For anyone looking for more of this, there are several channels that are all pushing LEGO Technic to its limits, not just Brick Technology (https://www.youtube.com/@BrickTechnology).
The Great Ball Contraption is in part a standard that defines how different GBC modules connect, and by following that standard you can have a large number of them, built by different people in isolation, be linked together.
Assuming good faith here, I think there might have been a misunderstanding:
The person you're replying to, didn't call any person "blogspam". That would be rude, and I wouldn't call ipsum2 rude.
They didn't even call any blog, "blogspam". That would also likely be rude, and again, I wouldn't call ipsum2 rude.
They called this particular post, "blogspam", because that is a good definition for a blog entry which reposts someone else's content without adding much beyond the original content, which is an accurate description of this blog entry.
Note that this definition doesn't describe a person, it describes a behavior. Misinterpreting feedback about a behavior, to be feedback about a person, is likely to lead to such misunderstandings. If we can make sure to tell the two apart, we can eliminate some of the strife in the world at no cost :)
151 days ago [-]
dumbassidiot 152 days ago [-]
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red_admiral 152 days ago [-]
If your blog is that good, you're allowed to spam occasionally.
dumbassidiot 152 days ago [-]
[flagged]
kromokromo 152 days ago [-]
Huge fan of this guy, very talented and creative mechanical lego engineer. You can also tell he spends a lot of time editiing his videos.
IG_Semmelweiss 152 days ago [-]
This is very impressive and looks quite fun! Do higher end competitions, like FRC, can also support the iterative approach of trial and error to solve a problem ? Not sure if due to lot of small parts and dependencies - particularly with software- its much harder to iterate around it
notnaut 152 days ago [-]
Check their YouTube channel out for like 10-20 more fun challenges like this. Whoever’s responsible is so creative and clever and also very good at making entertaining videos.
schoen 152 days ago [-]
I love how the failed designs in this video will sort of slink away from the tower sheepishly.
gbear605 152 days ago [-]
The FRC team I was on (years ago) would prototype individual components of the robot, but for the whole robot design they would just design the entire thing in CAD before actually starting building. Obviously there would then be some iteration as some parts work or don’t work, but the large majority of the robot would stay the same after the initial model.
OmegaMetor 152 days ago [-]
With frc it depends a lot more on the specific team and how they work, some teams will very rapidly prototype lots of things to find what works for them, while others will just have an idea they like and start building. It's more of a time management issue than anything.
codeflo 152 days ago [-]
Slightly off-topic, but I was recently very disappointed to learn that Lego Mindstorms was discontinued some time ago without replacement. It’s such a shame that hardly modifiable licensed IP shovelware sets are now by far the most profitable product lines for Lego. Supposedly that’s true in Asian markets in particular. The kinds of sets we grew up with that inspire creativity and technical understanding are at best kept as a niche, at worst abandoned.
Yen 151 days ago [-]
For what it's worth, it seems like "lego spike prime" is effectively equivalent to mindstorms, in that it includes a programmable brick that can connect to multiple motors, sensors, and can be programmed in a scratch-like environment.
I don't know why there was a branding change, but the capabilities seem pretty similar to the RCX I had as a child. Though programming over bluetooth is likely to be more reliable than the IR adapter.
vliedel 151 days ago [-]
All the current motors are very controllable (absolute position, speed, etc).
They can be hooked up to:
- A battery box, with simple buttons.
- A hub, controlled via bluetooth (protocol is documented, and there are some libraries).
- A hub that can be programmed (spike).
- A raspberry pi, with an official hat (build hat). This also comes with a python library.
I'm actually pretty happy with these motors. The only downside is that the technic sets are meant to be controlled with an app.
acedTrex 152 days ago [-]
Yes, i learned this recently as well and was devastated. A very core part of my journey to becoming an engineer.
baruz 151 days ago [-]
> recently very disappointed
Here too. Apparently the components are scattered through the education-oriented Spike Prime sets. If you can stomach the kid-oriented colors, that’s the best route to recreating childhood Mindstorms robots.
auto 151 days ago [-]
For the climber, I thought the final solution was going to end up being rails that just pushed a weight further out from center mass at the top of the tower. The ball pendulum was cool nonetheless!
testfrequency 152 days ago [-]
The camera angles and editing on this video is so satisfying. Great work.
rightbyte 151 days ago [-]
Really impressive. I wonder how much time each design takes? The video makes it look like it is easy for the author.
supermatt 152 days ago [-]
About half-way in they encounter problems with the barrel jamming, which reminded me of this interesting challenge wintergaten had with his ball separator: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y83I8mLKufo
causi 151 days ago [-]
I'm going to hell, because my first thought was "LEGO airliners".
wslh 152 days ago [-]
Excelent for a high school course in physics.
kjrfghslkdjfl 152 days ago [-]
I'm disappointed to see that he didn't try the simplest and most obvious solution: deploy a telescopic boom that pushes the tower against the floor.
Woshiwuja 152 days ago [-]
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layer8 152 days ago [-]
I’d like to see that Lego plane.
Dedrillion 152 days ago [-]
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dumbassidiot 152 days ago [-]
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crawfishphase 152 days ago [-]
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badcppdev 152 days ago [-]
There's a line between "consumerism" and living a good life. I believe that many people in HN think that well made construction kits with parts that last for decades like Lego are part of having a good life rather than simply 'mass-martketed mass-producted plastic'.
red_admiral 152 days ago [-]
Lego lasts much, much longer than most electronics these days. And that's not just because of stupid lightbulbs that stop working when the company shuts down their servers.
crawfishphase 152 days ago [-]
Its a lifestyle that glorifies plastic and results in the mass production of it. Its marketed so well that many just refuse to see it. Its like the tobacco of plastics. One brick can last 1300 years. Do you REALLY need your toys to last 1300 years?
True creativity can use a responsible sustainable medium.
Have you seen toys? The vast majority are plastic (although some good wooden ones are available), and of those most probably won't last more than a year or two (both in terms of physically surviving, but also in the child's interest).
Lego however is a long-term toy that generally does not break, retains interest form kids for years, and is very frequently passed around between friends and family. One set might last years and years and years and go through multiple families and eBay auctions and Craigslist giveaways etc. Lego themselves even run a recycling program.
Sure don't buy kids cheap plastic tat that only lasts an afternoon or two, but investing in quality educational toys is worthwhile IMHO, both in terms environmental impact and educational benefits.
stby 152 days ago [-]
Lego specifically lasts pretty long, I've got some of them at home that survived three generations of kids.
But apart from that I do feel like there's way to much plastic in toys, so I'm curios - do you have any good recommendations for alternatives? There seems to be plenty of wooden toys for toddlers, but not so much for kids older than 4.
red_admiral 152 days ago [-]
There used to be meccano - think "Lego technic but metal". Not sure if they're still going.
I played with wooden Kapla bricks until I was way older than 4, though the adults kept telling us to stop making catapults to knock down bridges and towers and stuff.
Maybe with laser cutters there's a new market for wooden construction toys.
seabass-labrax 152 days ago [-]
Meccano still exist, but hardly: they no longer have any dedicated factories (discussion at [1]), and a very limited range of kits - only eight for sale in Britain at the moment, none of which are based on real-world designs.
I'd say that Meccano has always seemed to me to be less of an engineering toy and more of a modelling one; one can make functional machines, but there are few parts capable of free movement. There are so many more ways to build machines with original Lego Technic pieces - gears, belts, pullies etc.
This appears to be a self-imposed limitation and a rather short-sighted strategy on the part of Meccano. They don't sell genuine individual pieces and spares, even though there are multiple third-parties who do manufacture such parts.
> Maybe with laser cutters there's a new market for wooden construction toys.
I hope so. There's an interesting discussion at [2] about which timber lends itself best to mechanical devices, but then there's the additional questions of what subset of those types of wood would also be suited to laser cutting. Additionally, if you combine wood with metal you have to take into account the differential in expansion and contraction between materials. Plastic pieces such as Lego are less susceptible to that effect to start with.
Some of my other favorites in this niche include:
Brick Experiment Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@BrickExperimentChannel
Dr. Engine: https://www.youtube.com/@DrEngine
Brick Machines: https://www.youtube.com/@BrickMachinesChannel
Jamie's Brick Jams: https://www.youtube.com/@JamiesBrickJams
Build it with Bricks: https://www.youtube.com/@BuilditwithBricks
GazR's Extreme Brick Machines!: https://www.youtube.com/@GazRsExtremeBrickMachines
https://youtube.com/@akiyuky
The Great Ball Contraption is in part a standard that defines how different GBC modules connect, and by following that standard you can have a large number of them, built by different people in isolation, be linked together.
https://www.greatballcontraption.com/wiki/standard
https://youtu.be/RRiAI5xrFEM (you will Akiyuki in there a few times)
For original models, often with advanced and beautiful moving parts, JK Brickworks [1] is great, too.
1: https://www.youtube.com/@JKBrickworks
The person you're replying to, didn't call any person "blogspam". That would be rude, and I wouldn't call ipsum2 rude.
They didn't even call any blog, "blogspam". That would also likely be rude, and again, I wouldn't call ipsum2 rude.
They called this particular post, "blogspam", because that is a good definition for a blog entry which reposts someone else's content without adding much beyond the original content, which is an accurate description of this blog entry.
Note that this definition doesn't describe a person, it describes a behavior. Misinterpreting feedback about a behavior, to be feedback about a person, is likely to lead to such misunderstandings. If we can make sure to tell the two apart, we can eliminate some of the strife in the world at no cost :)
I don't know why there was a branding change, but the capabilities seem pretty similar to the RCX I had as a child. Though programming over bluetooth is likely to be more reliable than the IR adapter.
They can be hooked up to:
- A battery box, with simple buttons.
- A hub, controlled via bluetooth (protocol is documented, and there are some libraries).
- A hub that can be programmed (spike).
- A raspberry pi, with an official hat (build hat). This also comes with a python library.
I'm actually pretty happy with these motors. The only downside is that the technic sets are meant to be controlled with an app.
Here too. Apparently the components are scattered through the education-oriented Spike Prime sets. If you can stomach the kid-oriented colors, that’s the best route to recreating childhood Mindstorms robots.
True creativity can use a responsible sustainable medium.
Take a look at this mess:
https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cornwall-66187273.amp
Lego however is a long-term toy that generally does not break, retains interest form kids for years, and is very frequently passed around between friends and family. One set might last years and years and years and go through multiple families and eBay auctions and Craigslist giveaways etc. Lego themselves even run a recycling program.
Sure don't buy kids cheap plastic tat that only lasts an afternoon or two, but investing in quality educational toys is worthwhile IMHO, both in terms environmental impact and educational benefits.
I played with wooden Kapla bricks until I was way older than 4, though the adults kept telling us to stop making catapults to knock down bridges and towers and stuff.
Maybe with laser cutters there's a new market for wooden construction toys.
I'd say that Meccano has always seemed to me to be less of an engineering toy and more of a modelling one; one can make functional machines, but there are few parts capable of free movement. There are so many more ways to build machines with original Lego Technic pieces - gears, belts, pullies etc.
This appears to be a self-imposed limitation and a rather short-sighted strategy on the part of Meccano. They don't sell genuine individual pieces and spares, even though there are multiple third-parties who do manufacture such parts.
> Maybe with laser cutters there's a new market for wooden construction toys.
I hope so. There's an interesting discussion at [2] about which timber lends itself best to mechanical devices, but then there's the additional questions of what subset of those types of wood would also be suited to laser cutting. Additionally, if you combine wood with metal you have to take into account the differential in expansion and contraction between materials. Plastic pieces such as Lego are less susceptible to that effect to start with.
[1]: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=35501335
[2]: https://www.model-engineer.co.uk/forums/topic/wooden-gears/
At least in my very limited experience, merely the cost of quality wood makes it an expensive material to build toys from.
For example: https://www.communityplaythings.com/products/play/block-play...
Lego is a fantastic use of plastic, IMO. Durable, reusable, broad appeal, and designed to be kept, not churned out into the landfill or ocean.