text:
What is the easiest option to start making instructions?
I'd like to make instructions for my kids, which they could read either on paper or on a tablet.
What is the easiest option to achieve that, ideally using open-source software (and running on Linux)?

Related: Do any programs exist that allow you to build your own LEGO manuals?

After testing several software (and figuring out quite a few are not compatible with each other), I tested Leocad, and was able to easily create models and generate instructions.
In Leocad 0.82, going through "Print Preview…" and then printing to PDF generates simple and clean instructions.
http://raphink.github.io/lego_models shows the results I got with that method.

Your instructions are great!  But how did you get the inset "parts to use" window?

I have my project fully built with Leocad, but am now looking at creating instructions from it. Do you know where I could find such info?

Take pictures!
The easiest way is to take photographs of each step as you build. No special software is required, you can just step through each building stage by flicking through photos.
If your tablet has a camera you will have everything you need to create and view the instructions. You might want to include which parts you need for the next step in the previous slide.
I don't know a lot about Linux, but if you have access to word processing or image editing software you can combine multiple steps on to one page and print them.

Flickr: LEGO Shaun the Sheep (Version 2). Teabox (henrik_zwomp).
Build your model on a background that contrasts the model, in most cases white is perfect (unless you're building clouds or sheep). If you have a camera, it would help to use a tripod to keep the camera in a fixed position and your hands are free to build.

The best software for this is the Lego Digital Designer (LDD for short) but it is not available for Linux by default. Users have mixed results when trying to run it by WINE or using virtual machines.
There is another recommendation, which requires more manual work though. It uses Lego Instruction Creator (LIC), but it is a stagnant project and was buggy even back then, not sure how would it work in modern environments.

Damn Lego, they uses Linux in the mindstorm, but are not willing to give back to the community.


text:
How much do you think these Lego pieces are worth?
I've got some very old LEGO brick from the 50s, and am wondering how much they are worth. I'd like an estimate because I know that they are now collectors items that might be worth something.
Here are some of the items:

Three Lego Beetles that are in plastic very good condition in red black and grey
A plastic red fire truck and a tanker that is red with written "Esso" on it and other small size Lego plastic trucks
The Lego set 810 with all the items inside
Another big wooden box of Lego
Box number 750 containing some architectural buildings

Instructions are included with each box.

There's a site called brickpicker.com that could be used as a rough guide for what sets are worth. Like Gev said - you really have to find the right buyer though.

There's a guy named Michael Todd, goes by Bruno, who lives outside of San Diego. He's built up one of the largest private collections of Lego memorabilia, if you will, in the world. He has purchased plenty of stuff from the 50s and 60s over the years, and he'd be a great resource to reach out to with a question like this. He has recently opened a museum in conjunction with the San Diego Toy and Doll Museum in Poway, CA. You can contact him through his website: http://www.lgauge.org/contact-us/

Your numbered sets might not be worth much. Your other sets would be best ID'd with a picture. Also, LEGO has never made Beatles products. Those have been made by off-brands and private sellers that make customized products. Your wooden blocks are also not LEGO bricks either, and thus probably have little value outside of standard wooden block value.

My answer to this kind of question is always "it's worth exactly as much as someone is willing to give you for it."
That said, one could look up prices on BrickLink (assuming there are any for sale there) and go from there. Failing that, put them on eBay with a reserve/starting bid of whatever minimum amount would make it ok for you to part with them.

Apart from looking prices up on BrickLink, putting them online for sale requires an intent to sell

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text:
What prevents a 12V motor, when pushed by hand, from providing DC electric out?
This question is somewhat related to a similar question I asked about whether pushing a 12V train motor (such as the one below) would damage it.

See title "Set 7865: six wheeled Lego® train motor (12V, 1980 - 1990)" on this page for the specific motor I'm referring to.
Irrespective of whether damage occurs to the motor when being pushed, I'd like to know why, given it contains a DC electric motor, when the gears are pushed by hand, electricity isn't generated by the motor in order to provide current to any connected load (e.g. the lights on the train).
I've noticed that the connected headlights in the train don't illuminate when pushed by hand -- is there some sort of electronic protection to prevent it being used as a generator?

The 12v train motor uses 2-pole 3-slot technology.

Because of thinner, but longer wire which results in a greater resistance and will create higher voltage, but lower current the current output isn't enough to drive on-train lights.
Since the resistance of on-train lights is constant this will drag down the generated voltage as well.

I have since sold my 12V motor so I can't try this, but if one connects a voltmeter to the bogie motor, and watches the current, based on what you've said, there'd be a slight reading. Is this correct?

@CJBS yes. If you have a small LED you might see some light (if it's connected the right way round).

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text:
How can I power my LEGO pneumatic engine?
I have just finished building a simple LPE, but have no means to power it. I live on a farm and have access to a small air compressor, would that work?

Since the compressor produces compressed air, it would certainly work, given you build adequate fittings and take precautions against overpressurization.
LEGO pneumatics have been tested to withstand as much as 8 bars or 120 psi, but you definitely should plan with safety margins. If your compressor can produce higher pressures, I'd suggest building in some kind of release or auto-shutoff valve to prevent damaging the LEGO parts.

A battery of Coke-bottles pressurized to 8 bars with an outlet via a filter- and relief-valve adjusted to 3 bars might be a good idea.


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I need an NXT motor adapter
I'm trying to get an NXT motor adapter to this that I'm getting:

If you don't recognize this, the parameters said :
80mm
2000 ±10% RPM 28.89 CFM
Rifle
20.9 dBA
Please tell me what this is called so I can look for it.

The adapter itself is generally called a "Molex" adapter. The one you have pictured looks similar to their Mini-Latch style.
I would recommend an adapter like this. The pin spacing should be the same even if it is not made specifically for that connector.
The red wire connects to pin 1 and the black wire connects to pin 2. The yellow wire is for speed feedback, but it won't do any good unless you modify the NXT firmware, so I would leave it detached.
Alternately, you could cut a NXT cable and solder it directly to the fan wires.
Also, you didn't say, but the fan is probably 12V and the NXT can only supply battery voltage, which is only at most 9V with fully charged batteries, so it will run slower than it does when connected to a 12V power supply.

"this" is a broken link.

Link is updated now.


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Why can't I combine a EV3 Motor with a Technic frame in LDD?
It is easy and stress-free to attach a frame to a large motor in a vertical or horizontal manner as shown in the picture in real life. But I can't do the vertical version inside LDD. Anyone knows why?

Is it be because the cross-section of the beam of the frame is not a mathematically perfect square?  But I can actually do the following test model in LDD. The yellow and red technic beams have different orientations. The picture is a snapshot of four views of the same test model in LDD. (LDD did close by itself without any message/trace several times when I try creating the model! Very frustrating!)

I created a vehicle with a frame attached vertically to a motor. I like to document the process.  Can anyone suggest a way to get around the 'restriction'?
The two parts are 95658 and 64179.

I slid the Technic frame over an axle instead of a pin to see how far it would go. As shown in the picture below, it appears as if the part is too big to fit all the way because the rim (shown level with the red line) is too thick.
LDD runs a basic collision detection to ensure that no parts overlap. In real life, certain combinations of parts are impossible without stressing the bricks.
The combination of EV3 Motor and Technic Frame in real life have a very, very small amount of friction, so it shouldn't be harmful. But LDD has no tolerance for overlapping parts.

You do have several options:

Edit the LXFML file.
This is the most technical soloution. Export the LDD file as a .lxfml file as opposed to the standard .lxf. Using a text editor on your computer (such as notepad) you can directly adjust the co-ordinates of the pieces to overlap. However, If you do move the parts apart, you will need to manually put them back together by editing the file. You can find more about LXFML here.
Different Parts. Use different parts that perform the same function as the Technic beam, or don't include the part at all.
Other Software. You may find it easier to build your model in other LEGO CAD software packages such as lDraw. It should be possible to export your model as it is now and import it into most LEGO CAD applications.

Thanks for the explanation. Following your idea, I tried to attach the frame via an offset along an axis, and found the problem you described. I tried to play with various ways to attach the frames, but LDD keep crashing. I re-installed LDD twice, same story, super frustrating!  I exported the model and imported into LDraw & LeoCAD. But the EV3, large motors, tires, rims, power joint & ball are all gone.

I want to see if the restriction is artificial on LDD's part, so I tried to build a 3D lattice grid of frames (like a cage) enclosing the motor by orienting the frames in all 3 principal directions, but LDD keep crashing. I want to see the geometry allows attaching the frames in various principal orientations.


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Information on this large beige motor w/battery box?
I have a LEGO Technic motor with a built in battery box for x3 "AA" batteries (thus 4.5 volts). Could you help me identify it? What set does it belong to and how old is it? Colours are beige and green/grey. Has a red light on top and a white round brick which serves as a control switch. There is a on-off switch at the base, and the numbers 3393 are found at the base.

The white round brick isn't part of this piece and can be taken off.

It's the main module from Record and Play (set 4095):

This part was only included in this set released in 2003. The part contains several motors and some electronics that allow you to record motor movements and then play them back.

Pressing the red button would let you record movements for a maximun of 20 seconds by adjusting the motors and the green button would play back the last recorded movement.

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Neutralize brick scent
I store some used Lego sets in household plastic boxes originally used for candy. I thought they were ideal, but now I found out the bricks have caught an unpleasant candy scent -- despite cleaning the boxes thoroughly.
After having washed the pieces several times with water and mild detergents, the same smell is still there. What can I do?

I've read that vinegar or baking soda (but not both at the same time!) can remove scents. If I were you I'd start trying with the baking soda, since the vinegar itself has some odor.
Activated charcoal is used in industrial scale to filter and purify, you could try that too, it is less trivial to get hold of and probably stains the bricks but it can be washed off by water.
A friend of mine used to clean her LEGO bricks by sewing them tightly in a blanket and putting them in the washing machine with the appropriate amount of detergent. If you choose this method, make sure to always stay clear of the melting point of ABS (80°C or 176F), leaving a margin for security. 50°C or lower shouldn't cause any problems
The simplest solution though is probably to allow the bricks to let out their smell by exposing them to fresh air, maybe accelerated by a fan or such. Beware though, if the candy smell implicates sugar residue it can attract insects.

I have used non-scented Febreeze as well on some bricks that smelled badly (I got a batch of bricks from eBay from a smoker's home). Did the trick for me (with washing afterwards).


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Selling custom LEGO image mosaics using original LEGO bricks without breaking LEGO's Fair-Use Policy
We have designed software and an accompanying site to convert images into 48x48 (or larger) LEGO mosaics; we use the current LEGO color palette, use image dithering to improve color availability, since the LEGO palette is rather limited (an example of dithering: putting red/blue blocks in a checkerboard pattern creates the illusion of purple at a distance), and finally improve the coverage of regions of the same color by using clustering to cover such regions using, e.g., 2x2 or 2x4 plates instead of only 1x1 plates (since, for example, a 2x4 plate is cheaper than eight 1x1 plates).
We searched and saw that others have been doing something like this as well, e.g., Brixels and Pic-A-Brick on Kickstarter, but these projects either use monochrome 1x1 plates (Brixels) or don't provide the actual bricks, only instructions (Pic-A-Brick). So our idea still seems feasible.
A problem is ordering the correct plates in the correct color per order in a cheap and straightforward way (although this could initially be done through PAB), so we contacted LEGO, explained our idea, and asked if they could provide us with a more straightforward/cheaper way of ordering. To be clear: BrickLink is too cumbersome given fluctuating brick availability/prices and multiple shipping fees when ordering through multiple vendors, and stocking up on LEGO K-boxes is economically infeasible given the "color x plate size" combinations that are needed (each K box only contains a brick of a single size and color).
LEGO's response: our idea would/could be in violation of LEGO's Fair-Use Policy (FUP), and we might want to talk to an IP lawyer before proceeding. We don't fully understand this; if we clearly state (at the top of our page and well visible) that our product is not created by the LEGO company, that we are not affiliated with the LEGO company, and that we only use official LEGO bricks (bought, e.g., through PAB) to create our own end product (the mosaic) without using the LEGO logo anywhere, how is that a breach of the FUP? If I build, e.g., a computer using parts of different vendors, I can still sell it as my own brand of computer, as is done by many vendors/computer stores. The same holds for cars and many other machines. How would this be any different from using LEGO blocks as "ingredients" for a product that one wants to sell? Let's make it even more explicit: Brickmania seems to be doing exactly the same thing: commercially selling custom LEGO kits (war-related; something which LEGO itself doesn't do) using actual LEGO bricks (no knock-offs) and they seem to be allowed to do so (by the way, they do a good job as far as making clear that their products are not produced by the LEGO company goes).
So it has become quite unclear to us if something like this is or isn't allowed (the initial response by LEGO read as a standard response sent to anyone who might be breaching the FUP - but we somehow doubt if this is really the case for us). If we make abundantly clear that our product isn't created by the LEGO company and if we follow the rules when it comes to (not) using the LEGO logo, licensed brand names, etc., shouldn't that be enough?
P.S.
We don't want to use knock-offs and understand that LEGO needs to protect its own brand, but by providing a response like this, we have (ironically) been considering using clone bricks (if possible), while we'd actually like to use quality LEGO bricks that customers can mix with their existing bricks.

AFAIK, there's no way they can legally stop you from reselling the bricks, so long as they aren't marketed using the LEGO TM, because they can't stop you from selling your own property, but try Law.SE. There's a reason all the fan sites use Brick or something in the name, instead of LEGO. However, if they object to your site they can choose to stop selling to you. Note that only appointed, official builders ever get bulk discounts or shipments, as LEGO expressly does not want to be supporting reseller businesses. I fielded many similar inquiries during my time with LEGO S@H Customer Service.

Aside of the question, I think you may post here the URL to your service, as illustrative purpose of course.

I'm running into the same sourcing issue you are in terms of trying to figure out how to buy bricks for a mosaic in a cost-effective manner (I'm not planning to sell anything so the legal issues don't matter). I'm curious: did you ever find a good way of getting the parts you want?

By the way, you should accept whichever answer solved your problem. It's been almost 4 years! ;) Also, if your software exists now, you might want to mention that!

First of all, if you are serious about this business, go to an IP lawyer who can take this up for you and give you a much more confident answer than the bunch of us LEGO fans can :)
LEGO's Fair Use Policy is located here.
Secondly, you might want to read the perspective in this thread on Bricksetforum. Lots of interesting points of view, and, decent information about what you should be able to show, and what LEGO's claimed and likely actual trademark rights are.
Finally, did you talk with that IP lawyer yet as per my first point? hint hint

Thanks Phil, talking with an IP lawyer is probably necessary anyway, I was just wondering if some LEGO fans might have dealt with similar issues in the past regarding, e.g., the sale of MOCs, as a result of which they might be able to shed some light on this. And thanks for the link.

Plenty of Etsy stores use LEGO to make jewelry and other items for sale, including one run by a former LEGO professional builder.

IANAL, and if you're starting a business you should definitely consult with a real lawyer who specializes in IP law in the jurisdiction you plan to serve. However, having read the fair-use policy, I note two things. One, it seems to be focused on trademark issues. In order to be legally clear, you need to brand yourselves accordingly so that Lego's trademarks aren't violated. You will need to become aware of all the trademarks Lego has, and how to avoid violating them. Merely mentioning Lego doesn't violate their trademark. Using their Logo probably does, but that would depend on how it's used and why.
Two, the policy seems to go beyond what trademark law actually requires. For example, they say

the LEGO trademark should always appear with a ® symbol each time it is used.

I'm not aware that this is a requirement in law. It seems to me it's more like a request they are making, out of paranoia (it seems most businesses are overly paranoid about trademarks). So you might find yourself in a position where you are well within your rights to violate their policy. How mad that makes them, and what effect that has on your business, I can't say.
That said, nothing I know of in law suggests that you can't buy and resell Lego bricks. As you've pointed out, there are many businesses doing just that. That said, there are few places to buy bulk pieces, especially in any quantity you might want for reselling products, and so you might find yourself in the position of needing to deal with Lego directly, in which case you probably have to just do what they want in regards to whatever rules they make up.
Regarding copyrights or patents, the other intellectual property laws you might theoretically run afoul of, you are probably safe with regards to Lego. Since you aren't making new elements (i.e. possibly violating a patented element design) and you aren't copying their set design, box art, instructions, etc, you should have nothing to worry about there. You could face copyright issues from the copyright owner of the original image used as the basis for the mosaic, but that's a different story.

Thanks, this is more or less in line with what we were thinking as well; some paranoia on their part as well as a somewhat premature "don't do this" reply, while what we are trying to do is probably no violation of their FUP at all if we stick to the guidelines laid out within their policy. As far as image copyrights are concerned: we thought about that as well, so we have to take a look at how, e.g., online (canvas) printing services handle this.


text:
Trying to ID a piece.
Light grey, approx. 1 in. X 1 in. Shaped like a bottom jaw or a digger shovel. It has a half round hump in the middle of the piece.

If you had a picture of the piece it would make things so much easier. Or if you could tell us some more about it, like does it have studs, inverted studs, pin holes, axle holes, does it have some kind of texture or print? What kind of set does it belong to or where did you see it?

Adding a picture for part identification is definitively a must.

Pretty sure you're describing a Bionicle Krana Holder 3 x 4, which allegedly comes in light grey, dark grey, brown, red, blue, and green.

+1 bonus point for getting that deducted from the OP's fuzzy description :)

I got lucky. I acquired several a while back and had to find out what they were and went digging on BrickLink. Still haven't figured out what to do with them...


text:
What parts are include with this light blue bike?
I need to find the part numbers of parts on this bike.

Top
Frame
Rim (x2)
Tyre (x2)
Light


text:
How can I fix my chewed up LEGO head?
When I was about 8 I used to bite down on loose LEGO heads to "fix" them. Of course after the heads "treatment" they would have chew marks around the neck.
Is there any way to make these marks less noticeable? One of my old favorite LEGO heads have these marks. I can't buy a replacement because the head isn't made anymore.
I could buy one on ebay... If I had my own credit card/paypal/etc. and my mom would gain the knowledge that ebay isn't evil just because it's online. What should I do?
The only idea I have is to put some nail varnish over the chew marks.

Here's a picture of the head. I don't know if it helps much since you can't really see the chew marks.

If this is the minifig head in question, then as TheBrickBlogger says, ordering from Bricklink would be best, it's available for pennies.

Yeah that's the right head, like I said below though I can't order from their since I'm pretty sure it's illegal due to age restrictions. But thanks for the answer. Atleast I know the part number now.

Are you able to ask a parent or guardian to help you?

Probably not. My parents hate buying online and would definitely not buy a replacement head (I can already hear my mom saying "Oh, it's just a small scratch!"). Besides, I have kind of come to accept that there isn't much I can do.

Your best bet would still be BrickLink. Many sellers there accept cash, checks or money orders, so you don't necessarily need paypal or a credit card. However if you would like to work on fixing the bite-marks on the head you pictured above, there are several things you can do:

If the bite-marks are not too deep, you can sand down the area with very fine sand-paper to make it more even. The sand-paper must be very fine, otherwise the surface would end up getting even, but rough. I have found wet and dry sand-papers the best as it can provide a very smooth finish.
You could try your nail-varnish idea, but please note that nail-varnish actually melts the plastic, so use only very little. You might also try other type of clear varnish that is fairly thick. Make sure you try it first on a piece you don't care for to see how it reacts with the plastic.
Because plastic is fairly soft, I found that sometimes you can smooth out bite-marks just by the back of a kitchen knife. :)

Thanks for the reply. I wish I could do BrickLink, but I have no bank account or anything (I'm 13). I think I might try the sanding down idea on the neck if desperate, or maybe on the bottom of the head so it fits down the tube thing on the torso all the way. I did the nail varnish thing though. I think it kind of helped but you can still see the chew marks a bit. I put some on the inside so atleast the head is the right tightness now (it got loose after the "surgery" again since it was the only girl head I had back then).

Depends on how deep the bite-marks are. For a thin mark, TheBrickBlogger's answer with the sandpaper of kitchen knife should do the trick. For something deeper, heat up a tool of some sort, something with a non-conductive handle, and melt it a little into itself.

You could try filing it with a nailfile or sandpaper.


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EV3 with NiMH batteries
Could I use 6 NiMH 1.2V batteries and keep pressed the small black circle in the battery compartment in order to adjust the battery gauge and low battery alarm?

Also see http://bricks.stackexchange.com/q/6456/3498

EDIT:
Yes, pressing the button will affect the indicator and low battery alarm/shutdown.
From the official LEGO firmware:
#define   BATT_INDICATOR_HIGH           7500          //!< Battery indicator high [mV]
#define   BATT_INDICATOR_LOW            6200          //!< Battery indicator low [mV]

#define   ACCU_INDICATOR_HIGH           7500          //!< Rechargeable battery indicator high [mV]
#define   ACCU_INDICATOR_LOW            7100          //!< Rechargeable battery indicator low [mV]

...

#define   LOW_VOLTAGE_SHUTDOWN_TIME     10000         //!< Time from shutdown lower limit to shutdown [mS]

#define   BATT_WARNING_HIGH             6.2           //!< Battery voltage warning upper limit [V]
#define   BATT_WARNING_LOW              5.5           //!< Battery voltage warning lower limit [V]
#define   BATT_SHUTDOWN_HIGH            5.5           //!< Battery voltage shutdown upper limit [V]
#define   BATT_SHUTDOWN_LOW             4.5           //!< Battery voltage shutdown lower limit [V]

#define   ACCU_WARNING_HIGH             7.1           //!< Rechargeable battery voltage warning upper limit [V]
#define   ACCU_WARNING_LOW              6.5           //!< Rechargeable battery voltage warning lower limit [V]
#define   ACCU_SHUTDOWN_HIGH            6.5           //!< Rechargeable battery voltage shutdown upper limit [V]
#define   ACCU_SHUTDOWN_LOW             6.0           //!< Rechargeable battery voltage shutdown lower limit [V]

The BATT_* are used when the button is not pressed and the the ACCU_* values are used when the button is pressed.
ORIGINAL ANSWER:
The small black circle is used by the Li-ion battery pack from LEGO. This battery pack actually operates at a higher voltage that Alkaline batteries. On the other hand, NiMH batteries operate at a lower voltage than Alkaline, so pressing the small black circle would have the opposite effect of what you are hoping that it will do.

But Lego battery pack has 7.4v 2200mAh, is almost the same with 6 nihm batteries

There is actually a wide variation among NiMH batteries. See http://www.philohome.com/batteries/bat.htm for some LEGO related battery comparisons.


text:
I have a series 14 Sasquatch (Square Foot) missing facial paint, is it normal?
Hi I have the camera holding Sasquatch but he does not have the black eyebrows and muzzle. The eyes and teeth are there but the rest is just brown.

Can you post a picture?

No, it's not normal. It would usually look exactly like it is on the lego website. I suggest you call the lego customer service.


text:
How good are used lego bricks on bricklink?
In my life I've only ever used new Lego bricks; however, I'm now interested in purchasing large quantities of bricks and Bricklink's used section has significantly cheaper prices.  I know that the quality of used bricks would vary by seller, but on average how good are they?
If they come from a smoking household can you actually smell the smoke? Is it really even possible for bricks to break or chip? Would it be obvious if I combined used and new bricks together in the same model?

if you can smell smoke on people you'll smell it on the bricks.And it's very hard to remove the smell, even after the visible residue has gone. That's why some sellers say "smoke free" in various ways. But overall your question cannot be answered, it's far too broad. There's no "average", what matters is the specific bricks you buy from a specific seller. Buying old, rare parts you will take what you can get and that may be prettysad parts. But common parts are often very good. It depends on the seller.

I would suggest that you check with the sellers, as well as their feedback. There is a huge variety and quality of used bricks sold. For some sellers you can't tell used from new at all. Other sellers mention in detail the condition of used pieces; dull color, small chips and scratches, discoloration - most of these are fully functional elements and are perfectly good for general building and play, but might look a bit noticeable when you mix them with shinier new pieces. Then there are sellers who simply separate new from used, and don't mention the condition of used pieces at all. You could get anything from minor scratches to bite-marks and broken pieces. (Yes, LEGO pieces can break.)
In general, for used elements the acceptable standard is that they are fully functional but they may have some small chips, scratches, etc. that will happen with normal handling and play. Broken pieces, bite-marks, cracks, etc. must be mentioned, although some sellers don't. Also, the fact that sellers deal with tens of thousands of tiny pieces, it is quite possible that even an honest and good seller will have some subpar elements mixed in their used lots.
I would also like to point out that there are buyers who are looking for damaged and discolored pieces. They use them to add variety and interesting detail for such things as post-apocalyptic or battle dioramas. So yes, even heavily used parts sell well, and sellers listing them are not necessarily dishonest or bad - as long as they mention the condition.
Personally I only buy used pieces when it is from a seller I dealt with before and I know their standards. Or when a piece is rare and no longer available in new condition, or would be very expensive new. And I would never buy used white pieces as those are notorious for discoloration. Also, I would suggest that you do not buy from smokers. Smoke definitely penetrates plastic and it is pretty much impossible to get rid of.
Again, the best thing to do is to contact the seller ahead of time and ask them what is their standard for used pieces. Keep a list of sellers (you can favorite them and make notes on them) who you have a good experience with, and avoid the ones who send you pieces you are not happy with. You can also ask on the BrickLink forum for people to suggest you sellers who have decent quality control for used pieces.


text:
Large blue windscreen with shuttle decal
Can someone help me identify this part, I got it in a bulk lot and want to know what sets are in there.

This is a Windscreen 8 x 6 x 3 Wedge with Space Port Pattern on Top and Sides (Stickers) - Set 6453.


text:
No response when controlling the Mindstorms EV3 brick over Bluetooth
I am trying to control the EV3 using direct commands over a Bluetooth connection. There are no issues pairing the brick with a PC or phone, and opening the serial connection works fine, but sending a direct command such as playing a tone with
0x06 0x00 0x00 0x03 0x0B 0x02 0xF4 0x01

does not produce a tone and does not provide a response on the serial connection, even though the telegram type byte requests it.
I have tested direct commands using two different serial terminals on OS X and Windows 7, as well as an Android app made for this purpose and writing the bytes using my own custom program, and all of these give me the same results. However, the official Robot Commander app does work.
Are there any special connection settings needed for commands to succeed, or any common pitfalls that I might have fallen into? I have read the developer documentation and didn't find any glaring problems.

Using the documentation from here, here, here and here, the command for playing a tone should look something like this:
0x0F, 0x00,            // size of message = 14 bytes
0x00, 0x00,            // message counter = 0 [can by any number]
0x80,                  // command = DIRECT_COMMAND_NO_REPLY
0x00, 0x00,            // 0 bytes for global variables, 0 bytes for local variables
0x94,                  // opSOUND
0x01,                  // CMD = TONE
0x81, 0x32,            // VOLUME = LC1(50) [50%]
0x82, 0x0B, 0x02       // FREQUENCY = LC2(523) [C5]
0x82, 0xF4, 0x01,      // DURATION = LC2(500) [0.5s]

Spot on! Apparently, the EV3 is not backwards compatible with the NXT command set and doesn't tell you if you try. When I mentioned "the developer documentation", I meant the NXT Bluetooth developer kit from the Mindstorms site, but what I should have read was the EV3 firmware developer kit. Thanks!


text:
Gibberish Sound Effect
I am now creating my first LEGO stop motion animation with sound effects.
I do not want to use a specific language for them speaking. Instead, I am using subtitles. For the talking sound effect, I would like to use the gibberish sound effect that is used in some LEGO-sponsored video games.
I have looked around the web for hours now trying to find this sound effect and, sadly, cannot find it anywhere. Does anybody know where I can find this sound effect?
Does anybody know how I can maybe recreate it?

I don't suppose you could upload a clip to YouTube or something so we can hear the exact sound?  Which LEGO sponsored video games exactly?

@brandaemon - Gandalf 'talking'; http://youtu.be/ghUZUpN9rks; 0:38

If you want I can post this as an answer, but I don't think it's a stock sound effect.  Rather, Traveler's Tales records mumbling/grunting gibberish as its style of minifigure speech.  I'd recommend taking a microphone and just making up your own sounds for your animation.

Have a look at Brotherhood Workshop, he manages to create a type of gibberish talking by simply mangling how he speaks English

@Dopapp You won't find Gandalf in a Harry Potter game

@brandaemon - could you please add your comment as an answer? It solved my question.

@Dopapp this may clear the confusion: https://youtu.be/nGR8EHL6nkI

There is no one gibberish sound effect for LEGO minifigures.
Traveler's Tales (the developer of many popular LEGO video games) creates its cutscenes with a mime/sound effect style similar to movies found on the LEGO website.  Rather than record character voices with words (as Warner Brothers did with The LEGO Movie) Traveler's Tales recorded voice actors to mimic gibberish murmuring, grunting, and other non-lexical sounds.
If you would like to emulate this filmmaking style, I suggest you use a microphone of your own and record the sounds yourself.  Have fun!

This is not as hard as it sounds. I made a movie with my kids. I was responsible for holding the camera and doing engine sounds. In one scene we had a car, a helicpter and a motor cycle at the same time. The result was quite impressive with only a little adjustments of loudness and panning of the different sound tracks.

You could try looking for speaking sound recordings on free sound effect websites, like this one. You might use foreign languages too, those have an additional layer of realism over an indiscernible muttering, provide a nice easter egg if they really mean something (just make sure they aren't offensive :D)

My hovercraft is full of eels!


text:
What are the differences between the two available pizza elements?
In the "Buy pieces" section of the Lego website, I looked up the pizza element. It turns out there are actually two of them!
Element 6102555 costs $0.41/piece and 81867 costs $0.37/piece, but they have identical images on the website.
What are the differences between these pieces, if any? (Other than the fact that one is 4 cents cheaper than the other!)

There's a third pizza element which is on a different colour tile and with a different print.

One's a pepperoni while the other's a bolognese?

Bricklink tells me that 6102555 is Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Bottom Stud Holder with Pizza Pattern and 81867 is Tile, Round 2 x 2 with Pizza Pattern which according to the 3D model is the old style with the X on the bottom. Other than that, they seem to be identical.

If you need justification to choose one over the other, it's probably easier to make a minifig hold the 6102555 piece than it is to hold the other piece.

They have different printings, although the website posts the same images.

There is a dark tan pizza and a yellow pizza. The dark tan one comes with the pizza boy in the series 12 minifigs.

Yes, I have one of the tan pizzas as well. It's a different element than the other two yellow ones.


text:
LEGO minifig authenticity
I bought 3 mini figures from Amazon because I wanted specific mini figures and did not want to spend $30 plus doing so with bag ordering and opening. I got the figures and they look authentic.
The LEGO logos are on the nub of the torso and the little bridge part of the legs. However, not on the bottom of the legs.  I have 20 something minifigures that I opened from bags, they all have the logo on the bottom of the legs.  So I'm a little confused by it?

Can you share a picture of the minifig? Or even better - comparing it with a confirmed LEGO minifig to show the perceived differences?

Some of the minifig parts that are officially made in China (often including the Collectable Minifigures) don't have the copyright/logo stamp on the inside toe - I noted that in a comment to my answer on What does the imprinted information inside bricks mean?

I would say that it all depends on the age of the piece. Throughout lego history they have changed through various different manufacturing methods. one of the biggest being the change from yellow to skin colour and some smaller ones being the ventilation on top of the head. It would also provide a lot of help with an addition of a picture.

There is a bootleg version of lego from china. If the minifigure print wears off in a few days, its  probably bootleg. It is probably made by lele, sheng yuan, or sluban.


text:
Mindstorms EV3 3D building instructions no longer working in Chrome
Lego Mindstorms EV3 building instructions in 3D (so that one can rotate the model around and stuff) are available. This used to work fine on my machine in Google Chrome. However, I can no longer get it to work; when I click on any of the links, it says "Looks like our 3D view does not work in your browser. Try to use a different browser or download the PDF instead.". I followed instructions to make sure webgl is enabled in my browser, and I also verified that webgl indeed does work. What do I need to do to get the Lego Mindstorms EV3 building instructions in 3D to work in Chrome (version 45.0.2454.85 m)?

Have you tried contacting LEGO support? They might be interested in this issue, seeing that they explicitly state their site supports Chrome. Is installing / using another browser out of question? I have just tried using the latest Firefox and it seems to work just fine.

Google deprecated support for NPAPI in April this year, and removed it completely this month in Chrome 45.
LEGO has historically used Unity Web Player for a number of their online 3D games which has certainly been impacted by this change, and while this is not specifically the case here (the building instructions are "Powered by Autodesk Technology", possibly a variant of A360), it's probable that the underlying cause is the same - the plugin uses the older technology that Google is removing.
They do still work in Firefox if that helps.

A note on the lego page says "The web-based MINDSTORMS 3D Building Instructions are not supported by all browsers, as it uses WebGL Technology". I have confirmed by going to https://get.webgl.org/ that webgl still works in Chrome 45. I guess the note is inaccurate.

Yes, it's about 10 versions out, mentioning Chrome 35 I believe. Agree the Chrome itself supports WebGL, but I guess there's some other logic they are testing for that isn't working.


text:
Need help identifying this star wars set
Need help identifying this old star wars set, trying to rebuild my LEGO sets!

and who can identify the rug?

Looks like a nice City play scene rug ;)

The parts are from the 8016 LEGO Star Wars Hyena Droid Bomber from 2009.

Aah, the old days :)


text:
What is the best way to get in contact with a Lego expert?
Catawiki is looking to hire a Lego expert to estimate the value of offered sets and arrange its weekly Lego auction. Where and how could we find people who might be interested in such a position?

Are you planning to commission a builder to create something, buy it from them and auction it off? Sorry, but I haven't yet heard of Catawiki or its Lego auction. Is it some kind of a special event?

Sorry for the confusion. Catawiki is an auction website with over 100 auction categories, one of them being Lego. Users can offer up their lots for auction but these will have to be approved by the Auctioneer. This expert will identify the set, determine whether it meets the minimum requirements for the auction (estimated value, completeness, description, pictures etc) and arrange an attractive list of lots every week. I understand the word "build" in my question is rather ambiguous in a Lego setting. I will edit it immediately.

Ok, this makes the question pretty clear, thank you for your edit :)

Does the auctioneer needs to be local? Where is this position open?

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because it's a recruiting ad

At the moment Catawiki only requires the expert to live within the European Union (preferably in NL, BE, FR, DE, IT, SP or UK ). The job is done from home and at flexible hours.

An effective way of contacting LEGO hobbyist is either by..

Contacting Local LEGO User Groups or similar hobbyist associations

Many countries and areas have their local associations. For a map of regional associations, see LEGO Ambassador Network's LUG map. By contacting representatives of association, you can easily contact local help.

Requesting help from online LEGO forums

Another option is to post a message at online LEGO forums. There are many forums as some are theme-specific and some are area- or language-specific and thus it is hard to pinpoint exactly which forum one should try; it depends on the case. Safe bet would be to post in few of the global online forums, such as Eurobricks.

Contacting individual hobbyist via site/blog/email

If one wishes to contact particular hobbyist, a good way is see if that particular hobbyist has own blog or similar page. Even gallery services such as Flickr often contain email which can be used to contact the hobbyist.
For this particular case, I would advice posting a message at Eurobricks since it has particularly large amount of readers.


text:
Overview of Engineering Principles incorporated in Technic LEGO sets
I run an after-school technology education program and want to expose kids to real-life engineering by means of having them build commercially available Technic kits which we then deconstruct and analyze.
I am looking at 42042 Crawler Crane's second model as a good example of how to build a strong vertical structure, plus it serves as a good example of how a weight & counterweight works.
I would have loved to use 9398 4x4 Crawler as it showcases differentials, steering principles, a servo motor as well as suspension, but unfortunately that model is no longer for sale (I'm not willing to pay the ~$300 some sellers ask on Amazon.com), so I think I'm settling for the smaller, non-motorized 42029 Customized Pick-up Truck.
I assume both models will give me plenty of gearing examples.
I am looking for your advice: What other engineering principles does Technic LEGO showcase, and which (ideally current) model(s) would you suggest I use to illustrate these?

This depends on how deep engineering principles do you wish to teach. For simpler, shallower things, like the inherent stability of a triangle based construction versus a square based, the crawler crane already offers a lot: the relation between force and leverage, skid steering, gearing, pulleys, gearboxes, electronics. Pneumatics and shock absorbers are missing from this set, but you can get some pneumatic parts from the 42008 Service truck.
For advanced concepts like Ackermann steering, Camber, caster and toe it would be hard to find official models to demonstrate, but you can always build simple models to display one or more of these features.
There are a few other things that I can think of, like fiber optics, but these are really hard to find nowadays.
Of course besides mechanical engineering there is also computer engineering, for which the Mindstorms sets offer an admittedly expensive introduction.

Thanks for the perspective. 42008 Service Truck was indeed one of the sets I was looking at as well, specifically for the Pneumatics (though the AROCS has more and better Pneumatics). LEGO Education also has a WeDo related set that gives a full Pneumatics package with tank, switches etc. - that's the alternative I'm looking at. Mindstorms EV3 is already part of my curriculum - pricey but totally worth the money.


text:
What about these old houses?
I recently inherited two old Lego buildings. Unfortunately I have virtually no information about the history of them other that they been part of the inventory of an old hardware store closed a decade ago.
By the look of them I would guess they are from the early 70's. The windmill-house has some of the old red, blue and yellow Technic gears in them and a custom non-Lego motor to make it spin forever.
Everything is glued together but there is apparently parts broken off in some places.
Some theories:

Are they custom built in the old hardware store without blueprints?
Are they part of some Lego advertising campaign?
Are they actual Lego sets with a number to reference them?

Does anyone know anything about them? Would they be worth some money?

It's most likely a promotional model. The door and frame shown on the bottom model was produced between 1973 and 1980. It very much looks like a promotional model from the 70's, as does the first model.

Was the 2nd house on TV years ago?

You may be onto something. It looks familiar to me too. But I was thinking it looks similar too something I saw in a Lego idea-book from the late 70's.

The top picture is for sure a model created from single elements, and is not any Lego model.
Your lower model looks like a combination from 5 or 6 different houses. I recognize the Taxi station (Red with blue roof on the bottom), Bakery (Yellow and blue roof on top of that).
Try brickset.com and look for the older catalogues.

Are you thinking about these? http://brickset.com/sets/368-1/Taxi-Garage and http://brickset.com/sets/361-1/Tea-Garden-Cafe

Yep, that's them. Cannot really trace the white houses, they had so many of them in those years. But if you scan a bit more you might be able to get some clues. They should also have lots of building instructions, so you can try to get them back to the original state if you want.

Apart from the wall and roof colors the buildings don't seem to match. The floor plans and the locations of windows and doors are quite different from the sets.

To answer your three bullet points:
Very likely.
Possibly.
Highly unlikely.
Sad that they are glued, but they are still pretty cool. You might get some money for them if you find a buyer.
Regardless, thanks for posting the pictures, I love the techniques for the big grey roof.


text:
Need help identifying this set
These came in a clear bag labeled with the number 2.  Dated 2011.

Was it 10667 Construction? The date is a little off, but the parts look right.

You beat me by 1 minute! Anyways - all bags have a date of 2011 on them - I guess that's when the current set bags design was made. I have a couple of recent (2015) bags with exactly the same number.

That looks right! You guys are awesome. Thank you!

As @Kramii already said, this is LEGO Juniors set 11067 Construction. Specifically the bag that makes the crane, without the Octogonal base plate (which was likely supplied separately in the box). Based on the picture Kramii posted you can see how to build this part of the set - you put the 6x6 black plate in the wrong place in your picture, it needs to be at the top.


text:
RCX 2.0 Firmware downloaded successfully but "Run" does nothing
I recently was able to install RIS 2.0 for the first time since I just got a 32bit Windows 7 machine.
I got the IR tower to download the firmware to the RCX 2.0 and it showed exactly the same screens the guide showed, but when I got to the point where I test the motors, I found that the "Run" button does nothing.
I tried installing the firmware 3-4 times and still have the same problem, so I'm assuming the RCX itself has a defective Run button.
Does anyone know what's possibly going on? All the other buttons work, they beep and change the screen when pressed, nothing beeps or happens when Run is pressed.

it should also be known that the unit beeped successfully and the software let me know the download was finished when I downloaded the firmware to the RCX 2.0

Could be the button indeed. These buttons are conductive rubber pressing on the circuit boards integrated contacts. Might need some cleaning there...
Disassembly of the RCX is not easy but can be done. You have to remove the screws in the battery compartment, then pull slightly to disengage and remove the black IR front. Once this is done, you can pull out the PCB and battery case from the top cover. Important note: the PCB is connected to the battery case through metallic blades that can easily bend and no longer make contact. So when you pull the PCB+case, you must pull on the PCB itself, not on the battery case.
Once done, you can clean the button area with alcohol and/or swap buttons to hopefully repair the Run button ("View" button is useful, but not mandatory...).

Two things spring immediately to mind:

Are the motor cables connected properly?
Have you uploaded an actual program to the brick?

There is at least one way to connect the cables, at either end, such that the motors will not work. For this test, make sure the cable wires go out toward the "back" of the brick and the motor.
And, AFAIR, "Run" doesn't do anything with the motors unless you have uploaded a program that actually turns the motors on. I'm no longer familiar with the shipped software, so I don't recall if the process you describe actually does more than upload a firmware.
So, ensure that you are actually putting a program on the brick that turns the output(s) on, and those specific outputs are actually connected to a motor in the correct manner.
My quick test is usually to use the IR remote to tell the brick to enable A, B, or C outputs in either direction. You can also use the lamp to test; if the lamp lights then the output is on, and will also drive a motor.
Also, if you press the View button a few times, it will show a cursor next to an input or output. If the IR remote or program toggles an I/O, you will see the display change to indicate the state of that I/O.
(I see that I missed a key point: the Run button does not beep or change the display. This indeed points at a hardware problem, and not a config issue as I discuss here. If so, a quick-ish solution might be to get some of that contact cleaner stuff ["CRC QD Electronic Cleaner"], pull the batteries and squirt a little of that into the spaces around the button.)


text:
I need help Identifing this set by the picture
I have a blurry picture of a set I found at a LEGO fair, and I would like to  know what it is:

Thank you.

That picture is quite blurry, but I'm pretty sure it's 8466 4x4 Off Roader from 2001:

The wheels in the picture look like they are metallic silver, and I think this is the only set of this size with metallic silver wheels and lime accents.


text:
identifier expected?
What identifier is expected here?
#import "rw.txt" rw

task main()
{
    if(rw != NULL)
    {
        OnRev(OUT_A,75);
        Wait(100);
    }
}

Error: # Error: Identifier expected

I don't seem to be able to find a API describing the NXC API very well..

The error was caused because the file rw.txt was not uploaded to the nxt performing:
 t2n -v -put rw.txt

Solved the problem.


text:
fgetc() moves pointer one step forward
I have opened a file using handle = fopen("rw.txt").
The file consist of 3 values which is separated with spaces
ex: 12 23 34
using isspace(fgetc(handle))
Problem here is that fgetc() increments the internal pointer,  making store incorrect strings including string.
Can these three values be stored in some different way, making me store these values, and ignore the whitespace using NXC syntax?
Here is my current code:
#import "value.txt" val
task main()
{
    byte handle;
    handle = fopen("value.txt", "r");
    if (handle != NULL)
        {
            string a;
            string b;
            string c;
            int count = 0;

           while(count <= 2)
           {
               if(!isspace(fgetc(handle)))
               {
                   if(count == 0)
                   {
                         fgets(a, 2, handle);
                         TextOut(0, LCD_LINE3, "done a" + a);
                         TextOut(0,LCD_LINE4," lenght: " + NumToStr(strlen(a)));
                         Wait(3000);
                         count = count + 1;
                         ClearScreen();
                   }
                   else if(count == 1)
                   {
                        fgets(b, 2, handle);
                        TextOut(0, LCD_LINE3, "done b" + b);
                        Wait(3000);
                        count = count + 1;
                        ClearScreen();
                   }
                   else if(count == 2)
                   {
                        fgets(c, 2, handle);
                        TextOut(0, LCD_LINE3, "done c" + c);
                        Wait(3000);
                        count = count + 1;
                        ClearScreen();
                   }
               }

                TextOut(0, LCD_LINE3, "done" + NumToStr(count));
               Wait(3000);
               ClearScreen();

            }

        }
    }

}

The most basic solution would be to store the character read by fgetc, for example, instead of:
if(!isspace(fgetc(handle)))

you'd write:
char val = fgetc(handle);
if(!isspace(val))

This way if the isspacecall returns false you will still have the latest character in the val variable.
I'd also suggest you look into the switch statement instead of using multiple if-else blocks: http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/nbc/nxcdoc/nxcapi/switch.html

I don't see how this changes my case.
the problem is that the pointer increment when fgetc is called.
I have decided to just hardcode the solution, as it doesn't seem like that the structure of how the values are outputted doesn't change.

Then you can try to rewind the pointer one character using fseek: http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/nbc/nxcdoc/nxcapi/group__cstdio_a_p_i_gabea819317fe740c7376ca24eaf1225c6.html

Firmware version =< 1.28 .. I don't have the rights to update them.

What are you trying to achieve then? If for example you know you won't have too many values in the text file you could read the whole file into a string and perform the separation in your code with array access to all characters. If this is not possible then you have to resort to character level manipulation: read a char, if it is not a separator then append it to the current buffer, if it is a separator then take the content of the current buffer, do soemthing with it and empty the buffer for the next item.


text:
"File error!" appears on NXT, but why?
I tried to upload this program to my NXT, but for some reason I am not able to run it properly as it is always terminated with the message File error!. No idea why.
I am trying to read a .txt file into a char road[][]. I think it is where I insert the value into my 2d array where things go wrong.
#import "road.txt"

task main()
{
    FileOpenType road_txt;
    file.Filename = "road.txt";
    SysFileOpenRead(road_txt);
    char road[][];
    while(road_txt.Result == NO_ERR)
    {
       for( int i = 0; i < 10; i++ )
       {

         for(int j = 0 ; j < 09 ; j++)
         {
            char temps = fgetc(road_txt.FileHandle);
            if(temps != '\n')
            {
                road[i][j] = temps;

            }
         }

       }

    }

}

What steps did you take to diagnose the error? E.g. are you sure the file is there? Are you sure it has the correct content? Have you tried adding debug messages to find the exact line where failure occurs?

All debug messages chrashed after road[i][j] = temps
The .txt file is on the nxt

Don't forget that #import "road.txt" creates an implicit byte array named after the filename (in this case road) when it loads the file if you don't specify a name for the array - you're then redefining that 1d array into a 2d char array - that might be the issue - try removing the #import directive.

Most probably the problem is that the array is declared, but not initialized. The program does not know how much memory to allocate for this specific array and therefore there is no available storage in RAM for it.
To solve this, try initializing your array. You can either provide the starting dimensions during declaration, like in the last example here.
Which in your case would look like this:
char road[10][9];

And it will result in an array the given size, filled with zeroes.
Or use a function call to do the same if you have specific (not 0) initial values: http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/nbc/nxcdoc/nxcapi/group___array_functions_ga49d48de55d817e96ed132eadc21260eb.html

it does look like to work.. Problem is, when i try to run
TextOut(0,LCD_LINE1,road[1]) it doesn't output anything...

So i am bit unsure if it actually do what it is supposed to do?

I guess that is because road is a 2D array, so road[1] is still an array, not a string what TextOut expects.

how would you convert a char array into a string using the nxc syntax. Doesn't seem to be any function capable of doing so..

You could use the fgetsfunction to read string values from your file: http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/nbc/nxcdoc/nxcapi/group__cstdio_a_p_i_ga66a374bc9be9c7172e77d7fb314aa5c2.html Keep in mind though that fgets reads until it hits an end of line or an end of file character, so you will need to break your input file to lines or read the whole file as a string and then perform slicing.

I have to store in a 2d Char array, at it makes it easier to now the position of the robot based on the char array.


text:
Identify age of parts from yard sale
I purchased a box of LEGO bricks from a yard sale. Some of the 1x6 bricks are hollow with 2 small slants in them. Other 4x6 plates are very thin with square holes in the bottom. It also came with windows with half moon shaped holes in the bottom. Lastly white blocks with clear inserts in the bottom. Does anyone know how old these are?

Can you add some pictures? It's very difficult to determine what exactly you are looking at based on descriptions only. Also - are you sure they are LEGO - in other words, is the LEGO logo printed on these bricks?

1 x 6 Bricks
According to BrickLink, 1 x 6 bricks like the ones you describe were made between 1955 and 1969.

4 x 6 Plates
According to BrickLink, there were no 4 x 6 plates with square holes (so-called waffle-bottom plates.) There were, however, 4 x 8's made between 1954 and 1971.

Windows
Don't know...
White Blocks with Clear Inserts
The white blocks with clear inserts could be wheel holders, made between 1959 and 1992:

Or some kind of light brick:

It sounds as if your bricks are relatively old, probably made sometime in the 60s. If some of them look a little distorted and don't grip very well, they're probably made of Cellulose Acetate rather than ABS, which would fit with the dates.
To provide any degree of accuracy, however, we really need more information, preferably photos. Also, it might help to know what part of the world you're from, as back in the day there were sometimes different sets for different markets.

Oh! I was looking for those wheel holder bricks when I researched my answer - you found them!

Oh, I was under the impression that "slants" means something inclined or sloped. But it is clearly possible that OP was thinking about "slats" instead and just mixed them up or made a typo.

The white blocks with clear inserts (provided they have LEGO markings, a clear side window and 2 or 3 holes on the other side - I can't tell because you didn't post any pictures) could be 08010 Electric Light bricks, which were produced between 1980 and 1987.


text:
Unable to turn on the EV3
I just can not turn on the EV3 with the SD card. I only turned on it twice.
The EV3 stops at [-leJOS EV3] UI and does not go to the next step.
I charged the battery, reinstalled the software inside of the SD card, changed the EV3 for one time, reset the EV3, but I still cannot turn it on.
I can only turn it on without the SD card.
How can I fix the problem?

Have you tried reformatting the SD? It should only contain a single FAT32 partition. Also check it's not a SDXC card, as they are not supported

Have you looked at the leJOS EV3 forum? This question gets asked (and answered) there on an almost daily basis.

This is most likely because of a bad flashing software or  or a bad SD card. But I'm not really certain, as I don't know much about this sort of thing.


text:
What are the steps in installing the EV3 block developer Kit?
I've downloaded the block developer kit.  How do I incorporated into my Mindstorms software?

According to the download page, all the instructions are included in the kit. Have you check around the installation to see if there are any readme.txt files or HTML/PDF documents included?


text:
Does soaking Lego pieces in isopropyl alcohol discolor or otherwise damage them?
I need to clean my Lego including minifigures, printed pieces and cloth pieces from smoke (apartment fire). I have found that soaking the pieces in isopropyl alcohol removes the smell, but am I damaging the pieces by soaking them for 1 or 2 days?

I feel your pain. I was once given the task of cleaning a computer that was in a fire. It was filled with soot and we used copious quantities of non-conductive cleaning solvents to try to fix it. However, it was ultimately futile. If you have a lot of pieces, it might be worth it to just claim it on your insurance. Either way, good luck!

First of all, sorry for your loss and we all wish you good luck recovering your bricks!
As for cleaning LEGO bricks, if you need to remove physically visible dirt, here you can find lots of tips on doing just this, or you can go over to the official LEGO website and heed their recommendations.
If the only problem is the smell of smoke, there is another question about getting rid of foreign scents, maybe you could find valuable information there. If I were in your shoes, I'd try the less aggressive, less risky methods first, and only gradually progressing towards the inorganic solvents if all the previous steps have failed.
There is a similar question over at Chemistry.SE, they might be more knowledgeable than us. But even if the ABS material of the LEGO bricks prove to be immune to the deleterious effects of alcohol, the minute amounts of other ingredients, coloring pigments or printed details might fare worse. LEGO however, recommends cleaning electric parts and pieces using alcohol though, but they specifically mention wiping, not soaking, and especially not for prolonged periods.
But if you really intend to use the alcohol bath, I'd recommend that you pick a few "volunteers" who will test the method before you apply it to the general populace, therefore only risking your less precious, more easily replaceable pieces.

Washing LEGO ABS and Polycarbonate (PC is used for clear and colored transparent parts) bricks and parts can be done safely in a normal mixture of dishwashing liquid and clean water, preferably distilled water, of luke warm temperature. Leave the bricks and/or parts in for a short while and a toothbrush can be used for brushing off all dirt. Allow the parts to dry thoroughly, that's my method and it works fine. Most of the possible odors will be gone as well. This method prevents damage that can occur in due course if the parts are washed in a dishwasher as the formula in dishwasher tablets or the like differs a lot from normal dishwashing liquids, dishwasher tablets contain far more aggressive ingredients than dishwasher liquids all have. As a side effect, dishwashing liquids leave a thin layer of anti static material, making the bricks easier to take apart and their appearence is fresh and shiny, almost like new. And using distilled water leaves no staines on the bricks.

I realize this is old, but... I soaked a couple sticker-resin covered parts in isopropyl alcohol as an experiment years ago and the bricks turned mushy after several hours. So, that didn't work. Wiping them with it and rinsing it off never seems to hurt them in my experience.


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Is there a way to buy a customized minifig?
I have a design I want to replicate into a minifig. I also want to add additional accessories to it (i.e. a calculator and glass beaker). Is there a place I can order online to get this done? Is there even such thing? One of the place I visited said it's difficult to fulfill small orders due to the cost of printing. Other places require you to select their pre-designed parts.

There are a few options, however many of them either use standard parts, or require minimum order quantities (Minifigures.com for example requires a minimum run of 50).
A couple of options for bespoke, one-offs seem to be:

minifigs.me - who offer both a Custom Torso option and a Custom Complete Minifigure with printing on the legs and head as well.
minifigs.com - Offer both torso engraving and printing depending on the complexity of the print.

Of the two, I've seen Minifigs.com at shows and the quality is very good, and the price seems reasonable (especially for the engraved options which don't require a set-up fee).
Alternatively, as suggested in this answer, you could look at doing it yourself with water decals and varnish, depending on your art skills.


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Can you ID this part?

I am trying to id the three grey bars on the left-hand side of the image.
Any ideas?
Many thanks.

It's 32294 Wishbone Suspension Arm:

This is listed as part x136 on Bricklink.


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What is the best way to store LEGO rubber tires?
Should they be stored with or without rims inside?
Or should they be kept away from plastic for long term storage?

I can't speak to "best". But as a point of reference, many many of my lego tires are many years old and they are usually stored on rims. The older tires were often not removable from the rims. As I rarely build cars, I take no special care of the tires, and I've found that there doesn't seem to  be any particular problems. The rubber ages over time, but this is true of all rubber in all circumstances, and the storage method doesn't seem to have affected them much. I have these large tires from an old space set from 1983

that are in excellent condition; sadly, the rims they were mounted on

were fragile and many of those are broken. But the tires are okay.

Should they be stored with or without rims inside?

I cannot say for sure whether storing tyres with or without the rims connected affects the lifespan. In my experience it hasn't made any noticeable difference.
There are  four practical reasons I can think of not to remove the tyres.

It can take a lot of effort to remove tyres and put them back on again, particularly for smaller tyres.
Tyres and rims stored together use up less space compared to storing them separately.*
It can be difficult to find a tyre that tyres that match certain rims, this depends of course on how meticulously you sort and store your parts.
The stress on the tyre caused by removing and fixing the tyres on to a rim may actually degrade the tyre.

The only reason I store the '56145' rim on its own, is because it can be used with tyres and treads.

Or should they be kept away from plastic for long term storage?

If by long-term you mean several years/generations then it wouldn't do any harm to store them separately.

* A comparison of a rims of six wheels of the same type stored without and with connections. This can make a big difference in a large collection.


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Hanging template for Large Minifig Case
I've been happy to see LEGO came out with a way to display the myriad of minifigs out there:

And I was also very happy to find that I can hang these on the wall with the convenient eyelets on the back:

Yet despite earnestly searching I can't find anybody that has created a template for installing these.  How far should the screws be apart?  How far apart should the holes be if you want stack them like so:?

I'd prefer a printable template that I could drill through, but if you have measured these accurately that'd be a good start.

You could easily photocopy the back side of such a case and use the copy as a template, just like in this post: http://www.element14.com/community/thread/44326/l/photocopy-as-a-drill-template

Since no answers were given for two days, I'll convert my comment to a full answer:
If you haven't found anything yet but have access to a photocopier, you could try making a copy of the back side that contains the eyelets. The resulting print will be a 1:1 paper version of the back side, which you can tape on the wall intended for hanging the cases and drill through the images of the eyelets:
Be sure to align the sheet correctly, using a bubble level or such.


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How do I make a remote control car without LEGO motors?
I have no LEGO motors In my collection, what are some household materials I can use?

Pardon me, but if you can't use LEGO motors then why are you asking here?

Please be more specific: Do you want to make a remote controlled car out of LEGO, but without using LEGO motors, and you want to know how to interface LEGO powerfunctions with external motors? For this you might want to take a look at @Philo 's excellent page on Power Functions. You'd need to source 9V motors from somewhere and make your own cables (or modify existing LEGO cables). If that is not what you're looking for - please explain your question in more detail.

It sounds like you are asking how to motorize your own custom LEGO creations using motors that you may already have around the house rather than purchasing official motors.
Before I answer this, I just want to make sure that you are aware that you can purchase the PF motors individually on LEGO.com for fairly cheap. You don't have to buy large, expensive sets in order to get motors. The basic PF motor set which includes a battery box, motor, wiring, and lighting is $30 USD. Unfortunately, as pointed out in the comments, this kit doesn't include a proper RC remote, so you'd need to buy an IR receiver and IR remote as well, which would add another $25 to the cost.
The first thing that you'll need to do is find a suitable motor. Old toys are probably your best bet. If you're going for small, you could also take a pager motor out of an old cell phone. This is what Phillipe used to make a motorized city-scale vehicle in another question:

The main challenges with using custom motors are:
Attaching the motors to LEGO bricks
The strongest connection will likely be created using some sort of glue or epoxy. Most two-part epoxies should be sufficient for small motors. Here's an example from Eurobricks:

You could probably get away with using screws or even rubber bands, but it's a bit trickier to make everything line up the way you want.
Converting the output of the motor to rotation of a LEGO axle
Assuming that the motor axle is relatively small, it is possible to drill out the center of a Technic axle and slide it onto the motor's axle. This can be a little tricky to get right, but it does work. Here's a video that explains it.

If your motor already has a pulley attached, it's easy to just run a belt between the motor and a Technic pulley.
Powering and controlling the motors
If you don't mind your creation having a tail, the easiest way to power the motors is to simply run a wire to the vehicle from some sort of controller. It's fairly easy to put together a working system if you have old wired remote controlled toys like this one laying around:

If you have any radio controlled toys laying around, it's also fairly easy to just rip the electrical parts out, put those on your LEGO model, and wire up your motors. You could also use the motors from the original toy. Then you don't even need to do any wiring. You would have to find a place for batteries and the receiver hardware on your creation, though.

That's a thorough answer. I cringe when I see people drilling lego pieces, but will let it slide for the red axle, because who doesn't have millions of those. Also, one nitpick: the motor pack you mention has a glaring flaw that I only noticed after buying two of them: there is no remote control in it. You need to buy the remotes separately, and you'd need two of them to control two motors.

That's a great point. I updated the answer to include a note about also needing to purchase the IR remote and receiver separately.

A few years back I ripped motors, controlcard and batterypack out of a broken car. I then fitted some legopieces to it and got a superfun setup to use with my old technic lego.

I mounted a piece of a normal (old black) axle on the motor shaft. But just as @jncraton describes it This can be a little tricky to get right. If you are just drilling freehand as in the video it is very hard to align everything right.
So instead of fastening the drill in the powerdrill I did it the other way and fastened the axle in the powerdrill and the drill in vise. That way I know that the axle is spinning around its own center and that any small misalignment will be automatically fixed by the flex of the thin drill. To get the axle centered in the drill I sacrificed 2 bushings.


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Bulk LEGO as presents
I've bought a couple of bulk LEGO bundles with the idea of gathering up the identifiable sets, printing out the instructions (via BrickSet or similar) and then giving them as presents to my kids over the years along some of my sets from when I was a kid. However, very few of the sets I can identify from this big pile of bricks are complete. Some of them could be completed with the wrong colour pieces. What I'm trying to work out is a a good strategy for giving these bricks to my kids. I could give them a scoop of random bits every now and again. Or build the sets with alternative parts (but then the instructions won't quite match), or try to buy the missing parts from BrickLink/BrickOwl. Any other ideas?
There's also a tonne (well, 200+) of minifigs, I have thought about making treasure hunts to find new parts every now and again.
Slight complicating factor. My son is 3.5 and daughter 1.5, so I'll be giving him some now, but will have to keep some back for her until she stops trying to eat them.

Sorting random kits out of a bulk lot and building them can be fun, but it's often quite tricky to determine what you actually have. Also, unless you did quite a bit of sorting up front, you might find that it gets harder and harder to pick out a full kit as time goes on. You could let the kids figure it out, but probably not until they're older, and can look up inventories on bricklink. You could also make it a game: you identify a set candidate, the kids help you build it by finding parts from the lot, and if you succeed in building it you give it to them to keep. If it's a really close build, using bricklink to fill in the missing pieces would make a lot of sense. I once tried to build every single Lego kit my brother and I owned as kids and made a list of all the missing parts. I never got around to it, but a single Bricklink order might be able to clear out that list.
If, instead of sorting out official kits, you sort out the parts by type/colour, you could probably make up some nice little lots of parts that are useful for building. Maybe a bag full of spaceship parts, or castle parts, or car parts. Each of these could become a sort of "kit" on its own, and you could gift them to your children whenever you feel like it.
You could also make some little creations, or large creations, and treat them as "kits" as well. It might be possible for you to recreate the Monthly Mini Models that the Lego company gives away, or small Creator sets, or other similar kits.
Alternatively, just spread the whole thing on the floor and tell them "Build! Share! Tidy Up After!" and let them go crazy with it.

I like the idea of a space bag, or castle bag etc. I've been identifying the kits by finding unusual pieces and searching peeron and brickset and I think I have done pretty well at spotting which pieces are only in a few sets. The "build a set and complete it' idea is great, I'll have o wait until he's a little more mature though. At 3.5 if he sees the huge stash I have and I take it away, that'll be pretty upsetting.

If you'd like to test and improve their creativity, give them a scoop of random bits and tell them you have lost the instruction for this "set", but you are sure they can figure it out :)
Or consider making an advent calendar, like the official ones, but with more diverse "sets" and more pieces and minfigs per day.
Treasure hunts can be quite fun, but you could also hide one or two pieces every day, so they will find the pieces at random times and at random places.

I like the idea of hiding pieces, but with a 1 year old in the house it's just not safe. This time next year I could probably trust her not to try tasting any of it.

I like @zovits idea of treasure hunts - especially since you'll be doing the same afterwards - searching for hidden/missing pieces every day your children play with LEGO :)


text:
Custom Power Functions plug design
I'm considering the possibility of making my own Power Functions-compatible sockets for a project.
I'm designing a module board for a single-board-computer with motor drivers and would like to encase the SBC and module board in a 3D-printed LEGO-compatible case.
Now, my current solution for plugging PF motors to the drivers is to cut PF extension cables and use just half of them, which is expensive (~3€/cable if memory serves), a bit tricky (the wires are fickle), and damaging LEGO products really hurts my feelings.
Some projects, like the SBrick came up with their own PF-compatible socket designs and I'm wondering if there are any readily-available open-hardware socket designs (CAD files and building instructions). I couldn't find any for the moment.
If there's no such thing, I'm willing to design it myself.
I think I could manage to make a working CAD model of the plasic part but I'm looking for suggestions and advice as to how to make the electrical contacts.
This project would ultimately be open-sourced for anybody to reproduce it.
Regards,

I'm looking into the same, but not yet far enough advanced to have done a lot of research. One thought I had is to see if it is easier to make a connection with the old 9V connector present at the bottom of this official conversion cable. Did you consider this as an option?

I haven't really started to look at how I could do it myself either, just searched for existing solutions. The old 9V connectors might indeed be easier but then extension cables would still be needed for modern PF motors and there would be no way of controlling a PF servo which needs all four lines. I guess I will start making experiments at my local hackerspace with pins inserted in a 3D printed socket.

I've got a working CAD file for the socket. I 3D-printed it with PLA filament and the connector snaps in nicely. The next step is to put actual electrical contacts in there. Still looking for options as to how to make durable contacts. Will share the model when I have some time.

When you share - make sure to put it somewhere easily accessible (if you're willing to do so) and post the link (plus a short description) as an answer to this question - as it is truly an answer to your own question.

I eventually made my design available for download over at Shapeways with a CC BY-NC-SA license (login is required in order to download the STL file).
I tested it at my local maker space in PLA on a µDelta 3D printer.
For the electrical contacts, I tried with pins scavenged from a DIP IC socket like Cyril suggested but the pins were a bit fickle and easily broke. I ended up cutting a sheet of conductive metal I had handy (iron alloy?) in thin bands with a paper cutter, folding the bands in two then using that as the base for the electrical contacts. Paper clips should also work.
The holes in the 3D-printed socket might have to be enlarged a bit, especially in the first layers of the print, with a needle heated with a ligher or dipped in acetone.
The resulting socket works nicely. Only time will tell how good they fare in the long run.
Cutting the metal sheet:

Resulting thin metal band:

The metal band is folded in two:

The folded band is inserted through one of the holes, folded again, then through the opposite hole:

Once the electrical contacts are in place, they are secured with hot glue on the back of the socket:

End result:

Snap!

I make a print (with silicon) of the Lego PF socket, in 2 halves.
I just need the C1 and C2 electrical contacts, so I'm just dealing with them, but you can go for the 4 contacts.
So in the bottom half, I insert two small pins from a DIP socket (for integrated circuits) in 2 tiny cuts I do with  a kind of bistoury and insert the 2 pins in those two slots.
After that I pour some acrylic  resin (red for that case) in the silicon mold, including the 2 pins.
The bad point is that it only deal with one half.
The other one could be done the same way, and maybe, if they are thin enough, you can join both.
On the pictures, the top face of the resin PF socket would need a kind of grounding, to make it flat and nice.
To connect it to a NXT brick, I pick up a RJ12 socket on a old electronic device and solder it with both electric wire (+some resistors)

@Cyril, fixed your answer to include all pictures.

Nice work with your mold! Scavenging the pins from a DIP socket is a clever solution. I have yet to check that this will work with the other side of the connector.

@chicks  : the site doesn't let me post more than 2 pictures for each answer.Now i can't post anymore pictures (i have some more of the finished thing)

@Shadocko , if you could post you CAD file, it would be nice

@Cyril If you create a composite picture of 4 or 6 of your individual pictures together, you can put 2 composite pictures in one single answer (ideally the one that already has upvotes). The remaining answers can then be deleted. A little more work, but it'll make the answer much cleaner.

@Cyril, I will post the file when I have some time at home

@Shadocko , there are  no reasons  you couldn't apply this trick to reproduce the other side of the connector. Even with 4 electrical contacts if you wish.The toughest point would be to do both sides.Tough but not impossible to my mind, by molding the two halves independently , soldering electrical junctions together, and cleanely  joining the 2 halves with resin or glue.


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What Can I Build With This
I have a set of LEGO pieces that I bought second hand. I know it's a full set, because the bag was unopened, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to build with it.

Just because it's a sealed bag doesn't make it a full set. Most sets have lots of bags in the box.

Based on the occurrence of the 2x2x3 brick in white and the 16 trans-blue garage door panels, I think this is a bag from set 7744: Police Headquarters.

From the picture it looks like your bag builds the bottom right part of the station - the 2 car garages and the platform under the stairs.


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Is there a LEGO podcast?
I have tried to find a podcast about LEGO but haven't found any currently active. There seems to be some old ones out there with a couple of episodes, but nothing new that I could find.
Anyone knows any?

All Sorted is the only one I could find.

The All Us Geeks podcast regularly has a segment on LEGO called the Brick Breakdown that is run by William and Sarah Reed. Here is the link to the latest episode (scroll down to see when the Brick Breakdown section starts): http://www.allusgeeks.com/2015/08/episode-60-dead-men-tell-no-tales/
My guess is that because LEGO is so hands-on and so visual, it is kind of hard to run a fully dedicated podcast about it. William and his wife mainly talk about things like the history of LEGO, investing in LEGO, etc. That's pretty much all you can do through a podcast.

Beyond The Brick was a podcast that featured interviews with AFOLs and reports on Lego-related news. Although they have since moved to a video format on YouTube, their current interview content is very similar to their old podcasts:
https://www.youtube.com/user/BeyondTheBrickTV/
There are a couple more-specialized podcasts that are active:
ttvpodcast (Bionicle)
http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/inside-dimensions (Lego Dimensions)

LAMLradio was a long running LEGO podcast: http://lamlradio.com/ They stopped updating it in 2012, sadly.

Yes, I have heard a couple of those episodes. They were OK.

Yes! I will make a proper answer out of the comment by @GreenBaron80J11.
I have not found any other pod thats alive than All Sorted. But after backtracking a couple episodes I would say its a supernice pod. Go listen, I certainly will :-)


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Difference between gyro sensor and compass sensor
Does the HiTechnic compass perform the same function as the gyro sensor? I have been trying to find out the difference.

I haven't personally used the HiTechnic sensors, but the difference between a gyroscope and a compass is that one measures absolute orientation and the other measures change in orientation.
The compass measures absolute orientation via a magnetometer that measures the effect of the Earth's magnetic field on the sensor. The gyro sensor uses some form of MEMS to detect changes in orientation. The compass also only works in two dimensions, while the gyro likely operates in all three dimensions of orientation.
You might also be interested in this answer from electronics.se which includes more detail than mine and also compares accelerometers to compasses and gyros.


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Does the Mindstorms EV3 software run on OS X El Capitan?
El Capitan was released a few days ago, and I want to upgrade. Will there be issues with the software, or will it run nicely on El Capitan?
My Mac:
Retina MacBook Pro 13", Early 2015

I had the same error message as Stefan on opening. I fixed the problem by installing Silverlight 5.1.41212.0.
I'm running:

El Capitan 10.11.4 (15E27e) (beta)
Late 2015 Retina iMac i7 4GHz

So providing you've got the correct version of Silverlight installed, you should be able to run it.

I've recently upgraded to OS X 10.11 El Capitan (as a matter of fact, I have the exact same model of computer). I've done some basic tests with the EV3 software without running into any issues. I've downloaded programs to the brick using both USB and Bluetooth.
Base on past experience with OS upgrades with both the NXT and EV3 software, the problems have usually been with Bluetooth. The fact that this is working is a good sign.
I have not used the EV3 software extensively yet on OS X 10.11, so there could be some minor issues I don't know about, but at least I can say that it is usable.

The official LEGO.com page says:

Mac OS 10.6, 10.7 and 10.8 with the latest Service packs

This does not include 10.11, but seeing that another official LEGO.com page says:

Fixed Bluetooth crashing in various ways on OSX Yosemite (10.10)

it seems probable that LEGO supports their software better than their homepage :)
So while we don't have a definitive answer yet, I think even if there are show-stopper changes in El Capitan, LEGO will patch the EV3 to work flawlessly.

I use EV3 with El Capitan. No issues, though I bought a WiFi dongle as Bluetooth experiences with prior NXT really wasted so much of my time.

I tried to install it newly on el capitan and got an error message that I should contact the software supplier...
So for me it did not work


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How do you display EV3-G images properly on an NXT screen?
When I use the EV3 programming software to put an image on the screen of an NXT, it cuts off the top 3/4 of the image (see below):
       |
cut off|cut off
       |
----------------
       |
cut off|shown
       |

Only the bottom-right quarter of the image is showing. How can I make the brick show the entire image?

Could you please post the code you are using? Maybe we can spot the bug that way together.

A picture would be helpful too.

I'll try to put up a picture soon...


text:
Questions about the company
I would like someone to answer a lot of questions  for a school project that i'm doing, if you can get someone to answer all these questions that'd be great.

What work ethic, qualities and attributes dose the company look for in their employees and why?
What academic skills do they want in their employees to have AND how do they use this on a daily basis?
What types of manufacturing equipment/machinery dose their company use most>?
What do each of these machinery do?
What training dose an enployee need in order to use the the equipment/machinery
What education is required for an entry-level position?
what education is required for a management position?
What is the salary (or salary range) for a management position?
What skills, benchmarks , or abilities are key to advancement from entry-level position to management level positions?

I'm voting to close this question as off-topic because we are not the Lego Group and some of these questions can only be answered by contacting them. Some of the questions might be answered by a google search though.

None of us on this website is affiliated with the LEGO company, so we can't answer these questions. You could, however, ask LEGO directly, via their customer service: https://wwwsecure.us.lego.com/en-us/service/

Most of these Exchange websites prefer one question per post.


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What ball-joint cup piece or configuration of pieces is shown in this render?
What is the name of this particular ball-cup, or piece combination that forms the thigh component circled below?
I have been unable to identify the gray cup piece when comparing it to other parts in the LEGO Digital Designer. I have ruled out this as a third party part, as the original MOC shown here was created in the LDD as well.

The reason these parts were not showing up in LDD is because they are included in the LDD Extended theme. To activate, navigate to (View> New Themes > LDD Extended) in Lego Digital Designer.

The top piece shown here is the LEGO Ball Joint with Ball Socket (74261 / 98613) connected to a LEGO Brick 2 x 2 with Ball Socket and Axlehole (Wide Socket) (92013).


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Lego Micropolis tutorials?
I love the Micropolis cities (http://twinlug.com/micropolis-micro-city-standard/) and would like to try to build something myself.
Does anyone know good resources for learning to build according to scale and with details? Any tips would be appreciated:.

I've been collecting resources for a while. Here's one about medieval microscale: http://swooshable.com/buildingschool/micro-scale-castle-building-techniques

As the person who maintains the standard, I should probably start by apologizing for not trying to do more to make something like that available. I had hoped that the FAQ or the comments on the spec page would help with some of that but it's obviously not enough. In particular my answer to someone's question about building an airport is probably my own better writing on the topic.
For buildings in LEGO at almost any scale I can recommend the new "LEGO Architect" book from No Starch Press. It covers micro scale building, though not Micropolis specifically, and has some really good techniques for replicating the details that can make a building look great.
If you want opinions on specific topics or ideas from many of the current people building for Micropolis most of the main traffic for discussion is on Flickr in the Micropolis group.
Or you can start with two points.
The first point is to look at the scale guide right at the top of the spec:

Scale: 1 brick is 9 feet, 1 plate is 3 feet and one stud is 7.5 feet. These are for reference only. The blocks are smaller than the blocks in a real city. Scale your buildings accordingly.

Next measure some real life things to see how that works out. For example a lot of US houses have between 8 and 10 feet between floors so if you've got a house with a flat roof then including protruding foundation and internal spaces it's likely to be about 24ft high, or (24ft divided by 3) 8 plates high. This ends up showing up in a lot of Micropolis modules as a brick (3 plates high) and 1 plate per floor. Expanding on that, a 10 story office building should probably be at least 13 bricks and 1 plate high.
The second point is to be flexible. Since most LEGO parts aren't very adjustable you can start to run into issues with items that are a bit smaller or a bit larger in real life but can be roughly translated into the scale. A great example of that is the standard Micropolis car, which is a single jumper plate with a 1x1 tile on top. However if a stud is 7.5ft on each side, then that jumper plate makes every car a 15ft 1970's land yacht. Most modern cars aren't much longer than 10ft which is actually closer to a single stud than two studs but a 1x1 plate with a 1x1 tile on top doesn't look like much more than a box.
Another example is the Micropolis city blocks themselves. Ignoring that in most US cities blocks are actually rectangular, at 32 studs our blocks are only 240ft long compared to the 260ft average of the short side of US city blocks. The long sides average 900ft. We experimented with that a bit when we were working on the original spec and there were several problems but the big ones included having too many different kinds of sub-block modules to make it work easily for a large layout and that while it was more "real" it just didn't look right to just about anyone. So we went back to the original idea for 4 16x16 quarter blocks to make one city block.
A good rule of thumb I've recommended to other people is to have a couple of those jumper and tile cars and put them next to whatever you're building and see how it looks. If the car looks too big then the building should probably be bigger. If the car looks too small, maybe take the building down a bit. You can make a lot of use of the various imagery options on the various mapping systems, both overhead and streetview, to give you an idea of what a car next to a building should look like in real life.
With both of those points in mind then the big takeaway is to try to both approximate scale but in the end be flexible about your implementation to fit the constraints of the medium and in the end build what you like and as long as it's got the roads, sidewalks, technic holes, and base height right it's a Micropolis module whatever anyone else tells you.