Friday Fun: LEGO projects

Here are some nice LEGO animations for this Friday:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5BngfWLsFVs

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0AwK8O9Nos0

88 Comments

  1. Tomi Engdahl says:

    How To Use LEGO Bricks For Data Storage
    https://hackaday.com/2022/06/06/how-to-use-lego-bricks-for-data-storage/

    Those old enough to have encountered punch cards in their lifetime are probably glad to be rid of their extremely low data density and the propensity of tall stacks to tip over. But obsolete as they may be, they’re a great tool to show the basics of binary data storage: the bits are easily visible and can even be manipulated with simple tools. As an experiment to re-create those features in a more modern system, [Michael Kohn] made a punch card-like system based on LEGO bricks that stores machine code instructions for a 65C816 CPU, the 16-bit successor to the venerable 6502.

    https://www.mikekohn.net/micro/lego_data_reader.php

    Reply
  2. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Computer-Shaped LEGO Brick Brought To Life
    https://hackaday.com/2022/06/08/computer-shaped-lego-brick-brought-to-life/

    In childhood, many of us wondered — wouldn’t it be cool if our miniature toys had “real” functions? Say, that our toy cars actually were able to drive, or at least, that the headlights could light up. [James Brown] captures some of this childhood expectation of magic, recreating the 2×2 45°-sloped Lego bricks with computer screens and panels drawn on them by building a LEGO brick (thread, nitter) with an actual display inside of it.

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  3. Tomi Engdahl says:

    James Brown’s LEGO Computer Brick Hides a Fully-Functional, Programmable OLED Display
    https://www.hackster.io/news/james-brown-s-lego-computer-brick-hides-a-fully-functional-programmable-oled-display-bf686c392057

    Created using homebrew injection molding into a 3D-printed form, these semi-functional LEGO computers look like magic.

    Reply
  4. Tomi Engdahl says:

    LEGO Rig Makes Pretty Water Vortexes
    https://hackaday.com/2022/09/01/lego-rig-makes-pretty-water-vortexes/

    LEGO and its Technic line is a great way to learn about all kinds of mechanical things, but it’s also just a whole lot of fun to play with. We suspect the latter reason is what got [Brick Technology] to pursue creating a trippy water vortex with the building toy.

    The first design uses a transparent plastic sphere as a water vessel. Inside the sphere is placed a small turbine, turned from the outside via a magnetic coupling. This means the sphere can remain intact, with no holes required, nor complicated seals which can leak. It works well, and produces a vortex when the turbine is spun by a regular LEGO motor. A second attempt elects to rotate the entire sphere itself. Small LEGO wheels are then used to hold the sphere in place on the rapidly spinning turntable. The results are impressive, creating a large and relatively well-formed vortex.

    Can Lego create a Vortex in a Sphere?
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjk0RMjQpcY

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjk0RMjQpcY

    Reply
  5. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Lego Mindstorms Dot Matrix Printer (for iPad)
    Dot matrix printer made with Lego Mindstorms (Robot Inventor) controlled by an iPad app.
    https://hackaday.io/project/188414-lego-mindstorms-dot-matrix-printer-for-ipad

    Reply
  6. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Life-Size LEGO Christmas Tree with 20,000 Pieces

    Created by TNVLC
    Free instructions: https://bit.ly/3W4u2mZ

    Reply
  7. Tomi Engdahl says:

    The illegal Sequential LEGO Gearbox Transmission Real Performance
    https://www.youtube.com/shorts/cZhJX4pK0A8

    Reply
  8. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Destroying 28 Lego Mechanisms
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NI0rDaEpTvI

    Testing 28 different mechanisms and kinetic sculptures made out of Lego.

    Chapters:

    00:00 Mechanisms
    01:06 Sponsor
    02:12 More Mechanisms
    06:33 Destruction in Slow Motion

    Reply
  9. Tomi Engdahl says:

    A LEGO Camera You Just Might Own Yourself
    https://hackaday.com/2023/03/25/a-lego-camera-you-just-might-own-yourself/

    A camera makes for an interesting build for anyone, because it’s an extremely accessible technology that can be made from materials as simple as cardboard. More robust cameras often require significant work, but what if you could make a usable camera from LEGO? It’s a project taken on by [Zung92], who hasn’t simply made a working 35 mm camera from everyone’s favorite construction toy — he’s also managed to make it exude retro style. Best of all, you can vote for it on the LEGO Ideas website, and you might even get the chance to have one for yourself.

    Frustratingly there’s little in the way of in-depth technical detail on the Ideas website, but he does mention that it was a challenge to make it light proof. Even the lens is a LEGO part, and if diffraction-based photography isn’t for you there’s also a pinhole option.

    Product Idea | Jul 21, 2022
    LEGO ZH1 – Functional 35mm Vintage Camera
    https://ideas.lego.com/projects/87367099-a72a-4796-afa7-895a58ed932a

    The main lens is based on the existing magnifying part. I also made a special pinhole lens, which provides a pretty good effect and style that you can see in the samples.

    Reply
  10. Tomi Engdahl says:

    LEGO: Eurovision 2023
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uvCFPB738qc

    The Eurovision Song Contest 2023 from Liverpool (United Kingdom) with Lego bricks and figures. Created by Alexandro Kröger.

    Reply
  11. Tomi Engdahl says:

    Everyone already knows that Lego Technic is pretty rad when it comes to existing, pre-made kits, but there’s also quite a bit of hacking potential left. One such area is the lack of hydraulics in Lego Technic, an egregious oversight that simply had to correct. His effort results in a partially hydraulic, fully remote-controlled excavator. Rather than a traditional gear hydraulic pump as you’d expect in a real-life excavator, a custom peristaltic pump is used to move the fluid to the hydraulic cylinders (rams for our British and Oceanic friends)….

    BUILDING A HYDRAULIC LEGO EXCAVATOR USING STANDARD PNEUMATIC CYLINDERS
    https://hackaday.com/2023/08/21/building-a-hydraulic-lego-excavator-using-standard-pneumatic-cylinders/?fbclid=IwAR15SZdDtjjt9I0rKixuFY6GlzGz5fUGKzr9WScOfmufv1Sjb1WLp_T9WZI

    Everyone already knows that Lego Technic is pretty rad when it comes to existing, pre-made kits, but there’s also quite a bit of hacking potential left. One such area is the lack of hydraulics in Lego Technic, an egregious oversight that [Brick Technology] simply had to correct. His effort results in a partially hydraulic, fully remote-controlled excavator. Rather than a traditional gear hydraulic pump as you’d expect in a real-life excavator, a custom peristaltic pump is used to move the fluid to the hydraulic cylinders (rams for our British and Oceanic friends).

    Although original Lego cylinders were used, these are only intended for pneumatics, where it’s hoped that the used mixture of water and windscreen wiper fluid will prevent corrosion.

    https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gWCI2NTTzEA

    Reply
  12. Tomi says:

    12,000 RPM Fastest Lego Vacuum Engine | World record!!!
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=quD2WQA_-0k

    Reply
  13. Tomi Engdahl says:

    20 Mechanical Principles combined in a Useless Lego Machine
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1-YeqGynlw

    Useless machine that utilizes different mechanical principles. Enjoy!

    00:00 Schmidt coupling
    00:17 Constant-velocity joint (CV joint)
    00:30 Universal joint
    00:42 Bevel gears
    00:53 Slider-crank linkage
    01:08 Sun and planet gear
    01:25 Scotch Yoke
    01:40 Chebyshev Lambda Linkage
    01:58 Chain drive
    02:13 Belt drive
    02:32 Constant-mesh gearbox
    02:50 Oscillating direction changer
    03:06 Torque limiter (Lego clutch)
    03:19 Winch
    03:34 Rack and pinion
    03:47 Offset gears
    04:00 Uni-directional drive
    04:22 Camshaft
    04:38 Intermittent mechanism
    04:52 Worm gear
    05:11 THE FINISHED MACHINE

    Reply

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