Brick Labs

LEGO NXT Building Animals Ideas

Eric — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 14:13:08 +0000

Fay Rhodes has done some excellent work with both her books regarding building LEGO NXT Animals.
The first book, is the Zoo Book. You can buy it at Amazon.

Here is a Rabbit from the Zoo Book:

Next up, is another book from Fay Rhodes. Robots Alive! Endangered Species

Here is a frog from the Endangered Species book:

Both books are great. They are all built from LEGO NXT kits, with some extra parts. You can see the Endangered Species parts list (pdf download), and the Zoo Book parts list to see what other pieces you need.

It’s Christmas Time

Eric — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 13:43:12 +0000

OK. It’s Christmas time… and that means… time for making a list right?

I have two Christmas requests this year.

1) An Amazon Kindle DX.

2) Amazon Gift Certificates. Any amount… $5 is great…

3) A LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 (8547) (ok, so I can’t count)

So… what’s on YOUR wishlist?

Amazon sale – LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2 – Best Price

Eric — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 01:25:08 +0000

Amazon has a sale going right now. $227 US for the LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2 kit. Seems to be the best price around right now…

Mimicking Life – Animals in Motion

Eric — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 01:03:00 +0000

You often see people trying to mimic animals. Especially in how they move. I’ve seen robots that crawl, walk with 2 legs, walk with 4 legs, swim, slither and now… run.

Robert Full shared some ideas on TED way back in February 2005. He shows some great research that was done in how certain critters can move so fast over such unstable mediums, such as screen, gravel, or vertically up a wall.

It’s definitely worth watching… maybe someone will create a running robot with some LEGO parts and some ideas from this video? If you do, send me a link! :)

Isn’t he cute?

Eric — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 17:12:04 +0000

Found via Brothers Brick.

Help out GeekDad!

LEGO Writing Style – A primer

Eric — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:58:44 +0000

As most of you know, I wrote one of the chapters in the One Kit Wonders book. As such, there are certain terms that have to be used when writing about LEGO.

Brick Bender has put together a short version of some writing styles. Here is a couple quotes, and then the link to the full article:

-LEGO is always singular and should be used as a modifier/adjective; ie. LEGO bricks, LEGO elements, or LEGO parts.

-They are not blocks, they are bricks.

Brick Bender – An unofficial style guide

Happy 4th of July – LEGO Style!

Excellent Robotics Tutorials – And a Trossen Winner

Eric — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:39:54 +0000

Trossen Robotics held a Tutorial Contest. The winners got some great robotics prizes. But they aren’t the only ones who win. We are.

Why? Because they had to create quality tutorials in order to qualify for the prizes. And you and I get to read and use those tutorials.

You can see the projects and winners here on the Tutorial Contest Winners Announced! page.

Here is a list of the tutorials produced by the Top 3 winners:

So You Want To Build A Robot?
An Introduction to Interrupts
Choosing Sensors for Your Robot
Materials for your Robot
Introduction to Encoders
Power Supply Basics
XBEE Basics
AVR Basics
An Introduction to Mapping and Localization
Controlling AX-12 Servos
Following a Wall
Obstacle Avoidance in the Real World
Where Am I? Place Recognition Using Omni-directional Images and Color Histograms
Cheap Battery Monitor Using Resistive Voltage Divider
Prototyping a PCB with Desoldering Braid
Get position feedback from a standard hobby servo
Project documentation for the hobbyist

Are LEGO bricks safe to use in an Aquarium?

Eric — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 15:36:10 +0000

Ask A LEGO Fan is a new blog by… a LEGO fan. You can find the blog here: http://askalfan.wordpress.com

Anyone can ask a question, and they will try to answer them. Usually there are links to the source for the answer (or answers).

One of the recent questions, was this: Is it safe to use LEGO in an Aquarium?

The answer, not surprisingly, is yes. I mean, after all… if a child can put these in their mouth (EWWW), then they are safe for the aquarium.

I wouldn’t go putting my electronics pieces in an aquarium. But I think you already knew that. :)

LEGO Technic 2009 Building Instructions

Eric — Sat, 08 Aug 2009 15:33:20 +0000

LEGO Costumer Service has the building instructions for the 2009 LEGO TECNHIC sets available for download.

Here are the direct links (in PDF format) for the instructions and booklet. NOTE: These PDF files are several MB each.

LEGO Set: 8258 – Crane Truck
Book 1/4
Book 2/4
Book 3/4
Book 4/4
PF Leaflet

LEGO Set: 8265 – Front Loader
(also includes instructions to use the PF Motor Kit elements in 8293: Battery Box, M-motor, Pole Reverser).
Book 1/3
Book 2/3
Book 3/3

LEGO Set: 8263 – Snow Groomer
Book 1/2 (Main Model)
Book 2/2 (B-Model)

While the Costumer Service pages have included the 8293 B-model instructions, these were already available from the TECHNIC Products website, you can find them on the TechnicBricks website.

SNOT Building – Diagonal Stripes

Eric — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:10:00 +0000

A neat way to make diagonal stripes for one of your MOCs. SNOT building often takes some thinking outside the box… this method is pretty easy to replicate, and works well.