Author Topic: Lego machine  (Read 5641 times)

Offline BillTodd

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Lego machine
« on: February 17, 2012, 06:24:43 AM »
Lego seems to be doing the job that Mecanno (Erector)  used to do when I was a kid:

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Bill

Offline AussieJimG

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Re: Lego machine
« Reply #1 on: February 19, 2012, 05:17:18 AM »
I think Meccano was more robust because of the nuts and bolts. And we learnt about struts and loading. Any kid with a number 10 set was automatically the most popular. There must have been squillions of bits around at that time (a long time ago). I wonder what happened to them all.

Jim

Offline DaveH

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Re: Lego machine
« Reply #2 on: February 19, 2012, 08:10:40 AM »
Any kid with a number 10 set was automatically the most popular.
Jim

And had "rich" parents  :lol: :lol: :lol:
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DaveH
(Ex Leicester, Thurmaston, Ashby De La Zouch.)

Offline kwackers

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Re: Lego machine
« Reply #3 on: February 19, 2012, 10:12:10 AM »
I so wanted a No10 set! So much in fact I occasionally browse fleaBay looking for one, but looking at the prices it seems I'm not alone...

Offline John Hill

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Re: Lego machine
« Reply #4 on: February 19, 2012, 02:32:50 PM »
I so wanted a No10 set! So much in fact I occasionally browse fleaBay looking for one, but looking at the prices it seems I'm not alone...

I have a number 10 set, but no rich parents, I bought it as a young adult "because I could" and was really a bit dissapointed.  It seems the later stamped out nuts and bots had very poor holding and anything but the most simple constructions were an exercise in frustration.

We started collecting Lego in 1973 and only tapered off buying a few years ago,  so we have a lot of Lego and a lot of that is trains.  I cant wait to get the new "Lego room" set up in our new house. 

I did a couple of modifications to the train motors.  The 4.5volt battery trains I modified so that they could use rechargable batteries that are recharges while the train is in the station, it only takes a few seconds of high rate charge to run the train for several minutes.  The 9 and 12 volt trains take their current from the rails and I modified both those to have 'DCC'  control.

DCC is something that all Mad Modders should be aware of,  a single chip on the train gives control of speed and direction plus lights, horn etc.  The current on the rails is a form of AC which is modulated with data packets that the trains pick up and each train only responds to packets addressed to it so you can have several trains on the one circuit.  MadModders could use two wire control of various motorised devices using the same chips!   Unfortunately DCC has no feedback and probably has no place in CNC,  but in other projects......who knows?????? :D
From the den of The Artful Bodger

Offline Deko

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Re: Lego machine
« Reply #5 on: February 20, 2012, 03:19:39 PM »
Hi All
       I had two number 8 Meccano sets, plus i used to spend all my pocket money on spare parts,so i ended up with more than was in a number 10 set.  I gave it all to my nephews, about 50 years ago. :hammer: Still i like to think that it went some way toward helping them, ( all three ) to go on to gain PHd's in physics. :smart: One of them is the producer of COAST on the BBC. Where is it all now?  they have no idea !!!!!! :palm:

Cheers  Deko