building, connections
---


# Question
Title: Looking for instructions for this LEGO dragon
I found this guy (or gal) in a lot purchase and was hoping to complete it since it seems there are missing pieces but I can't identify it to find any build instructions that might be available. Can you identify it for me??

# Answer
> 13 votes
Based on the distinctive "wings", looks like set 70674 - Fire Fang.

---
Tags: set-identification
---


title: 2017 Poly Bag - Blue and Black bricks

text:
# Question
Title: 2017 Poly Bag - Blue and Black bricks
I received a bag of Lego bricks without a box or identifying build number. The numbers on the bag are 135149 the year is 2017. The bricks are blue and black. I scanned the QR code and got the following number: 6172058.

I was not able to find any information on your site or even doing a search across many platforms of Lego enthusiasts.

# Answer
> 7 votes
based on

* 2x PLATE 4X6 in blue
* set produced in or after 2017
* the other blue parts,
* lot of same color parts in 1 bag -\> probably classic set with lot of standards bricks

this bag is from

11011: Bricks and Animals

---
Tags: set-identification
---


# Question
Title: Why was the monorail system discontinued?
I'm a casual Lego enjoyer and decided to research some old sets and found out about the old monorail system.

My question is why was it discontinued? It was a pretty neat system and I could see something like it working well with modern themes (mostly Lego City), and why was it in so few sets?

# Answer
> 25 votes
According to https://forum.brickset.com/discussion/comment/57906/#Comment\_57906 :

> The reason LEGO has stopped making monorail is threefold,
>
> One, the motors and track molds ran out and would be very expensive to replace.
>
> Two, no monorail set ever made any money, in fact despite trying several different types at high price points they all cost more to produce then they were sold for.
>
> Three, kids these days don't see them as exciting, they are from theme parks or airports, not a futuristic thing at all, in fact pretty boring.

On the subject of molds: according to https://bricknerd.com/home/lego-monorail-bring-it-back-or-build-your-own-7-6-21 ,

> The molds and the motor aren’t available anymore because they were produced by a contractor that no longer exists.

See also the question here: What was wrong with monorails?

---
Tags: trains, history, monorail
---


title: Is there a Good Replacement M Motor?

text:
# Question
Title: Is there a Good Replacement M Motor?
I teach robotics with technic parts and M motors. The motors I have bought on Ebay burn out quickly and fit axles poorly (either too tight or too loose). It is difficult to teach when students' motors burn out every 10 minutes!

Please, someone tell me: who sells a good replacement M motor that will last more than a couple of hours of use and fits axles properly?

# Answer
If I understand you question correctly, you are currently using the Power Functions M motors such as this one:

I did a quick search on eBay, and most of the listings I see are not genuine LEGO PF M motors. They are listed as "for LEGO", or LEGO compatible, but they are not original LEGO products. Here's an example of one of the third-party motors:

It looks very similar, but has many subtle differences. The easiest difference to spot is the lack of the word "LEGO" on the studs.

These may be good quality, or they may be significantly worse than LEGO products, but in any case, they were not manufactured by LEGO and did not go through TLGs QA process. These products also likely violate TLG's IP in some way.

The reason that it is difficult to find genuine PF M motors is because the entire PF line has been discontinued and replaced by Control+ in Technic sets. The closest replacement for the PF M motor is what TLG currently calls the Simple Medium Linear Motor:

Unfortunately, this motor is also retired as a standalone product on LEGO.com, although it was included in sets as recently as 2022.

If you are looking to something that you can buy today directly from LEGO.com, the Technic Large Motor is probably the best choice.

Transitioning to the Control+ system would also require purchasing new battery boxes, which are not especially cheap.

One approach is to purchase genuine PF medium motors on a secondary market such as Bricklink. Here's the listing for the PF M motor there. Most established Bricklink sellers take quality very seriously. They know how to identify non-LEGO products and will work hard to make sure you only get genuine parts.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: technic, motor, clone-brands, power-functions, replacement-parts
---


# Question
Title: Is there a resource (e.g. a website) to identify a lego set based on a selection of parts?
Is there a resource (e.g. a website) to identify a Lego set based on a selection of parts?

For example, I have inherited a big box of Legos including several castle-type pieces. Is there a way to figure out what sets those may gave come from?

# Answer
BrickLink itself has such a feature \- had I known, I would not have written my own a year ago.

Brickit is a new entry in this arena; I haven't used it myself.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: set-identification
---


# Question
Title: What Lego part(s) would hurt the most to step on?
We've all heard (and probably experienced) the long-running joke that stepping on a Lego is the absolute worst.

People have determined this is due to the bricks' high compressive strength, small size, and sometimes sharp edges.

As far as edges are concerned, consider a standard 2x2 brick:
While the 6 faces are fairly harmless, if the brick were somehow angled such that a person put all their weight on an edge, or (god forbid) one of the 8 corners, it would really hurt.

So the question is: What Lego part, or assembly of Lego parts, would maximize both
(a) small size, and
(b) sharp edges/points pointed upwards when laying on the ground?

# Answer
I think this one would be in the top 5:

### Tile, Modified 2 x 2 with Pin (part 2460)
> 12 votes

# Answer
I nominate this little bugger:

Got it in a bulk lot, and oh boy is it painful to walk on. it rests flat on the ground thanks to the wings, and the crest is a nice touch for delicate underfoot.
> 9 votes

# Answer
The 1x1 brick is both small enough to mean that you get edges no matter which way up it is, and has all the sharp edges and corners of the 2x2 brick, just packed into a smaller, more evil form.

That naturally leads to the headlight block, which has all the same features, but, if you are unfortunate, can also attack with the lip on the bottom.
> 7 votes

# Answer
This assembly of pieces will not tickle, so let's dive in:

* First, the teeth are placed in reverse of each other so the foot and all that weight is forced to rock on the two little pointed tips.
* Second, the white circular base is wide enough to minimize rolling of the piece as experienced with a 2x2 brick, where the weight of a person would force the piece to roll instead of piercing foot flesh. A wider surface area gives less relief of potential pain.
* Finally, a few 1x2 tile pieces to lock the teeth in place. Without them the weight and force of a foot fall would dislodge the tooth from the base.

Chain a few of these together and Vwah-LAH!... I hereby dub thee the "Human Spike Strip". -Rin
> 7 votes

# Answer
Several roof tiles and similar triangular parts must be strong contenders. Here's a selection I could quickly lay my hands on:

The one on the right (13548 "Wedge 2 x 2 (Slope 45 Corner)") wouldn't be so bad as the other 3 pictured, or the classic 2x2 roof tile. The front one (3049c "Blue Slope 45 2 x 1 Double / Inverted") would be particularly evil, except it's very slightly rounded on the tip.
> 3 votes

# Answer
> We've all heard (and probably experienced) the long-running joke that stepping on a Lego is the absolute worst.

Those people have clearly never stepped barefoot on a UK 13A plug sitting on the floor with it's pins facing upwards.

Lego have sold a number of power bricks over the years the older ones tend to be the best for sitting stably in a pin-up position though, something like part 70928b "Electric, Train Speed Regulator 9V Power Adapter 240V (UK)":
> 1 votes

# Answer
I think the most painful Lego honestly has to go to the Lego Crystal; just try it on a base plate.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I think this single bevel gear would probably hurt a lot:
> -1 votes

# Answer
no the lego ax and the lego spear from the medieval sets, clipped onto the side holster of the saddle on the lego horse. Oh, and the lego horse's head is pointed up and its mouth is open and it's bitting...yeah just bitting at the air above its head at random intervals with a taste for human flesh of the barefoot variety.

PS. Megablox are sharper
> -5 votes

# Answer
The little swords from the medieval-themed sets such as this one:
> -6 votes

---
Tags: plastics, piece-usage
---


title: Can you identify these dresses

text:
# Question
Title: Can you identify these dresses
Can you identify these monochrome slope/dresses? I looked in the curved slope section of bricklink but couldn't find them.

# Answer
That's the part with item number 36036, called Lower Body, Skirt on bricklink.
> 10 votes

---
Tags: part-identification
---


# Question
Title: Are Nanoblocks compatible with other building bricks?
Recently I have found Nanoblocks, a Japanese brick toy, in American stores. How compatible are these with other building toys? They look to be approximately the same scale as Modulex.

# Answer
It appears that the goal of the nanoblock producers is to make "the world’s smallest toy building blocks". And they appear to be too small to be compatible with LEGO. See the following video comparisons of the sizes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Cobnr8fWTY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QXGP837-dU

1. http://www.mynanoblock.com/site/?page\_id=2
> 7 votes

# Answer
I can attest that Nano bloks (left) are **not** the same scale as Modulex (right).
> 4 votes

# Answer
Duplo = compatible with normal Lego even though 2× the size as has hollow stud. Tube of normal 2×2 fits inside. Nano blocks 2×2 being 1/2 size of normal fit with a brick having a hollow stud, e.g. 1 round or 1×1 with holder. But Kawada Nano Blocks don't use tubes, so not fit like this when other makes do. Guess that Nano Blocks' plastic = 1/2 as thick, could only attach Lego by over hanging a corner with it touching the 2nd stud. I've just got some 1/2 size bricks, don't know what brand, can attach under Lego ×2 by having 1/10 on 1 side & 2/5 on the other. Edge of System Lego fits between 2 studs, so can trap between brick & tile.

They also fit end of ×2 Modulex by 2 studs on a corner, if both ends of 2×5 then can join the 2 with nano. Duplo, need to miss every 3rd to avoid the ribs.

Tenté, thinner walls & bigger stud than System Lego, tight fit, not holding when not reaching the edges.

Photo, arms & legs of Lego, head & torso of Nano Blocks. 2nd is Nano Blocks on Lego 1×2's with 1 stud (at 90° to each other) & then Modulex on top.
> -3 votes

---
Tags: clone-brands, compatibility, 3rd-party
---


# Question
Title: Can one connect two technic pins end-to-end?
Who hasn't tried following some MOC instructions only to discover problems? This TIE Outlander build (free instructions) is neat but has several issues, the biggest of which are steps 44-46.

The directions show a 3-length technic pin (6558) that connects to four pieces. The "orphaned" pieces do connect to other things in later steps but are never connected as shown in step 46, leaving the build less durable than I'd like. The directions later use the opening for other technic pins as well (steps 86-91), so even if a 4-length pin existed, it would not solve this issue.

**Is there a way to connect two pins directly together, end-to-end?** I know there are rods that can fit inside of pins; is this a legal connection, and would it work here? (I'm not sure if "rod" is the right term.)

# Answer
The canonical way of connecting two pins is using part 62462 "Technic pin connector":

Those are shown in step 89 in the instructions of that MOC.

> I know there are rods that can fit inside of pins; is this a legal connection, and would it work here?

Remember that "legal" means "doesn't put parts under stress".

By "rod" I guess you mean "bar". As far as I can tell, bars will fit snugly into technic pins. While this might be a legal connection, the pins themselves won't be able to compress to be fit into a technic hole (or to get out of one, for that matter). So while putting a bar through a pin might be legal, putting that pin through a hole will not. Putting the pin in the hole, *then* the bar through the pin, would be better.

A flex tube has the same diameter as a bar (IIRC), and would be a better option.

---

For the MOC in question, note that the wing (in steps 60 & 81) will connect all the 2x1 plates with perpendicular technic hole, so there's no need to put extra pins. Yes, the instructions could have been better.

You can also try replacing the pins with a 10L axle, the inner pin connectors with axle connector 2Ls, and the 2L pins from step 89 with pin axles.
> 10 votes

# Answer
Putting bars through pins is legal in my opinion, and is done in official Lego sets from time to time. Especially the "flick missile" is used in technic sets to extend pins with one more module:

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=61184

Here is an example of such usage (from the 42039 24 Hours Le Mans Race car):

Another example; the recent 31127 street racer:

for aesthetic reasons flick missiles are used here with length 2 pins rather than length 3 pins.
> 4 votes

---
Tags: technic, building, star-wars, moc, connections
---


# Question
Title: How does The LEGO Group view 3D printed parts?
I own a 3D Printer, and depending on the legality, I may or may not have 3D printed some straight tracks. Because why not?

As these parts are, hypothetically, printing, I think to myself "what would the LEGO Group think about me doing this?"

What's the LEGO Group's opinion on people 3D printing copy of their products?

# Answer
> 7 votes
They would obviously prefer it if you bought the parts from them.

If it's for personal use, not many people will know, and TLG probably don't want to spend much time (and money) on it, if they find out.

If you want to make money, you also have to be aware that TLG still has some patents and other rights (I don't knw for sure, but I think it's mostly around the minifig and design of sets). Kreo and Mega Bloks can do what they do, because they navigate that field and only sell stuff that is not covered by any of those rights.

If you want to exhibit any of your creations you should also think about what the organisers/groups behind the events you're thinking of exhibiting at thinks of it.

---
Tags: lego-group, tracks, 3d-printing
---


# Question
Title: Is this resistance ship a set on its own, or part of another set?
I can't find this ship on Brickset, so it's either unlisted (unlikely) or came with another set.

Can anyone ID it, please?

# Answer
This A-wing is part of 75196: A-Wing vs. TIE Silencer Microfighters
> 6 votes

---
Tags: set-identification, star-wars
---


# Question
Title: How to install Firmware 1.10E on an EV3 home/retail edition brick
If and how can you install firmware 1.10E on an EV3 brick from an home/retail edition set (instead of an education set)? Updates 1.0E9 are only recognized from the Mindstorm software, also with Education Mindstorm software version.

I am very interested to build projects with makecode.mindstorms.com.

# Answer
### New answer (2020)

The V1.10E firmware is installed using the EV3 Device Manager web page. The instructions are not entirely clear, but if you visit the web page with Chrome (recommended), Safari, Edge, or Internet Explorer, click the *Available Bricks (0)* button and wait a very long time, it will eventually pop up a dialog asking to download and install an *EV3 Device Manager* program to your computer. The EV3 Connection Manager program runs in the background on your computer and communicates with the EV3 Connection Manager web page in the browser. After installing the separate background program, the web page will be able to connect to your EV3. Then you can use it to update the firmware. It does not appear that this method gives you the option of selecting which firmware file to use.

### Old answer - for retired EV3 Lab software

You can get the 1.10E firmware from the LEGO Education website. Currently, this can be done by clicking the *Download Firmware* button at the bottom of this page.

In the EV3 programming software, make sure you have a project open (e.g. create a new empty project), then click *Tools \> Update Firmware*.

Click the *Show Details* button.

Then click *Browse* and select the firmware file that you downloaded.

Make sure your EV3 is connected via USB and powered on, then click *Update Firmware*.
> 13 votes

# Answer
For anyone searching in 2021 and looking for a tutorial, I finally found an option that works. Lego's browser based EV3 Device manager will NOT work, nor will the 1.5 version of EV3Lab classroom/home edition software.

I wrote a tutorial in a reddit thread here, and have highlights posted below.

1. This has only been verified on a windows 10 computer. It should work on any 7,8,10 windows PC, and theoretically on an intel based Mac; I am unsure on an m1.
2. Download and install the 1.4.5 Lego EV3 lab software from this link here. This is a retired version of the software that still includes the "tools" file menu to allow for manual updates of the firmware.
3. Download the 1.10E firmware here
4. Power on and plug in your EV3 to your windows computer.
5. Open "Tools \> Firmware Update"
6. In the popup, "Show Details"
7. "Browse" and select the 1.10E.bin file.
8. Click Update Firmware.
9. Success!

As a robotics educator, Lego really does not need to make it this difficult. If for whatever reason the below links break, the reddit thread I posted has links to my google drive where I have stored the original 1.10E firmware and installers.
> 5 votes

# Answer
The web-based EV3 manager will not let you upload an 'E' (education) firmware in a Home edition brick. For some reason the latest education version is 1.10E while the home version is stuck to 1.09H.

But you can use the EV3 software to point to a specific file to upload. Version 1.10E is available here: https://education.lego.com/en-gb/product-resources/mindstorms-ev3/downloads/firmware-update (link at the bottom of the page).

If you don't have it already, install the EV3 software available here: https://www.lego.com/en-us/themes/mindstorms/downloads

Launch the EV3 software, select the menu Tools -\> Firmware upgrade, then click "Show details". Here you can select a firmware file. Point to the 1.10E firmware that you just downloaded and click 'update'.

Note that I had to shudown and restart the brick once in order to see the EV3 drive on my PC.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Few options:

* Official LEGO page here (plus the firmware file)
* Very good Reddit tutorial
* Lots of details here (in German)
> 0 votes

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


# Question
Title: Cat D11 LEGO set won't start the calibration process
As soon as I start the calibration process in the app, the gearbox jams. It doesn’t do anything, just clicks and clicks (stripping the gears). Any ideas what the cause might be?

# Answer
> 2 votes
Most likely a mistake in step 87.

The two most common malfunctions are

1. clicking gears and no motion for the shovel, ladder and plow but tracks are working: redo step 87 meticulously.
2. Wrong engine activation in the gear box often happens. (often ladder moves instead of shovel) and calibration fails. This is a bug, the engine mistook the placement of the gears, and calibration doesn't catch it in the beginning. To fix, Cancel calibration, press the app button to lower the shovel and remember to wait for the gear to be changed, then retry calibration. If that fails again, try the shovel tilt and redo. If that also fails, then lower the plow and redo. It cannot be fixed by the ladder unless the gearbox was built wrong, (in that case you need to do 87-120 again).

---
Tags: technic, building, software
---


# Question
Title: Can anyone identify the set these plastic flags belong to? They are mixed in with several old castle sets
Flexible plastic material  Two blue plastic flags (?) with “U” and Two red ones with Bulls.

# Answer
These are:

and

they come from the old Ninja sub-theme

one of each appears in 4805: Ninja Knights
> 16 votes

---
Tags: part-identification, set-identification, piece-information
---


# Question
Title: Anyone identify this gold piece mixed with some vintage Castle, Pirate, etc sets/minifigs? No LEGO imprint, but all other pieces are LEGO
Gold piece next to minifig for size comparison.Interior of part.\[\]

# Answer
I believe the part in question is actually from the Wave 1 "Iron Man: The Animated Series" figure: Hydro Armor with “Deep Sea Weapons”.

(Image from https://www.action-figure-resource.com)

If you look at where the armor is "assembled", the piece in the thigh position (which will go on the forearm), seems to match the piece in question.

I actually have this figure, but can't get to it at the moment.
> 6 votes

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


# Question
Title: Are DUPLO blocks compatible with LEGO blocks in any way?
Can I build a model out of both DUPLO blocks and LEGO blocks? Do they fit together?

# Answer
Yes! You can add LEGO on top of DUPLO, and DUPLO on top of LEGO. Here's an example picture from The Brick Blogger:

Because stacking LEGO on top of DUPLO requires the particular LEGO tube design on the bottom (to fit in the hollow top of the DUPLO bricks), many "LEGO-compatible" bricks do not share this compatibility with DUPLO - at best, you can stack DUPLO on top of them, but not the other way around.

In addition, you can use only some types of LEGO bricks with DUPLO. Plates, tiles and other modified pieces can't stack with DUPLO. DUPLO can sit happily on top of plates, but plates and tiles only balance on top of Duplo, there's no real clutch between them that way.
> 72 votes

# Answer
Some elements are compatible, others are not. IIRC

* You can stack regular 2x2, 2x4 etc lego bricks on top of normal duplo studs and they fit and hold fine.
* You can't cover only part of a stud, so bricks with odd dimensions can't stack completely on top of duplo and 1xn parts can't stack on top of duplo at all.
* Bricks with curved edges are similarly going to be incompatible.
* Thin plates don't have enough depth to take up the taller Duplo stud.
* You can stack Duplo bricks on Lego studs but only the outside of the brick grips the studs which in my experience leads to a relatively weak connection.
* Duplo base plates have studs with flat tops. These are incompatible with Lego.

It seems that the basic Duplo-compatible Lego bricks are a lot less common than they used to be. I just looked at a "Large Creative Brick Box" and found that only about 16% of the contents was traditional Duplo-compatible bricks. Themed sets (including the "Juniors" range ) often contain hardly any.
> 11 votes

# Answer
Duplo bricks manufactured post 2002 are also compatible with a larger brick, produced for a limited time, called Quatro- it is 4 times the size of standard system bricks in every dimension. Older 2x4 bricks were limited by the height of struts between the tubes.
> 11 votes

# Answer
Yes! Duplos are 8x the volume of the corresponding Lego bricks.
> 3 votes

# Answer
The answer is: Yes. In fact in my annual project I use a Duplo part that a friend got me from one of the Lego Land parks. Never had a problem using it.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Yes, the even by even sized bricks fit to the Duplo studs, can't overhang. Lego plates on top leave a gap. Could overhang from that and add bricks under it, but why bother as it costs more (A 2×2 Duplo brick costs 50p, a 2×4 LEGO System brick costs 19p). Any Lego fits under, but only some Duplo hold with fancy tubes then still not at the corners. The Duplo brick's walls have the same thickness as older normal Lego, with ribs.

In fact older 2×3 without cross support fit if over hanging, so this just leaving 3 normal Lego studs on the corners not over hanging. A 2:3 slope 3×3 fits when over hanging corner, so could build a roof with eaves.
> 1 votes

---
Tags: compatibility, duplo
---


# Question
Title: Best method for building large by assembling modules?
I am about halfway in building a 16 foot high tower made of simple bricks. It is basically a hollow skyscraper 6 inches square, with the walls two studs thick. To steady it, it is built around a steel pole anchored top and bottom. I've built it up row by row, but now given its height, I want to assemble sections of it on the ground and add them to the top. Each section is about 10-15 rows high, same square footprint. But I have unable to add sections of more than 2 rows at once. With larger heights I can not seem to apply enough pressure to get the bottoms to seat on top of the last built row. The lego are so precise that tiny displacements can't seem to be overcomed. The added bulk piece just won't marry the lower piece, unless I add them a row at a time.

How are extremely large Lego sculptures made? Are they just made by adding pieces row by row incremently? Or do they have a way to add an assembled piece to an existing piece? I even tried using plates on top row and a plate on the bottom row of new piece but could not get the plates to marry with more than a few rows on top. Any suggestions?

# Answer
Large structures are made in layers. I had a chance to be part of a team that was assisting in assembling large Yoda model in one of LEGO sponsored events. Model had a heavy and strong base for the start. Then the model has been assembled in layers. Each layer consisted of base, made from multiple plates glued together also acting an outline for that particular layer, with a set number of layers made from 2x4 bricks. Afterward each assembled layer (base + bricks) has been put on top. Hammer was included to persuade bricks into their intended position.

Other models, not intended to be disassembled are usually glued.

In your case I would assemble two opposite corners as high as possible leaving enough space to connect them together. Something like this:

Use rubber hammer to push assembly together. Afterwards, build everything on top of corners you just attached and repeat.
> 5 votes

---
Tags: building
---


# Question
Title: Lego colors that the powered up color sensors can detect
Lego currently offers two color sensors to use with Powered Up or robotic kits (Spike Prime, Spike Essential, Mindstorms robotic inventor):

https://www.lego.com/en-us/product/color-distance-sensor-88007  https://education.lego.com/en-us/products/lego-technic-color-sensor/45605

I'd like to find a reference online which lists the colors these sensors are calibrated to detect and if such a thing does not exist, perhaps we could create an unofficial reference here. I'm also interested to see a mapping of the colors to colors used in production of existing Lego elements, perhaps also the bricklink name / id.

# Answer
### Official Sources

The LEGO Shop page for the Color & Distance Sensor (88007) says:

> Detect 6 colors and objects within 5 to 10 cm range with this robot toy accessory for kids.

Since this one is aimed at kids in the retail market, there isn't much in the way of official technical information on this sensor.

A LEGO Education blog post has this to say about the SPIKE color sensor:

```
-1 = No object
0 = Black (LEGO:26; R:0, G:0, B:0)
1 = Magenta (LEGO:124; R:144, G:31, B:118)
3 = Blue (LEGO:23; R:30, G:90, B:168)
4 = Turquoise (LEGO:322; R:104, G:195, B226)
5 = Green (LEGO:28; R:0, G:133, B:43)
7 = Yellow (LEGO:24; R:250, G:200, B:10)
9 = Red (LEGO:21; R:180, G:0, B:0)
10 = White (LEGO:01; R:244, G:244, B:244)

```

### 3rd-pary resources

#### Pybricks

At Pybricks, we use the raw HSV values (or convert raw RGB to HSV if HSV is not available) to do better color detection instead of relying on the detection built into the sensor firmware.

This is discussed in detail at https://github.com/pybricks/support/issues/116.

With some of the proposed changes, it is even possible to detect black vs. dark gray vs. light gray with both of these sensors.

#### Reverse engineering

This page on reverse engineering the BOOST Color Distance Sensor says:

> Color values are:
>
> * BLACK 0x00
> * BLUE 0x03
> * GREEN 0x05 (Cyan or Turquoise in RGB LED)
> * YELLOW 0x07
> * RED 0x09
> * WHITE 0x0A
> 9 votes

---
Tags: mindstorms, powered-up, sensor-colour, robot-inventor, spike-prime
---


# Question
Title: How do I copy blocks in LEGO 51515 block IDE?
I have been trying to copy and paste blocks in the new IDE that I downloaded from the Microsoft store (v 10.3.1). I do not seem to be able to copy block code from one project to another. How can I copy or export code to other block projects?

# Answer
I'm afraid it isn't possible to do this in the MINDSTORMS app.

`CTRL`+`C` to copy and `CTRL`+`V` to paste seems to work in the new "SPIKE 3" app at https://spike.legoeducation.com.
> 3 votes

---
Tags: programming, robot-inventor
---


# Question
Title: Looking for instructions for Nanoblock Synthesizer (NBC_038)
I was given a Nanoblock Synthesizer (NBC\_038) at Christmas last year and frankly am feeling really guilty for not having built it and put it on the piano yet. Sadly, I've lost the instructions. I've searched a fair bit without success. Does anyone have the instructions or know where I can get them?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Among other printed instructions for Nanoblock kits found on Fandom Wiki there is one for Synthesizer (NBC\_038) kit as well:

# Answer
> 9 votes
I found video on YouTube for model speed build. Playing on 0.25 speed produce an acceptable result with parts being used in each step. At the second part of the video instruction sheet is also visible (image has been rotated, compared to video):

---
Tags: instructions, 3rd-party
---