Daily DIY

In the MAKE open source gift guide we included the LEGO NXT, one of our readers (dwahler) was concerned that LEGO wasn’t actually releasing the firmware as open source as promised, so - I found out the scoop straight from the source (no pun intended).

Soren Lund, head of NXT at LEGO Denmark sent me the following -

“We encourage the community to tinker with our MINDSTORMS NXT Robotics toolset - also outside the traditional user scenarios. That is the thinking behind the Developer Kits (DK) we have published on our web site. Here you will find a Software DK, a Hardware DK and a Bluetooth DK. In the various MINDSTORMS communities you can see how the community has used the DK’s to create new exciting robots.

We have also announced that the firmware in the NXT will be Open Source. The release of the Open Source files has unfortunately been a bit delayed but we still plan to release them before Christmas. It is a big step for LEGO to go Open Source with some of our material and we ask for a bit more patience. We hope it will be worth the wait.” - Link.

Hope this helps anyone who is considering the NXT for future hacking - should be in the next 30 days. Thanks LEGO for responding so promptly.

Related:

• LEGO Mindstorms NXT - Link.
• LEGO projects - Link.
• Open source gift guide @ MAKE - Link.

[Read this article] [Comment on this article]

BusinessWeek has a great slideshow and article on how LEGOs are made -

“Compared to the high-tech toys of today, LEGO bricks look exceedingly simple. But their precise production process is nothing to scoff at. Each LEGO brick must have that perfect grasp — strong enough to hold onto another brick but easy enough for a child to pull apart. The production of LEGO bricks is so accurate that only 18 out of 1 million LEGO elements produced is considered defective. It’s an astonishing number, considering that 15 billion LEGO components are made every year. We take a look at how classic LEGO bricks are made.” [via] - Link & article.

Here’s a fun LEGO factoid -

LEGO Group is producing 15 billion components a year–that’s 1.7 million items an hour, or 28,500 a minute. Tire production accounts for some of that number; the factory also produces 306 million tiny rubber tires a year. In fact, going by that number, LEGO is the world’s No. 1 tire manufacturer.

Related:

• LEGO Technic Difference Engine - Link.
• LEGO Flash drive - Link.
• Stargate: LEGO - Link.
• LEGO PC - Link.
• LEGO orrery - Link.
• LEGO Harpsichord - Link.
• HOW TO make a medium format pinhole LEGO camera - Link.
• Color scanning LEGO music machine - Link.
• LEGO archives @ MAKE - Link.

From the pages of MAKE:

• Blockheads - LEGO: the ultimate prototyping material. MAKE 02 - Page 38. Subscribers–read this article now in your digital edition!

[Read this article] [Comment on this article]

This is super easy to make and woks supprisingly well!

its pretty cool


By: admanrocks

Check out this bluetooth controlled Lego car! - Thanks - Link

[Read this article] [Comment on this article]

You wanna make a Lego Robot Shake? It is fun to have One Shake its Grove-thing!! I will tell you how to make one!

I am Sorry, But I cannot Provide Photos


By: led235

Do you want to give your Lego Home a Start to the Holiday season? Get A Lego Fiber Optic Unit,Motor,Battery pack,wires, 1×16 Beam.

I hope you will like the Extra Touch!


By: led235

I was screwing around with some of the motors from my old Lego Mindstorms kit, and discovered that when two motors were directly connected to one another the spinning of one would cause the other to spin too. It was obvious once I realized what was going on, but still strange to see the other motor spinning without being connected to anything but the other motor.


By: Tetranitrate

Stargate rocks(ed) well, the seasons with Lt. O’Neil/Gould… and so do LEGOs, so this is just perfect… Kelly writes - “This rotating Stargate is 19 inches tall with light-up chevrons. An RCX drives a treadmill, which spins the inner ring randomly for x seconds, then reverses direction, seven times. Won best medium space award and best brick mod at BrickFest 2005.” Thanks edison142! - Link.

Related:

• LEGO projects @ MAKE - Link.

[Read this article] [Comment on this article]

Nice collection of “LEGO Abominations” - “These gender-bender bricks let you change the polarity of LEGO sculptures. These were made by carefully attaching pairs of bricks after wetting their interfaces with acetone.” - Link.

Also check out - “The “X-Ray brick” is a fully functional but inside-out Lego brick - It was made by attaching two regular 2 x 4 bricks together with acetone. The pair was left stacked with other bricks to maintain spacing while the acetone dried. Once the acetone had cured, the two side portions– effectively 1 x 4 bricks– were cut off of the sides, leaving the brick as you see it here.

Related:

• LEGO Abominations - Link.
• Evil Mad Scientist LEGO pool (photos) - Link.

[Read this article] [Comment on this article]

Wow, check out these dishwasher safe, silicone, 10 brick LEGO ice cube trays, $7.99. Someone is totally going to make a crazy huge LEGO ice sculpture with these, and we’ll dutifully post it here!… [via] - Link.

Related:
LEGO projects on MAKE - Link & archives.

[Read this article] [Comment on this article]