Can you help identify this olive green space fighter lego set?

Based on

6016457: Right Shell 3X12 W/Bow/Angle
6016465: Circle 90G 6X6 Roof Tile

Both in Olive Green
This is from 70164-1: Hurricane Heist


Long train Bridge tension and compression angles (minimum brick count)

The compression member in your design looks thin to me, and the tension member oversize (assuming they are the top and bottom respectively). I would use string for tension and the technic beams for compression as the first step.

The low-part-count solution that occurs to me is going to kill the clearance under your bridge, but if that's acceptable a single column down from the centre with string/rope tension members to the end will work. You can use two columns with lateral bracing to get similar strength but better clearance, at the cost of needing more parts.

You miay also be able to do a modern single-pillar suspension design that looks exciting, especially if you're willing to cheat a bit with a non-Lego weight. You may be able to extend your beam and tie to that instead of using a weight, but I suspect you will struggle to get enough strength.

You can buy 100m rolls of string that look a lot like Lego thick string for next to nothing from sewing supply places. I have two, because the waxed string slides more easily over plastic for times when I can't use pulleys or rollers, but it's also less bendy so in low-tension situations often looks bad.


How to protect my LEGO city from the dust?

Where I'm from it's called Plexiglas. Other tradenames are Crylux, Acrylite, Lucite or Perspex...
Anyway, you can get sheets of it cut to size in D.I.Y-shops or hardware stores to build your own domes.
If you are less handy, you can find lots of shops offering standard or custom solutions.
If I google "plexiglas", I find dozens of solutions near where I live.
I know of one person who had a custom pyramid shaped Plexiglas dome made for the 10181 set (Eiffel tower)


NXC Saturation algorithm for limiting motors?

By "smoother limit", if you mean "when it gets closer to the limit, it will softly land there by slowing down" then:
I recommend using PID control where the response (how fast the motor is moving to the limit) is controlled proportional to the error (how far away from the limit you are).

Wikipedia has a good intro to PID control: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PID_controller


Set Identification from Garage Sale Score

Responding to the gallery from the original question:

Photo #1

7124-1: Flash Speeder

Photo #2

7316-1: Excavation Searcher

Photo # 3

8644-1 Street Maniac

Photo #4

4743-1: Ice Blade

Photo #5

8650-1 : Furious Slammer Racer

Photo #6

8356-1 # Jungle Monster

Photo #7

4743-1: Ice Blade

Photo #8

7315-1: Solar Explorer

Photo #9

4098-1: High Flyers

Photo #10

don't know

Photo #9

8643-1: Power Cruiser

Photo #11

7314: Recon Mech RP

Photo #12

7315-1: Solar Explorer

Photo #13

7141-1:    Naboo Fighter

Photo #14

6616-1: Rocket-Dragster

Photo #15

4587-1: Duel-Racers

Photo #16

7313: Red Planet Protector

Photo #17

7316-1: Excavation Searcher

Photo #18
7312-1: T-3 Trike

Photo #19

8650-1 : Furious Slammer Racer

Photo #20

don't know


Please help identify, could be a Bionicle? (yellow with green mask)

Looks like you have a portion of 8998-1 Toa Mata Nui.

This set is sometimes called "Titan Mata Nui" among fans, to better distinguish this "Titan" set from the regular "Mata Nui" set, which is how the character Toa Mata Nui actually appears in BIONICLE media.
The transparent green piece does not go to it though, and I'm not sure what it is.


Moving the motor to certain initial position

If you are using the mode "turn by N degrees", it will become stuck. However, you can try using the other mode - "turn for N seconds" and it will work. It will work because the first mode will keep trying to run the motor until the motor turns exactly by 90 degrees, and so the program will appear stuck. In the second mode the motor will be on for specified number of seconds and then the program will go to the next block even if the rotation was less than 90 degrees.


2:1 gear ratio in stud-less Lego Technic

Here's a solution I found in Yoshihito Isogawa's LEGO Power Functions Idea Book Vol. 1 - Machines and Mechanisms:

EDIT
based on Eric's comment:

And here's using the black piece from JohnnyB's tweak:


Set identification for white Technic panel with sticker that says "5974"

You have

LegoTechnic, Panel Fairing #18 Large Smooth, Side B with '5974' and Air Intake Pattern (Sticker) - Set 5974

from  5974-1: Galactic Enforcer


Looking for a list of Star Wars minifigures

BrickLink is your friend. Use the Catalog Search function to find all Star Wars related minifigures ever produced (all 896 of them as per today). Clicking on each minifig gives you the set(s) it came in.

Here are the results if you search for Type = Minifig, Theme = Star Wars, ordered by year of release: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?v=5&pg=1&catLike=W&catType=M&catID=65


It appears to be Electric, Train Motor 12V Modern.


BrickLink is by far the best place to buy LEGO. It is also very easy to use. Once you get how it works, you will never look back. There are several very helpful videos on YouTube showing you how to use BrickLink most efficiently. Here is one: http://youtu.be/Cyat8aFVk_k

I have also put together a detailed written guide on how to use BrickLink here: http://thebrickblogger.com/2011/02/shopping-on-bricklink/


Help identify this 70s or 80s lego space set

The brick with the space logo is from either set 452/894 or set 6901.  The buggy is technic set 1972.  Information from Bricklink search.


9v Regulator Power Question, 1 enough or multiple?

It is never a good idea to electrically connect two regulators to the same piece of track. You could damage both of them!
I assume you are referring to voltage drop (and thus reduced power when the loco is a long way from the regulator input.
The problem is due to the fact that the electricity is carried through steel which has a higher electrical resistance than copper.
The best solution is to feed the power from the regulator along sufficiently thick copper wire to several points along the track.
The loco will then see very close to the regulator output voltage no matter where it is on the track.
I hope this helps.


I like your idea. I know very little about the MtG universe, so I'm not sure what might be most helpful here. Some ideas that come to mind:
The 2x2 boat stud elements are available in trans-clear and might provide the sort of look that you are hoping for.

There is a mirror element (20193) available. This could potentially be used in a lens apparatus of some sort.

The 2x2, 3x3, 4x4, and 6x6 dish elements are all available in trans-clear, and they could be useful for designing a lens system.

There's also a variant of the 6x6 dish with a handle on the side instead of the studs in the center that might work better for your application.

As zovits pointed out, the 6x6 also comes in a half-sphere variant:

There are also many printed transparent dish elements that might provide the sort of look that you are looking for, such as something like this:


First off be very careful of the printing on the minifigure, the plastic is quite durable but the printing can wipe off rather easily. I list a few different methods to remove permanent marker all have their varying degrees of risk. They are listed in the order I'd try them in.

Dry erase marker?! Just cover over the permanent marker with a dry erase marker then wipe it off. yes it works.
Aerosol hairspray, body spray, Rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol), etc. Like JohnnyB suggested alcohol is a good cleaner for permanent marker, especially on plastic. Just be careful of the printing any alcohol biased cleaner can and will remove the printing.
Nail polish remover. Be very careful with this one, nail polish remover's active ingredient is acetone. Acetone with enough time will dissolve ABS (and rubber tires very quickly) but long before that happens it will remove the printing :( I'd only try acetone as a last resort.
Toothpaste I'd recommend skipping this social media craze, it may work (on lego) but there are better ways. On the plus side I doubt the toothpaste it will hurt the minifig, however all the scrubbing necessary to remove the marker that is another story...


What is this orange winged thing without studs?

That piece is often used as a caterpillar track, or conveyor belt

It's hard to tell the colour in your photograph but it might be Medium Dark Flesh (a.k.a. medium nougat)

At the bottom of this page there are three sets which use this piece in that colour.

If you look carefully you should see the number "57518" shaped into the piece. Almost all Lego pieces have that a code on them that you can use to find them on sites like BrickSet or BrickLink.


Is it safe to drink from Pick A Brick cups?

The Pick-a-Brick cups are made from polypropylene, as evidenced by the #5 resin identification code on the bottom. Polypropylene is widely considered a safe plastic for storing food and drink, and it is stable at very high temperatures (i.e., temperatures higher than your dishwasher). I would feel comfortable drinking out of one of the cups.


What are the dimensions of LEGO 10221 Super Star Destroyer?

So the box says 49 inches long, the official description says "under 50 inches long".
I just measured the width (about 13.25 inches) and height (about 9.5 inches) on my assembled set.

So a rough minimum inner size box would be 50"L x 13.5"W x 10"H.


Can using a hex key to disassemble LEGO Technic pieces cause damage?

Yes
A hex key, being tough metal, is inherently a danger to ABS plastic. Using it to push axles and pop connections will eventually scratch and wear down your parts, something you don't want with technic pieces.


LEGO Plastic Bag - White, Light Grey and Clear Bricks

According to BrickLink, there are only two sets with both that hinge plate and the eyelashes and they're quite similar: 10717 Bricks Bricks Bricks and the almost-identically-named 11717 Bricks Bricks Plates


Has anyone created a analogue LEGO clock that runs time accurately?

Building a clock is easy, building an accurate clock is hard, even without lego.

To have accuracy you must have something happening at a fixed frequency.
A pendulum is the easiest way to provide a regular timing.

Next you need a power source for the clock.
Weights falling down is classic, and easy to do with lego : a pulley and a string.

The force generated by a spring is not constant, it decrease with time as the spring wound down. You need a constant force to have accuracy.
Real clocks have mechanisms to compensate this variations by I am not sure it is possible to replicate with lego.

An electric motor is better, but the charge of the batteries determine the power generated by the motor.

Then you will loose power with friction so you must limit the number of moving part or limit friction with lubricant for example.

I have built a clock myself, it works but stops after 15 to 20 minutes for too much friction.
You can search the web for other lego clocks, but the best I have seen works for about 6 hours.

A lego clock is a fun project but you won't use it to tell time.


Looking for custom EV3 block to control LEDs independently


Why are there 4 wires leading to the Power Functions LEGO train motor?

The LEGO Power Functions connectors have 4 standard designations regardless of the usage:

9V power
"0V" Ground
C1 "control 1"
C2 "control 2"

It seems for motors that the 9V and Ground are unused.  The C1 and C2 are used in combination to pick the motor direction.  If C1 is providing power and C2 is providing ground then the motor goes forward.  If C2 is providing power and C1 is ground then it goes backwards.

The dashed lines are unused at that stage in the flow.


How do you convert the ev3p program files and assets back into an ev3 project file?

I've figured it out. To anyone who wants to know, the reason why the ev3 IDE wouldn't work is because I made a zip file with the folder with the all of the items instead of compressing the items themselves.


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


With some minor adjustments, you can try adding Lego Power Functions to your Technic parts.

With the appropriate parts, you can motorize your wheels with motors then remote control them with the Infrared Sensor with remote control. It would be rather tight though as sets that can allow space for these functions will show the option for Power Functions on the box. This means that the Lego Mars Rover set might not be compatible with this set unless you can add some major adjustments or make a rover yourself!

You can find pieces and their details here: http://powerfunctions.lego.com/en-us/whatis/default.aspx#HowDoesPFWorkContentProvider


Can Lego Remote Control 88010 control Lego Technic Hub 88012?

I got a 42099 too, and found that Power UP App(Current version is 3.6.0) can connect to the Technic smart hub. Click Bluetooth button in Create Mode, and then press the green button on hub. Enjoy yourself:)


Rebrickable

For non-commercial use, the parts library used by Rebrickable is fairly extensive. More importantly the images have a very consistent presentation.

If you already know the part ID you can replace the use the URL below to get a direct link to the image. Just replace the X with your part ID.

https://img.rebrickable.com/img/pieces/elements/X.jpg

This won't work for parts that have alternative designs and some other exceptions.

LEGO Pick A Brick

LEGO's official Pick A Brick service has a relatively small collection of common pieces that are still in production. The images are of a consistently good quality although quite small.


Is there a modern equivalent for windscreen piece 6152?

The windscreen you mentioned has been retired, however you can still get it on BrickLink. It is available inexpensively in several colors: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=6152

If you want to use a modern version, this wedge is pretty close in shape and is available in current sets: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=6153b

As a reference, here are all the LEGO windscreens LEGO ever made. You can browse them by year released and sets they appear in: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=P&catString=115

And here are all the wedge elements LEGO ever made. They tend to use these more often these days, most likely because of the stronger/thicker walls: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogList.asp?catType=P&catString=42


Does Lego market sets that were designed by fans?

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

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

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

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

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


What is this short blade with a hole at one end?

That's a 98347, a.k.a Wing 1 x 4 with Pin Hole


Which LEGO figure is this with white cape and red suit with a lightning bolt?

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

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


Installed EV3 software on Win 8 and it won't load

A possibility is, that you lack the latest Silverlight update.

I had this problem on some Windows and Mac OS X machines recently.

Maybe you can try to install the latest version: https://www.microsoft.com/silverlight/ I think it's worth a try.


What tool can get two 1x2 plates apart without damaging them?

You could try the great brick separator. Designed for this specific purpose, it's probably your best bet.


Restoring minifig parts to original configuration for sale

You may use the minifigs section of Brickset to help you. They have reference of over 9000 minifigs released by TLC over time. By browsing per topic, you may complete some of your minifigs and using the site is completely free.

There are also several books like this Complete Lego Minifigure Catalogue (1975-2015), even if books may offer a higher challenge to search. Moreover, books are not free.


How can I build a brick-built monorail track?

Have a look at this youtube channel: MasaoHidaka The Track is made up with standard bricks and he managed to create nice curves and even switches. The switches are quite part intensive though.


How to buy a lot of LEGO Technic bricks?

Usually the most economical way to acquire LEGO elements is to just buy full sets (ideally on sale). So if you have a particular design in mind, look at the currently available - or recently retired - LEGO Technic sets and see which one would have all or most of the pieces you would like to work with.

You can also check eBay and BrickLink for used LEGO Technic sets. They are less expensive than new condition sets, but are still well taken care of by the original owner. If a few pieces are missing they are even cheaper. Building up a LEGO Technic collection this way usually works out better than just buying random lots from resellers.

In general BrickLink is the better way to go as the sellers are also dedicated LEGO fans and won't sell you something they wouldn't be happy with themselves. However eBay could be cheaper. If there are good pictures of the used set, and they are from the original owner, you can find great deals.

In summary, when you buy pre-owned, it is best to find slightly used full sets from original adult owners. The pieces will be in better condition and the selection of parts will also be better, rather than just buying random lots where you don't know the history and condition of the pieces, and the seller is not the original owner.


Is LEGO testing the market with the Minifigure Series?

That sounds like a very valid question, but I think the answer is slightly more complex.

First, as you note, there's an obvious link in terms of moulds reuse, which means LEGO can offload the cost of these new parts to the minifig series (which aren't exactly on the cheap side), so that regular sets introduced later can be cheaper as a result. They do that too with licensed sets, by the way; for example, the Harley Quinn minifig financed the cost of the jester headgear.

Then, as you ask, do they actually test the market?

In a way, this would seem to make sense: if, say, spartan minifigs sell well, LEGO might be tempted to introduce spartan sets. Yet I think there are two problems with that.

The first is that they need to follow which minifig is more sought after, which they can't study from their own data since they sell "random" minifigs and the buyer can't pick the ones they want. Of course, they can check the aftermarket for that, bricklink prices and so forth, but is that really representative of what fans want, I don't know.

The second point is that sets design happens quite a long time before sets reach the shops. A designer told me in july 2012 that all 2013 sets were already designed, so you can count on 1 year and half between design and shops. Moreover, designing sets isn't the first step, and picking themes come before that. So if LEGO feels that a particular minifig sells well and decide to make a theme based on it, it'll be two years before that theme appears. Which isn't to say they won't, but I think they're a bit more preemptive than that.

So, in my opinion, LEGO might decide to do whole themes which have similarities with collectible minifigs, but I doubt they take the time to test the market - they just use the minifigs to offset the cost of new parts in upcoming sets. So, will we see cavemen sets? Spartan sets? Noone but LEGO can say at this point, but it's a possibility. It seems there will be some western sets in 2013, and we've indeed seen indian minifigs in the first series.


The wing and red cockpit are from  9497-1: Republic Striker-class Starfighter


Is it possible to buy Lego Marvel Superheroes mini-figures separately?

LEGO typically does not sell individual minifigures from its licensed themes due to licensing restrictions. Often, another company has an exclusive license to produce action figures from a franchise, which means that LEGO is only allowed to sell building sets. These may contain figures, but there has to be a real buildable component. That's why we see "Battle packs" like this one in the Star Wars theme:

With that said, there is a strong secondary market for minifigs. You can often find the popular characters on eBay, Bricklink, or even Amazon. For the specific minifigs that you are interested in, you may want to check out the superheroes category on Bricklink.


From the official LEGO education site:

  Measure – Advanced - Centimeters

  The Measure – Advanced – Centimeters mode is similar to the Measure – Distance Centimeters mode, except that you can choose whether the sensor sends a single ultrasonic signal or continuous signals with the Measuring Mode input. The distance in centimeters is output in the Distance in Centimeters."

I can only guess to the reason why LEGO implemented this “Measuring Mode” option in a separate Advanced mode, but most likely it is to hide the subtle difference, which might be difficult to understand at first, from beginner users. The default measuring mode is the easiest to understand.


The easiest way to do this is to score the baseplate with a straightedge and knife. Once you've made a deep enough cut, you should be able to bend and break the plate where you've scored it. You may want to sand the edge to clean it up a bit.

There's a more detailed set of instructions in this Instructable.


Is this a real Duplo Train Base or fake?

These 10 are Duplo Vehicle Car Base 2 x 6 with Hitches and Red Wheels (Old)' (4883cx2) and came in Red, Blue and Yellow


Death Star 10188 Help with step 8 on page 76

The "LEGO Flat Silver Technic Axle Joiner Perpendicular with Extension (53586)" smooth bore piece  is secured to a technic pin on piece "Technic, Pin Connector Perpendicular 3L with 4 Pins (48989)" installed in step 5, with the relevant pin marked in step 7 in my marked up directions below:

The smooth bore piece connects to the pin holding them together, with the lower axle connection preventing rotation.


For the retail version, the link is: https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/downloads and for the education version, the link is: https://education.lego.com/en-us/educationdownloads/freeproductspage


Has LEGO ever been used in an assembly line or a manufacturing process?

Here are a few examples of LEGO being used for practical and useful purposes I remember seeing. I'm sure there are many others:

Some LEGO liquid-handling robots and experiments for STEM education and research: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2001413

Here, MIT is using LEGO for micro-fluids: http://news.mit.edu/2018/microfluidics-lego-bricks-0131

There are several examples of LEGO used for prostatic research and development, like this one: https://www.wired.com/2015/07/lego-makes-everything-bettereven-prosthetic-kids/

And here is a LEGO Braille printer developed by a student: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/20/braille-lego-printer/22055135/


What is the purpose of the discontinuity in the DUPLO train bridge rack?

I could imagine that this design was chosen to take care of slight angular missalignment of the tracks at the peak of the bridge (the two parts are not exactly in a straight line but slightly bent at the joint). I cannot confirm whether this is possible, because I don't own these parts, but I think for easy assembly and disassembly they have to have a little bit of wiggle room.

The problem in this situation could arise when the train passes the joint, the tracks are not in a straight line, the gear rack reaches directly up until the end of the two tracks on both sides and the solid axle in the train forces the two gear parts on both wheels to be aligned to each other, but the gear rack on the tracks would shift, forcing one side to raise up, putting the wheel teeth on top of the gear rack teeth.

This is only a good guess, but I could imagine in combination with a heavy train this could lead to the train not moving any further because the wheels are again and again slipping out of the gear rack.

The chosen design prevents this because the teeth only need to grab on one side while the other side has a some time to align to the "new direction" again.


The models included in AIOI as mentionned by HaydenStudios is also available as separate download
There is also a huge collection of LDraw models of official sets available on Eurobricks forum


What are these Technic sets with figures?

These builds are both from the same set. Super Challenge (3038):


Lego EV3 - Get output device type, opOUTPUT_GET_TYPE

Checking the source code, it appears that the opOutput_Get_Type command is not implemented. In both links, it is mentioned in the comments, but there is nothing in the actual code.

Unfortunately, I am not finding a different way to get this information.


Most of this looks like it's part of the Mars Mission range - however, none of those sets contain the 2 flames, and the Minifig has both wrong colour torso (grey, instead of white), and the wrong type of helmet (he has Headgear Helmet Space instead of a Motorcyle Helment)
As for which Mars Mission set you have there, from curved Windscreen, the Technic bars that the wheels are attached, the device the Alien is strapped into, and the arm on the drill, I believe that this is ETX Alien Strike

You can see the Alien in the holding contraption at the back of the mini rover, the wheels beneath it, the drill-arm in the centre, and the cockpit & windshield at the front.  It looks like you might actually have most of the rover in your photo!


What internal electronics do Spike Prime and Mindstorms Robot Inventor use?

If we open the hub we can take a look at the main PCB inside. There's just one PCB in addition to a small speaker and the replaceable lithium ion battery. Here's the top of the PCB:

And the bottom:

We see that the main CPU is an STM32F413. It includes 1M of flash and 320k of RAM and the ARM Cortex M4 core can be clocked up to 100MHz.
In addition to the 1M of embedded flash, there's a Winbond W25Q256JV providing an additional 32MB for program and data storage.
Bluetooth connectivity is provided by the TI CC2564C.
The 25 LED grid is driven by a TI TLC5955 (48 channel PWM LED driver). This part also drives the other 4 surface mount LEDs on the board.
The 6 motor outputs are driven by a trio of LB1836 dual motor drivers.
There's also an MPS 2639A to manage the lithium ion battery.
There are many other supporting components on the board, but that covers the majority of it.
Overall, this is similar in architecture (ARM-based, identical output drivers, etc) to the other Powered Up hubs. It is significantly more powerful in terms of horsepower and storage thanks to the 32MB flash chip and higher clock frequency (100MHz here vs 48MHz for Boost for example).


How many copies of each set are produced?

There is an indication of the rarity of a set in the LEGO Collector's Guide.

I assume it's the same in the second edition as well, as this is what the two reviews of it on Brickset have to say:

  Rarity Rating. This would be more useful if it represented actual production or sales figures instead of market trends.

  The rating system is the same, and unfortunately the explanation (do you still remember? "This rating evaluates the rareness of the certain item (and not its value!) considering a complete item in very good condition including building instruction, all stickers AND box (if applicable). Markets like eBay, BrickLink and other sources have been considered for this evaluation - on a global level."[copied from my feedback to the 2008 edition review]) has not been extended, highlighted or moved to a place where it will be less ignored. Additionally, this rating will always give room for discussion, especially as it would require continuous updates.

So you can see both reviews consider this rating system to be pretty much useless (and the reviews of first editions weren't better) and it doesn't indeed compare to actual figures. However, the fact that they weren't able to secure any is probably a fairly good indication that these figures are not available to the general public. (And knowing LEGO, there's a chance that they haven't kept figures themselves from the distant past anyway.)

So while this is far from an actual answer to your question, the rarity rating of the Collector's Guide is probably the closest you'll ever get. Maybe a future edition will have more, but I wouldn't count on it.


Try waiting longer - one second or one and a half. And you were using the ultrasonic sensor but in the program you use infrared sensor block.

You can switch to port view prior to running your program to verify that your sensor is of the expected type and works.


Empty LEGO boxes: are they worth anything?

On Bricklink.com vendors sell original boxes. You can see a listing of what's available here. For example, the King's Mountain Fortress from 1990 is offered for sale for about $65 USD. (I have the front and back flaps of that box, I wonder if I could list just those.)

Bricklink shows a price guide for products which have been sold recently; Some of the boxes show sales and some of them don't.  Whether you can get any specific price for a box will depend greatly on the condition of the box, how you manage your bricklink reputation, and how patient you are.


Lego technic 42082 4 wheel steering issue

I think you missed step 273 on page 133 of book 1.
In this step you align the front and back wheel and move a gear wheel and bush so the front steering mechanism is connected to the rest.
To fix this you need to disassemble part of the front

After taken of the fenders
Follow steps 471 till 484 in reverse.

This removes the panel above the gear so you should be able to access the gear.


Does remote control 8879 work for winter holiday train?

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

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

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


Will my LEGO bricks discolor in indirect sunlight?

I have to disagree somewhat with the other answer in that I do not think it is quite as cut and dried as a simple "no".

There are several factors to consider:

How old is the glass in the windows in the room?
Older glass tends to be less effective at UV diffusion/blocking though really if the glass has been made in the last 50-70 years it's probably fairly safe for UVA, but not necessarily UVB. UVB does not discolor things as quickly but still has an effect. Part of that as well is how many panes are there. Older and/or less expensive windows tend to have fewer panes while newer and/or more expensive windows tend to have more panes and thus more filtering.
What type of glass is in the windows?
If it's just plain clear glass then there is less protection then mirrored, tinted, or specifically UV filtering glass.
(Possibly most importantly) What is the exposure for the windows in the room?
If the windows in the room get a lot of direct exposure (Southern exposure in the Northern hemisphere/Nothern exposure in the Southern hemisphere) then there will just be more UV coming in and thus more discoloration over time. If the room doesn't have a lot of exposure then there will be less. Your pictures seem to indicate that you might not have a lot of direct exposure, but it's hard to tell and even partial exposure (morning or evening light) can make a difference.
Are there some predominant colors being displayed? Some colors, notably White, seem to discolor more noticeably over time. So if you've got a lot of white on display don't plan on it staying pristine for long if you've got a lot of direct exposure in that room.

That all said if you're really worried about it then run some tests to find out. Make a few small stacks of bricks in a few common colors, for example pairs of 2x4 bricks in White, Red, Bley, and Black. Try and make sure you use parts that are very similar in quality, age, and color at the outset. Then place the stacks in various locations. One on the window sill, one on your chosen display location, and one in a closed and opaque box somewhere away from heat sources. Then check on them every couple of weeks and see what results you get. If you haven't seen an appreciable difference between the stored stack and the one in your display area after a month or two you're probably fine. Comparing them against the one in the window sill might even tell you if you'd be safe closer to the window in that particular room. Adding stacks in other locations would just give you more data points to make determinations.

If you do run the test, I would love to see the results. Latitude would also be useful for calibrating your results with what someone else might expect to some extent. :-)


Lego track switch doesn't close properly

Warning: LEGO pieces were harmed for this answer

How the switch works

So, how does it work then? Well, let's open it up!

The back plate is held into place by 14 pins. We'll carefully pry it open with a knife. Alternatively, we could use a drill bit to slowly scrape off the pinheads.

Both methods are destructive. The back plate needs to be glued back on later.

Once we can lift off the backplate, we already got the slider.

Next we'll unplug the switch. Let's take a pair of pliers and carefully -just a bit!- squeeze the peg, then push it out.

Yellow: The slider is of a soft plastic. Notice the oval hole with a nose. When you move the slider this bit gets squeezed and then snaps into position. There's two stops, they have a figure 8 shape.
Red: At the end of the slider there's a single tooth. This tooth flicks
the switch.
Green: The switch has a peg and a spring. The spring has two legs.
The tooth    is supposed to sit right between them.

What's next?

So much for starters. Now, what about your points?

In any case, use some compressed air first. Switch them repeatedly. Maybe it's just a grain of dust. Still not functioning properly? Can you still return them?

Okay. Let's triple troubleshoot:

Is the slider stuck?
Can it move freely? Does it 'snap in'?
Does the spring have enough tension?

If the slider's malfunctioning, you'd have to remove the back plate. However, if the spring's your suspect there's a less destructive way.

How to access the peg only

In theory, one could try to pry out the switch with a flat
screwdriver. I didn't dare it. Parts could warp, the peg could break
and I think LEGO did their best to prevent creative kids from doing
it.

But take a look at the back plate. You can barely see it, but there's a circle. It's right on top of the peg.

I took a drill bit and started to slowly scratch off some of the plastic. Once the tip was through, I finished off the rest with a scalpel.

Take your time! The plastic is quite thin and the peg's right under it.

I could now easily access the peg with my pliers and push it out. I adjusted the spring and lined everything up.

How to access the spring

This might also work, but I don't recommend it. I gave it a try. It's way too fiddly.

Take a scalpel and cut a hole in the side of the switch.
Now you can take a peek inside. See if the tooth is off-center. If so, try to lift the corresponding leg of the spring with a needle. Good luck.


Which set is this 2017 bag 3 with dark red and grey pieces from?

Judging from the minifig torso and the selection of pieces in the bag I believe you have bag 3 from set 76104 The Hulkbuster Smash-Up from 2018.


Using the unregulated motor block and conversion cable to light LEDs

The light turning off happens because of the Device Connection Manager in the EV3 firmware. The algorithm used to detect when a motor is connected relies on there being a load on pins 5 and 6 of the output ports to determine if the motor is a Large or Medium motor. The 8528 adapter cable only has wires on pins 1 and 2.

When you use a VM command (via a programming block or by using the on-brick app) to tell a motor to run, it forces the motor to run, but then the device connection manager immediately resets everything because it doesn't think that a motor is connected.

Also see How to use Power Functions with Mindstorms EV3?

The fact that setting a power of -100 keeps the power on continuously, though, is new to me. I'm at a bit of a loss to explain that observation.

UPDATE:

I've done some digging and now I better understand what is going on.

Output port pin 2 is connected to pin 6 via a 100k resistor as seen in the schematic diagrams below.

When the EV3 is instructed to run a motor in the forward direction pin 1 will have battery voltage and pin 2 will be at 0V. When running in reverse, however, pin 1 will be at 0V and pin 2 will be at battery voltage.

When using the converter cable, nothing is connected to pin 6 externally, so it will also be at battery voltage (pulled down slightly by R216 to +5V). This triggers an event in the device connection manager. Most of the time (but not 100% of the time) the EV3 will think that it has a motor attached because of this and so the LED will stay on.


Which sets are these parts from? White and brown cycles with no wheel?

These are from a number of different Star Wars Battle Packs:

Clone Troop Battle Pack (7913):

Endor Rebel Trooper and Imperial Trooper Battle Pack (9489):

Snow Trooper Battle Pack (8084):


Can I still motorize Universal Building Set 8034 and other from that time with modern elements?

The length of the wire is another thing to be aware of. The wire attached to the motor in 8293 is only slightly more than 20 centimeters (might be a few centimeters more, I don't remember), you can double that by putting in the switch which has about the same length of wire, but it's still not much. I don't know how long the wire in 8700 was, but it looks longer.

You should also be aware that the new motor doesn't have a pin sticking out that rotates, but a pinhole, if you put in a 2L axle it will look about the same, but the notches on the newer (part 32062 - the older part 3704 didn't have notches) are in a different position (I believe they are in the middle of "each L", while the pictures show that the notch on the axle extending from the old motor is in the middle of the "half L" closest to the motor, the belt wheel was about ½L thick), so you'll have to think about how you place the belt wheel if you want to use a rubber band directly from the axle to transfer the motion. You can work around that with a (half)bush on the axle, but that significantly changes the circumference the rubber band goes around, as thus the gearing. (This section was significantly extended to address Michael Verschaeve comments, thanks goes to him for pointing out the issues I believe I have now addressed)

I don't know set 8034, but from the pictures it looks like it would be hard to fit the new motor due to the increased length.


Both of these designs use the same faucet piece and legs can be easily attached beneath, the issue with most of these designs is that parts are mostly in white as those parts are more common than gold. If you are set on the colour you will be fairly limited in terms of pieces but there are some ways to change the colour of bricks with some limitations.
This design by Elspeth De Montes uses the (Studs not on top) techniques to get that smooth look without any exposed studs on the top. It uses a 1 x 2 x 5 brick

This design by Ryan Smith has a similar shape but with studs on top.

You might find more relevant designs by searching on Flickr rather Google images for example.


Where or how do I get replacement stickers for my LEGO set?

You can either buy them on BrickLink, or contact LEGO Customer Service directly. BrickLink might be the cheaper of the two options, but if LEGO has them in stock, they are guaranteed to be factory-new.


Is there a fix for an NXT reporting "File error!" when running an EV3 program?

I needed to update the firmware. 1.05 was too old. 1.31 works.

Download from:
http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/support/files/default.aspx#Firmware

I did need to run the old NXT-G software to download the newer firmware.  I did not try to download the firmware using EV3.


Different brand, slightly bigger than Lego

Taking an image from the linked course site and using Google Image Search for reverse image searching, then applying a layer of Google Translate to make sense of the exclusively Japanese results has convinced me that this type of building system is only used in this robotics course in Japan. Nonetheless, the institution seems to sell the sets as standalone products for 28,500 yen, unless I misunderstand the translation results somehow:

At Human Academy's Robot Class, we will increase the number of kits that will be added when advancing the course, based on the standard kit (* 1) that you purchase when you join.
[...]
(* 1) 28,500 yen 〚tax excluded〛


Can you program an RCX using the Mindstorms NXT 2.0 software?

No, the standard NXT-G software provided by LEGO will not allow you to program a RCX brick.

Outside of official software, your best bet is probably to use NQC which is C-like; there's also NXC for the NXT which is similar.

There are a lot of others which have been discussed in the following questions: Is there any other way to program the Lego Mindstorms NXT other than the provided software? and Can I write programs for the LEGO RCX 2.0 in Java/C++?.


What is the biggest base plate available?

The largest official baseplate that I'm aware of is 50x50 modules.

It's only slightly larger than a 48x48, and it's a bit more difficult to use in large setups since most other common baseplates have side lengths that are a multiple of 16, so you might actually be better off with a 48x48 depending on what you are trying to do.

This part hasn't been available since the 70s, but you can still pick it up on Bricklink.

You may be interested in this answer which includes other raised baseplates:

What is the largest single LEGO piece?


What is the difference between the NXT 1.0 controller and the NXT 2.0 controller?

There are a few subtle differences in internal hardware between the NXT 1.0 and 2.0 bricks. The most notable one is that the 1.0's screen would give out over time due to stress being put on a capacitor when the buttons are pressed, but the NXT 2.0 is engineered such that this does not occur. But, none of these differences affect what hardware the bricks are compatible with.

Externally, the NXT 1.0 and 2.0 intelligent bricks are physically identical. You can update firmware of NXT 1.0 controller with 2.0 firmware (download the most recent version here). Once this is done, your NXT will be able to use the LEGO color sensor that comes with NXT 2.0 box, and to run NXT 2.0-compiled software.


I got also the wheels and found it really interesting... so I wrote an article were I explain all the maths and show you how to build one yourself ( instruction attached ) http://thetechnicgear.com/2014/04/howto-build-3-wheels-holonomic-robot-using-lego/

The code is for EV3 software and I will surely rewrite it for leJOS ( despite there is a class that already does the work ) on the following weeks.


The most current Mindstorms set would be the NXT 2.0.

The set is advertised for children aged 10+ (previously 16+). If you or your child is under 10 but has a talent for building with LEGO and a basic understanding of computers or engineering the whole process should be fairly easy to get to grips with.

The set itself is quite an investment (RRP £235/$350) yet it provides the most complete Mindstorms package. Half of the time spent playing with the set will probably involve programming via the NXT-G software which comes with the set.

  NXT-G is an intuitive, icon-based drag-and-drop programming language
  designed for an easy introduction to programming for new users and
  experienced users. By choosing program blocks that work with the
  motors and make the sensors react to inputs, you simply build up your
  program block by block, and you can create programs that range from
  simple to complex.
  (Source)


In order to sell older sets, TLG would have to either:

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

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

or

(2) reproduce older sets

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

or

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

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

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


Why there are "unnecessary" bricks in 60080 LEGO City Space Port?

I have always assumed that the pieces in question were place holders to simplify assembly.  Their bright color and location help insure proper alignment for less experienced builders. One must realize that the set is marketed to 6-12 year old's. I imagine their testing has proven that such aides are very useful for younger builders.


Can video files created using the LEGO Movie Maker app be accessed directly?

While I wasn't able to find a way to export the videos via the application UI, I was able to locate these at the following path on Android: /data/data/com.lego.moviemaker.thelegomovie2/files

On my device, there were mp4 movie files located here along with a few other files. These can be moved around like any other file, and play just fine using VLC or other media players. You likely need a rooted device to access these.


Where can I find a 2x2 hinge on Bricklink?

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:


I remember that in the 80's black technic parts where always hard to recognize in the instructions, in those years you had to count the studs yourself. Over the years black became a little lighter in colour to a dark grey. This was also shown on one of the first pages of the instructions.

This stays OK until the introduction of dark grey parts. At that point LEGO struggled again with colours in the instruction. This was around 2008. In the year later this was solved by making black darker again. This current colour scheme is used in for example 42009. So this set is not a type II but another type. Also LEGO nowdays try to keep the same parts both in black and dark grey to a minimum per set.

Until now I never noticed that LEGO uses two different ways to show black parts. With and without a white outline. And also on the PDF's instruction it look like the shade of black is different. I don't know the reason for this and if the white outline is only used for non technic sets.

Numbered bags are used through the whole line of sets. And make the building a little easier by reducing the number of parts to look through while finding the part needed.

The coloured outline on the build steps are used at least from 2000. These are often used in larger models like 3723-1: LEGO Mini-Figure, where it can be hard to see where a part go. Often because of the uniform colour of a model.


What was the first Christmas themed Lego set?

I don't know whether this quite qualifies as a set, but there is a LEGO promotional Christmas box from 1964 listed on bricklink


How do you display multiple items at once on an EV3 screen?

At the start of the program, add a block that displays a custom image that is exactly the same as the shutdown screen (To make one, go to the tools tab at the top left, and in the drop-down, press "Image Editor") also, you can make a completely blank image for the second display block.


Lego Adventurers set with bridge, board with mountains?

How 'bout Set #5986 Amazon Ancient Ruins?


Can the rcx work without the infrared tower

No you can't. But IR towers are pretty cheap, especially the older serial ones (you have to add an USB to serial converter to use the latter version on modern computers)


I would remove last two plates since they ruin the geometry here. And instead I can suggest using any modified brick with two studs facing towards hinged brick (white colored bricks). Technic, Pin Connector Round 2/3 L (seen in red) could then be used to attach studs on both sides. Orange plate below confirms all of this fit in required space.

A bit of background on the logic with my solution. With cases like this it is helpful when you measure everything in standard units. Here, brick height is 6 units, plate height is 2 units and stud is 5 units. From here you can clearly see you have a gap of 3 studs=15 units and your assembly is 14 units. The difference in 1 unit makes things more complicated. So my suggestion is to simplify it and make use of more common pieces.


Does Toy 'R Us (or more expensive-than-average) retailers have more extra parts than average?

The number of parts shown on the box of the LEGO set indicate how many parts are included without the spare parts. Spare parts tend to be added for the smallest pieces of a set that can be lost easily.

Spare parts tend to be fairly consistent between identical sets regardless of where they are sold and sets with a greater amount of parts will generally have more spare parts.

I wrote to LEGO customer services, here is a quote from their response.

  When it comes to spare parts, it is random what pieces are included in
  which sets.  We always want to make sure our fans have a little extra
  to go with their awesome imaginations.

  LEGO Direct Consumer Services


Please help identify the LEGO Set from attached pics

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


How would you make a good pivot-arm suspension?

I got inspired by the idea of a vertical Slewing Bearing.  I made this “horrible”  prototype to demonstrate the principles.

One side of the assembly has a fixed wheel attached to it using multiple pins. The other side has multiple bearings.  The idea is that the vertical weight is shared between the bearings (on one side) and between the pins supporting the wheel  (on the other side).  This way, the axle supports only a part of the weight.  In the final design the axle should be much longer and use many bushes preventing the two sides from separating.


Why are there some extra letters on lego Car License Plates?

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.


What is the name of this set with projectiles and large gray wheels?

It is set 7020 named Army of Vikings with Heavy Artillery Wagon


Identify sets including tan building and gray engines

The parts on the left picture are from
75178: Jakku Quadjumper
Right picture shows part of
71006: The Simpsons House


Which "Real World" Company was the first to have its' name featured in an actual (numbered) Lego set?

The 1955 Bedford Esso truck sets that oddTodd refers to were the earliest appearance of a company name/logo on a product in the LEGO system, however these trucks were sold separately as part of the Town Plan, without bricks (although some versions of the 1251 set came with 1x1 bricks that were used as oil cans). An accessory set from 1955 included gas pumps and a printed Esso sign, but no building elements.

The first regular building set to include a company logo or name was 1310 Esso Filling Station from 1956. The next building sets to include a company name and logo were 306 VW Garage and 307 VW Auto Showroom, both released in 1958. (The first use of the VW logo was on the first 1:87 scale car LEGO produced in 1956, the VW Bus.)

Usage of the Esso name ended in Europe and Australia in 1965 and in the US in 1966. In 1966 the Shell brand name was first used in set 325 Shell Service Station


What is inside the Technic Powered Up XL motor?

I was curious about this, and TLG was willing to provide me with one of these motors, so I opened it up. I was able to get the outer shell off by cutting down the 4 tabs on the outside. This motor does not appear to be meant to be opened and put back together. These tabs hold it together very firmly and I wasn't able to move them out of the way without damaging them. The motor does not stay together properly without them.

The light bluish gray front can also be removed from the motor to reveal the internals.

We can see that it uses a double set of planetary gears that are very similar to the PF XL motor.

We can see an additional chip under the drive axle that is not present in PF motors. I believe that this is a rotary encoder to allow the motor to rotate in fixed increments.

There is a black ring around the red drive axle that is magnetic.

For comparison, here is an image from another teardown of the PF XL motor:

We can see that the internal motor and gearing is roughly the same, but the PF version does not include the rotary encoder.


What kind of activities can I expect to find at a LEGO Kids Fest?

The available activities vary from city to city, but are listed on that city's page under "Fun Activities". According to the site, they do not vary notably from day to day.

Cleveland, OH (November 4-6)
Hartford, CT, USA (December 2-4)

Some common elements at all the events which are not regular at other Lego attractions are:

Creation Nation - Build your own LEGO creation to add to a huge map of the United States. In the days following the event, come back to the website to see photos of the completed map.
Big Brick Pile - Mix children's imagination with a big pile of brick -- more loose brick than you've seen anywhere else -- and you'll be amazed by the results.
Mystery Mural Build - Join fellow LEGO KidsFest attendees and contribute to a giant piece of LEGO artwork. Assemble a small, color-coded tile of LEGO bricks and add it to the Mystery Mural. As the weekend progresses, the picture develops. In the days following the event, come back to the website to see photos of the final result!

As well as the standard model displays, building areas, race ramps, and store you'll find at Legoland Discovery Centers, Legoland parks, or regular Lego stores.


How do I unlock the sunday surprise on the 2013 Star Wars Advent Calendar?

I just found this website:

http://www.lego.com/en-us/starwars/games/web-games/advent-calendar

it has special stuff each day, the place you enter the code is the image of jango fett in the bottom middle.


In electrical engineering one might call it:
DPDT (Double Pole Double Throw) Momentary (On)-Off-(On) Reversing Polarity Toggle Switch.

Momentary in this configuration means that it's spring loaded towards its centre position.

Edit: I'm not sure though, see the comment below. I have the remotely controlled switch points from the gray era and they work like above.


Help with Multiple Motors/Intelligent Bricks and coding/ programming/ daisy chaining

Daisy chaining is straightforward. In your EV3 project, you click the little wrench in the topleft to open the project properties and enable the option "Daisy-chain mode" below the project picture. The EV3 bricks themselves need to be connected with the USB to mini-usb cables that are normally used to connect them to your computer.
After enabling the modes, the port selectors in your blocks will have layers, first layer being the EV3-brick immediately connected to your computer. 2nd layer the EV3-brick connected to that EV3 and so on up to 4 layers (4 bricks).

However, for the project you are describing, perhaps you could do with less motors and one brick would suffice:

grabbing and lifting can be done with one motor as is is for example done in the gripp3r standard model included with the software.
The double articulation of your claw arm might also not be necessary
Perhaps the arm does not need to be able to rotate if the vehicle itself is maneuverable enough


How can I determine the value of an out of production set on the aftermarket?

There are several sources you can use to determine the value of a set. Just remember that:

Just because it sold once for a certain amount, yours will not necessarily sell for the same amount. Tons of factors come into play, including completeness, box quality but also demand, location and luck (especially with vintage sets).
Just because it sold once before, doesn't mean the set is in demand or will sell anytime soon. Especially with very old sets like yours, there isn't a lot of demand. Vintage LEGO is nice to have, but sets from those days are significantly less sophisticated than recent sets.
For LEGO: older doesn't necessarily mean more expensive. A lot of really old sets actually sell for remarkably little money.

In no particular order, here are the most common reference sources for determining set values:
Bricklink
The most comprehensive source of set values when dealing with items that collectors will buy. Your everyday buyer won't typically use this venue, but in case of vintage sets, collectors do frequent BL. It's Price Guide feature is powerful, but only contains data on the last 6 months.
Set 40 has not been sold the last 6 months on BL, so there is no Price Guide. It does have 5 current listings world-wide.
Set 171 has also not seen any sales in the last 6 months on BL, but it currently has 17 listings world-wide.
EBay
EBay shows a history of sold listings for any given search term. Since EBay is also used by the casual shopper, this gives you a broader overview, however, especially for highly collector items that don't have a broad audience, like your vintage sets, people might shun EBay due to high fees.
Looking at set 40 sold listings on EBay, there have been 2 in the last while, both international sales in Europe.
Set 171 has been sold 3 times, two at around $50 and one at around $100 (USD).
BrickPicker
Brickpicker is an investment guide for LEGO. This site focuses on managing a portfolio of LEGO sets as if they were stocks. They keep important statistics (mainly compiled from EBay) on every set produced by the LEGO group. Sales statistics are nicely split out by country/region, which can be helpful.
Set 40 is listed here.
Set 171 is listed here. As you can see, neither of these sets have a lot of sales data due to their age and low sales frequency.
There are other sites such as camelcamelcamel.com which tracks sales of toys on Amazon.com, but the above 3 are the key ones I would use.


There are more antistuds based on your description, you have to account for the flat bricks that have no studs and any sloped bricks that have at minimum twice the number of anti studs. While there are the inverted sloped pieces the standard wider bottom are more prevalent and there are more variations in length and width. Also many of the flat wing pieces have more antistuds for overlapping purposes. Even counting those as 1/2 antistuds since they do not cover the entire stud, they still possess enough hold to keep the model together. With the more custom pieces used in the Star Wars and newer space kits to give the starfighters the smooth look there are many more antistuds on those pieces. That is not even counting the technic bricks.


Rescued Minifigure ID, read torso with armor and yellow head with mustache and glasses

You are right,
the parts are from different minifigs:

The head is Minifig, Head Moustache Brown Hair, Glasses on Forehead, Raised Eyebrow Pattern - Blocked Open Stud
The torso is
Torso Armor White with Black Muscles Outline and White Belt Pattern / Red Arms / Pearl Gold Hands
The legs are Hips and Dark Blue Legs


Why are LEGO sets put in such big boxes?

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

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

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

Emphasis mine.

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


What are the essential resources for learning the fundamentals of LEGO building?

I'd particularly recommend The Unoffical LEGO Builder's Guide. It covers all of the basics and gets into many of the more complex building techniques.

If you're interested in getting right into the details, The Unofficial LEGO Advanced Building Techniques Guide by Didier Enjary covers a wide variety of building techniques and is freely available. I don't know a lot about this document, but I first came across it on The Brothers Brick.


Verify authenticity of the Star Wars Snowtrooper minifig

It's hard to be certain without some more pictures or information to narrow down when these minifigs were produced, but it sounds like what you have are some of the older Snowtroopers with the helmet and backpack attached in a single piece. Based on that assumption and the details you provided, I think you are looking at authentic Lego, with the possible exception of the blasters.

Point by point:

I couldn't find a LEGO logo in any of my helmets, but it did look like there was a copyright icon in the central anti-stud.
Many of the older snow/storm/clone troopers have blank, black heads. The ones that do not have a solid central stud hole (but a triangular arrangement of holes) do not have a LEGO logo.
Your description matches my torsos. All have the LEGO logo on the top of the neck stud, somewhat obscured by what I assume is where the mold injected the plastic.
The legs all sound legitimate to me. I was able to find minifigs that matched the variations you describe.
These seem suspect. I was unable to find any in my collection that matched these patterns of printing. In all of mine, there was printing in the recessed "bolt" section of the barrel. None of them had printing on the trigger section.


Sounds like 'Hose, Rigid 3mm D. 16L / 12.8cm' in Pearl Dark Grey. Super Battle Droids are also in Metal Blue but none of the hoses exists in this color. Also note that the linked hose also exists in other sizes too and that the exact piece you have had might have been cut.

Note that colors mentioned refer to Bricklink's color names, LEGO company's official color names are different.


Can anyone help identify the LEGO bags, lime, dark green, and dark grey?

These bags are from
9457-1: Fangpyre Wrecking Ball

Based on

Track Element, 5X1,5
4625623: Cupboard 2X3X2
and the multiple other Bright Yellowish Green parts


Is there a way to convert a 3D model into a lego sculpture?

I found a few ways to convert a 3D model into a Lego sculpture. The first is a program called Dolphin Brickr. It works very well, as you can see in this image of Yoshi:

The downside to this program is that it only runs on Macs, This runs on both Windows and Macs now and the output format is a series of images, one for each layer. So you can't import it into MLCAD or your favorite Lego building software. I was looking for something that uses the .ldr format.

Another program is LSculpt. This worked okay but I couldn't seem to get great results.
I'll been using a 3D model of Nautilus for my examples. Here is a picture of the LSculpt results:

The black version was created from LSculpt and the blue version was creating using my alternate method. It is also worth mentioning there is another technique, a 3ds Max script called Legolizer. Unfortunately, I don't have 3ds Max so that wasn't an option for me. I wanted to do this using only open source software on Windows. Here is how you do it:

Step 1 - Scale your 3D model

You need to scale your model down by a factor of .833. I used MeshLab and the process that it described in the Dolphin manual.

Step 2 - Convert a 3D model into a binvox file

This is done using a program called binvox.exe. You can read about it and find the download link on this minecraft wiki. All you need to do is to download binvox.exe and then copy your 3D model into that folder. Open command prompt, cd into that folder, and run a command that looks something like this:

binvox nautilus.obj -d 128 -rotz -rotz

nautilus.obj is the name of my 3D model, -d 128 specifies the size (128 x 128 x 128 voxels), and -rotz and -rotx will rotate the model. You will have to experiment to get the right rotation, or your bricks won't face up at the end. You might want to start with -d 32 to speed up the process until you get the orientation right, which you won't find out until the end. The output from this is a file with the name nautilus.binvox.

Step 3 - Install Cygwin (optional if you know what you're doing)

I would recommend installing cygwin for the following steps, since that is what I used, but you don't necessarily need it. You just need a way to run c++ and Perl programs. When you install it you can select packages, make sure you install the package named perl and the package named gcc-g++.

Step 4 - Convert the binvox file to a readable txt file using read_binvox

Download this program called read_binvox. Make sure it is saved as read_binvox.cc. Then copy your .binvox file into the same folder. Open Cygwin and cd into that folder. Then run

g++ read_binvox.cc -o read_binvox

to compile the program. Next, you can run it with

read_binvox nautilus.binvox

This will create an output file called voxels.txt.

Step 5 - Convert voxels.txt into your .ldr file

I wrote a program in Perl that will convert the voxels.txt into a .ldr file. Create a new file named binvox2ldr.pl in the same directory as your voxels.txt file. File it with the contents from this pastebin.

Then go back to that directory in cygwin and run the command:

perl binvox2ldr.pl voxels.txt > nautilus.ldr

This may take a while to run, depending on what size you made the sculpture. The program uses a very basic algorithm for combining bricks together. It may have floating bricks, so I wouldn't recommend just using the parts list from that and expecting a secure, perfect model. But I think it could be a good way to start a design for a sculpture. The script could definitely use some more improvements, but it's a basic start.

Step 6 - Editing and Render

You can use these instructions from ldraw.org installing some tools for editing and rendering the sculpture. I used MLCAD to change the color and then rendered it using POV-RAY. Here's what it looks like:


What is the best way to get in contact with a Lego expert?

An effective way of contacting LEGO hobbyist is either by..

Contacting Local LEGO User Groups or similar hobbyist associations

Many countries and areas have their local associations. For a map of regional associations, see LEGO Ambassador Network's LUG map. By contacting representatives of association, you can easily contact local help.

Requesting help from online LEGO forums

Another option is to post a message at online LEGO forums. There are many forums as some are theme-specific and some are area- or language-specific and thus it is hard to pinpoint exactly which forum one should try; it depends on the case. Safe bet would be to post in few of the global online forums, such as Eurobricks.

Contacting individual hobbyist via site/blog/email

If one wishes to contact particular hobbyist, a good way is see if that particular hobbyist has own blog or similar page. Even gallery services such as Flickr often contain email which can be used to contact the hobbyist.

For this particular case, I would advice posting a message at Eurobricks since it has particularly large amount of readers.


Mindstorms EV3 Spinner factory complete code problem

Currently, the EV3 education software can be downloaded for free

https://education.lego.com/en-us/downloads/mindstorms-ev3/software

It includes the program for the spinner factory, perhaps you can study that program and compare it with your own implementation to find the problem

Alternatively and probably much more instructive, you could learn how to debug programs. For EV3 this is easiest with inserting sound alert or displaying values on the EV3 screen (with a wait block) during the steps of your program, you can find hints on how to debug a program here:

http://stemrobotics.cs.pdx.edu/sites/default/files/debug.pdf


Identifying a set with brown curved top and circular gray pieces on the sides

I think this is from

LEGO Star Wars Set 9491-1 , Geonosian Cannon.


Maybe this project legoBTLE4pi could help you.
It connects a Raspberry PI via Bluetooth to a Lego Powered Up Brick and does all the funny stuff.
The project is ongoing (nice TUI etc) but everything works.


Any way to get the current motor position or angle in WeDo 2 (when accessing hub via BLE protocol)?

Based on the answer to this question and some experiments with other hubs and other motors today (Boost hub + Boost motor + small PoweredUp hub), it seems that the WeDo motors really lack any ability beyond "Run with power X". Given that the WeDo motor is the same model that is built into the Bat Mobile, I would expect that the PoweredUp app would offer more functions for this motor if the motor was capable of them.


How can I tell if minifigures are custom-made or LEGO Originals?

If you can't hold them in your hand and inspect them closely for the usual LEGO production marks, as it would be the case with buying from Amazon, your best bet would be asking the seller and checking whether the individual parts exist as official LEGO pieces. A custom piece that doesn't appear in any official sets or catalogues clearly indicates a third-party make. Note however that the inverse is not true, if all parts of the figure can be found in official sets, they still could be custom-made. At this point it all comes down to the honesty (well-informedness?) of the seller and your trust in her/him.


Is the EV3 compatible with a 3rd party I2C gyroscope?

Yes, Mindstorms is incredibly hackable. You can use whatever 3rd-party analog, I2C, or UART devices you want with the EV3 brick. According to the hardware developer kit documentation:

  The EV3 platform supports the same level of I2C communication as MINDSTORMS NXT. This means that
  system support a maximum of 9600 bit/s and maximum 32 bytes communication buffers. All I2C
  communication is running within software drivers. External devices are required to include pull-up
  resistors on both pin 5 and 6 on 82K ohm. If multiple sensors are used on the same bus the total
  impedance needs to be adjusted accordingly.

Obviously, the standard Lego programming software will not be able to utilize custom devices, but pretty much any 3rd-party firmware will allow sending custom I2C read/writes.


Brick 2 x 2 cash register and tile 2 x 2 tape recorder sticker

Assuming these stickers are applied to the correct parts, you can search on Bricklink in the following categories: Slope, Decorated and Tile, Decorated (these links start at the pages where 2x2 slope and 2x2 tile first appear, respectively).

I didn't find anything looking like yours, which can mean one of three things:

I didn't look hard enough (there certainly are a lot of decorated 2x2 tiles)
These are not official LEGO stickers
There are official LEGO stickers but applied on wrong parts.

I'm leaning towards them not being official stickers, but there's no real way to be sure until we find where they are from.


They are in a perforated bag and the entire contents of the bag is listed. You only need some of them in this step and in a few steps later on. I think such bag is called an "accessory" bag and it is common to have the instructions like this for such bag. The first set that comes to mind that did the same was the
Big Ben 10253 where on step 269 on page 187 the entire contents of the bag with minifig tools is listed while you only need 4 times 2 pieces to build the clock arrows.


How do I build a sloped roof with a 60° rake?

See the instruction for that set on pages 56-59, 65 and 68/69 for the 3 different roofs of it.

they're using a different technique and different pieces for all of them, so this perfectly shows up some alternatives (technic-like parts for the big roof to the right, blocks with studs on the sides for the small 90°-roofs and 1x1 with clips for the roof to the left).


Do WHITE LEGO elements fade or yellow while sealed for years, or do they stay their perfect white original color?

Should be Fine
The sealing process, at least in the new bags without perforation, keeps the bricks safe from aging. The Taj Mahal should be just fine, and even opened, my Imperial Shuttle bricks are great!
In fact, all the newer bricks, 2003-2007, seem to be pretty yellow-proof. You'll typically only find those in much older sets.
Yellowing occurs because of UV interaction with the bricks. Box, indoors, away from windows, any of the above should keep them plenty safe.


Is it possible to connect an RCX to an iOS device?

Communication with the RCX Brick was via the Infra Red tower (or IR Remote Control) which connected to the computer with either a serial or USB cable.

As neither iPhone nor iPad have an IR port, there's no way to connect directly between the two.

You might be able to do something with a docked iOs device, but that strikes me as somewhat pointless.


EV3 parallel MyBlocks, but only one working

I could not find this in the help file, but according to this thread "Another little known characteristic of MyBlocks is that they aren't re-entrant. No two copies of the same MyBlock can be running at the same time."

I tried a few simple programs in EV3-G and confirmed that this is true. The order in which they run appears to be random.


You don't really need to worry about the wire gauge for Lego parts.
This source indicates that only the beefiest lego motors breach 1A, and even then, only while completely stalled. Most of those motors even have thermal protection systems built-in to prevent damage in the stalled case. So anything around gauge 20 or lower would do the trick.

Make sure to get a stranded core instead of a solid core so it will be flexible.

After you trim out the old damaged wire, slip on some cheap heat-shrink tubing over the remaining part before you twist/solder on the new wire. The heat-shrink tubing will reinforce and protect the new connections you made.


How do they decide when to remove an element from production, and what happens to the molds when they are retired?

I can't find a link to substantiate this, but a quality assurance representative from LEGO mentioned at a BrickWorld presentation a few years ago that worn out molds are buried on the factory property in Denmark in concrete. If anyone else can find substantiation for that, I'd love to see it.


My poor minifig's head is stuck in his helmet!

You can use some sugar liquid to use as temporary glue to make the head stuck to the torso. Then wait till the sugar is sticky and then try to remove the helmet. Once the helmet is loose you can put the head and torso in warm water to loosen the sugar glue and take it off. Then wash thoroughly to remove remaining sugar.


EV3 RMIregulatedMotor Regulation Problems

Looking at your code, you're saying:

Set the motors to a speed of 300, acceleration of 1000
Run the motors backwards
Pause execution of your program for 500ms
Stop the motors
If you're not seeing colour id 7, go to 1.

Assuming that this was exactly the same code you had on the Brick, I'd guess the delays introduced by the communication will cause a stuttery motion that you might not notice when running it on the device.

If you pulled the following lines out of your while loop things would probably be smoother:

leftMotor.stop(true);
rightMotor.stop(true);


How can I make a precise one-way clutch using Technic elements?

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


How can I use 1 motor for grabbing/lifting and another for moving?

Is there anyway in which I can use 1 motor for efficient/quick movement while turning left and right?

Yes, if you use one motor to drive a wheel and another to steer the vehicle. Using an NXT motor for steering would be quite wasteful however, you should at least use gearing to convert the jittery, fast movement of the NXT motor into slower, more balanced steering. You could also look into using Power Functions parts, the servo motor being the obvious choice for steering applications.

  Another thing is whether I could use a single motor for turning objects 180 degrees on one side and lifting objects on the other end of the robot, is that possible?

If these two need to operate separately, then you will need to sacrifice some functionality. It is possible to split a motor's output into two axles in a configuration that drives only one axle depending on the direction of the motor. See this setup: How can I make a precise one-way clutch using Technic elements?
This will only allow either axle to turn in one direction only, so if you need lifting AND putting back, you'll need to solve it as a circular function. Driven by the only input axle that is turning in one direction, the lift would need to raise and lower back to the original position without any other input.

  alternatively, is it possible to lift and grab using a single motor?

Using some clever mechanics, it is certainly possible. The 8868 Air Tech Claw Rig/Materials Handler used something like this to automatically grab an object, raise its arm, open the claws, drop the arms and start the cycle again. All this using a single motor (and some pneumatics). In this way though you won't get any control over the details (how high it lifts, etc) or over the sequence itself (you can't grab and release something without lifting it).

  Lastly, would it be less efficient to use two NXT bricks to increase motors capacity?

You could certainly use two NXTs and have control over 6 motors. This would however require more batteries, result in a larger and heavier model and necessitate some kind of synchronisation between the NXTs. All of these drawbacks can be mitigated, so if you can't seem to solve the problem using engineering (or have proven that it is impossible to achieve your goals using only 3 motors) then feel free to throw in another NXT.

If you need to increase the number of available motors, you could look into using third party parts, like this motor multiplexer that allows you to use two motors on one sensor port.


Where can I buy replacement stickers for the set 8018?

You can get replacement stickers on BrickLink. Here is the link to the 8018 stickers: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=8018stk01


How to control a 88004 Servo Motor with a Raspberry Pi?

LEGO "Servo Motor" has little to do with a RC servomotor. To drive it, you need to:

Power it at 9V (probably works at 5 volts, but with less torque) through PWR/GND terminals
To move in one direction, send a PWM signal (1200 Hz, 0 to 100% duty cycle) on C1 and keep C2 at GND level. As duty cycle varies, servo motor will move along 7 positions on one side. See this video.
To move in the other direction and reach the 7 other positions, send PWM to C2 and keep C1 at ground level.


MOCs: A question about using LEGO trademark

If you read the Fair Play Brochure linked from the Fair Play policy, you will see more detailed sections covering "Attempted Association" and "Product Copying". The reason you're not seeing an explicit "commercial use" call out is because there isn't one - if you want to use their trademarks commercially, you will need to get a commercial license via a licencing agreement:

The LEGO Group’s trademarks and copyrighted material may NEVER be used by unrelated third parties for their own commercial or marketing purposes, unless formal permission or a written licence has been granted by the LEGO Group.

Basically, you should not use the LEGO logo anywhere on your product or marketing materials to avoid any doubt. I'm aware of at least one LEGO Certified Professional (whose main site seems to have dropped off the net, but you can still find some bits on Facebook) whose products you can still find listed on various sites that give a fairly good example of how to do this:

I've seen these in Aquatics shops and online. A number of the listings mention LEGO but there's nothing explicit on the packaging - although the blue 4x2 is rather close to the official red 4x2 that is copyrighted. The catalogues however do carry the Logo as part of the LEGO Certified Professional program.
I would recommend doing point 1 below, as I'm not a lawyer, but I would suggest your options are either:

Not referencing LEGO in any way, other than through the product shots.
If you do reference LEGO, that should be purely in text ideally on the rear of the packaging (i.e. not prominent), include the ® symbol, and include their disclaimer (i.e. "LEGO® is a trademark of the LEGO Group of companies which does not sponsor, authorize or endorse this product") and contact a lawyer.


Looking for a site with custom instructions

There are quite a few individual sites out there offering that sort of thing, however one of the best I've come across is:

  The MOC pages on Rebrickable.com

This is because the site allows you to catalogue all your parts and then search for other sets and MOCs you can build with your existing collection.


Connected flexible 2 x 2 white plates - what set?

That's an old 650 Hinge Coupling Nylon - Two Connected 2 x 2 Plates from the 60s.

It only ever came in 20 sets, but it's typically clear. It's listed as a possible alternate for the following set, but it's possible other sets could have had it as an alternate too.

901-2 2 Large Wheels with Accessories


How to get good color readings from the color sensor?

The color sensor works pretty well as long as the object is about 1 1/2- 2 modules from the object.

The sensing is best when the object is flat.

The object is large enough to be fully contained within the "spotlight" that the sensor emits. As long as this is true, it doesn't really matter what the background color is.

Another thing to consider is that the color sensor has different modes (active vs. passive). In "active" mode the sensing is affected much less by the ambient lighting conditions.

Pro tip: if you are using EV3-G or RobotC without Xander's drivers, the color detection works best on LEGO's colors (the color the bricks are in). This is especially noticeable for the "green" color.


How does LEGO handle the breakage of Hero Factory sockets?

Each time I've heard someone from LEGO speak about quality, they tend to insist on on simple message: they can't do anything on a problem they don't know about. This may seem very obvious, but they feel it needs to be repeated anyway.

What this means is that they want every single customer with any quality problem to actually report it. Apart from the fact that they always help customers directly, they record all of it and the number of times a problem is reported is also a good indicator for LEGO that the problem is serious and needs to be addressed.

A simple example: instruction books and sticker sheets regularly ended up bent or damaged. Through the number of complaints this generated, LEGO has learnt about the problem and how seriously it was perceived by its customers. As a result, instructions and sticker sheets are now packaged (manually, I might add, which has an extra cost) in a sleeve with a cardboard to protect them, at least in bigger sets (again, because of the cost).

So, in a nutshell, that's the most important thing LEGO does about all quality problem: they listen.

I have no way of knowing myself if that particular problem of ball joints in Hero Factory figures is very widespread or well known, but the more people report it to LEGO, the bigger the chance it's going to be solved. And in the meantime, everyone who contacts them will get replacements anyway.

So I would advise you to just follow that route: each time you get a broken part, go to the LEGO customer service Replacement Parts page, select "a piece broke while building", type in the set number and select the part which broke. You'll even get a chance to enter in detail what happened. So you'll get a replacement, which solves your immediate problem, but in the background LEGO might learn that this particular part is too fragile if a lot of customers report the problem.

One last thing which needs to be said is that even if LEGO is aware of a problem, or addressing it, or maybe already solved it, it may take time for the solution to reach the public. A new, enhanced version of a part might not appear in sets before the stock of the other version has been used, for example (unless the older version is so bad that LEGO will recycle the stock entirely, of course, but that probably doesn't happen too often).

Note: I apologize if this answer is very generic in nature and doesn't address the ball joints specifically (thus no answers on the "are there way to prevent this" part, although I guess a little bit of soap might help), but I feel it's very important to understand how LEGO deals with quality problems in general.


How to program two NXT motors to run at the same time?

In NXT-G if you place a block after another block it will run in succession. To get two motors running at the same time you can place two motor blocks, one at the start and the other just above or below. Drag the sequence beam (the white Technic beam) to the second block to complete the circuit.

Don't forget to make sure the motor blocks are controlling separate ports and that both ports on the NXT brick are attached to motors.

You could just use one block to control the two ports but they would both have to be running in the same direction.


Confused about Power Functions M-motor 8883 and 8293

Yes, both items contain the same M-Motor part.


This did the trick for me.  My situation mirrors the original poster.

http://neuron.eng.wayne.edu/LEGO_ROBOTICS/software_setup_tutorial.html

There are 4 parts to this.  BrickControlCenter (brickcc), a driver for the IR tower, an image of the firmware and some other piece of software called the NCQ.

I did not install the driver since I was using a USB to RS232 adapter and BrickCC worked just fine installing the firmware.

Added bonus, the brickCC is a full on IDE for the RCX.

Also, Swap memory has to be set to at least 4GB because of some limitation on Director 6 which causes the MindStorm program to stall sometimes as it determined that it's 3MB requirement is greater than the available gigabytes if they're 3GB or less.  Clever.


The LEGO Group has already created clear sustainability goals.

TLG is currently investing money to try to find sustainable and non-petroleum based ways to design LEGO bricks. Here's some info about the new Sustainable Materials Center that TLG is working on:

http://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/news-room/2015/june/sustainable-materials-centre

It sounds like they are investing significant money (1 billion DKK, ~150 million USD) and manpower (100 new employees) into solving this problem. They have also made it clear that they want to keep their focus on product quality while exploring sustainable technologies, so it sounds like whatever new plastics they develop will need to be at least as high quality as ABS.

If you are interested in collaborating with them on this, you'll need to get in touch with TLG directly. This is a fan-moderated FAQ site, so you are unlikely to get a response from a LEGO employee. I'd recommend using the "Contact Us" page on LEGO.com.


How to use this 5 and a half width windshield?

That part is a little tough to use on its own. It is generally paired with another element to create a 6-wide windscreen (6567c02):

Without the outer part, you don't have any nice stud connections to work with, and as you mentioned the size is strange, so it would be challenging to work it into a build.

I imagine it is now obvious how this is used, but since you asked to see this in a set, here is one example:


Is there any way to find misplaced bricks in LEGO NXT Programming?

I have had this problem in the past, and have not been able to find a solution, other than program it with the software meant for programming EV3s, as it is backward compatible (except that Bluetooth doesn't work, so that may be a problem as your photo shows Bluetooth blocks). Hope this helps!


The four codes are as follows:

December 01: Y15C05
December 08: Y30C03
December 15: Y73C14
December 22: Y12C34


Where can I get replacement cables of this kind?

This is an Electric, Wire 12V / 4.5V.

They can be found here:

Catalog: Parts - Electric, Wire & Connector

Just find the right length.


Piece Identification, 3x6 white horizontal cylinder

These appear in 4s in many iterations of the Imperial Shuttle, and also many of the X-wing, as well as the
MT-201 Ultra-Drill Walker and the SP Undercover Cruiser. I can't say for certain which of these sets originally contained those pieces, but this should get you closer. This list also shows sets that contain the piece in smaller quantities.


Does anyone have a picture of the Lego Club alphabet code from Bricks and Pieces magazine?

The code was introduced as a puzzle in the spring 1981 issue and is explained in the summer 1981 issue. (Page 7 at the bottom of the page).

the issue can be found found at: http://www.1000steine.com/brickset/miscellaneous/BricksAndPieces/1981-2%20Summer.pdf

And here is the code:

Enjoy!


Can i change the way the ir remote works?

If I understand your question correctly, you are asking how to use the following remote to control traditional car that has front wheel rack and pinion steering rather than a vehicle that skid steers using the rear wheels. Here's the remote:

This isn't ideal for controlling steering because both sets of buttons point forward. The easiest solution is to attach a wheel on the side of the remote that actuates one set of controls like this. Here's an example using the PF remote that could be adapted to work with the EV3 remote.

I don't know what your vehicle design looks like, but you may also want some sort of return to center steering system on the motor controlling the orientation of the front wheels if you haven't already built one. Here's one simple example of this:


Last photo unnumbered bag: 76037-1: Rhino and Sandman Super Villain Team-up


Is this element some kind of Technic connector?

Hooray, I get to answer a question!

This is not a piece for launching missiles.  It's actually part of an old steering assembly from some late 80s and 90s Technic sets.

Here's what the whole thing looks like:

And a view of the piece in question:

And an example of how it is meant to be used:

The teeth on the outside of the piece help lock it into one of several different inclinations, so you can vary the angle at which the steering column exits the assembly.

Here is the piece on BrickLink: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2790 (ooooo four digit part number!)

Along with the bottom assembly: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2792

The main rack: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=2791

And the steering arms: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItem.asp?P=4261


Uli posted a link in a comment to https://lgauge.com/technic/LEGOInterfaceA/9750(1093).htm which has a link to http://isodomos.com/Lego-Sets/1093.html , that link is dead but archive.org has a copy http://web.archive.org/web/20081121054400/http://isodomos.com/Lego-Sets/1093.html both sites have the pinout, but the latter site also confirms the logic levels as 5V TTL.
I will repeat the pinout here, in case those sites disappear.

Pins 1 and 3: 5V

Other odd numbered pins: Ground

Even numbered pins 6-16: Outputs 0-5

Pins 18 and 20: Inputs 6 and 7

Unlike the interface B which is a somewhat-intelligent device that communicates over RS-232 the interface A seems to just use straight digital IO lines. For bi-directional control of motors the outputs can be used in pairs.
The pinout seems to be an exact match for the user port on a BBC micro. I suspect this is not a coincidence.
It would not be difficult to hook this up to something more modern, a 5V Arduino could probably hook up directly. For a Raspberry Pi you would want something to shift the levels, I'd probably use HCT logic running off 5V for the signals from the Pi to the interface A (this may not be strictly needed) and LVC logic running off 3.3V for the signals from the interface A to the Pi.


How exactly does the pull-back motor (12787) work?

Another type of pullback motor has a detailed structural disassembly here: Imgur album.

I think your motor should work mostly the same way, but I wasn't able to source such internal pictures.

LEGO Micro Pull-back Motor Reassembly

Micro Pull-back Motor Parts

Gear A: Pin shaped like 'E' for attachment to Spring on Chassis
Gear B: Smallest (of 2) gear with a pin
Gear C: Largest gear with 2 levels, smaller gear at the bottom, larger gear on top, with teeth for meshing with Axle F
Gear D: Smallest (of 2) gear with a hole
Gear E: Medium gear with 2 levels
Axle Assembly F
Gear Assembly G

Not shown: 5 X-head screws
Note: Gear A may be detached from Spring.
I attached it such that it won't fall out when flipped upside down.

Install Gear B
Place Gear B with pin downwards into slot in Gear Assembly G

Install Gear C.
Place Gear C into the hole in Gear Assembly G.
The larger gear is on top.
Gear C will cover Gear B and mesh with it
(though Gear B has some play since it is in a slot)

Install Gear E.
Place Gear E into the small depression in Gear Assembly G.
The larger gear is at the bottom, and will slide under Gear C.
There is a pin facing up. Gear E will mesh with Gear B.

Attach Gear D to the Axle Assembly F.
Gear D has a small hole which fits on the pin on Axle Assembly F.

Attach the Axle Assembly F to the Gear Assembly Cover G.
Flip the Axle over.
Gear D should stay attached to the Axle Assembly.
Align the Axle Assembly and snap down on the protruding pin on the Gear Assembly.
Pinch the two parts (F & G) together at the lower section using thumb and index finger, and try to spin the axle.
The gears should only rotate when the axle is spun in one direction, and not the other.

Reattach the Gear Assembly G to the Chassis.
This step is tricky.
You will need to pinch the Gear Assembly to keep parts in place,
then place the Chassis on top of the Gear Assembly G, and move it around
until Gear A connects with the correct hole and mesh with the other gears.
Then, holding everything tightly, flip it over, and start installing and tightening the screws in a diagonal pattern.
Don't over tighten the screws, you should install at least 3 screws first (one on top, two at the bottom), and test that the spring is engaged with Gear A and you get a pull back action when the wheels are turned.
After that, install the rest of the screws and tighten all of them.

The pull back action works, but I can't figure out how to fix the torque on the spring.
So the car is no longer a race car but a jalopy!