title: Strongest LEGO structuce - (1) Pillars

text:
# Question
Title: Strongest LEGO structuce - (1) Pillars
What is the strongest LEGO structure?

I am going to build a LEGO computer case. Different from Mike Schropp and greenyouse, I am planing to build an upright case.

*(This is a general "strongest LEGO structure" question. Using the structures in building the computer case is just an example of applications.)*

To make it more challenging (and more perfect), the case will have handles (like this type) for carrying the whole thing around, and it will have "legs" (like this bar type) to lift the whole case up for ventilation.

*For better reference, here is the coordinate notation:*

There are 4 parts (for now I can think of) in the case which has to encounter different types of strength challenges:

1. The pillars (Red)
2. The floor (dark grey)
3. The joints (purple)
4. The handles (yellow)

For the white bricks, they do not require special strengths, do they?

FYI, here are the LEGO dimensions:

**Horizontal pitch**, or distance between knobs: **8mm**.

**Vertical pitch / Brick thickness**: **9.6mm**.

The horizontal tolerance: 0.1mm.

**Plate thickness**: **3.2mm**.

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*Above is the common information across the 4 questions.*

*Below is the question for this specific part.*

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(1) The pillars (Red)

The pillars do not have many requirements while the PC case is sitting still on the table. But when the PC case is lifted up by holding the handles, the pillars become critical to support the weight of the entire PC.

Normal stacking up the LEGO bricks or plates must not work. The bricks/parts will be separated very easily.

**What is the strongest LEGO structure when using as Pillars?**

I have come up with a structure (below left). I pile up the plates along the Y axis. So when tension is applied to the pillar, the knobs (many knobs) will lock each others, such that (as long as the LEGO plates themselves do not break) the pillar will not break into two parts.

There is a problem. Although the pillar will not be pulled apart along the Z axis, the plates might be separated along the Y axis due to the tension. So I made a "doughnut" to secure the pillar (below right). When the pillar wants to separate, it is a force along the Y axis. The knobs of the "doughnut" will (hopefully) act against forces of X and Y axis.

5 plates (3.2 x5 = 16mm) = 2 pitches (8 x2 = 16mm), so the pillar fits exactly in the "doughnut" (with 0.2mm (Y axis) & 0.4mm (X axis) tolerance).

Such that, the pillars have to be 6 pitches thick, which is 4.8cm. If this structure is possible, can we make the "doughnut" 1 pitch thick, and the pillar 4 pitches thick?

I assume using longer plates will be better than short plates, because fewer gaps along the Z axis, lower risk to separate, isn't it? However, I believe more plates stacking up along the Y axis, which will have more knobs, will make the pillar stronger. Which means using plates here is better than using bricks, isn't it?

In this PDF page 4, that research suggests using pegs. Obviously, the number of pegs can be used in the pillar will be less than the number of knobs in my suggested structure. And I afraid the peg itself will break, as pegs are hollow plastic, while knobs are more "solid".

Which structure (the above one, the research paper one, or your suggestion) is the strongest?

# Answer
> 5 votes
Generally LEGO Technic structures (pins and beams with holes) tend to be lighter and stronger as System structures (classic bricks). The generally accepted best practice among amateur and professional LEGO builders is to have a light and strong internal structure (either Technic or other materials, like wood or steel) that can then be decorated on the outside.

In your case the computer case should have solid walls that provide adequate dust protection and is capable of directing airflow, but Technic is quite difficult to get reasonably airtight. Aesthetics can also play a large role, therefore it is understandable if you wish to have a brick-built outer layer.

What I'd recommend is building a Technic frame, using multiple beams grouped together with various overlays and reinforcing them with other beams in triangle configurations (look at bridges, both real life and LEGO for inspiration). Then you can apply an outer shell to this frame, built by whatever means you'd like, since the Technic beams will hold the structure together and give the wall panels stability.

Especially if you wish to lift the case, it will need to be able to hold its weight by the handles. Regular System bricks are typically too heavy for this kind of build, and while it can be mitigated somewhat using tricks like your doughnut (which I personally find quite genial), they increase the mass and structural volume significantly, and soon you will arrive at huge values regarding cost, weight and volume. Regular bricks also have only one direction of assembly, providing little to no extension and joining points, but a trivial direction where force can pull them apart. Technic beams are, on the other hand, capable of supporting multiples of their own weight in any direction, so they will not be pulled apart easily, especially when used with pins that are locked in place with bars.

# Answer
> 6 votes
I am also going to recommend Technic as the stronger support option, but I would make the case out of "normal" Lego, and then implement 2 Technic rectangular "rings" around the case at the place of your pillars, joined at the top and bottom (on the top the joint could form the handle). Make these rings or braces by overlapping Technic pieces and joining them with Technic pins. Then, in your case, insert a few pieces that can also accommodate a Technic pin (1x2 brick with center hole) and secure the brick-built case to the Technic rings that way. If you think this through, you could make that connection easily removable, so that you can slide the brick-built case out of the 2 rings and have an opening side panel allowing access to the internals - a very flexible but still very strong design.

I have mocked up this case, see the below pictures. No comments on the sloppy building style - I had to work with whatever my son did not have incorporated into one of his builds :). The Technic rings obviously need some more bracing in your final design, but I think this shows the concept of using 2 rings, a handle, and pins to secure and remove the central case pretty well:

# Answer
> 1 votes
A 3-D Box frame using Technic bricks or beams has the highest potential for rigidity and strength. The 3-D box frame strength comes from its use of distributing any external force across multiple joints. Classic bricks works better than Technics at creating a desired form - like a wall- but classic brick clutch power is too weak. However a classic brick wall can be strengthen by using Technic bricks and beams to brace(bind) the walls along Z axis (the axis parallel to the studs and cylinders). For example, a wall composed of 4x1 technic brick, 4x1 plate, 4x1 plate, and 4x1 technic brick can be braced by a 3 hole technic beam on both sides of the brick wall that would very resistant to external impact.

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Tags: building, design, plastics
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title: Buying Individual MiniFigures

text:
# Question
Title: Buying Individual MiniFigures
I was big into LEGO bricks when I was a kid (now 33), and now my son is getting into them. I'm a huge collector of things (not a hoarder, a collector), and, like father, like son, he wants to collect the minifigures, past or current.

I assume eBay is a great place for these but the prices probably tend to rather high.

Then while searching, I found BrickLink, which seems like a pretty good place to start.

Is this the truly best place to buy them, or are there other places just as good for minifigures?

# Answer
Yes, BrickLink is by far going to be your best bet if you are looking for specific minifigures. Make sure you create a wanted list with all the minifigs you want, then quire by shop to see which seller(s) have all or most of the minifigures you want. You can save significantly this way on shipping.

eBay is not so good for individual minifigures as the prices tend to be much higher than on BrickLink, however it is still a great place to shop for bulk minifigs. Deals are not as easy to come by as in the past as people have smartened up and most people know the value of LEGO.

I would suggest to pick a particular theme to collect and be very specific on what you want to get, otherwise minifigure collecting can get out of hand pretty quickly. There are thousands of minifigures (all listed in the BrickLink catalog) - you can get a good selection for reasonable prices ($3-$5 per minifig), but in some themes having minifigs in the $20-$50 range and more is not uncommon (Star Wars is one of them).

Those little people can quickly take over your vallet. So best is to keep them under control for a fun and long-term hobby. ;)
> 3 votes

# Answer
You can go on Firestartoys! They sell individual minifigures from all themes.
> 1 votes

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Tags: minifigures, shopping
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# Question
Title: Value/Where to sell my old Lego collection
I'm sure you've heard this asked a million times but I have no idea where and for what price I should be selling my old collection for.

Things I do know about what I have:

* I'd assume they're "clean" (no dirt or wear, right?)
* Weighs right around 85lbs for everything
* Contained into two boxes, ~50lbs/~30lbs
* A lot of figurines from various places, I'm unsure if they have value.
* I have this thing and a train set: Train Switch
* Some soccer field like set with parts, balls, and players.
* Sets: 3826, 6211, 7621, 4956, 6206, 10176
* There's more sets than I know of, those are only the ones I brought out and remembered.

Images of Lego \- the last two images are of RokenBlok, if you knew anywhere I could sell those as well it'd be a lot of help.

*Where would you price this? I'm in no rush to sell it, but I'm going off to college so unless it was particular reason to fish a set out, I'd sell in bulk for reasonable prices. If you need any more information please ask.*

# Answer
> 6 votes
Generally, I see LEGO collections like this sold by the pound. I don't generally pay more than $8/lb (including shipping, if applicable) on large used lots, because they are rarely 100% clean, like-new condition LEGO bricks. Most collections include poor quality pieces, as well as many non-LEGO brand and non-LEGO-compatible toys that have somehow been thrown in.

If you guarantee 100% clean, like-new condition LEGO pieces, the price would go up to maybe $12/pound. However, in my experience, very few collections that have actually been played with will meet this standard. Play wear isn't terrible, but it's definitely not like-new.

In the US, eBay is a common way to sell. You might also try Craigslist to avoid the shipping hassle.

Some items are more valuable and are worth selling separately. In particular, train components and licensed minifigures (like Star Wars, Spiderman, Avengers, etc.) are probably worth the time and hassle. Other minifigures (like town, space, western, etc) I would just include with the bulk lot, as separating those out and selling them individually will be a lot of work for minimal gain.

If you really want top dollar and are willing to put your time time, the best way is to probably start a BrickLink store, and sell all the parts individually. This might be a great opportunity to start a side business. It will, however, require you to inventory your entire collection, as well as manage the shipping, customer challenges, etc.

Good luck with selling your collection!

# Answer
> 1 votes
In the past, I have sold my LEGO sets on Craigslist and eBay. I also sold them at a garage sale.

The LEGO had some use tear-and-wear, but they only were Lego, and I cleaned and sorted them into boxes. I sold it at $10 per lbs, but I gave them free shipping, handling, and 1-2 business days.

I used United States Postal Service to ship it to them. I sold 100 lbs in total, and buyers who came back to me got a free pound of Lego pieces.

I used this for disinfecting wipes to clean them and a LEGO 2-Piece Sorting Divider Set for storage.

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Tags: shopping
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# Question
Title: What is the best way to rebuild Lego sets?
My six year old son loves to build with LEGO bricks and has quite a few LEGO sets. Over time they have been disassembled, so we decided to try to rebuild some of them. We have the original instructions.

In order to make it easier to find the correct bricks, we sorted the LEGO into boxes of one or two colours (different blues in one, green and brown in one, etc.). The next step is to start building, but it seems like a lot of work to find the right bricks. Does anyone have some good advice or ideas on how to do it most effectively (and still fun for a six years old boy).

# Answer
Sorting by color is the first thing any LEGO collector will do, but soon you will find out that finding that one specific piece in a whole box of black pieces is quite difficult, and your sorting method will further differentiate between plates and bricks, SNOT pieces etc. Check out this post for more tips and details.

For your particular problem I would do the following: get as many large ziploc bags as you have sets (or if there are big sets, use multiple bags). When your son is in bed or at school, look at the back page(s) of the set instructions - there is a list of all elements and their counts.

Pick all the pieces for a given set based on this list. The lists are already sorted by color, so if you have your son's collection sorted by color this means you need to look only at one box at a time - a handy bonus! Put the pieces in a ziploc bag and mark the bag with the set name or set number (or print a picture of the set on adhesive paper and attach it - go to http://www.brickset.com for good pictures of new and old sets). Now, once it is time for your son to rebuild, he just takes the bag he needs and builds the set.

After he is done with playing with the set (and when it has slowly degraded into a million pieces, as is the case with the way my kids play with their LEGO) you can first do a quick clean-up by again sorting the pieces into the color-coded boxes, and then once redo the filling of the ziploc bag based on the instructions.
> 5 votes

# Answer
As Phil noted, you can sort by both color and part before building in order to speed up the process. However, for a relatively small collection this level of sorting may be unnecessary.

I would recommend sorting by part first, and then only sorting by color if needed. This feels unnatural, but the reason to sort by part first is simply that your eyes will very quickly be able to pick out a red part from a pile, while they are relatively poor at differentiating between a 2x3 and 2x4 brick of the same color in a pile.

Simply having parts sorted by size can even be a good place to start. There are even some sorting systems you can pick up such as the sort and store head to make this process simpler:

This semi-automatically separates the large pieces from the small, which can help to save time when sorting.
> 3 votes

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Tags: building, sets
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# Question
Title: Issues connecting the EV3 on Windows 8.1 64bit
I have got a computer with Windows 8.1 64 bit and I have installed LEGO Mindstorms EV3 software Home edition and tried to connect the EV3 brick to the computer, but the brick didn´t connect to the computer. Where is the problem?

# Answer
I'm going to assume this is a Bluetooth connectivity issue because connecting the cable is trivial, and I've found connecting with Bluetooth quite tricky. This may not be the only way, however it has worked for me. The main issue is that you first need to "pair" the EV3 with your computer.

Setup (you have Bluetooth, and it is turned on):

1. Make sure the computer has Bluetooth turned on. On my Win8 computer, there is a Bluetooth icon on the task bar when it is active. If you don't see that icon, or don't know if Bluetooth is on, go to: PC Settings \> PC and Devices \> Bluetooth (also under: Network \> Airplane Mode. If you can't find it, try searching for Bluetooth on the computer)
2. set the EV3 to have Bluetooth Visibility checked true. This is under the tools tab (far right) on the EV3. Move the cursor to the Bluetooth line, and click on that to see the Bluetooth details. Both "Visibility" and "Bluetooth" need to be checked on boxes on the right (ignore the icons on the left, they look like radio buttons but are not). Once those are checked, the EV3 will be visible to the computer's Bluetooth.

Once you've confirmed that visibility is on, and Bluetooth is working, there are a few different ways you can pair your computer with the EV3.

1. from the computer's Bluetooth software
2. under the Control Panel \> Devices and Printers, you can "Add a Device"
3. from the Bluetooth Icon on the task bar ("Add a Bluetooth Device").

No method is better, whichever you find first. Once it starts scanning, it should display the EV3 within a minute or two. When the EV3 when is found, choose "pair" or "connect". Now, switch to the EV3 which should display:

```
"Connect? (your computer's name)"

```

Move the cursor to the check box (default is on the "x" as in "No"), then you will be shown the passkey: 1234. No need to change that. Click that check box too.

Now, switch back to your computer, where you'll be prompted for the passkey. Enter 1234, and it should complete the pairing. If you are interrupted (I believe you have 2 minutes) it'll lose the connection and you'll need to start again.

After all of that, you should be able to start the Mindstorm software, open a project, and in the lower right, choose "Available Bricks" tab, and see your EV3 (if not, click the "refresh" button in that window and it should show up). Once there is a check box for your EV3, click that box to finally connect.

The hard part is the pairing. Once paired, it is simple to connect in the future. I just make sure the EV3 is on before the Mindstorm software is started. If the EV3 is turned off, I have to click that "refresh" button telling the computer to find it again, then check the box to connect.

Final note: on the Bluetooth menu of the EV3 (where you check Visibility), there is another item "Connections." This isn't merely a title. Click on this, and it will display all computers that it has paired with in the past. You can click on these and have them removed. I've had to do this occasionally to re-establish connection with a computer. This is how you would remove old connections too, if you wanted to clean things up, or just want to make sure there aren't any left-overs from earlier connection attempts.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Make sure that the robot is actually on: it's a simple mistake but one I've made more times than I can count! If it's via USB, make sure that the USB port and the wire are both working. If it's bluetooth, similarly make sure that both parts are working correctly. Hopefully this helps!
> 0 votes

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Tags: ev3, software
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# Question
Title: How do I know if this wooden LEGO duck is real?
I bought this wooden duck and I am wondering if this is a real LEGO item.

# Answer
> 8 votes
Every Lego wooden duck I have seen, whether in person or on the internet, is sitting on a platform with the wheels attached to the platform. This is the original version:

Here is a later version:

Are there any markings on the toy itself that lead you to believe it is a Lego product?

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Tags: part-identification, history, vintage, wooden-toys
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# Question
Title: What will happen if I submerge LEGO in water?
I'm thinking of using real water in my LEGO City and putting the Atlantis and deep sea exploration sets at the bottom of the tub of water, but I don't know what will happen to LEGO when put in water. And maybe having goldfish at the bottom

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

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

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

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**Exceptions**

Apart from the traditional plastic LEGO brick, **electronics and batteries should never be submerged in water**. Other 'non-traditional' parts including Cloth, Foam, String, Paper and Rubber Bands may deteriorate more rapidly when submerged (depending on the water contents) and stickers will very likely lose their adhesive and peel off.
> 14 votes

# Answer
Basic LEGO elements won't get damaged by water, however depending on the condition of your water source, some residue may build up on the elements after prolonged immersion. So if you are thinking about keeping them immersed for a longer time, I would suggest using distilled water.
> 7 votes

# Answer
The LEGO bricks themselves will be fine, but if you're adding fish and turning this into an aquarium setting you may need to perform some periodic maintenance on them to keep them looking nice... but lots of people have used LEGOs for aquarium decor with great results.
> 1 votes

# Answer
Not much. LEGO specifically designs some models to float, using a solid hull piece. Unless you build a water-tight boat, the pieces will sink, but they'll be fine.
> 0 votes

# Answer
I still have my cargo ship LEGO from 25 - 30 years ago. It was designed to be immersed in water. My daughter now uses it daily as a bath toy.
> 0 votes

# Answer
As long as you don't want an air bubble, it should be fine. Normal bricks do not create an air tight seal without glue.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Nothing will happen except that some pieces might float. By the way lego is waterproof, so it's okay to keep it in water.
> 0 votes

# Answer
Personally, I have dunked all the LEGO models I created (Ships and planes) into water to see if they float properly, and besides that water gets into every hole, there is not problem with LEGO bricks and water.
> 0 votes

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Tags: building, moc, water
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# Question
Title: Set missing all the Minifigures and a few other parts
When I got the Quinjet set, I dug through every bag but the manufacturers forgot a few pieces and my set didn't have any minifigures. How can I get the missing minifigures and the parts I'm missing?

# Answer
It is unlikely that Lego mispacked all of the minifigures. In the Quinjet set, the figures are spread among several bags, meaning Lego would have had a packing error in multiple bags, and then coincidentally placed all of the mispacked bags into the same box.

More likely is that someone removed them from the box and returned the package to the store. If I were you, I would take the box back to the point of purchase and ask for a replacement. The set is still in production, so they should be able to get you another or refund your money.
> 9 votes

# Answer
Unlike the Collectable Minifigures question (where LEGO don't offer replacement parts), if this is proper set bought new, then you should definitely try LEGO Customer Services as your first point of contact.

At the original time of writing, the minifigures were still available, but most of the elements are now listed as "out of stock" because that set is a retired product \- so I'm not sure what their policy would be now
> 5 votes

# Answer
Never thought it would happen but out of the 90+ sets I've gotten the past 4 years I've come across my first set ever with missing components. Ordered through TRU.ca so distribution shouldn't have been the problem since it's probably ware house direct. Set was Baxter Robot Rampage (79105) Came sealed/new yet bag 1 was missing all but one mini figure/skate board/mouser pieces, and bag 2 was missing mini figure, and string piece, and finally I also didn't get stickers with the set. How does one even begin to explain that to customer service. Exchange through TRU would probably have been the simplest but unless this was a return I really don't see them at fault.

Like the Twinjet mentioned guess it does happen.

Agree with customer service being the best answer. Especially if bought new. Didn't call in but did call up the set on the site, selected everything missing (which was abnormally a lot) Waited for an Email from a representative, responded with details/instruction number now waiting to see what happens.
> 2 votes

# Answer
I had a similar situation, though not as drastic, where a helmet did not come with the set.

Customer service said that each set is weighed out and therefore always complete but sent the missing helmet anyway FOC.

I questioned why there were always misc extra pieces if everything was weighed... no response.

It doesn't hurt to be nice and explain how many LEGO sets you own, I suppose.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You should contact LEGO Customer Service. They have web forms or a toll-free phone number you can call. They are willing and trained to speak to children, and can even send out replacement pieces without talking to an adult, as long as the child can recite their full address.

The LEGO Group stands behind their products 100%, even if the problem with the product wasn't their fault. If the pieces are all in stock, they will send them out to you at no charge.

These parts come from their warehouse in Denmark, so they may take a longer time to receive than a regular order. Shipping times are affected by customs and other international shipping issues.

If the total cost to replace the parts is higher than a certain %age of the value of the entire set, then they'll likely just send you an entire new set from their local warehouse. For more expensive sets, they may also have you send back the incomplete set (they'll provide the free shipping). Whether they need the damaged set back first depends on the situation.

Some parts individual parts may be on back order. More complicated pieces (such as Iron Man's helmet) tend to stock-out or end up on back order more quickly than standard pieces. If this happens, Customer Service will work with you to achieve the most satisfying solution. Sometimes this means trying to return the product back to the store you purchased it from, but it's not ideal. Those sets might end up back on the shelf (sometimes clearanced, sometimes not), and then another customer ends up with the same problem. Sometimes it means sending a low-priced "gift" to help alleviate the pain of waiting for you product to arrive.

The LEGO Group understands that you're likely a *victim* in this situation. You bought a product that someone else essentially stole from. They'll make it right, even though it's not their fault. For manufacturing or other issues that *are* their fault, they may even go above and beyond in making it right.

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The LEGO Group takes several measures to ensure that their boxes are fully-packed. They weigh and scan the elements. However, there can still be issues on this front.

When the issues are on the production end, they're usually related to:

* Missing bags or prepacks (the little bags inside of big bags)
* Missing large, unusual, or loose pieces (think ship masts, sails, sticker sheets, BURPs)
* Missing small elements that don't weigh enough to affect the weight tolerance

However, when pieces are missing from a variety of bags, it's often a sign that the set has been tampered with *after* production. So, to help narrow down production issues versus tampering issues, The LEGO Group has in recent years starting spreading out "high value" elements between the many bags in the set, or putting them in prepacks that are harder to get into. Then, when an entire Minifigure that's spread out over 4 bags is missing, it's easier to tell that it was a tampering issue rather than a production issue.

Customer Service will ask you some questions to further help narrow down the source of the problem. Every box or package has a manufacturer's code on it somewhere (such as on the tape on the boxes). This code lets them know which facility produced your set, and when the set was made. If enough reports of the same missing pieces from the same lot occur, then TLG can narrow down the problem to a certain time or place.

They may also ask for which store you bought it from. This helps them track local trends. Some stores have a greater problem with returned/exchanged sets that have been tampered with.

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Source: Myself. I worked for LEGO Customer Service and I've handled this exact issue many a time.
> 1 votes

# Answer
You can go to this website of LEGO where they give you the parts you're missing.

https://wwwsecure.us.lego.com/en-us/service/replacementparts?domainredir=service.lego.com
> 0 votes

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Tags: sets, minifigures, replacement-parts
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# Question
Title: Is there a microphone that works with Mindstorms EV3?
I'm planning to program my EV3 robot to do voice chat over VOIP using ev3dev and a Debian program. Is this possible? Are there microphones known to work with EV3, and has anyone had experience using them?

# Answer
Sadly, there isn't much info yet.

**Current options for audio are:**

* USB Sound Card
* BlueZ 4/Pulseaudio 4 (BlueZ 5/Pulseaudio 5 supports A2DP only)

The number of devices that have been tested and documented is extremely limited, but at least one has been confirmed to work. The non-bluetooth solutions that have been tested successfully are the following.

**Tested and confirmed adapter chipsets:**

* C-Media Electronics chipsets (Example)

**Tested and confirmed microphones:**

* Logitech C170 webcam built-in microphone

More info in this github issue for ev3dev
> 4 votes

# Answer
There is a (new?) LEGO brand sound sensor (9845) for $35 on the LEGO store. I don't know if it's suitable for your particular application but sounds plausible.

> Using the NXT Brick (sold separately), the Sound Sensor allows your LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robot to hear! The Sound Sensor is able to measure noise levels in both dB (decibels) and dBA (frequencies around 3–6 kHz where the human ear is most sensitive).
>
> * Includes 1 Sound Sensor.
> * Does not include connector cable.
> * This is the individual component, and does not include the NXT Intelligent Brick, software or any accessories. It requires the complete LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT set (#8527 or #8547) for use.
> 4 votes

# Answer
Copied from Github:

I haven't heard of anyone using a microphone yet, but you have a couple of options. 1) a USB sound card/microphone or 2) Bluetooth headset/hands-free device.

The built-in speaker uses an alsa sound driver, so theoretically, it should work with any linux program.

If you are looking at purchasing something USB, make sure it does not require USB 2.0. The USB port on the EV3 is USB 1.1 only.
> 3 votes

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Tags: ev3, programming, ev3dev
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# Question
Title: How long does it take the build the Ewok village
How long does it take to build the Ewok village

# Answer
> 4 votes
Build speed depends very much on your ability as a builder to understand instructions, organize the pieces in advance, and pick & place those pieces in the right position in your build. Additionally, the complexity of the set (simple versus complex building techniques, e.g. SNOT (Studs Not On Top) techniques are considered complex) might make a similar sized set more difficult. The complexity is often determined through the Age range specified on the box. So there is no exact answer here.

But as an indication, the set 10236 LEGO Ewok Village contains 1990 pieces and is rated 12+. That age range makes it a moderately difficult build (There is 14+ and 16+ for more complex builds).

First you need to take time to part out the set, put like elements together (LEGO suggests sorting by color, you could also sort by type of piece which will make your job slightly easier - put 1x1 bricks together, leaf pieces together, 1x4 plates together etc.). Opening the box gently by slicing a sharp knife through the seals on the flap (so you don't damage the box), emptying and opening the bags and dumping it all on your work surface takes 1 minute. To pick a piece and sort it, I am assuming takes you 1 second - since there are 1990 pieces this means the sorting activity alone will take you a good 30 minutes (33 to be precise).

Now it is time for the build. Assuming that you can put a piece into your build in about 10 seconds (includes find time, reviewing the instructions, sometimes flipping the page, and averages out for easier and more difficult building steps), with 1990 pieces this means you will spend 332 minutes on your build, or roughly 5hrs and 30 minutes, excluding any breaks.

**Putting it all together, assuming my estimates and assumptions are correct, your total build time should be between 6 and 6.5 hours.**

Good luck and have fun, because that Ewok Village set looks pretty awesome!

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Tags: lego-group
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# Question
Title: I can't figure out which lego model these doors came from
I've been searching for 5 days, but I can't figure out or find this type of door. I am sure it's from year 2000 upwards because I bought this from a mother whose child is all grown up, thank you for taking the time!

# Answer
> 4 votes
**UPDATED LISTING THE CORRECT STOCKADE DOOR - Thanks to TheBrickBlogger**

The two left doors are 30223 - Door 1x5x7 1/2 Stockade and they appear in 11 sets.

The middle one on your picture seems to be Reddish Brown, which is in only 1 set, 7036 - Dwarves' Mine, exactly decorated the way you have the door (with the pyramid shape in Pearl Gold on top).

The left one is the same door in black; there are 5 sets with this door. None of the doors visible on the pictures in Bricklink is exactly as you have it - so likely it was used by the previous owner in a MOC, unless it is one of the not-clearly-visible doors in 7419 - Dragon Fortress, which has 4 of these doors in the set (all other sets have 2).

None of the sets that these doors contain the net, but out of the 46 sets with a 71155 - String, Net 10x10 square there is only one where the net is folded double and squeezed between the 1x4 plates on your picture.

This particular set is 7048 - Troll Warship and you see the net being used in exactly the same way to trap a minifig, so my best bet is that this net comes from this set.

The sets I describe here are all from the period 2003-2008, so that would have been the previous owner's key years of LEGO collecting.

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Tags: set-identification
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# Question
Title: What sizes of bricks (building scales) have carried the Lego brand name?
Apart from regular Lego and Duplo, what other sizes of brick have there been that have carried the Lego name? What is the compatibility between the different building scales?

# Answer
The sizes are:

* Regular Lego bricks.
* **Duplo**. Intended for younger children. Bigger than regular Lego bricks, but compatible with them. Some are branded "Duplo", whereas others carry the "Lego" brand. Still produced.
* **Quatro**. Intended for younger children than Duplo. Bigger than Duplo, and compatible with Duplo. No longer produced.
* **Primo**. Intended for babies. Bigger than Quatro, and compatible with Duplo with special interface bricks.
* **Modulex**. Intended for architectural models and commercial signage. Early sets were branded Lego. Not compatible with regular Lego bricks. No longer produced.
* Samsonite **Jumbo Bricks**. Not compatible with regular Lego bricks. No longer produced.
* Lego Soft Bricks. Not compatible with regular Lego bricks.
* Lego Storage Bricks are brick-shaped boxes for storing Lego. Some of them can be stacked, so you can "build" with them. However, they're not compatible with other bricks.

There are also various "bricks" used as promotional material, such as the large fibreglass ones you see at the Legoland theme parks. You can't build with them, and they're obviously not compatible with regular Lego.

Although they *didn't* carry the Lego brand name, **Olo and Minitalia** were made by Lego for the Japanese and Italian markets. They're the same size as regular Lego, and compatible with it. They're no longer produced.
> 18 votes

# Answer
Besides Classic and Duplo (2x as big in each dimension, hence the name) there are several more official dimensions of LEGO bricks:

1. Quatro: 2x as big as Duplo in each dimension, so 4x as big as LEGO Classic: http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=48201#T=S&O={}

2. Modulex: Smaller brick width than Classic LEGO (5/8th), and with a 1:1 relation between height and width, whereas Classic LEGO has a 6:5 relation: http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=Mx1111L#T=S&O={}maller

3. Jumbo: Fits in between Duplo and Quatro, 3x LEGO Classic in each dimension: http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=x1446#T=S&O={}

4. Primo: 2x as big as Jumbo in each dimension, hence 6x Classic LEGO: http://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=31000#T=S&O={}

There are still several more sizes, reported in Dag Bricks' excellent spreadsheet, but they are not similar to normal bricks in form and/or function, such as LEGO Gears, LEGO Soft Bricks and LEGO Tubs and cups.

Here is a comparison picture between some formats; from top to bottom: Modulex, regular, Duplo, Quatro and Soft Brick:

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Source used: http://www.dagsbricks.com/2013/09/lego-techniques-system-sizes-wrap-up.html
> 7 votes

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Tags: history
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# Question
Title: Cannot add instruction tiles to EV3 brick program.
I was using the EV3 brick program software included in the ev3 Brick and I can no longer add instructions. I think I've reached the max length. Is there a way around this? Can I run a second program after finishing the original one? Thanks

# Answer
Large programs can be difficult.

Usually it is better to divide a large program into pieces, where each piece is a MyBlock.

To create a MyBlock, select a group of program blocks and then find the "Create MyBlock ..." from the toolbar. I think it's at Edit -\> Create My Block ...

A series of dialog boxes will appear, complete them and the selected blocks will be stuffed inside the MyBlock, and the program will be altered to use the new MyBlock. Double click the MyBlock and there will be the program elements that were originally selected.

Practice on a smaller program before attempting on a large program.
> 1 votes

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Tags: ev3
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# Question
Title: 8034 software RIS 2.0 - how to work it under Ubuntu 14.04?
Can I get to work RCX 2.0 software RIS2.0 under Ubuntu 14.04? I've installed it under wine, but the graphics of my notebook was to high for it, and the next phase of installation - the looking for the tower did not work at all.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Just to close the circle (and not just hide this info in the comments), I don't have high hopes this will ever work satisfactorily. At least without not a fair amount of hacking.

As per WineHQ, USB support in Wine is weak at best, and so BricxCC via Wine is probably a non-starter, as well, for the same reason.

You might have better luck with a COM port based tower. These can be had from eBay rather cheaply. Wine has documentation about presenting serial ports in Linux or OS X to COM ports in Wine.

Many of those USB serial dongle/cables that use FTDi chips *can* be used in Wine, as these can be used as COM ports (using the same facility I mentioned above) but the Lego USB tower is a special device that doesn't abstract well; it uses a very custom protocol above a thin USB layer.

Or you can switch to a less pretty IDE based solution like NQC or LeJOS that runs natively on Linux. The USB tower works reasonably well using native Linux enumerations and comms. It's a very simple half-duplex medium speed protocol with simple error checking and (AFAIR) no flow control.

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Tags: software, rcx
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title: Rat Rod Semi Set

text:
# Question
Title: Rat Rod Semi Set
I'm looking for a set that I saw at a Walmart in Washington. Unfortunately, I was going to buy it as a Christmas gift for my husband but he was with me so I didn't buy it right then. We came back home, to Oregon and I have searched EVERY Walmart and Google high and low for that darn thing. I need help figuring out what the name/number of the set I'm looking for is. What I remember is that it was a black rat rod style semi truck pulling a trailer. Any hep would be GREATLY appreciated.

# Answer
LEGO has made numerous trucks over the years. I assume the set you are looking for is a recent set (so from 2013 and later). One option is set 42041-1 Race Truck, though this set is not pulling a trailer.

The alternate build ('b model') of this set is a race car with bulky engine:

The second option is the alternative build of 42043-1 Mercedes AROCS 4325, which is a black/white truck with trailer. You could have seen this image as it is on the back of the box.

Now, these sets do not take into account the "rat rod style" comment you made. Not being familiar with a "rat rod", I looked it up. LEGO does make a Hot Rod style car, with open hood (which would be considered a "rat rod" as per the article above), it is model 42022-1 Hot Rod, but this model is not Black, but Blue, nor does it feature a trailer.

There is also 42011-1 Race Car from 2013, but again no trailer.

None of these completely match your description. But - given that LEGO Technic boxes are predominantly black in color, it could have been that the vehicle wasn't necessarily black, but the box imprinted the color "black" in your brain. Also, the "rat rod" description might mean an actual rat rod (in which case my main candidate would be set 42041: Race Truck given the fact that the b-model is a Hot Rod style car), or it might just mean that its inner workings looked rather "exposed", which could point to all the tubing and wiring on the AROCS (set 42043). Walmart could have just had the box reversed on its shelves so you saw the backside, and that's why you cannot find the box in your Walmart because all their boxes face forwards. It is also possible that your region's Walmarts don't stock this particular set. I know that AROCS is stocked in Washington,DC: http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=LEGO%20Technic&stores=5941,3035,5968,5129,5753.

Net: My best bet is 42043-1 Mercedes AROCS, based on your description and availability in and around Washington DC.

Note that if you cannot find this set in your local Walmart, you should be able to buy it from LEGO Shop @ Home ... perhaps you can get it on Black Friday and score the awesome 40139 Gingerbread House as a free bonus!
> 2 votes

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Tags: set-identification
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# Question
Title: How many parts were in Advent calendars of yore?
Is there any convenient way to find out how many pieces were in previous years' Advent calendars? I looked through a dozen calendars on bricklink and most of them do not include the part count in the picture. I was only able to find:

I started looking for this because the 2015 Advent Calendars range from 233-292 pieces so I wanted to know what was typical for prior years.

# Answer
You can find an overview of all advent calenders with piece count in this link

http://brickset.com/sets/tag-Advent-Calendar
> 4 votes

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Tags: sets, shopping, advent-calendar
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# Question
Title: Where is this knock-off LEGO brick from?
These are some of the non-LEGO pieces I had in my LEGO collection when I was a child, and I was told they were old LEGO, but any site on the history of LEGO completely failed to show anything like this, so they have to be knock-offs.

They are likely made in the 60's but it could be earlier. It's compatible with LEGO, except that the studs are higher, so you can't put a thin brick on top of them. The plastic is softer and just slightly translucent. I like their solution for the underside, very neat, and a clever attempt to pass by the LEGO design patents. I don't know the manufacturer, and would appreciate any information.

# Answer
As others have pointed out, these are Montini building blocks.

Montini building blocks were produced by Berco Lux in Tiel, The Netherlands between 1960-1969. The plastic is much softer and the colors are a little different.

In 1969 production was stopped because of the Lego patent.

Montini history and the conflict with Lego ( in Dutch)
> 8 votes

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Tags: part-identification, clone-brands
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title: LDD not rendering

text:
# Question
Title: LDD not rendering
I've dug out the LDD application I found on an older hard drive.
It seems however, that it has problems rendering the bricks and models:

I am running LDD 4.3.8 on Windows7 Ultimate (64Bit) with Administrative Priviledges. I have DirectX 11 installed and I am using the newest NVidia drivers. I am also pretty sure, that LDD has run previously on this machine (though I am not quite sure, which version it was at that point of time....)

Does someone know, how to fix this problem?

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*Edit: I think the problem lies in my 'db.lif' file. It would be nice, if someone has a working database file for me to download...*

# Answer
> 1 votes
I have found the problem: My "AppData/Roaming/LEGO Company"-folder somehow seemed to be a symbolic link to a non-existent folder. It did not help reinstalling the application, but I fixed the link issue -- which in the end fixed the whole not-rendering-problem.

However, thank you very much for your answers

# Answer
> 1 votes
I recommend you uninstall the current LDD software completely. You can download a 30 day trial of Revo Uninstaller to remove LDD using the 'Forced Uninstall' feature. It's good for removing partially installed software, but it isn't necessary, you can use the Uninstaller built into your operating system to do a standard uninstallation.

Download the most recent version of LDD from the LEGO website.

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Tags: ldd
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# Question
Title: How to help a yellowed brick with a sticker?
My parents recently finally decided they can return me my childhood toys with 1990s Technic sets including the 8880 Super Car. All other sets were in boxes, but this one spent the last 15+ years assembled in a clean attic, so it's dusty and yellowed, but surprisingly, complete (I disassembled it with the instructions in hand). I haven't yet decided if I should keep or sell it, but I need to clean it.

Question: This piece.

I've read about bleaching LEGO bricks with hydrogen peroxide and about removing labels for repair. Do you think it's a good idea to remove the labels and then bleach the brick? Or is there some other, better way of helping this guy?

# Answer
A paste of oxygen bleach slathered on liberally, and then some time in the sun will probably fade the yellow nicely. It should not degrade the plastic (any further).

Your real problem is not re-attaching the label, but removing it without tearing or leaving behind most of the backing.

Depending on the material and glue, you might be able to remove it carefully with water, if the glue can be dissolved in water. If you can get the paper off and let it dry flat, you should have little problem re-gluing it.

The challenge will be the choice of glue. You need something that isn't necessarily permanent when it cures, but can still stick to plastic. White craft glue (**not** yellow PVC!) should do the trick. But there are many modern adhesives used for non-permanent applications that can bind plastic and paper. There might even be an archival "spray-mount" style compound that won't yellow over time.

Though, honestly, white craft glue is pretty stable. You can even make a paintable slurry from white craft glue that you can apply with a paintbrush to one surface to make the whole thing easier.

But it will be removing and preserving that labels that I suspect will be the greatest challenge.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I think that the best thing to do would be to keep everything as it was because in selling, even if it is damaged, the ORIGINAL product will usually sell for more than a restored product. this also means keeping the stickers on.

I actually did an experiment my self with this and i found these results. If you are keeping it for yourself then i would do whatever you need it for. If you are going to bleach it then cover and water-proof seal of the stickers and only then bleach it. That is what I would do.
> 1 votes

# Answer
I've done this a few times before. To remove the sticker, get a hair dryer and gently warm it up - this will slightly melt the glue make it easier to get off. The trick now is to lift it without damaging it. I bought some incredibly thin, and sharp blades for a craft knife... they are thin enough to make their way between the sticker and the plastic and practically slide straight under. This will lift the sticker clean off. Depending on the age of the sticker you might need a bit of extra glue to help reattach it (also you may need to warm it back up to help the glue bond again)

Just take care :)
> 1 votes

# Answer
You do not need to remove your sticker to bring it back to full color. Just follow this process. Get a 3% hydrogen poroxide solution and a small glass. Pour the solution in and your piece and set it in the sun for 4 to 5 days, making sure the piece stays all the way in the solution. That should work.
> 0 votes

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Tags: technic, cleaning, repair, stickers
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# Question
Title: How can I connect CCBS parts to plain LEGO system?
Can anyone explain how the front shoulder was built in this MOC?

Are there bricks that allow easy connections between CCBS and plain System?

# Answer
> 3 votes
There are several parts that make this possible. Many of the CCBS-style ball socket parts include Technic axle connections that can ultimately be attached to system bricks (e.g. 93571 and 50923). There are several examples of this in the Exosuit (instructions):

There are also several Technic ball socket parts that include System studs such as 57910:

Here's a list of Technic bricks with ball sockets that might be helpful.

There are also other connections that are shared between CCBS parts and system, such as bar connections, you just have to get creative. Feel free to ask additional questions if you are having trouble integrating particular parts.

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Tags: compatibility
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# Question
Title: Can LEGO Duplo and Lego Junior sets compatible? Can the pieces be mixed together from the different sets?
Are LEGO Duplo and Lego Junior sets compatible? Can the pieces be mixed together from the different sets and all be played with together?

# Answer
LEGO Junior elements have the same connections as the standard LEGO System elements and for the most part are the same pieces - it's just the building techniques are usually simpler and there may be more large elements in the set.

As such, they are as compatible as ordinary LEGO which is to say:

DUPLO blocks can be built on top of LEGO blocks and LEGO plates, and LEGO blocks can be built on top of DUPLO blocks, plates don't really have the depth to cover the DUPLO studs.

On top of that, LEGO and DUPLO elements are scaled proportionally, so one 2x2 DUPLO block is the same size as eight 2x2 LEGO blocks arranged in two layers of four.
> 2 votes

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Tags: compatibility, duplo
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# Question
Title: Can I find parts list for single fire truck in a fire station set?
I'm trying to find the partlist for the biggest firetruck in the 7208 Fire Station. Is there a page that contains lists for each car in a set?

# Answer
One easy way of getting a list of parts from individual items in a set is to download a fan-made copy of the set made in LEGO Digital Designer and remove the parts you don't need.

Eurobricks has a big list of sets that are available to edit in LDD, you may find some inconsistencies depending on which parts are available in the softwares library. Most stickers and decal bricks aren't included. The set 7208 is available here.

Once you've removed everything you don't want in LDD, go to File \> Export BOM (Ctrl + B). You will be prompted to save a list of parts in a spreadsheet file. The list will contain the part name, picture, colour code and quantity required to build the model.

**7208 Fire Truck Part List .CSV <sup>\[?\]</sup>**
> 4 votes

# Answer
An alternative to Ambo100's method, though with way more manual effort required, but avoiding the LDD installation, is to go to LEGO.com and download the instructions for 7208. Then either write down all the parts used in each individual step, or use the instruction as a guide and build a mock model and then deconstruct the mock model to get the pieces. There is an individual booklet for just the big fire truck so that makes this easier. Once you have your list of pieces, go to Bricklink, BrickOwl or the Pick-a-Brick section of shop.lego.com to order the bricks you need/miss.
> 1 votes

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Tags: sets, instructions, city
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# Question
Title: What are the differences between the two available pizza elements?
In the "Buy pieces" section of the Lego website, I looked up the pizza element. It turns out there are actually two of them!

Element 6102555 costs $0.41/piece and 81867 costs $0.37/piece, but they have identical images on the website.

What are the differences between these pieces, if any? (Other than the fact that one is 4 cents cheaper than the other!)

# Answer
Bricklink tells me that 6102555 is Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Bottom Stud Holder with Pizza Pattern and 81867 is Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Pizza Pattern which according to the 3D model is the old style with the X on the bottom. Other than that, they seem to be identical.
> 7 votes

# Answer
They have different printings, although the website posts the same images.
> 1 votes

# Answer
There is a dark tan pizza and a yellow pizza. The dark tan one comes with the pizza boy in the series 12 minifigs.
> 0 votes

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Tags: piece-information, bricks-and-pieces
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title: NXT2 motors limitation?

text:
# Question
Title: NXT2 motors limitation?
We are extending famous Dave Parker's nxtprograms.com 2 Touch Remote I have added 2 extra "threads" - one to control 3rd motor (which is a frontal "claw") and another one to use 4th touch sensor to reverse the robot. Please see screenshot enclosed. The issue we are experiencing is that the robot does not reverse when we press 4th touch sensor, although it does make sound. I am wondering if there's some kind of limitation - eg. you can't control same motors from different threads?

# Answer
In the middle "thead" all of your motor blocks are "unlimited" or "stop". These blocks change the motor state and immediately continue to the next block. These are inside a loop that loops forever, so these blocks are running continuously in the loop. The motor blocks in the top thread may have an effect for a split second until the middle thread loops again and changes what the motor is doing.

I suggest writing to a variable in the top thread instead of using motor blocks. Then read from that variable in the middle thread. For example, you could use a numeric variable and give it a value of '1' for forwards and `-1` for reverse. Then in the middle thread, use a multiply math block to multiply the desired motor speed by the variable to change the direction.

Or, for that matter, you could read the 4th touch sensor value in the middle thread and remove the top thread.
> 1 votes

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Tags: motor, nxt-g
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# Question
Title: Emmet's couch model in official sets different than the movie?
Lego's official building instructions for The Sea Cow set include building instructions for building Emmet's couch from The Lego Movie. Are there differences between this model and the one actually featured in the movie? The one in this set looks different to me. Like, for example, this set has studs on some of the cushions to help minifigures stay seated, but in the movie the couch didn't have studs. Are there other differences as well? Any really major ones?

# Answer
There are several discrepancies between the double-decker couch featured in The Sea Cow set and that depicted in the LEGO Movie. I've recreated the movie version as best I could in LDD and LDraw, and have compared it side-by-side with the Sea Cow set version. In the first picture, the Sea Cow set version is on the left, and the movie version is on the right, and vice-versa in the second picture. The notable differences are as follows:

1. As you pointed out, some of the seats in the Sea Cow version have studs on them so that minifigures will stay on better. Notice also that the Sea Cow version has one layer of blue plates, whereas the movie version has two layers.
2. The armrests are different. The parts that the two different armrests share have different color selections, and the Sea Cow counterparts are thicker and higher up than the movie counter parts. Also, the Sea Cow armrests contain the supports for the ladders, whereas the supports for the ladders are located elsewhere on the movie version.
3. The ladders in the Sea Cow version are higher up than the movie version.
4. There are round 1x1 studs placed on the bottom of the upper level of the movie version, but none are found on that of the Sea Cow version.

5. The back rests have more layers of plates in the Sea Cow set version than in the movie version.
6. The 1x2 plates with bars in the Sea Cow set version are used to connect the back rests with their corresponding seats, whereas in the movie version, they are not connected to anything. Because of this, the seats on the upper level are simply suspended in midair, and the back rests of the lower level are just sitting there with nothing attaching them to the seats. This is why replicating the movie version 100% and keeping it together is physically impossible. Why the makers of The LEGO Movie didn't simply attach plates with clips to those plates with bars they have there is beyond me.
7. In the Sea Cow set version, the two levels are connected by technic tubes which connect to 2x2 plates with holes. The two levels of the movie version are connected by long cylindrical 1x1 columns.
> 16 votes

# Answer
You can get this as its own set now: 70818 Double-Decker Couch which includes enough minifigs to fill it up too.

We built this set before seeing the movie and puzzled over what it could mean. It appears very similar to the design in the The Sea Cow and HaydenStudios' excellent rendition.
> 0 votes

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Tags: sets, the-lego-movie
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title: Identification for Hinge-like Piece

text:
# Question
Title: Identification for Hinge-like Piece
I'm trying to follow building instructions on Brickshelf, but I'm having some trouble finding the piece on the right in this photo: .

Anyone know what it is?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Yes, this is a 30375 - Torso Mechanical, Battle Droid in black.

It's a little difficult to identify as it is lying on its belly, and hence you do not see the characteristic single stud front of this piece.

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Tags: part-identification
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title: Star Wars phantom

text:
# Question
Title: Star Wars phantom
I am new to Lego. I can't figure out the instructions as to where the gun and black hair piece go. It looks like they go in the Phantom somewhere, am I right or wrong? Do they snap in? Also, does the little robot guy just go in or snap in? Right now it's kind of rattling in there; I think it's wrong.

# Answer
> 3 votes
I'm assuming you are referring to LEGO set 70548.

I don't have this set, but checking the instructions online, I think this is what you want to know:

* The black hair piece is optional. You can make your minifig wear the helmet or the hair piece, but not both at the same time.
* The pilot fits inside the model, as can be seen on picture #31 of the first booklet. However, there is not enough space in there for him to carry his gun also. This is more often the case with Lego models - cockpits and cabins are not always big enough to contain both the minifigure *and* their accessories.
* The droid does go in the model. In picture #7 of the second booklet, you put a round 2x2 tile in it, with one stud on top. It's a bit difficult to judge from the instructions, but it looks like the droid should snap on there.

In general, most things in Lego should snap into place easily. If it doesn't, *don't* force it - there is probably a Lego enthusiast near you who can help.

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Tags: instructions, star-wars
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# Question
Title: Is there a step-by-step guide to extracting a parts list from LDD to bricklink?
I'd like to build a model I have in LDD, but i don't know how to get my parts list (I exported BOM) into bricklink. I know there is rebrickable, but I don't see an option to import either `.lxf` or `.xlsx`... A link or guide would be very helpful.

# Answer
> 1 votes
Here's a great program that takes an LDD file and makes it an .xml file: http://www.nolberger.se/lego/wantedbricks/ From there you can copy the text and paste it into your bricklink wanted list.

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Tags: ldd, bricklink
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# Question
Title: Identification for harness/hose/pipe + wings
I'm still trying to follow the instructions mentioned in my last question, and I came upon this image: .

Does anybody know what piece/pieces that/those are on the right? (I know the # for the pistols.)

Also: the wings on the right: . All the wings I found either had holes for pins or were too big.

# Answer
> 6 votes
It's 30191 Strap 12 M:

This is listed as x169 on Bricklink and Peeron, and is also called a stretcher holder, as that was it's original use when it was first created in 1998:

Edit: It's acceptable and even preferred to post new questions to identify new parts. With that said, the wing part in your updated question is 15082 Animal Wing with Shaft:

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Tags: set-identification
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# Question
Title: How to use Power Functions with Mindstorms EV3?
Having learned that Mindstorms EV3 doesn't work directly with Power Functions,

> Q: Can you use Power Functions motors with the EV3 programmable brick?
>
> A: No, the connector does not match.

I still wonder what could be possible workarounds to use them together?

# Answer
You can accomplish this with these two parts:
> 6 votes

# Answer
As mentioned by @guestguy123 and @eficker, it is easy to combine an EV3 cable and a PF cable to make a custom cable that allows the EV3 to control. This can even be done without soldering - I just twist the wires together and tape them with electrical tape. The full schematic is here:

All you need is 2 resistors (1x1kOhm and 1x10kOhm) which are cheap to get at your local electronics store (e.g. Radioshack or Maplin's) and the willpower to cut through 2 good Lego wires (1 PF cable and 1 EV3 cable). But once you do, it recognizes a PF motor as an NXT style unregulated motor and you can send it commands.
> 11 votes

# Answer
You can use 3rd party modules:

Or third party cable NXT to PF Cable (however I am not 100% sure if it will work with EV3). Accoring to answer on lejos forum it should work with Lejos RCXMotor class.
> 4 votes

# Answer
You can connect the Power Functions motor to the EV3 with a LEGO 8528 cable and a LEGO 8886 cable.

In addition to the cables, you need to know how to trick the software. You can use the unregulated motor block, but it will stop after a short time (1 second or so). You have to constantly change the speed to keep the motor powered.

Here is a simple example to run the motor at 75% of full power:

Using a single unregulated motor in a block like this won't work because the power value does not change. It seems that changing the power value is what resets the timeout on the EV3.
> 3 votes

# Answer
this explains how to make a conversion cable:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ns3TODgRlCE

You take a cable from the EV3 and a power functions cable, add some resistors and solder it up. Not a tough mod, but you do have to sacrifice two cables to the cause. Although, the possibilities are worth it imo, as you can now control a lego train or other power functions sets with EV3.
> 2 votes

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

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

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

Thanks, Stephen

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

The USB connection was lost and the PC (Win7 64bit) installed an incorrect driver for the NXT USB connection. If found the solution here: https://www.reddit.com/r/FTC/comments/1vvwq9/for\_those\_who\_have\_or\_have\_had\_a\_clicking\_nxt/

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

Hope this helps!
> 2 votes

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Tags: mindstorms, nxt
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# Question
Title: Why are there some extra letters on lego Car License Plates?
Most of the car in Lego City have a sticker license plate. The number on a license plate is corresponding to the Lego Set number. But what about these extra letter there? Is it just to add more realism? Are the initials of the particular designer?

See e.g. here: Police Car - set 60068 Crooks car - set 60070

# Answer
> 4 votes
The letters typically represent the initials of the set designer. See more discussion on this topic in this EuroBricks forum thread.

For example, the initials "MB" stand for Marcos Bessa, where "MS" is for Mark Stafford.

Some other sets also carry set designer initials, sometimes subtly incorporated in the build (I believe Jamie Berard, the famous Modular Houses designer, puts his initials in some of the builds), other times on the lettering on the sticker sheet. It is definitely not standard practice.

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Tags: stickers, set-numbering
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# Question
Title: Where can I find LEGO Doctor Who sunglasses and guitar?
Where can I find LEGO minifigure sunglasses in black and a rock band guitar for the new Doctor Who set? I have searched on ebay and LEGO.com.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Check out BrickLink. They have a whole range of Minifig heads with sunglasses \- pick the one you like.

For guitars, this search shows what BrickLink has available. As an example:

Note that BrickLink is a marketplace - they give you access to thousands of individual sellers with their own stores. You might want to find a seller who has both items you like in stock, so you can purchase and only pay 1 shipping/handling fee.

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Tags: minifigures
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# Question
Title: Connecting EV3 to Mac over Bluetooth without Lego Mindstorms software
I am trying to connect the EV3 brick over Bluetooth to a Mac so I can use direct commands to send bytecodes. However, the Bluetooth connection remains active only through the Lego Mindstorms software. I can download programs from Mac over Bluetooth within the Lego Mindstorms software. However, once I close that app the bluetooth connection goes away. Without the Lego software open, if I try pairing EV3 to Mac, it pairs briefly and stays connected (according to Mac's preferences menu) for 2 seconds and then says "Not connected". I am using Macbook Pro early 2014 with Yosemite. I also upgraded the firmware on EV3 to 1.08. Please help.

# Answer
> 2 votes
Bluetooth communication from the Mac to the EV3 is done using RFCOMM. This means that the EV3 appears as a serial port on the Mac. Namely `/dev/tty.EV3-SerialPort`. To send and receive messages from the EV3, you read and write to this virtual file. Bluetooth will show as "connected" as soon as you open this file. You can find some code examples here.

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Tags: ev3, bluetooth, mac
---


title: How to clean dirty white tiles?

text:
# Question
Title: How to clean dirty white tiles?
I ordered a couple of tiles from bricklink.com, but they arrived a bit dirty. I'd like to make them look shining new before using them for my creation. Is there a quick and reliable way to do it?

# Answer
Check out this previous question. There is a solution called "retr0brite" in which you make a chemical compound that you apply to the yellowed bricks, leave them exposed to light for a while, and the bricks will come out clean white. However, I have recently read (but cannot find the link right now) that this retr0brite method might not work forever, and that with reapplication the duration of the whitening reduces every time.
> 2 votes

# Answer
Yes. I like to clean my LEGO bricks with warm water and a washcloth. If it is dusty, it will come right off. If it is dirt it will take a couple seconds of rubbing gently to get it off of the LEGO bricks.
> 1 votes

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Tags: cleaning
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# Question
Title: How do I organize all my LEGO bricks and parts?
I have a massive amount of LEGO laying around in a container. It's kind of hard to sort through whenever I need parts. I was wondering if anyone has experience with many different sizes of LEGO bricks/parts and how to organize them. This seems like a problem most LEGO enthusiasts will have at some point, so is there some kind of "best practice" for a sorting scheme? What's the most suitable container to store LEGO in? Is there a common box that enthusiasts use? Do people often make their own box?

# Answer
> 17 votes
As you mentioned sorting and storing LEGO does become an issue as you start to amass a massive collection. There are however great solutions worked out already by LEGO fans. The earlier you set up a storage system that works for you, the better, and the easier it is going to be to manage your projects, and also stay enthusiastic in the hobby. Here are a couple of articles I wrote in regards to the topic, laying out what LEGO fans use and ways to get you started:

How to sort LEGO: http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/12/how-to-sort-lego/

How to store LEGO: http://thebrickblogger.com/2010/12/how-to-store-lego/

In addition, I have been maintaining a couple of Flickr Galleries where people show off their LEGO storing and sorting solutions. Seeing how other people sort and organize their LEGO can be very helpful, especially as your collection grows.

LEGO Display & Storage Ideas Gallery 2: http://www.flickr.com/photos/akunthita/galleries/72157629813455752/

LEGO Display & Storage Ideas Gallery 1: http://www.flickr.com/photos/akunthita/galleries/72157625185890950/

You don't have to spend that much to set up a good system. What it requires though is to think through what you want and also what kind of space you have. The above information should get you started with ideas and solutions, and you should be able to get yourself organized easily.

# Answer
> 3 votes
A lot of people prefer wide, shallow boxes to store parts — because it allows you more surface area to see what's in there. A Dollar store is a great place to get cheap storage containers.

# Answer
> 3 votes
Sorting LEGO bricks is more complex than you might think. Frequency of use, shape of the brick, and communication with others are essential features of a good classification. Have a look at this book, it covers the sorting of LEGO bricks extensively: The Ideal Order

# Answer
> 2 votes
Well if you need to organize your collection in a neat way that is easy to get to, I would use tackle boxes that you would normally use for fishing, because they come in all sorts of sizes and shapes and it can be easy to organize your collection in a neat way.

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Tags: organisation
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# Question
Title: Resources for building MOCs with pieces entirely from single sets
On most websites I've found, people post MOCs that use a random (or seemingly unlimited) supply of pieces. However, I'm interested in building MOCs using only pieces entirely from one set. (For example, I'm interested in reusing the parts from the 10243 Parisian Restaurant.) Are there websites dedicated to this idea?

# Answer
> 7 votes
Rebrickable may have exactly what you are looking for in addition to a lot of other features. You can search for a set and see alternate models that builders have submitted. Here's the page for the Parisian Restaurant. It shows one submitted MOC using just the parts from this set:

There tend to be more results for smaller sets, particularly in the Creator theme as these have many reusable parts. For example, Sunset Speeder currently has 43 alternate models available:

If you create an account, you can add all of the sets that you own and see which MOCs you are able to build using all of the parts you have available.

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Tags: moc
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title: LEGO set restore-er? (Emerald Night)

text:
# Question
Title: LEGO set restore-er? (Emerald Night)
I just dug up my old LEGO Emerald Night from when I was 10 or so. As I lifted it from the box it was in pieces, with the only parts intact being the piston mech, tender, and passenger car. I got it back to its former glory but it's still missing a few internal and external parts. If there was someone out there who could tear it down and look for the missing components that would be awesome!

# Answer
> 5 votes
This is fairly easy to do yourself. You can get a listing of all the parts that you should have for the set via a reference site such as Bricklink. Here's the Bricklink inventory for that set:

http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=10194-1

You can then purchase any missing pieces. The best place to do this is probably on Bricklink as well.

You can then rebuild this set from the instructions. If you've lost the instructions, they are available directly on LEGO.com as a PDF. Brickset also provides easy access to these files. Here are the two instruction booklets on LEGO.com:

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Tags: trains
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title: What LEGO sets/blocks to buy?

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

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

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

Many thanks NG

# Answer
> 0 votes
I would recommend one of the new lego city starter packs/sets. It is usually a mix of two or more lego city sub themes!

# Answer
> 3 votes
Different kids are motivated by different kinds of sets. Some kids need directed building to focus them, and so a set with instructions helps them. Other kids just need useful parts.

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

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

# Answer
> 1 votes
I would recommend putting attention to Creator 3-in-1 series.

It might be good idea to print out alternative MOC instructions to the sets you buy as well (some can be found on rebrickable.com)

# Answer
> 0 votes
I'd suggest basic bricks since those last long. Sets like 6177 might be a good idea.

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Tags: shopping
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# Question
Title: Instruction for installing rc to LEGO unimog
I'm searching for an instruction to install a remote control to my LEGO unimog.

There are a log of youtube videos showing completed unimogs but I can't find any instruction.

# Answer
> 4 votes
I found this utoob video as the first hit for a search using "install pf lego unimog" and also this thread on EuroBricks Which recommends a different video. So instructions are definitely out there.

I think you'd be better off trying it yourself. Don't be intimidated by the size or complexity of the unimog, have a go. Worst case you'll have to reassemble it using the TLG instructions and then try some of the online instructions.

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Tags: technic
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# Question
Title: Are wheels from Duplo numbers' train set 10558 compatible with bridge 3774?
Are the wheels from Duplo set 10558 compatible with the railway bridge set 3774?

I have a number of older wheel bases that are too large for the bridge. According to Brickset, the wheels in set 10558 have the same design number as parts from 20 years back but the design is visibly different with small embossed details on the side of the wheel. Also the wheels on pictures seem a little bit narrower than my older wheels.

Can anyone confirm whether the wheels are indeed narrow enough for climbing the bridge?

# Answer
No, the wheels are too wide. You'll have a similar problem with the DUPLO points as well.

If I recall correctly, the wheel base on the trucks is too long for the DUPLO track corners as well.

You'll need one of the trains from 10507 or 10508 to use that bridge.

Sadly my kids have outgrown their DUPLO and it's now at the back of our loft otherwise I'd post a picture (and confirm the issue with the corners).
> 2 votes

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Tags: trains, compatibility, duplo
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# Question
Title: Do you cut a LEGO knife to create an illusion of a minifigure getting stabbed?
I have watched many action animations and this question keeps bugging me. Does anyone know?

# Answer
> 4 votes
Stop-motion animation builders often have to resort to tricks to make the animation work. For example, they will use wires or other fasteners to attach models in certain positions in order to hold them in place while they move them. Many purists would avoid such techniques in a normal build but for animators there are larger overriding concerns. Cutting elements would certainly fit within the possibilities.

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

# Answer
> 2 votes
You can just pull the torso and the legs of a minifigure apart, put a lego knife between the torso and the grooves of the legs and put it back together!

# Answer
> 0 votes
You could try cutting the knife with scissors or well, a knife.

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Tags: minifigures, animation
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# Question
Title: Emerald Night Piston replacement + jamming issue
I'm just wondering if I can get replacement piston rods for my Emerald Night, since the rods are easily the least impressive part of the model. I'm wondering if there is a form of kit that can make the rods look more like one of a real train? (Shown Below)

Also, anyone have a fix for the jamming issue? I think I have a temporary fix but I'm not sure.

# Answer
There is a Bricklink store that sells custom-made train driver rods. I've never bought any so I can't speak to the quality. There are supposedly limitless varieties possible but given that you're looking for one that matches a set you should be able to find some already-made for that set.

Regarding the jamming issue, the most common problem is when the wheels aren't properly quartered. When building, the pin holes for the pistons on one side should be at 12:00 (top) and on the other side at 3:00 (front). This helps prevent jamming.
> 5 votes

# Answer
I found building instructions for a BR 23-001-L that has a more realistic look on the pistons.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n8uh-DBLFg

Here is a pdf tutorial on what to think about when modelling steam engines in LEGO. There are pictures of different examples that has various solutions for pistons.
> 3 votes

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Tags: trains, set-modification
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# Question
Title: Where can I find a 2x2 hinge on Bricklink?
In this picture "The neglect of duty" by Je hyung Lee, he uses four 2x2 hinges in the roof section I can't find on Bricklink.

Does anybody have an idea what set this comes out and possibly a Bricklink link to it or another similar site?

# Answer
> 8 votes
This is not a LEGO part. It's closest LEGO cousin would be 3149:

3149-like hinges don't have a 2x2 version to the best of my knowledge. In addition, the part in the picture appears to be 12 ldu (1.5 plates) thick. This leads me to believe that it is actually a Tyco part.

Also, it looks like this has already been discussed on Eurobricks where the same conclusion was drawn. From that thread:

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Tags: star-wars, part-identification, bricklink
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# Question
Title: What would total cost of the LEGO® Star Wars collection be in MSRP to date? [Dec 2015]
According to this article from 2014, the cost to buy the entire LEGO® Star Wars collection since 1999 would have been just under $15,000 USD ($14,762). I *assume* the price mentioned in this article is calculated based on original MSRP, not inflated resale or in-store sale values.

Using MSRP as the baseline for all sets across time, what would the current sum total be of the entire Star Wars licensed collection?

# Answer
> 15 votes
According to data collected from Brickset, the total MSRP of all Star Wars sets to date is $18,933.76 USD. This includes a total of 508 sets. I simply used the CSV export feature on Brickset to put this together.

Here's the raw data if you'd like to explore it further:

https://gist.github.com/jncraton/68beb88e6027d9321373

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Tags: lego-group, star-wars, value
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# Question
Title: Is there a rule of thumb for the decrease in value of complete sets without instructions?
Assuming the set is complete, would the value for example be $5 or 10% less than market value if the instructions are missing? Is there a general rule you'd look for when buying?

Thanks!

# Answer
If it's a newer set, missing instructions will usually just knock a few dollars off the price, even for larger sets. There are usually enough adult fans buying sets for parts that it's easy to pickup cheap instructions on Bricklink. For example, instructions for the new Millennium Falcon can be purchased for less than a dollar in new condition on Bricklink.

However, instructions and boxes for rarer old sets often vastly impact the price. For example, instructions for the classic Airport Shuttle (6399) are currently going for $40 dollars used and $100 new.

Basically, for newer sets the difference in price should only be a few dollars. For older sets where instructions may have been lost or damaged, the difference can be much greater.
> 7 votes

# Answer
The value of the set is indeed greater if it comes with instructions (and even greater when the set comes with a box, but the increase in value is not as big as with the instructions). Especially with older, desired sets, a lack of instructions is sometimes a sign of a BrickLinked set (a set built from a collection of pieces bought from BrickLink stores), which are less desirable than sets built from the original pieces.

So the order is: NISB (New In Sealed Box) \> Used, Complete with Box and Instructions \> Used, Complete with Instructions \> Used, Complete \> Used, 99% complete (or any variations thereof).

There is no real guideline for the price difference as far as I can tell - sometimes an NISB/MISB (Mint in Sealed Box) set sells for about as much as a built one, sometimes the price difference can be quite big.
> 3 votes

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Tags: value
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# Question
Title: I have a vintage set box with the kids on it. Should I continue collecting era appropriate pieces to refill it?
I have an early vintage set box (with the boy and girl on the cover). I've been collecting vintage pieces in order to restock the box with the hope the complete vintage set will be desirable on the collectors market. Am I correct in my thinking? Or am I just working on a project with an imagined goal?

# Answer
Given the quality of LEGO bricks, I would argue that an original box filled with the correct amount of the correct bricks from the same time period as the box is INDISTINGUISHABLE from an opened box containing the original bricks after use, and as such I would recommend you continue your effort. Just make sure that the bricks are indeed from the correct period (i.e. Colors are right, LEGO vs. Pat. Pend. Vs no markings, hollow underside or tube or lattice, etc.). The only way for a collector to be absolutely sure of the authenticity of the box and its content is to buy a factory sealed box, which are extremely rare given the age.
> 5 votes

# Answer
If I were you, I would start by looking at the price the full set is selling because I have been surprised recently to see box I was expecting to be vintage *treasures* selling at very reasonable prices...
> 2 votes

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Tags: sets, vintage, value
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# Question
Title: How can I get a direct hyperlink to a result on LEGO shop?
When I visit the what's new page on lego.com, I'd like to be able to share a result list including the filter I set in the left column (in my case limit to Duplo). At the moment when I set Duplo I get an updated URL ending with productListing.jsp?\_requestid=XXXX

Unfortunately, this URL is just relevant for my session and can not be shared. Is there any way that you know of to get a direct link to a result list on lego.com shop?

# Answer
Unfortunately the shop.LEGO.com website has a number of issues, and the fact that all transactions are handled server-side and not bookmarkable on the client is one of them (this might be intentional on behalf of LEGO but I don't know why). Other issues are that from time to time the website will refuse to display search results (it will just show you the home page of the shop if you do), or that the navigation buttons at the bottom of a category listing ("View: 25 | 1 | 2 | 3 \>") take you back to the home page. For those the best solution is to either close your browser and open a fresh browser, or to use the Private Browsing/Incognito Browsing options of your browser to simulate creating a new session.

For background, the shop.LEGO.com uses Java Server Pages (jsp) which store their status in a cookie and in server-side maintained information. So when you navigate, your browser does not know where you've gone to - only LEGO's server knows. This all works fine as long as you have an active session with LEGO, but as soon as your session expires (e.g. when you bookmark a specific place on the site and revisit that bookmark a few days/hours later) all that information is lost.

**TL;DR: No you cannot save a direct link to a page on shop.LEGO.com as that site is programmed to store link information on the server, not in the client (as a browser URL).**
> 3 votes

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Tags: lego-store
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title: What is the brick limit in LDD?

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

# Answer
> 13 votes
There are no set limits for the quantity of bricks you can place in LEGO Digital Designer. The limit on the amount of pieces you can use is entirely dependent on the specifications of your computer.

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

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

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

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

---

## Experiment

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

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

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Tags: ldd
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# Question
Title: Transfer BrickOwl wishlists to BrickLink
Is there an easy/automated way to transfer BrickOwl wish lists to BrickLink? I have wishlists on BO for each incomplete set I own and would like to move them over to see if BL can complete them cheaper.

# Answer
> 1 votes
You can try using rebrickable.com. Here's a more detailed guide: http://rebrickable.com/blog/2015/bricklink-brickowl-integration In case you have an LDD version of the model you wish to build, check out my question here.

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Tags: bricklink, brickowl
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# Question
Title: Where can I find 'Dolphin', the 3D model to LEGO software?
It was created at the École Polytechique Fédérale de Lausanne.

But it seems it is no longer available for to download. Does anybody knows what happened?

# Answer
> 2 votes
You are probably looking for this: http://lgg.epfl.ch/publications/2013/lego/

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Tags: software, cad
---


# Question
Title: How can I minimize the number of merchants for given set of requested bricks?
This question should be answered in Bricklink FAQ, but I didn't find answer there.

I'm a casual Lego hobbyist, I have a few sets with random pieces missing, about two dozens of them. Some are truly rare. What is the best way to find smallest group of sellers having (collectively) all required bricks? It will minimize cost of sending packages overseas.

# Answer
> 16 votes
You can create a wishlist, then view sellers ordered by the number of lots they have of the items in that wishlist. That should give you a good starting point.

# Answer
> 0 votes
First of all, create a wanted list. View the largest sellers in your country, go to their stores and browse by your wanted list. After going through 2 or 3 stores, you will find bricks less common still on the list. You'll have to browse stores selling that brick to get them.

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Tags: shopping, bricklink
---


# Question
Title: What are good DUPLO projects for around 2 year olds?
It is always good to have a bunch of (short) building projects to suggest to our toddlers. Here I would like to collect some easy ones for DUPLO.

I'm not particularly interesting in creating duplicates of real world objects, like building animals, houses, etc. The projects can be abstract, focus on something unexpected, or whatever.

Please share your experiences.

# Answer
> 7 votes
And here is my first project: **Color towers**:

Building towers is probably the first directed building effort that toddlers undertake. In this project I gave our son (20m) many bricks and built 4x4 monochromatic socles for towers. I told him that we are building a 'green', 'red', and so on tower. At first he only got that we are building towers, but I directed him toward using only the color that is already in the socle and after two or three wrongly placed colors he got it. After a few layers he even asked for specific colors to continue a specific tower. After the towers were high enough, together we inserted some nooks for figures to stand in. He did most of the building, and I only occasionally changed the orientation of some 2x4 bricks to make the towers more stable by interlocking. The visual impression of the result surprised me:

# Answer
> 5 votes
When my kids played with Duplo, they always liked building things as tall as possible, or making patterns of colours (e.g. alternating red/blue bricks in a line), or lots of repeated structures (e.g. putting 4 2x2 squares on top of one 2x2 square to make a mushroom shape).

I would usually try to suggest ways to make things stronger, then let them run with it. So a huge tower might start with me making a wide, flat base to give stability, then letting them organize the rest of it.

Depending on your child's propensity for putting things into their mouths, Lego 2x4 bricks fit well with duplo and can be used to fill in gaps or provide better binding in some cases.

# Answer
> 5 votes
Here's a site with some excelent examples of simple Duplo builds, oriented towards 2-4 year olds: http://legoideas.si/

Hopefully you'll like idea or two!

# Answer
> 3 votes
I make a selection of 2x4 duplo bricks and the window bricks, together with a base plate. Soon a couple of buildings will emerge, giving your kid a great feeling by "doing great stuff by its own!".

Happy building!

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Tags: duplo
---


# Question
Title: Indentify old LEGO kit, classic car with bird driver
I have 2 parts left from a kit I had as a kid. I'm trying to find out what the kit was? I'm ALMOST sure the driver was a pose-able bird man, many thanks!

# Answer
Looks like it could come from one of two Fabuland sets, Bonnie Bunny's Camper or Charlie Crow's Carry-All. The radiator piece also comes in The Fabuland House.

Given your bird man as driver, I'm going with Charlie Crow's Carry-All.
> 9 votes

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Tags: part-identification, fabuland
---


# Question
Title: How do I add the lms2012 library as a dependency within Visual Studio
I'm following this question and am curious how I go about actually importing the following the necessary dependencies. I see this line:

```
#include "ev3sources/lms2012/c_com/source/c_com.h"

```

and have downloaded the entire `lms2012` directory. Importing that into visual studio is proving more difficult than it would seem. I can add that single dependency by following the directions posted here by adding just the `c_com` header and executable, but then I'm missing the dependencies upon which it rests. How can I add this entire directory as a dependency?

Thanks!

**\[Update\]**

Thanks David for your recommendation to add just the dependencies I need. Which would those be for the following? Adding `c_com.h` then prompts me to add `lms2012.h` and then `dirent.h`and on and on. I just want the isolate the functionality below.

```
#include <unistd.h>
#include <fcntl.h>
#include "ev3sources/lms2012/c_com/source/c_com.h"

int main()
{

    // start motor on port A at speed 20
    unsigned const char start_motor[] {12, 0, 0, 0,
        DIRECT_COMMAND_NO_REPLY,
        0, 0,
        opOUTPUT_POWER, LC0(0), LC0(0x01), LC0(20),
        opOUTPUT_START, LC0(0), LC0(0x01)};

    // send above command to EV3 via Bluetooth
    int bt = open("/dev/tty.EV3-SerialPort", O_WRONLY);
    write(bt, start_motor, 14);
    close(bt);
}

```

# Answer
lms2012 is the entire virtual machine that runs on the EV3. It is meant to be compiled using Eclipse on Linux. There is really no use trying to include the whole thing and build it in Visual Studio on Windows because it doesn't have the required Linux libraries.

If you are trying to develop your own remote control program, then just copy the relevant header files from lms2012 and include them in your source code. The data types and `#define`s from the header files are really all you need.
> 3 votes

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Tags: ev3
---


# Question
Title: How much current do the LEGO motors draw?
I'm building a project with Raspberry Pi and some other electronics driving the LEGO Power Functions M-Motor (8883) and I need to know how much current those motors draw under load.

Has anyone done tests and put together a spec sheet for these motor's electronic characteristics?

This is my first post here on Bricks.SE! Hopefully sharing this is welcome.

# Answer
> 16 votes
*YES!* Philippe Hurbain (Philo) has put together a great and very detailed write-up on those and many other LEGO 9V electric motors.

You can find it here: LEGO 9V Technic Motors compared characteristics

Your current draw for that specific motor @ 9V is:

```
No load:              65mA
Loaded (3.6 N.cm):    310mA
Loaded (6.0 N.cm):    480mA
Stalled (11 N.cm):    850mA

```

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I was about to ask this very question when a friend pointed me to this write-up.
Hopefully someone else will find it as useful as I did.

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Tags: technic, power-functions, motor, electronics
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