text:
Help with this .nxc Tripod program
I am getting a file error when I try to run this on my NXT 2.0. It's my first time using NXC and the program compiles and transfers fine...
I tried replacing the batteries, the only other thing is that I thought maybe there was a firmware problem. Only thing is, I'd rather not get a custom firmware if I don't have to.
/**
 * Tripod walker
 *
 * Description:  This the Tripod program, to make it walk, turn, and avoid obstacles
 *
 * Notes: Compile for 2.0 NXT firmware (1.028)
 *
 * @author Daniele Benedettelli, MCP http://robotics.benedettelli.com, Copyright (C) 2012.
 *
 * @see The GNU Public License (GPL)
 */

/*
 * This program is free software; you can redistribute it and/or modify
 * it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
 * the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or
 * (at your option) any later version.
 *
 * This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but
 * WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY
 * or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License
 * for more details.
 *
 * You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along
 * with this program; if not, write to the Free Software Foundation, Inc.,
 * 59 Temple Place, Suite 330, Boston, MA 02111-1307 USA
 */

#define STEP_PAUSE 80

#define LEFT_LEG OUT_C
#define REAR_LEG OUT_B
#define RIGHT_LEG OUT_A
#define EYE IN_4

#define NEAR 25
#define NONE -1
#define LEFT 1
#define RIGHT 2
#define FRONT 3
#define BACK 4

#define CW 1
#define CCW 0

#define KP 30
#define KD 10
#define KI 0
#define DAMP 60
#define SCALE 5

#define MID 60

int ref[3];

void Set(byte rear, byte left, byte right)
{
   ref[REAR_LEG] = rear;
   ref[LEFT_LEG] = left;
   ref[RIGHT_LEG] = right;
}

void Pulse(byte motor, int times, bool long_pulse)
{
   repeat (times)
   {
      ref[motor] = MID+10;
      Wait(80);
      //Wait(70+long_pulse*30);
      ref[motor] = MID-10;
      Wait(80);
   }
}

void PulseDouble(byte motor_one, byte motor_two, int times, bool long_pulse)
{
   repeat (times)
   {
      ref[motor_one] = 80;
      ref[motor_two] = 80;
      Wait(50+long_pulse*40);
      ref[motor_one] = 40;
      ref[motor_two] = 40;
   }
}

void Walk (int dir, int times)
{
   repeat(times)
   {
      if (dir == FRONT)
      {
         Set(MID-20,MID,MID);
         Wait(300);
         Set(MID+10,MID,MID);
         Wait(200);
      }
      else if (dir == BACK)
      {
         Set(MID-10,MID+20,MID+20);
         Wait(150);
         Set(MID-10,MID-10,MID-10);
         Wait(300);
      }
      else if (dir == RIGHT)
      {
         Set(MID-10,MID-20,MID-10);
         Wait(80);
         Set(MID+10,MID-20,MID+10);
         Wait(150);
         Set(MID-10,MID-20,MID-10);
         Wait(300);
      }
      else if (dir == LEFT)
      {
         Set(MID-10,MID-10,MID-20);
         Wait(80);
         Set(MID+10,MID+10,MID-20);
         Wait(150);
         Set(MID-10,MID-10,MID-20);
         Wait(300);
      }
//      if (times>1)  Wait(STEP_PAUSE);
   }
}

void Turn(int wise, int times)
{
   repeat (times)
   {
      ref[REAR_LEG] = MID-10;
      ref[wise==CCW? RIGHT_LEG:LEFT_LEG] = MID+10;
      Wait(100);
      ref[wise==CCW? LEFT_LEG:RIGHT_LEG] = MID+10;
      ref[wise==CCW? RIGHT_LEG:LEFT_LEG] = MID-10;
      Wait(100);
      ref[wise==CCW? LEFT_LEG:RIGHT_LEG] = MID-10;
      ref[REAR_LEG] = MID+10;
      Wait(100);
//      Pulse( wise==CCW? REAR_LEG:LEFT_LEG, 1, false);
//      Pulse(RIGHT_LEG,1,false);
//      Pulse( wise==CCW? LEFT_LEG:REAR_LEG,1,false);
   }
}

void Demo()
{
   Walk(FRONT,10);
   Turn(CCW,10);
   Walk(FRONT,10);
   Turn(CW,10);
   Walk(FRONT,10);
   Walk(LEFT,10);
   Walk(RIGHT,10);
}

task motorAcontroller()
{
   int err, P, I, D, PID, Apos, Aold;
   ResetAllTachoCounts(OUT_A);
   ResetRotationCount(OUT_A);
   while(true)
   {
      Apos = MotorRotationCount(OUT_A);
      err = Apos - ref[OUT_A];
      P = KP*err;
      I = err + KI*I*(100-DAMP)/100;
      D = KD*(err-Aold);
      PID = (P + I + D)/SCALE;
      PID = abs(PID)>100? sign(PID)*100 : PID;
      OnRev(OUT_A,PID);
      Aold = err;
   }
}

task motorBcontroller()
{
   int err, P, I, D, PID, Bpos, Bold;
   ResetAllTachoCounts(OUT_B);
   ResetRotationCount(OUT_B);
   while(true)
   {
      Bpos = MotorRotationCount(OUT_B);
      err = Bpos - ref[OUT_B];
      P = KP*err;
      I = err + KI*I*(100-DAMP)/100;
      D = KD*(err-Bold);
      PID = (P + I + D)/SCALE;
      PID = abs(PID)>100? sign(PID)*100 : PID;
      OnRev(OUT_B,PID);
      Bold = err;
   }
}

task motorCcontroller()
{
   int err, P, I, D, PID, Cpos, Cold;
   ResetAllTachoCounts(OUT_C);
   ResetRotationCount(OUT_C);
   while(true)
   {
      Cpos = MotorRotationCount(OUT_C);
      err = Cpos - ref[OUT_C];
      P = KP*err;
      I = err + KI*I*(100-DAMP)/100;
      D = KD*(err-Cold);
      PID = (P + I + D)/SCALE;
      PID = abs(PID)>100? sign(PID)*100 : PID;
      OnRev(OUT_C,PID);
      Cold = err;
   }
}

void triped_init()
{
   //SetSensorLowspeed(LEFT_EYE);
   //SetSensorLowspeed(RIGHT_EYE);
   SetSensorLowspeed(EYE);
   OnRev(OUT_ABC,20);
   Wait(80);
   Float(OUT_ABC);
   Wait(500);
   start motorAcontroller;
   start motorBcontroller;
   start motorCcontroller;
   //Set(MID+40,MID+40,MID+40);
   //Wait(1000);
   Set(MID,MID,MID);
   Wait(1000);
   /*
   repeat(3)
   {
      Set(MID,MID+20,MID+20);
      Wait(200);
      Set(MID+20,MID+20,MID);
      Wait(200);
      Set(MID+20,MID,MID+20);
      Wait(600);
   }
   Set(MID,MID,MID);
   */
}

void Jump( int times )
{
   repeat (times)
   {
      Set(90,90,90);
      Wait(1000);
      for (int i=90; i >=30; i--)
      {
         Set(i,i,i);
         Wait(1);
      }
      Wait(1000);
   }
}

task main()
{
   int count;
   triped_init();
   while (true)
   {
      if (ButtonPressed(BTNCENTER,true))
      {
         Set(MID+50,MID+50,MID+50);
         while(ButtonPressed(BTNCENTER,true));
         until(ButtonPressed(BTNCENTER,true));
      }
      if (SensorUS(EYE)>NEAR)
      {
         Walk(FRONT,1);
      }
      else
      {
         Walk(BACK,3);
         count = 0;
         while(SensorUS(EYE)<=NEAR && count<20)
         {
            Turn(CCW,3);
            count++;
         }
         if (SensorUS(EYE)<=NEAR)
         {
            count = 0;
            while(SensorUS(EYE)<NEAR && count<20)
            {
               Turn(CW,3);
               count++;
            }
            Walk(LEFT,4);
         }
         else
         {
            Walk(RIGHT,4);
         }
         //Turn(CCW,5);
      }
   }
}

the error

You might want to share the exact error you get, and what you are doing when you get this error.

@jdv "File error" on the NXT, literally... here, take a look - http://imgur.com/kzjuc0N

This might be the size of the memory in use at runtime. Does a super simple "turn a motor, beep, turn the motor" test program work? Is this the only program on the brick?

@jdv It could be a memory error, because I've got a bunch of other stuff on there. I'll check a simple program later.

Scratch the possible memory problem. I deleted huge amount of stuff, and the error is still exactly the same.

It's a bit of a hail-mary, but really make sure you don't have an array or other struct eating up all the free memory. This is why I recommend trying a really simple "flash the LED" equivalent, prove that works and go from the known to the unknown. We want to rule out, completely, the very common cause of this error: memory exhaustion.

I got this to work. Set the optimisation level to 1 on the NBC/NXC tab of the compilation options. Then recompile and download.

I had the exact same problem when I built the tripod. This program is written in BrickCC, instead of the standard NXT-G. The way to solve this is to download and install the compiler for brickCC, which can be found by browsing the tripod section on robotsquare here.
Sources: robotsquare.com

Umm, I used BricxCC 3.3.8.9 to compile and transfer the program.

Oh. Ok. Um. I haven't got anything else.


text:
Lego death star problems
I have recently got the death star but my han solo and ben kenobi mini figures have white parts in their eyes (a newer edition of the mini figure) why them and only them.

I don't have the Death Star, and haven't kept up with the latest figure development trends, so I can't be sure about this, but:
Lego frequently updates parts. The new parts are sometimes considered new, and the old parts retired, but often the new parts are considered equivalent to the old parts. Lego then uses these new parts arbitrarily, wherever is most convenient. This leads, sometimes, to a set containing a mix of old and new parts, depending on the sources of those parts during manufacturing. So if, say, they replaced a certain piece with another, nearly identical piece, any set you buy during the transition period could conceivably contain both, if the parts bags in your set came from two different parts of the factory.
If Lego updated the Solo and Kenobi head designs, for use all across the Star Wars line, those head designs may show up in new copies of older sets. Similarly, if there is still stock left of older designs, those designs may also appear in newer sets. When Lego considers the parts to be equivalent, there is no guarantee of which you'll get during the transition.

source: Stack Exchange

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/

sort: votes


text:
What is the most cost effective way to get basic bricks in bulk?
I've seen another question (What's the most cost effective and efficient way to buy bricks?) that asks where the best place to buy specific bricks in small quantities are. That is helpful when working on LEGO projects that require precise pieces, but I am planning on using LEGO for non-artistic projects, such as building cases for Arduino that I have. As such, I am not really bothered by specific color. What is the most cost effective way to get common bricks in large bulk quantities such as the 4x1 or 2x4 bricks in any color?

Welcome to Stack Exchange! This question already has an elaborate answer here: What's the most cost effective and efficient way to buy bricks?

Hi @PhilB., I believe my question is a little different as the other question is asking where to get small quanities of very specific bricks whereas my question is asking about large bulk quantities of general common bricks.

Thanks for the edit and clarification - posted an answer below

See also: Is it possible to buy a bulk of 1000s of basic bricks (mostly 2x4)?

Retailers often sell large sets of basic bricks for Black Friday, especially Wal Mart. One year it was 1600 bricks for $30 USD

The best and most cost effective way to get large quantities of brick, especially common ones, is via the LUGBulk program. You would need to be member of a LUG (LEGO User Group) that participates, and LUGBulk orders are due at specific times of the year. Search for a LUG near you and check.
Alternatively, you can go to your closest LEGO Store and see which common bricks they have in their Pick-a-Brick wall. If one of them is a piece you need, check with a store employee if they are willing to sell you a whole box. This used to cost $70 per box (independent of the type of brick inside) but I believe it might now be more ($100 IIRC).

FWIW my understanding is that in North America the Lego stores are no longer selling whole boxes of pick-a-brick elements.

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/


text:
NXT Display is messed up
I have an NXT 1.0 and the LCD display only displays noise.  Anyone know how to get one replaced or repaired?

There is a great video on YouTube that shows how to repair this.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCZNc7tPop0
Basically, there are some surface mount capacitors on the PCB board for the screen/buttons that need a little bit of soldering to make sure they are properly electrically connected.
I have performed this repair myself with success.

Awesome, I'll check it out

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Are these real Lego figures?
Are these real LEGO figures or custom non-LEGO designs?

Yes they are. The top figure is made out of these parts:

Head: Item 3626bpb0220

Hair: Item 3901

Torso: Item 973c19 but with yellow hands

Legs: Item 970c00

The bottom figure has the same torso as the top figure, and these parts:

Head: I cannot find this as a LEGO provided minifig head print, but there are several ways to customize LEGO heads, like through minifigs.me so this could be a custom head not produced by LEGO.
Hair: Item 4530 in Tan

The lower body is made out of the following Yellow bricks:

A 3023 Plate 1x2 for the hips
Two 3062b Brick, Round 1x1 Open Stud for the legs

The head reminds me of the freckled boy face from a few years ago. Also it's worth pointing out that while these are official Lego pieces, this particular arrangement is strictly unofficial.

Freckled boy face probably refers to this face: http://img.bricklink.com/P/3/3626bpx19.gif / Bricklink page


text:
NXT 2.0 speakers not functioning
I have the NXT 2.0 set, and have owned it for about 5 years now. About a week ago, the sound coming from the speaker started sounding distorted, and eventually stopped working. That time I restored the sound by simply restarting the NXT, but now no sound plays, including the click and startup sounds.

I have had the sound go out on one or two NXTs. I was able to restore it by doing a factory reset.
On the back of the NXT, there are 12 technic pin holes. In the one closest to USB port, you will see a metallic button. With everything unplugged from the NXT and with the NXT powered on, press the button with a paper clip or other instrument that will fit in the hole. After a few seconds, the screen will go blank and the brick should start making a ticking noise. Then use the NXT-G software to reload the firmware on the NXT.
For more complete instructions with pictures, see http://www.neisd.net/et/robotics/documents/ResettingYourNXTBrick.pdf. Note: Step 2 is incorrect and should be skipped - there is no "soft" reset - the button in the battery compartment is for indicating that the rechargeable batter is being used.
UPDATE: Link above is broken, so here is a new one: http://www.legoengineering.com/clicking-brick-syndrome/. It is not quite as detailed, but still has nice pictures.


text:
Is there a functional difference between bricks w/ and w/o bottom tubes?
For instance:
3040a - Slope 45° 2 x 1 - without Bottom Tube
and
3040b - Slope 45° 2 x 1
Are both of these always interchangeable? If not, what are the cases where you would absolutely need no bottom tubes?

Parts with and without bottom tubes are nearly always interchangeable in normal building scenarios.
However, there is definitely a functional difference. Not having bottom tubes generally does the following:

Reduces clutch power. There's one less surface for the stud to produce friction against.
Allows for lots of different connection points along the bottom edge rather than just at both ends. This can be useful in places where you aren't always working in whole numbers of modules. For example, here's one way that you could build a wall at 45 degrees to what you would normally build by exploiting 1x2 bricks without bottom tubes:

Accepting this answer just because it was the first and it has the most upvotes. All entries were great additions. Thanks to all participants!

Are both of these always interchangeable?
Yes and no. They are 100% compatible with the standard LEGO building system, but you may be able to use the bottom-tubeless elements in arrangements that wouldn't work with a standard brick, and vice-versa.
If not, what are the cases where you would absolutely need no bottom tubes?
Bottom tubes were introduced into bricks to increase support and stability. Or, as @jncraton mentioned, "clutch power". Bottom tubes have been around for awhile, but the pieces without bottom tubes have been slowly dying off.
They've almost been completely discounted as of 2002, partly for those structural reasons. In fact, only 11 sets since 2002 have used them, compared to hundreds during or before 2002.
There's one exception to the lack of use of bricks without bottom tubes: Small translucent pieces used for decoration or to represent translucent materials, such as glass and water. These translucent bricks are still in popular use, because the lack of the center tube makes them appear more clear. Over 200 sets have used such pieces since 2002, primarily for glass and water representation.
So, there, it's not required, but it looks much nicer.

jncraton and CreationEdge have both explained what the tubes are for and mentioned two advantages to not having them: nicer-looking clear parts, and connections that aren't aligned with the system stud grid. The main advantage to having them is the clutch power it adds: in a 2x2 brick such as the slope with no tube, each stud touches two walls, but with a tube each stud also touches the tube, so 50% more clutch.
As I explained in this comment regarding a pizza tile that had a variant element with a tube, the tube is a useful attachment point. The inside of the tube is a stud-hole so you can put a stud there, and this can be used to great effect with the right pieces. In the case of the pizza element, a minifig hand can be placed in the tube to hold the pizza centrally from underneath. Similarly bricks with tubes can be placed on half-stud offsets from other bricks using the tubes.


text:
LEGO Mindstorms NXT - bossa driver prevents firmware upgrade
First of all, this may sound like a duplicate post. But, my Mindstorms NXT 2.0 has been having the "Clicking Brick Syndrome".
I have been told that uninstalling the bossa driver then unplugging and replugging the brick offline will cause it to install correctly.
Unfortunately this does not happen and the bossa drivers reinstall. Anyone have any ideas that may help? I am running Windows 10.

I'm not familiar with the "bossa" driver. Do you mean the "Fantom" driver available at http://lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/downloads?

for some reason it is installing a bossa driver instead of the the lego drivers

This was a really great help. On my computer there's no Arduino software, but the problem with this Bossa driver existed anyhow. Thanks!

If you are getting tic...tic...tic then your brick is waiting for a firmware to be written to it.  I would recommend looking at this for full instructions.
Basically, you need to re-flash the firmware onto the brick.  I've done this a number of times as I use an alternate firmware called LeJOS (runs Java).  There shouldn't be anything that breaks from this (not any further than what you've got).  Make sure your batteries are not going to die on you while you re-flash the firmware.  Just give them a charge.

Do a hard reset on the brick (should be a paperclip in one of the bottom corners held down for a few seconds).  This shouldn't be required, as your NXT is already in this state, but just in case.
Connect your brick to a computer, it must have the Mindstorms NXT software installed on the computer.
Open up Mindstorms NXT, and go to Tools->Update NXT Firmware
Click "Check" and then "Download".  This will install the firmware on the NXT.

You should now have a working brick.  However, any programs you may have flashed to it are gone (and probably were already gone, as discussed in #1).  All you need to do to restore those is write the programs from the Mindstorms NXT software on your computer.

the problem is the computer wont recognize the brick after i did that

@zcmckenna That is exactly what happened to my EV3 after upgrading to 1.10E. My antivirus started going crazy and called it "ransomware" and I kept getting a bunch of "error code 4" messages. But after a few hours it unexpectedly stopped.

Read the RobotC NXT Forum thread Firmware Update & Arduino IDE Issues (Renamed). The only post that count is the 31th post. Simply go to the Device Manager with the brick connected, choose the Bossa Device, choose property, pilot update and replace the Bossa device by the Lego Mindstorm device.
Here are the explicit instructions from that post:

Complete a Hard Reset on the NXT Brick

Push and Hold Silver Button on Back of Brick for at least 10 Seconds
You Should Hear a Clicking Sound

Plug the NXT Brick into the Computer via USB Cable
Click on the Windows Start Button
Right Click on Computer
Choose Manage
Expand the Ports
Right Click on the “BOSSA” Port
Choose Update Driver Software
Choose Manual Selection
Click “Choose from List Provided”
Select the Lego Option
Open RobotC
Click Robot and Download Firmware

thanks for the very helpful hints!
I encountered same issue with installing LEGO Mindstorms NXT v2.0.f6 and Arduino IDE 1.8.2 under Windows 10. After uninstalling Arduino IDE and LEGO Mindstorms I reinstalled LEGO Mindstorms, but the "Bossa" Driver still persist after rebooting. After dealing with suggestions regarding the oemxx.inf files the only solution which worked spontaneous was the one from "jmarcr": "...replace the Bossa device by the Lego Mindstorm device"
THX for this!!! :-)
(Now I am curious looking to install Arduino IDE again...and see what will happen...)

I found a similar issue here. It looks like the bossa driver comes from Aurduino.
That post recommends the following:
Option A:

Make sure the NXT brick is disconnected.
Open Control Panel/Program and Features.
Find the "Arduino" entry. Double click it to uninstall the Arduino IDE.
After uninstall is done, plug in the NXT brick. The correct NXT firmware update driver would be installed.
Open RobotC and do the firmware update.
After the firmware update is done, if you still want Arduino IDE to work, reinstall the Arudino IDE.

Option B:

Make sure the NXT brick is still connected to the computer.
Open an elevated CMD.
Type "cd c:\Windows\inf"
Type "findstr Bossa *.inf"
Note the INF file name in the form of oemxx.inf
Type "rename oemxx.inf oemxx.inf.bak" (Note: please substitute xx with the actual number reported by findstr)
Open Control Panel/Device Manager.
Find the Bossa Program Port device.
Right click the device and select "Uninstall".
Disconnect the NXT brick from the computer, wait a few seconds.
Reconnect the NXT brick to the computer and wait a minute or two for the system to find and install the correct NXT firmware update driver for it.
Open RobotC and proceed with the firmware update.
After the firmware update is done, go back to the CMD and type "rename oemxx.inf.bak oemxx.inf" (Again please substitute xx correspondingly).

Option B will not work on some versions of Windows (I've tested on Windows 10 Pro and confirmed it does not work), because Windows simply replaces the renamed driver file. However, the suggestion below of going to the Properties in Device Manager, and updating the driver with the installed version of the Lego Mindstorm NXT device driver works great.

I had same issue with Windows 7. I double clicked on the "Bossa Program Port" driver and pressed "update driver", then selected the "LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Firmware Update Mode" driver instead. Then it was possible to connect to "LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0" and update firmware.
Original source of information:
https://home.et.utwente.nl/slootenvanf/2016/04/15/lego-firmware/

all_licenses: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/


text:
Identification please
I got hold of a lot of loose LEGO; included were three closed packages without assembly instructions. Two of these were numbered as 7 and 8 respectively, the third one is without numbering.
I attach pictures of the parts and would be very grateful, if someone could identify them so I can download instructions before my little grandson comes to visit in a few weeks :)
Package "7"

Package "8"

Unknown Package

Maria, Welcome to stack exchange. Since this is the same question as your previous question, can you add this picture to it and close this question? Your other question already has an answer :)

Maria, if this came in the same batch as your other posts, I assume it comes from the same set and you should close this question and add the picture to the already answered question. If it did not, this is a valid Q - just let us know.

This came in a different batch, Phil. - and thank you again for your previous id!!

On second thought - there are no green plates in 60004 Fire Station, so this package comes from another set. The problem is - these bricks are very common so difficult to determine which set they came from.

I cannot figure this one out - the 6x12 in bright green only comes in 16 sets (according to Bricklink) and none of those sets have 1x2 bricks with technic holes in them, in black. Did this all come from one sealed LEGO-labeled bag?

Oh and yes, this bag is from the same set - builds parts of the main garage.

Given the size of the set (indicated by the fact that there are at least 8 bags), the occurrence of the Item 2584c003 - winch with reel and the Item 41539 - 8x8 light bluish gray plates in package "7", it looks like you have parts of set 60004 Fire Station in your hands, specifically one of the upper floors of the building, together with parts of the emergency pole.

Package "8" is also part of set 60004 Fire Station, specifically parts of one the two main garages next to the office tower part of the Fire Station, the roof of the garage and some of the sidewalk.

One of the key pieces here is the Dark Blue Part 3039 - Slope 45° 2 x 2, which is a fairly limited color.
Of the 5 sets using more than 8 of that element (your picture contains 10), there are none that contain at least 2 more of the other elements pictured.
As @PhilB commented, the 6x12 plate is also a rare piece. There are 0 sets that have both the Bright Green 6x12 plate and the Dark Blue slopes. The light bluish gray bricks are also not generally seen with those other two.
This is an assortment of bricks from a number of sets.

The small bag may be able to be identified to the set it belongs in, but the picture of bag is not clear enough. Some elements are partially hidden by others or glare, and the color isn't clear enough. If a picture of the bag is taken more zoomed-in and on a white background (like a piece of paper), we may be able to ID it.
I was able to find out this information by downloading a list of sets and pieces and turning it into a local relational database. I then queried that database to attempt to find sets which contained more than one of the different types of pieces pictured.
The other numbers, such as how many sets contain the piece/how rare a piece is can be done with a simple query, but many LEGO-related websites with parts listings have this information freely available.

Yeah almost no sets ever have that many light-bley 2x4s

Also the Technic pin/axle connector is in almost no sets in both red and yellow, and the sets they DO appear in look unlikely to have a polybag with just one of each in it.

Thank you, everyone - we'll add it to our 'general' Lego box and try be creative with it :)

Can you please link to where you found this information, since your answers seem so definite that you're using a database rather than memory. That helps us all learn how to answer these questions ourselves rather than just coming back here hundreds of times with new photos. Thanks.

@Mσᶎ I downloaded the files from https://rebrickable.com/downloads and converted them to a local database which I queried to find the information.

@CreationEdge I didn't realise those inventories were so readily available, thanks for that.

@Mσᶎ I didn't either, but found it through http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/1781/is-there-a-freely-downloadable-set-and-part-dataset

And I use the "Catalog Item" search on Bricklink to do my sleuthing :)


text:
How do I know if this wooden LEGO duck is real?

I bought this wooden duck and I am wondering if this is a real LEGO item.

"if it quacks like a duck, maybe it is a duck"

I've never seen a LEGO wooden duck with an upturned bill like that, or without the platform base. It could be, but I highly doubt it. That said, an antique toy expert could help ID it

@CreationEdge The LEGO Museum has a few more variants of the wooden duck (left, second shelf down). Some of them don't appear to have a platform but it's clear there was a lot of variations in the design.

@Ambo Nice. Some very similar

Note that the pull-along wooden duck was a very popular toy at the time. Without any markings on the toy or any evidence of another nearly identical copy attributed to Lego, why would one think this particular example was a Lego design?

Every Lego wooden duck I have seen, whether in person or on the internet, is sitting on a platform with the wheels attached to the platform. This is the original version:

Here is a later version:

Are there any markings on the toy itself that lead you to believe it is a Lego product?

There is no lego markings


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What is the best way to rebuild Lego sets?
My six year old son loves to build with LEGO bricks and has quite a few LEGO sets. Over time they have been disassembled, so we decided to try to rebuild some of them. We have the original instructions.
In order to make it easier to find the correct bricks, we sorted the LEGO into boxes of one or two colours (different blues in one, green and brown in one, etc.). The next step is to start building, but it seems like a lot of work to find the right bricks. Does anyone have some good advice or ideas on how to do it most effectively (and still fun for a six years old boy).

Sorting by color is the first thing any LEGO collector will do, but soon you will find out that finding that one specific piece in a whole box of black pieces is quite difficult, and your sorting method will further differentiate between plates and bricks, SNOT pieces etc. Check out this post for more tips and details.
For your particular problem I would do the following: get as many large ziploc bags as you have sets (or if there are big sets, use multiple bags). When your son is in bed or at school, look at the back page(s) of the set instructions - there is a list of all elements and their counts.

Pick all the pieces for a given set based on this list. The lists are already sorted by color, so if you have your son's collection sorted by color this means you need to look only at one box at a time - a handy bonus! Put the pieces in a ziploc bag and mark the bag with the set name or set number (or print a picture of the set on adhesive paper and attach it - go to http://www.brickset.com for good pictures of new and old sets). Now, once it is time for your son to rebuild, he just takes the bag he needs and builds the set.
After he is done with playing with the set (and when it has slowly degraded into a million pieces, as is the case with the way my kids play with their LEGO) you can first do a quick clean-up by again sorting the pieces into the color-coded boxes, and then once redo the filling of the ziploc bag based on the instructions.

I'm not sure "six year old" and "everything in ziplock bags" is going to work. Bigger plastic containers would be more likely to work IMO.

Sure - containers would do fine. My local Kroger (I'm in the US) sells plastic shoe-storage boxes for $1 per piece - ideal for storing a good amount of bricks.

As Phil noted, you can sort by both color and part before building in order to speed up the process. However, for a relatively small collection this level of sorting may be unnecessary.
I would recommend sorting by part first, and then only sorting by color if needed. This feels unnatural, but the reason to sort by part first is simply that your eyes will very quickly be able to pick out a red part from a pile, while they are relatively poor at differentiating between a 2x3 and 2x4 brick of the same color in a pile.
Simply having parts sorted by size can even be a good place to start. There are even some sorting systems you can pick up such as the sort and store head to make this process simpler:

This semi-automatically separates the large pieces from the small, which can help to save time when sorting.

He got 20+ sets including a fire station and some blue boxes. Not sure if that is what you call a small collection? I've sorted them by colour and the sorted black and grey into the three groups. Seems like a good start. Sorting by part must take a lot of boxes?

Heh, some people would call 20 sets a good day at the LEGO store. That said, at least one LEGO nerd I know keeps his collection mostly sorted by color and uses ziplocks to keep the parts sorted too, so he basically has large boxes of a given color with a bunch of baggies in it.

I like the ziplocs inside boxes idea!

FWIW if you have a lot of really small parts a final sifting using a tennis racquet or similar can split the last layer into two groups which helps a lot.


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System files deleted somehow
I think my son accidentally deleted all the system sound/image files, etc. I have tried loading the firmware but that does NOT restore the files. Is there not a way to just upload the system sound and image files to the brick? They are so easy to delete, you'd think there would be a way to put them back....

Sadly, my friend, this is less of a LEGO problem, and more of an issue with the kind of basic tech EV3 runs on. It can't afford to have a backup, it needs to be compact. You'll have to put them back on file by file.


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How long does it take the build the Ewok village
How long does it take to build the Ewok village

That's kind of impossible to answer beyond "Depends on your skill level".

Build speed depends very much on your ability as a builder to understand instructions, organize the pieces in advance, and pick & place those pieces in the right position in your build. Additionally, the complexity of the set (simple versus complex building techniques, e.g. SNOT (Studs Not On Top) techniques are considered complex) might make a similar sized set more difficult. The complexity is often determined through the Age range specified on the box. So there is no exact answer here.
But as an indication, the set 10236 LEGO Ewok Village contains 1990 pieces and is rated 12+. That age range makes it a moderately difficult build (There is 14+ and 16+ for more complex builds).
First you need to take time to part out the set, put like elements together (LEGO suggests sorting by color, you could also sort by type of piece which will make your job slightly easier - put 1x1 bricks together, leaf pieces together, 1x4 plates together etc.). Opening the box gently by slicing a sharp knife through the seals on the flap (so you don't damage the box), emptying and opening the bags and dumping it all on your work surface takes 1 minute. To pick a piece and sort it, I am assuming takes you 1 second - since there are 1990 pieces this means the sorting activity alone will take you a good 30 minutes (33 to be precise).
Now it is time for the build. Assuming that you can put a piece into your build in about 10 seconds (includes find time, reviewing the instructions, sometimes flipping the page, and averages out for easier and more difficult building steps), with 1990 pieces this means you will spend 332 minutes on your build, or roughly 5hrs and 30 minutes, excluding any breaks.
Putting it all together, assuming my estimates and assumptions are correct, your total build time should be between 6 and 6.5 hours.
Good luck and have fun, because that Ewok Village set looks pretty awesome!

Oops - made a conversion mistake there - should have been 5hrs 30mins, so total build is somewhere between 6 and 6.5 hours assuming my assumptions are correct

I thought in large modern LEGO sets you would have numbered bags that should be opened when needed, not all at once.

Sure, but the calculation is much more difficult if you have to take bags and pieces per bag into account. So I simplified to get to a workable answer. Approximation should still be valid even when working to smaller subsets of the entire set.


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Clicking Brick Syndrome after using Raspberry Pi
I have a Mindstorms NXT brick, and when switching it on recently, it just started clicking.  I have tried many different ways to fix it, but nothing has worked.  I've done a soft reset, hard reset (many times), plugged it into my windows machines, it doesn't get recognised.
I suspect the issue arises from using it a few weeks back with a raspberry pi.  It normally shouldn't be an issue, but I've read on other forums that sometimes using it with things like raspberry pi or Arduino can cause conflicts in the firmware.
But neither my raspberry pi or Windows 7 machine will recognise the NXT brick any more.  Any ideas?
Thanks,
Stephen

Have you tried reloading the firmware? See http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/6944/lego-mindstorms-nxt-bossa-driver-prevents-firmware-upgrade and http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/644/how-can-i-get-my-nxt-to-turn-on-all-it-does-is-softly-click and http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/2624/nxt-brick-will-not-update-firmware

I've tried all of those things.  Pt simply, windows is not recognising the brick at all.  I've plugged it into computers that it's worked with before, and computers than have never had it plugged into it, with and without the NXT software.  I think I've tried all combinations of options.

On the Raspberry Pi (or other Linux computer), if you have the NXT connected (and the NXT is on and clicking), in a terminal, run lsusb. What is the output of this command. If the NXT is not listed there, what is the output of dmesg | tail?

Thanks for the replies. I tried that already, and got a blank. I've tried a couple of USB cables, and can now only surmise that the issue might lie with the USB port on the brick.

I successfully did a CPR on the NXT CPU, which was 'bricked' by the 'clicking brick syndrome' after updating the firmware of the NXT 2.0 to 1.31
The USB connection was lost and the PC (Win7 64bit) installed an incorrect driver for the NXT USB connection. If found the solution here:
 https://www.reddit.com/r/FTC/comments/1vvwq9/for_those_who_have_or_have_had_a_clicking_nxt/
After I installed the correct NXT drivers and when I connected the (clicking) NXT I had no connection to the internet and it was recognized as NXT again. I could install the (latest) firmware via the original NXT software. After that I can use the EV3 software as well with my NXT (USB only, no bluetooth)
Hope this helps!


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8034 software RIS 2.0 - how to work it under Ubuntu 14.04?
Can I get to work RCX 2.0 software RIS2.0 under Ubuntu 14.04? I've installed it under wine, but the graphics of my notebook was to high for it, and the next phase of installation - the looking for the tower did not work at all.

USB or serial tower?

USB tower. I've found there is a driver for W7, because without that driver the tower simply doesn't work. But I guess these driver would not work under wine. Here is the way on windows7: http://www.legomindstormsrobots.com/lego-minstorms/lego-mindstorms-ris-windows7/

Yeah, USB under Wine is going to be an adventure. This is a situation where a COMx based tower is going to be easier. Unless you really need RIS, I'd probably just switch to BrickxCC (if this runs on Linux( or NQC and side step the whole thing.

I've tried BrickxCC as well: the tower doesn't communicate either. Mayba there is a linux version of BrickxCC, because the recently installed runs under wine as well. So or I shell by an COMx based tower, or try under W7.

Just to close the circle (and not just hide this info in the comments), I don't have high hopes this will ever work satisfactorily. At least without not a fair amount of hacking.
As per WineHQ, USB support in Wine is weak at best, and so BricxCC via Wine is probably a non-starter, as well, for the same reason.
You might have better luck with a COM port based tower. These can be had from eBay rather cheaply. Wine has documentation about presenting serial ports in Linux or OS X to COM ports in Wine.
Many of those USB serial dongle/cables that use FTDi chips can be used in Wine, as these can be used as COM ports (using the same facility I mentioned above) but the Lego USB tower is a special device that doesn't abstract well; it uses a very custom protocol above a thin USB layer.
Or you can switch to a less pretty IDE based solution like NQC or LeJOS that runs natively on Linux. The USB tower works reasonably well using native Linux enumerations and comms. It's a very simple half-duplex medium speed protocol with simple error checking and (AFAIR) no flow control.


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LEGO custom One Piece
Does anyone know where I can find custom LEGO figures or MOCs of the One Piece Manga/Anime, preferably made using authentic LEGO elements?

What is a "Lego custom one piece crew"? Are you talking about a service that makes custom minifigs? In that case - check out minifigs.me.

I'm assuming you are referring to the One Piece anime series.
There are no official Lego sets for the One Piece anime series. If there were, you'd have seen them in the Lego catalogs.
Searching the web, I've found that there is a company called Diamond Blocks that has created One Piece sets. Strangely, they don't seem to have minifigs of the crew.
You could perhaps customize your own minifigs. You could make some stickers and apply them to your existing minifigs, for example.
Or you could contact Lego company and ask them. One Piece is a pretty popular series, so assuming this Diamond Blocks company doesn't have an exclusive license, they might just be interested in creating it.

There are third party companies like KORUIT that have made "One Piece" minifigures. You can check out the review on the KORUIT "One Piece" minifigure here: https://customizeminifiguresintelligence.wordpress.com/2018/12/14/review-of-koruit-one-piece-minifigures-xp036-041-kt1008-kt1013/


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Cannot add instruction tiles to EV3 brick program.
I was using the EV3 brick program software included in the ev3 Brick and I can no longer add instructions. I think I've reached the max length. Is there a way around this? Can I run a second program after finishing the original one? Thanks

Large programs can be difficult.
Usually it is better to divide a large program into pieces, where each piece is a MyBlock.
To create a MyBlock, select a group of program blocks and then find the "Create MyBlock ..." from the toolbar.  I think it's at Edit -> Create My Block ...
A series of dialog boxes will appear, complete them and the selected blocks will be stuffed inside the MyBlock, and the program will be altered to use the new MyBlock.  Double click the MyBlock and there will be the program elements that were originally selected.
Practice on a smaller program before attempting on a large program.


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How does the LEGO Group transport its products? Can LEGO bricks be recycled?
1.
Hello, I am doing research on LEGO for a school project.  I want to know where are the LEGO factories?  How do the LEGO products get from factories to the stores around the world?  What shipping routes?  What kind of cargo ships, how much LEGO product is being transported per ship?  How many times do ships get sent?  What is the work force that are in charge and working to get the LEGO bricks to where they need to be?  After it gets to land how do they transport it?  How much fuel is used?
2.
I have found that you are able to break down LEGO bricks that do not fit the high standards (18 to a million) and have it back to its ABS granules for re-use.  I really like that the LEGO Group is recycling, but will they allow people to give used LEGO bricks that they have back to the company to make new LEGO products? What can we do to recycle LEGO bricks if we won't use it anymore?  What are you doing or plan to do in order to make LEGO products recyclable in a way that is easy for the consumer?

Per (2): http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/1261/are-lego-bricks-recyclable

Two comments: First, this is website is not affiliated with the Lego company. Second, please separate your two questions into different posts.

Note that (1) is probably unanswerable, as no one here works for LEGO, or is privy to their logistics decisions. Best to contact LEGO directly.

I highly recommend you contact LEGO directly. LEGO are fairly secretive about their manufacturing and distribution setup, so I wouldn't expect them to go too far into the specifics.


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I can't figure out which lego model these doors came from

I've been searching for 5 days, but I can't figure out or find this type of door.  I am sure it's from year 2000 upwards because I bought this from a mother whose child is all grown up, thank you for taking the time!

UPDATED LISTING THE CORRECT STOCKADE DOOR - Thanks to TheBrickBlogger
The two left doors are 30223 - Door 1x5x7 1/2 Stockade and they appear in 11 sets.

The middle one on your picture seems to be Reddish Brown, which is in only 1 set, 7036 - Dwarves' Mine, exactly decorated the way you have the door (with the pyramid shape in Pearl Gold on top).

The left one is the same door in black; there are 5 sets with this door. None of the doors visible on the pictures in Bricklink is exactly as you have it - so likely it was used by the previous owner in a MOC, unless it is one of the not-clearly-visible doors in 7419 - Dragon Fortress, which has 4 of these doors in the set (all other sets have 2).

None of the sets that these doors contain the net, but out of the 46 sets with a 71155 - String, Net 10x10 square there is only one where the net is folded double and squeezed between the 1x4 plates on your picture.

This particular set is 7048 - Troll Warship and you see the net being used in exactly the same way to trap a minifig, so my best bet is that this net comes from this set.

The sets I describe here are all from the period 2003-2008, so that would have been the previous owner's key years of LEGO collecting.

The door is actually incorrect. The OP's picture shows a smaller version than the one you listed. The larger door - as you correctly mentioned - doesn't come in black. The smaller door however does. You can also clearly distinguish the two doors from the different mold around the hinges. The smaller door was retired in 2008. See here: http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemIn.asp?P=30223&in=S

@TheBrickBlogger - wow, somehow I missed that door in my search. Will update my answer with credits to you!

I'm glad I was able to help. Great detective work on figuring out which sets they are likely from! :)


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Middle Size LEGO Bricks
Can you settle an argument? I can only find 2 sizes of bricks, Duplo and Classic. My friend swears there is a middle size of Bricks. Help us settle this or we may come to blows.


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Rat Rod Semi Set
I'm looking for a set that I saw at a Walmart in Washington. Unfortunately, I was going to buy it as a Christmas gift for my husband but he was with me so I didn't buy it right then. We came back home, to Oregon and I have searched EVERY Walmart and Google high and low for that darn thing. I need help figuring out what the name/number of the set I'm looking for is. What I remember is that it was a black rat rod style semi truck pulling a trailer. Any hep would be GREATLY appreciated.

Hello Amy! Do you know if this was a City set (blue box background), a Technic set (Darker box (gray/black) with Technic on it) or a box marked "Expert"?

Was it blue and have yellow pistons? If so go to a Barns and Noble book store and they will probably have it.

Do you have more details about the set you your are referring to? A picture would help.

LEGO has made numerous trucks over the years. I assume the set you are looking for is a recent set (so from 2013 and later). One option is set 42041-1 Race Truck, though this set is not pulling a trailer.

The alternate build ('b model') of this set is a race car with bulky engine:

The second option is the alternative build of 42043-1 Mercedes AROCS 4325, which is a black/white truck with trailer. You could have seen this image as it is on the back of the box.

Now, these sets do not take into account the "rat rod style" comment you made. Not being familiar with a "rat rod", I looked it up. LEGO does make a Hot Rod style car, with open hood (which would be considered a "rat rod" as per the article above), it is model 42022-1 Hot Rod, but this model is not Black, but Blue, nor does it feature a trailer.

There is also 42011-1 Race Car from 2013, but again no trailer.

None of these completely match your description. But - given that LEGO Technic boxes are predominantly black in color, it could have been that the vehicle wasn't necessarily black, but the box imprinted the color "black" in your brain. Also, the "rat rod" description might mean an actual rat rod (in which case my main candidate would be set 42041: Race Truck given the fact that the b-model is a Hot Rod style car), or it might just mean that its inner workings looked rather "exposed", which could point to all the tubing and wiring on the AROCS (set 42043). Walmart could have just had the box reversed on its shelves so you saw the backside, and that's why you cannot find the box in your Walmart because all their boxes face forwards. It is also possible that your region's Walmarts don't stock this particular set. I know that AROCS is stocked in Washington,DC: http://www.walmart.com/search/?query=LEGO%20Technic&stores=5941,3035,5968,5129,5753.
Net: My best bet is 42043-1 Mercedes AROCS, based on your description and availability in and around Washington DC.
Note that if you cannot find this set in your local Walmart, you should be able to buy it from LEGO Shop @ Home ... perhaps you can get it on Black Friday and score the awesome 40139 Gingerbread House as a free bonus!


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How many parts were in Advent calendars of yore?
Is there any convenient way to find out how many pieces were in previous years' Advent calendars?  I looked through a dozen calendars on bricklink and most of them do not include the part count in the picture.  I was only able to find:

2010 City - 271 pieces

I started looking for this because the 2015 Advent Calendars range from 233-292 pieces so I wanted to know what was typical for prior years.

You can find an overview of all advent calenders with piece count in this link
http://brickset.com/sets/tag-Advent-Calendar


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Where is this knock-off LEGO brick from?
These are some of the non-LEGO pieces I had in my LEGO collection when I was a child, and I was told they were old LEGO, but any site on the history of LEGO completely failed to show anything like this, so they have to be knock-offs.

They are likely made in the 60's but it could be earlier. It's compatible with LEGO, except that the studs are higher, so you can't put a thin brick on top of them. The plastic is softer and just slightly translucent. I like their solution for the underside, very neat, and a clever attempt to pass by the LEGO design patents. I don't know the manufacturer, and would appreciate any information.

My eagle-eye stepdad noticed there was writing between the studs. Turns out they are dutch and called "MONTINI".

http://www.architoys.net/toys/toypages/montini.html

I am from Indonesia, I remember having these bricks when I was like 5-6 years old. That was way back in 1970. I had enough of these plastic bricks to build a house, complete with "glass" door and "glass" windows. The plastic was not shiny like Lego pieces. My sister and I had quite a lot of fun with these Montini bricks. Our mother, who always complained there was "too much stuff" in the house, gave our Montini set away once we outgrew it.

I grew up in South Africa and Montini was a huge hit long before I ever heard of Lego. I assumed Lego was the knock-off of Montini blocks. Montini had lots of different bases, bricks, colors, windows, doors, wheels, etc.

Bought mixed batch off eBay, Lego,  Duplo & other, which = Montini, can only join Lego to 1/2 the positions under if not using hollow stud Lego such as windows.

As others have pointed out, these are Montini building blocks.

Montini building blocks were produced by Berco Lux in Tiel, The Netherlands between 1960-1969. The plastic is much softer and the colors are a little different.
In 1969 production was stopped because of the Lego patent.
Montini history and the conflict with Lego ( in Dutch)


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LDD not rendering
I've dug out the LDD application I found on an older hard drive.
It seems however, that it has problems rendering the bricks and models:

I am running LDD 4.3.8 on Windows7 Ultimate (64Bit) with Administrative Priviledges. I have DirectX 11 installed and I am using the newest NVidia drivers. I am also pretty sure, that LDD has run previously on this machine (though I am not quite sure, which version it was at that point of time....)
Does someone know, how to fix this problem?

Edit: I think the problem lies in my 'db.lif' file. It would be nice, if someone has a working database file for me to download...

why not download a new complete installer from http://ldd.lego.com/ ??

Almost certainly the application needs some share resource that is no longer present. This is something the installer probably does.

If you try and place one of the bricks from the sidebar into the scene is rendered at all?

@ chicks: I have redownloaded a new installer from ldd.lego.com - but it did not change anything :/
@Ambo100: No - the scene will not be rendered at all

I have found the problem: My "AppData/Roaming/LEGO Company"-folder somehow seemed to be a symbolic link to a non-existent folder. It did not help reinstalling the application, but I fixed the link issue -- which in the end fixed the whole not-rendering-problem.
However, thank you very much for your answers

I recommend you uninstall the current LDD software completely. You can download a 30 day trial of Revo Uninstaller to remove LDD using the 'Forced Uninstall' feature. It's good for removing partially installed software, but it isn't necessary, you can use the Uninstaller built into your operating system to do a standard uninstallation.
Download the most recent version of LDD from the LEGO website.


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What does the 4 digit number embossed on my LEGO set represent?
I have a Limited Edition LEGO set which has an embossed 4-digit (2755) number on the bottom. I'm curious to know what it is because I don't remember seeing one before. It would also be nice to know what the numbers under the barcode represent (118789 524)

If I had to guess I would say it was a unique number given to each set in the production line of the set.

After looking through a couple of my LEGO boxes, I have discovered them all to have 118789 under the barcode. But I'm not sure what 524 means.

That number is not a real number, it is a production code (in your case, 27S5) consisting of 2 digits indicating the week of the year the set was made (in this case, the 27th week), a letter indicating the region the box was made in/for (R = US/Canada, S = Europe, I believe) and the last digit is the last digit of the year the set was made in.
So you have a Gingerbread house made in 2015, in the 27th week of the year (June 29, 2015 - July 5, 2015), and it was produced in/for the European market.
These codes typically go on the seals/stickers closing a box, but in case of smaller boxes that are supposed to be pushed open, the code gets embossed into the package.
And just for comparison - all my Gingerbread houses have production code 31R5 (I'm in the US).
UPDATE 5/2/2016: Here is a list of all the plants referred to by the letter code:
H = Nyíregyháza, Hungary
R = Ciénega de Flores, Mexico
S = Kladno, Czech Republic
Q = Purkersdorf, Austria
B = Shenzhen, China (Not Confirmed)
M = Billund, Denmark (Not Confirmed)
O = Billund, Denmark (Not Confirmed)

Note: list attributed to GiliusThunderhead over at the BrickPicker.com forums.

I can verify that Phil B's answer is correct, based on a personal experience I just had. However, I can also add a bit of clarification on five-character codes.
I recently purchased six copies of Set #31128 at a local retailer:

I gave the sets away as Easter gifts, but two of the sets had defective instruction booklets for the main build (the Sea Turtle and Dolphin)! Here is an example of the problem:

Clearly, the issue is not a printing error. Instead, the issue stems from incorrectly stapling the wrong pages together. It appears that four pages were duplicated and stapled into the center of the booklet in place of the four pages which should have been there. In other words, Steps 8-54 were repeated. I contacted LEGO Customer Service to warn them of the error so that they could increase quality control and track down the source of the issue.
As it turned out, LEGO Customer Service quickly responded and requested that I send them a unique identification code from the boxes that contained the incorrect instruction manuals. When I asked for clarification, they explained that sets had a four- or five-character number printed either on the cardboard box next to the barcode or on the sealing tape. They explained that this number provided information regarding the date and location of the set's manufacture and assembly.
Here are three different Manufacturing Code Numbers I found on my boxed sets:

Therefore, the four-character code you found embossed on your boxed set is, in fact, an official LEGO Group Manufacturing Code Number that provides unique identifying information for the set.
However, you may note that two of the representative images I provided above actually had five-character product codes (instead of just four characters). That is because five-character codes also include the day of the week that the set was packaged. So decoding a five-character product code is as follows:

The first character is the day of the week. For example, the number 6 would represent the sixth day of the week, also known as Friday where I live, but possibly Saturday for those countries that start their week on Monday.
The second and third characters, when taken together, are the week of the year. For example, the number 52 would be the last week of the year.
The fourth character is the factory code.
The fifth and last character is the last digit of the year.


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How can I connect CCBS parts to plain LEGO system?
Can anyone explain how the front shoulder was built in this MOC?

Are there bricks that allow easy connections between CCBS and plain System?

There are several parts that make this possible. Many of the CCBS-style ball socket parts include Technic axle connections that can ultimately be attached to system bricks (e.g. 93571 and 50923). There are several examples of this in the Exosuit (instructions):

There are also several Technic ball socket parts that include System studs such as 57910:

Here's a list of Technic bricks with ball sockets that might be helpful.
There are also other connections that are shared between CCBS parts and system, such as bar connections, you just have to get creative. Feel free to ask additional questions if you are having trouble integrating particular parts.


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Do you cut a LEGO knife to create an illusion of a minifigure getting stabbed?
I have watched many action animations and this question keeps bugging me. Does anyone know?

Stop-motion animation builders often have to resort to tricks to make the animation work. For example, they will use wires or other fasteners to attach models in certain positions in order to hold them in place while they move them. Many purists would avoid such techniques in a normal build but for animators there are larger overriding concerns. Cutting elements would certainly fit within the possibilities.
Also many builders feel free to modify any elements they have, including cutting them or painting them. How that sits with you is up to you.

You can just pull the torso and the legs of a minifigure apart, put a lego knife between the torso and  the grooves of the legs and put it back together!

Although the gap will show at the film, it is a workaround if you do not want to cut the knife. You could add some ketchup to hide the gap, and as a bonus get additional bloody effect.

You could also hide the gap with custom clothing. Making clothes for minifigs are discussed here.

Red clay may be a good ketchup alternative. It appears to be an unwritten rule that most minifigures bleed clay...

You could try cutting the knife with scissors or well, a knife.

I think the reason behind the question was more like DO THEY REALLY CUT LEGO PARTS?!!


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Can LEGO Duplo and Lego Junior sets compatible? Can the pieces be mixed together from the different sets?
Are LEGO Duplo and Lego Junior sets compatible? Can the pieces be mixed together from the different sets and all be played with together?

LEGO Junior elements have the same connections as the standard LEGO System elements and for the most part are the same pieces - it's just the building techniques are usually simpler and there may be more large elements in the set.
As such, they are as compatible as ordinary LEGO which is to say:
DUPLO blocks can be built on top of LEGO blocks and LEGO plates, and LEGO blocks can be built on top of DUPLO blocks, plates don't really have the depth to cover the DUPLO studs.
On top of that, LEGO and DUPLO elements are scaled proportionally, so one 2x2 DUPLO block is the same size as eight 2x2 LEGO blocks arranged in two layers of four.

Basic even-sized Lego bricks are Duplo compatible but those seem to make up a very small proportion of the bricks in "Lego Junior" sets. The bulk of the sets seem to be made up of duplo incompatible elements (thin plates, special shaped bricks, 1xn parts etc)

Good point Peter, I hadn't noticed that aspect of the Juniors range.


text:
Can I find parts list for single fire truck in a fire station set?
I'm trying to find the partlist for the biggest firetruck in the 7208 Fire Station. Is there a page that contains lists for each car in a set?

One easy way of getting a list of parts from individual items in a set is to download a fan-made copy of the set made in LEGO Digital Designer and remove the parts you don't need.
Eurobricks has a big list of sets that are available to edit in LDD, you may find some inconsistencies depending on which parts are available in the softwares library. Most stickers and decal bricks aren't included. The set 7208 is available here.
Once you've removed everything you don't want in LDD, go to File > Export BOM (Ctrl + B). You will be prompted to save a list of parts in a spreadsheet file. The list will contain the part name, picture, colour code and quantity required to build the model.
7208 Fire Truck Part List .CSV [?]

An alternative to Ambo100's method, though with way more manual effort required, but avoiding the LDD installation, is to go to LEGO.com and download the instructions for 7208. Then either write down all the parts used in each individual step, or use the instruction as a guide and build a mock model and then deconstruct the mock model to get the pieces. There is an individual booklet for just the big fire truck so that makes this easier. Once you have your list of pieces, go to Bricklink, BrickOwl or the Pick-a-Brick section of shop.lego.com to order the bricks you need/miss.


text:
NXT2 motors limitation?
We are extending famous Dave Parker's nxtprograms.com 2 Touch Remote
I have added 2 extra "threads" - one to control 3rd motor (which is a frontal "claw") and another one to use 4th touch sensor to reverse the robot. Please see screenshot enclosed. The issue we are experiencing is that the robot does not reverse when we press 4th touch sensor, although it does make sound. I am wondering if there's some kind of limitation - eg. you can't control same motors from different threads?

In the middle "thead" all of your motor blocks are "unlimited" or "stop". These blocks change the motor state and immediately continue to the next block. These are inside a loop that loops forever, so these blocks are running continuously in the loop. The motor blocks in the top thread may have an effect for a split second until the middle thread loops again and changes what the motor is doing.
I suggest writing to a variable in the top thread instead of using motor blocks. Then read from that variable in the middle thread. For example, you could use a numeric variable and give it a value of '1' for forwards and -1 for reverse. Then in the middle thread, use a multiply math block to multiply the desired motor speed by the variable to change the direction.
Or, for that matter, you could read the 4th touch sensor value in the middle thread and remove the top thread.

Thank you, will try the suggested approach and post update here.

wouldn't the motor blocks in the middle thread only "activate" when 1st touch sensor is pressed? Eg. middle thread kicks in when 1st button is pressed, and then checks if 2nd button is also pressed at the same time. But if the robot is stationary, the top thread should kick in when we press 4th touch sensor, shouldn't it?

No, the switch blocks just check the touch sensor state and continue with one branch or the other depending on the current state. You would have to add a wait block to only "activate" the middle thread when a touch sensor is pressed.


text:
Star Wars phantom
I am new to Lego. I can't figure out the instructions as to where the gun and black hair piece go. It looks like they go in the Phantom somewhere, am I right or wrong? Do they snap in? Also, does the little robot guy just go in or snap in? Right now it's kind of rattling in there; I think it's wrong.

I'm assuming you are referring to LEGO set 70548.
I don't have this set, but checking the instructions online, I think this is what you want to know:

The black hair piece is optional. You can make your minifig wear the helmet or the hair piece, but not both at the same time.
The pilot fits inside the model, as can be seen on picture #31 of the first booklet. However, there is not enough space in there for him to carry his gun also. This is more often the case with Lego models - cockpits and cabins are not always big enough to contain both the minifigure and their accessories.
The droid does go in the model. In picture #7 of the second booklet, you put a round 2x2 tile in it, with one stud on top. It's a bit difficult to judge from the instructions, but it looks like the droid should snap on there.

In general, most things in Lego should snap into place easily. If it doesn't, don't force it - there is probably a Lego enthusiast near you who can help.


text:
Identification for Hinge-like Piece
I'm trying to follow building instructions on Brickshelf, but I'm having some trouble finding the piece on the right in this photo:
.
Anyone know what it is?

As Phil B said above, it is a droid body piece, exclusive to star wars, so you might want to look in the star wars section.

@SamuelL. nitpick: The droid body has graduated from the Star Wars theme some time ago, and appears in all sorts of sets besides Star Wars.

Yes, this is a 30375 - Torso Mechanical, Battle Droid in black.

It's a little difficult to identify as it is lying on its belly, and hence you do not see the characteristic single stud front of this piece.


text:
Is there a step-by-step guide to extracting a parts list from LDD to bricklink?
I'd like to build a model I have in LDD, but i don't know how to get my parts list (I exported BOM) into bricklink. I know there is rebrickable, but I don't see an option to import either .lxf or .xlsx... A link or guide would be very helpful.

Wanted Bricks is Windows only, anything for OS X?

Here's a great program that takes an LDD file and makes it an .xml file:
http://www.nolberger.se/lego/wantedbricks/
From there you can copy the text and paste it into your bricklink wanted list.


text:
Identification for harness/hose/pipe + wings
I'm still trying to follow the instructions mentioned in my last question, and I came upon this image:
.
Does anybody know what piece/pieces that/those are on the right? (I know the # for the pistols.)
Also: the wings on the right:
.
All the wings I found either had holes for pins or were too big.

It's 30191 Strap 12 M:

This is listed as x169 on Bricklink and Peeron, and is also called a stretcher holder, as that was it's original use when it was first created in 1998:

Edit: It's acceptable and even preferred to post new questions to identify new parts. With that said, the wing part in your updated question is 15082 Animal Wing with Shaft:

any ideas for the wings in my updated question?

Thanks!  It looks like Brickset has better fuzzy searching, I'll have to try that next time.


text:
What LEGO sets/blocks to buy?
We plan to buy some lego (up to $200) for a charity that helps homeless children in India. Kids in the charity's homes are of all ages (2-18). Kids are very creative but obviously lack resources. I'm hoping LEGO can be very stimulating for them.
I'm wondering what are the best starter LEGOs that can be played in multiple ways and attract children from all age groups.
I can 1 lb Lego packs from eBay and also some pricey sets at Amazon. I want to get best value for money. I have only 10 days before I fly to India so need to know asap where I can buy from and what.
Many thanks
NG

One thought is to take some boxes of something like this. Is that a good idea? http://www.amazon.com/LEGO-Classic-Medium-Creative-Brick/dp/B00NHQFA1I/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1449438411&sr=1-1&keywords=lego+bulk

I'd also look for second hand Lego to bulk things up and also give kids something to play with that doesn't have instructions. Some schools are very into teaching obedience and need a bit of prompting to let students be creative.

Nothing with guns.

I would recommend one of the new lego city starter packs/sets. It is usually a mix of two or more lego city sub themes!

Different kids are motivated by different kinds of sets. Some kids need directed building to focus them, and so a set with instructions helps them. Other kids just need useful parts.
I'd recommend getting basic bricks to start, something from the Classic line. Or else get something from the Creator line, many of those sets come with instructions for alternate models. This is a good lesson on how the same inventory of pieces can make more than one set. On Lego's Website you can check the set descriptions for Creator sets that are "3 in 1".
Larger sets will cost more, but the models will be more challenging and will offer more opportunity to build more things (as it's usually easier to build things if you have more pieces).

Thank you. I was looking at 10696 from classic range. Any thoughts on that?

10696 is fine. It contains a little of this, a little of that. It's a good assortment to get started. It has enough pieces for one big model or several small ones. Since this is for a group to pay with rather than one child to own, the lack of instructions is fine and probably good as they'd get lost anyway.

Thanks. I'm hoping to get 7-8 boxes of that so multiple things can come up.

Any thoughts on Brictec. It seems cheaper but not sure what all pieces it has.

I don't know brictec. Generally I avoid the other brands as I find the quality isn't as high. Also, if you're planning to mix together the bricks from multiple sets, buying fewer larger sets usually gets you more pieces than more smaller sets would.

I would recommend putting attention to Creator 3-in-1 series.
It might be good idea to print out alternative MOC instructions to the sets you buy as well (some can be found on rebrickable.com)

I'd suggest basic bricks since those last long. Sets like 6177 might be a good idea.

Thanks. 6177 seems very expensive. I want to maximize value for money. Do you know how t differs from 10696 as that is 485 pieces for $29. Also any thoughts on Brictec?


text:
How much tension can I expect to get out of a LEGO chains before it starts to give way?
Assuming I am using the Technic Chain Links to make a chain, how much force can I expect to be able to get out of the chain before it breaks?
Suppose I am using a 16-tooth gear to directly drive a 24-tooth gear and have it at the optimal tension for a short distance
And when it does reach its limit, will it break or will the links just snap undone?
P.S. - I don't currently own any of these pieces, and would like to get a rough idea first before I buy any and start playing with them - I am hoping to get a considerably larger amount of force from then than a rubber band before it starts to slip, say the full stall power of a PF M motor.
EDIT: theoretical test methodology:
Starting from Philo's motor comp, I would pick a PF motor that I had (say a PF M motor), and gear it up (so that it spins fast), say by 1:3 with a 24-tooth driving an 8-tooth - after that, I would put another 24-tooth on the same axle as the 8-tooth, and place the chain on it - then put another 24 such that the chain lands on it, and lock the last 24t gear's axle such that it does not move (perhaps the last 24t gear can be a clutch gear). Then turn on the motor and see if it holds - assuming it does, I would know that the chain can handle at least 1/3 (gearing) 11 N.cm (PF M stall torque from Philo) - from then I would change the gearing, perhaps with a 20-tooth and 12-tooth, or even 1:1 depending on how it seems to fare and repeat the "test" until it does break. If the 24-tooth clutch gear starts to spin, I would briefly lock it in place with my hands to get an accurate measure.

If you can accommodate them, the Technic wide track links are significantly stronger

I don't have a number for you, but I did discover fairly quickly that they're much stronger if you turn the clips outward instead of the prettier inward.  Done that way, it'll easily stall a 71427 motor with a 14t gear, which is the smallest I've seen that works.  (I use two of these face-to-face: https://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=4143)  The 8t just doesn't have enough tooth depth to grab it very well: https://alpha.bricklink.com/pages/clone/catalogitem.page?P=3647  I've never actually broken a link, but I've had them unclip a lot when they were turned inward.

@AaronD thanks, that's definitely useful to know

I have had a lot of bad luck with these standard technic chain links, everything from slipping to coming unlinked to even breaking under enough stress (which isn't a lot in my experience).  My current go-to for chain/belt driven devices is the old Technic, Link Chain Large, which is driven with the Expert Builder gears (parts g9, g15, and g21).

Be aware: This part has at least two variants with differing reinforcement shapes. This will affect the answer given, and make acquiring a link of known strength a gamble, as BrickLink doesn't differentiate between the variants.

TL;DR (or Executive Summary, if you like): Between 620 and 1420 grams of mass (6.2 - 14.2 Newtons of force), depending on the pieces and their age.
Long version
So I decided to give this a shot and tried to measure the tensile strength of the technic chain links by building a homemade LEGO tensile tester machine and using chain link pieces from a new copy of 42107: Ducati Panigale V4 R for the simple chain and 42148: Snow Groomer for the tread elements - both received as part of the 2023 Q2 Activity Support initiative.
For the first attempt, I recreated the frame from my similar project with the train magnets, but a lot sturdier, as the chain links are obviously stronger than the magnets. The chain links were attached to the frame and the variable weight basket using gardening wire:

(pay no attention to the unfinished lower arches, they turned out to be totally unnecessary and I forgot to remove the partially built and still unconnected one before taking the photo)
Then I added batteries to the basket until the chain broke and measured the weight of the basket as it was at the moment...:

... at least, that was the plan. Sadly the basket was not heavy enough to break the chain even when filled to the brim and with additional batteries piled on the top. So a rework was necessary to accommodate a larger weight.
The next iteration included a 1.5-liter plastic bottle as the container for the variable weight, attached by the same wire loop to the chain link piece:

But with this approach, the measured breaking force would refer to the weakest of all the link pairs in the chain - while that could be an interesting measurement as well, I was mainly focused on one individual piece. Another rework resulted in the following contraption:

In this closeup, the chain attachment is visible along with the funnel used to fill the bottle gradually:

Using this setup the first real values were successfully acquired by filling the bottle until the chain broke, taking note of the weight displayed by the kitchen scale, replacing the link in the broken half, emptying the bottle and starting anew: (all values in grams)

940
940
940
860
980
920
800
910
870
870
860
710

If you noticed something, congratulations - I didn't, at least not at this point. So I turned to the sidequest: checking if the tracked link variant is measurably different.
Since those links are a lot wider, the attachment to the beam needed to be reworked again in order to access the chain for reattaching it after each breakage:

This setup has rendered the following measurements:

620
750

At this point I realized my mistake: after every breakage, I replaced the center piece of the three-link chain, that wasn't attached to the wire loops. But the end pieces were the same since the beginning, and thus were subjected to the wear and fatigue from countless measurements and failed tests. Their interfaces began to wear down, as it is (at least in hindsight) obvious from the first published data sequence, whose elements do indeed show a steadily declining trend:

So for the final rework, the wire loops became a lot simpler and messier, to facilitate the quick exchange of both participating links (only two this time!) against new ones.

Using two brand-new link pieces for all the following measurements, these data were gathered with the simple pieces:

1180
1150
1100
1290
1080

And with the track pieces:

1280
1420
1360
1400
1350

In conclusion, the tracked pieces are on average really a bit stronger than the simple ones (1362 grams vs. 1160, for a difference of ~15%), but both lose a lot of their strength (up to half of the new value!) when repeatedly forced to their breaking point. Even though there is no visible deterioration and the tests certainly haven't led to any destructive failures (apart from a few drops of spilled water).
Notes
The potential difference in strength resulting from turning the links "inside out" as recommended by AaronD in the comments became irrelevant by the test setup which uses a straight stretch of chain. It could be interesting once the chain is wrapped around a gear, but here I tried to get the cleanest measurement with the least amount of variables.
The kitchen scale used still is only accurate to about ~10 grams.
In the end, only 5-5 measurements were made with each link type using the final testing protocol - more measurements could refine the average and might introduce new extremes.

This is great! Thanks for taking the time to put this together. I found it interesting that you didn't break any elements at all doing this, but that the elements you used were weakened structurally without showing any visible wear.

@jncraton Thank you for making it possible, I have learned a lot during these tests. Initially I expected the links to irrecoverably break when overloaded, that's why I aimed to test with a lot of links. But got pleasantly surprised when they didn't - and then quite unpleasantly when it turned out that despite the lack of apparent structural damage, the strength was indeed reduced by a considerable margin.

Simply test it, then divide the force by 2 in order to stay the safe side.

See the PS part of the question - I would test it if I had the parts

To improve your answer - could you detail the testing methodology you would use, as well as the measuring setup ?

@PhilB. added

@user2813274 - Thanks, but I was suggesting this as an addition to Niels' answer, as his answer is a little too concise and needs some elaborating.


text:
Why are there some extra letters on lego Car License Plates?
Most of the car in Lego City have a sticker license plate. The number on a license plate is corresponding to the Lego Set number. But what about these extra letter there? Is it just to add more realism? Are the initials  of the particular designer?
See e.g. here:
Police Car - set 60068
Crooks car - set 60070

The letters typically represent the initials of the set designer. See more discussion on this topic in this EuroBricks forum thread.
For example, the initials "MB" stand for Marcos Bessa, where "MS" is for Mark Stafford.
Some other sets also carry set designer initials, sometimes subtly incorporated in the build (I believe Jamie Berard, the famous Modular Houses designer, puts his initials in some of the builds), other times on the lettering on the sticker sheet. It is definitely not standard practice.


text:
Is there a free ImageSet of the Minifigure Series?
As I wrote an iOS App, which helps you collect the Minifigure Series, that I want to distribute for free and LEGO is not willing to let me use their Minifigure Images, I am looking for the images under a CC or free License.

Send me some pictures, and I'll do some photoshopping for free. There are plenty of publicly-available photographs which can be made uniform and iOS app worthy.

I don't think that such a set exist. The most complete database are the ones indicated by Guilherme Branco Stracini, BrickLink and BrickSet, but both of them tell in their footer that the content is copyrighter so I am not sure that, especially if you intend to sell your app, any of them will allow you to use their content.
On the other hand, BrickLink provides you with an API that offers a Get-Item-Image so I believe they would allow reusage in some case. You might contact them to get more information, as the API requires a key, they will send one to you or not depending on the expeceted usage.
Last thing and I have never read any clear inforamtion about that, is that Lego and the designers of the company own copyright on the design of the minifigs and that even if the photograph releases a picture under CC license, there are still right that belong to the Lego group so you might not be able to do what you want with these pictures.

Try to look at BrickLink or BrickSet and find those images!


text:
How to clean dirty white tiles?
I ordered a couple of tiles from bricklink.com, but they arrived a bit dirty. I'd like to make them look shining new before using them for my creation. Is there a quick and reliable way to do it?

Have you checked out the responses to: LEGO Cleaning Techniques and Tools?

Check out this previous question. There is a solution called "retr0brite" in which you make a chemical compound that you apply to the yellowed bricks, leave them exposed to light for a while, and the bricks will come out clean white. However, I have recently read (but cannot find the link right now) that this retr0brite method might not work forever, and that with reapplication the duration of the whitening reduces every time.

Yes. I like to clean my LEGO bricks with warm water and a washcloth. If it is dusty, it will come right off. If it is dirt it will take a couple seconds of rubbing gently to get it off of the LEGO bricks.


text:
Where can I find LEGO Doctor Who sunglasses and guitar?
Where can I find LEGO minifigure sunglasses in black and a rock band guitar for the new Doctor Who set? I have searched on ebay and LEGO.com.

Check out BrickLink. They have a whole range of Minifig heads with sunglasses - pick the one you like.

For guitars, this search shows what BrickLink has available. As an example:

Note that BrickLink is a marketplace - they give you access to thousands of individual sellers with their own stores. You might want to find a seller who has both items you like in stock, so you can purchase and only pay 1 shipping/handling fee.


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Connecting EV3 to Mac over Bluetooth without Lego Mindstorms software
I am trying to connect the EV3 brick over Bluetooth to a Mac so I can use direct commands to send bytecodes.  However, the Bluetooth connection remains active only through the Lego Mindstorms software.  I can download programs from Mac over Bluetooth within the Lego Mindstorms software.  However, once I close that app the bluetooth connection goes away.  Without the Lego software open, if I try pairing EV3 to Mac, it pairs briefly and stays connected (according to Mac's preferences menu) for 2 seconds and then says "Not connected".  I am using Macbook Pro early 2014 with Yosemite.  I also upgraded the firmware on EV3 to 1.08. Please help.

Bluetooth communication from the Mac to the EV3 is done using RFCOMM. This means that the EV3 appears as a serial port on the Mac. Namely /dev/tty.EV3-SerialPort. To send and receive messages from the EV3, you read and write to this virtual file. Bluetooth will show as "connected" as soon as you open this file. You can find some code examples here.

Thank you for your response, David.  Actually, with Thiago's comment I found that though the Mac preferences said the EV3 was disconnected, when I tried to send a message (play a tone) using the serial port (using Python), it connected and worked!  I appreciate the examples here.  They've been of great help.

Now that I've tested the Bluetooth connection, I'm trying to read a .rtf text file on the brick using Python.  I'm using opFile with open_read, read_value and close all packaged into one direct command (DIRECT_COMMAND_REPLY).  Now, since I'm using Python file write to write this direct command to the Bluetooth serial port, how do I get the value returned (the text value in the .rtf file) by the direct command?  Python file write does not have a return value.


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Resources for building MOCs with pieces entirely from single sets
On most websites I've found, people post MOCs that use a random (or seemingly unlimited) supply of pieces. However, I'm interested in building MOCs using only pieces entirely from one set. (For example, I'm interested in reusing the parts from the 10243 Parisian Restaurant.) Are there websites dedicated to this idea?

Rebrickable may have exactly what you are looking for in addition to a lot of other features. You can search for a set and see alternate models that builders have submitted. Here's the page for the Parisian Restaurant. It shows one submitted MOC using just the parts from this set:

There tend to be more results for smaller sets, particularly in the Creator theme as these have many reusable parts. For example, Sunset Speeder currently has 43 alternate models available:

If you create an account, you can add all of the sets that you own and see which MOCs you are able to build using all of the parts you have available.

Thank you, it's a great resource! The Parisian Restaurant MOC is very similar to the original so not that interesting, but I'll definitely take look for other sets. And maybe sometime post my own...


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LEGO set restore-er? (Emerald Night)
I just dug up my old LEGO Emerald Night from when I was 10 or so. As I lifted it from the box it was in pieces, with the only parts intact being the piston mech, tender, and passenger car. I got it back to its former glory but it's still missing a few internal and external parts. If there was someone out there who could tear it down and look for the missing components that would be awesome!

This is fairly easy to do yourself. You can get a listing of all the parts that you should have for the set via a reference site such as Bricklink. Here's the Bricklink inventory for that set:
http://www.bricklink.com/catalogItemInv.asp?S=10194-1
You can then purchase any missing pieces. The best place to do this is probably on Bricklink as well.
You can then rebuild this set from the instructions. If you've lost the instructions, they are available directly on LEGO.com as a PDF. Brickset also provides easy access to these files. Here are the two instruction booklets on LEGO.com:

Part 1
Part 2

authors: Ирина Акулинкина


text:
Chicago Blackhawks logo Lego building instructions
Can anyone make some building instructions for the Chicago Blackhawks logo that's made out of LEGO bricks? I'm trying to find so I can build it for my sick brother.

is this what you are talking about?

I didn't know LEGO came in that sort of orange colour.

Andrew Johnson, a LEGO master model builder created that replica of the Blackhawks logo. The logo measures 2 feet by 3 feet and weighs 20 pounds. It took Johnson about 16 hours to build it, comprised of 756 LEGO. Someone has an eBay listing for instructions on building a version as well.

This is the closest you're likely to get, I made it myself. Basically, LEGO art is a form of pixel art. The 2x2 brick is the best brick for this purpose, but often you can use blocks of other length to make the build faster, and more sound. All I did here was take a basic Blackhawks logo, apply a pixelation filter, and then hand-integrate all the pixels into the basic LEGO pallet. I also hand-placed studs for reference, and used a non-LEGO color for the background, and a shadow, to remove confusion. Then I squished all the pixels down to LEGO proportions.
You will be using a lot of yellow, 2 light grey, 4 dark grey, a good bit of black, some green, some orange, and a little bit of white and blue.


text:
How to receive response from direct_command_reply from EV3 using Python?
I've established and tested a Bluetooth connection (by playing a tone) between EV3 and Mac running Yosemite with Python 2.7.11.
I used file write as in bt.write(tone) in Python to play the tone with the "tone" variable having the direct command.  Now, I'm trying to read a .rtf text file that is on the brick using Python.
I'm using a direct command for this.  I have created a byte stream for the direct command using opFile (with open_read, read_value and close) all packaged into one direct command (DIRECT_COMMAND_REPLY).
Now, since I'm using Python file write to write this direct command to the Bluetooth serial port, how do I get the value returned (the text value in the .rtf file) by the direct command?
Python file write does not have a return value. Please help on how I can get the reply from the direct command with Python.

Please post the actual code you already have.

Reading files is better done by system commands. Here is a class EV3, that sends direct commands and system commands. The program sends a direct command (does nothing) and uses the system commands BEGIN_UPLOAD and CONTINUE_UPLOAD to read file /bin/usb-devices from the EV3 device:
#!/usr/bin/env python3

import socket
import struct
import time

class EV3():
    def __init__(self, host: str):
        self._sock = socket.socket(
            socket.AF_BLUETOOTH,
            socket.SOCK_STREAM,
            socket.BTPROTO_RFCOMM
        )
        self._sock.connect((host, 1))

    def __del__(self):
        self._sock.close()

    def send_direct_cmd(self, ops: bytes, local_mem: int=0, global_mem: int=0) -> bytes:
        dir_cmd = b''.join([
            struct.pack('<h', len(ops) + 5),
            struct.pack('<h', 42),
            DIRECT_COMMAND_REPLY,
            struct.pack('<h', local_mem*1024 + global_mem),
            ops
        ])
        self._sock.send(dir_cmd)
        self.printHex('Sent', dir_cmd)
        reply = self._sock.recv(5 + global_mem)
        self.printHex('Recv', reply)
        return reply

    def send_system_cmd(self, cmd: bytes) -> bytes:
        sys_cmd = b''.join([
            struct.pack('<h', len(cmd) + 3),
            struct.pack('<h', 42),
            SYSTEM_COMMAND_REPLY,
            cmd
        ])
        self._sock.send(sys_cmd)
        self.printHex('Sent', sys_cmd)
        time.sleep(0.1)
        return self._sock.recv(1024)

    def printHex (self, desc: str, hex: bytes) -> None:
        """Print a hex-String in human readable form"""
        print(desc + ' 0x|' + ':'.join('{:02X}'.format(byte) for byte in hex) + '|')

DIRECT_COMMAND_REPLY = b'\x00'
SYSTEM_COMMAND_REPLY = b'\x01'
opNop                = b'\x01'
BEGIN_UPLOAD = b'\x94'
CONTINUE_UPLOAD = b'\x95'

# direct command
my_ev3 = EV3('00:16:53:42:2B:99')
ops = opNop
my_ev3.send_direct_cmd(ops)

# system commands
path = '/bin/usb-devices'
cmd = b''.join([
    BEGIN_UPLOAD,
    struct.pack('<H', 1012),      # SIZE
    str.encode(path) + b'\x00'    # NAME
])
reply = my_ev3.send_system_cmd(cmd)
(size, handle) = struct.unpack('<IB', reply[7:12])
part_size = min(1012, size)
fmt = str(part_size) + 's'
data = struct.unpack(fmt, reply[12:])[0]
rest = size - part_size
while rest > 0:
    part_size = min(1016, rest)
    cmd = b''.join([
        CONTINUE_UPLOAD,
        struct.pack('<BH', handle, part_size)
    ])
    reply = my_ev3.send_system_cmd(cmd)
    fmt = 'B' + str(part_size) + 's'
    (handle, part) = struct.unpack(fmt, reply[7:])
    data += part
    rest -= part_size
print(data.decode("utf8"))

You find additional details in
Lesson 11. Or look in github. I hope, this helps!


text:
Instruction for installing rc to LEGO unimog
I'm searching for an instruction to install a remote control to my LEGO unimog.
There are a log of youtube videos showing completed unimogs but I can't find any instruction.

I found this utoob video as the first hit for a search using "install pf lego unimog" and also this thread on EuroBricks Which recommends a different video. So instructions are definitely out there.
I think you'd be better off trying it yourself. Don't be intimidated by the size or complexity of the unimog, have a go. Worst case you'll have to reassemble it using the TLG instructions and then try some of the online instructions.


text:
Are wheels from Duplo numbers' train set 10558 compatible with bridge 3774?
Are the wheels from Duplo set 10558 compatible with the railway bridge set 3774?
I have a number of older wheel bases that are too large for the bridge. According to Brickset, the wheels in set 10558 have the same design number as parts from 20 years back but the design is visibly different with small embossed details on the side of the wheel. Also the wheels on pictures seem a little bit narrower than my older wheels.
Can anyone confirm whether the wheels are indeed narrow enough for climbing the bridge?

No, the wheels are too wide. You'll have a similar problem with the DUPLO points as well.
If I recall correctly, the wheel base on the trucks is too long for the DUPLO track corners as well.
You'll need one of the trains from 10507 or 10508 to use that bridge.
Sadly my kids have outgrown their DUPLO and it's now at the back of our loft otherwise I'd post a picture (and confirm the issue with the corners).

Thanks, you prevented me from buying the wrong Christmas present for my youngest kid!

Well, all LEGO's good, but some is clearly better than others ;) I've seen similar disappointments with other "trains" that have those chunky wheels for the trucks - depending on the way you are going, you may be able to get a second-hand set of 5606 - My First Train that had the right wheels but no tracks, but if you were thinking of getting the bridge to go with an existing set, then sadly you're probably out of luck.


text:
Emerald Night Piston replacement + jamming issue
I'm just wondering if I can get replacement piston rods for my Emerald Night, since the rods are easily the least impressive part of the model. I'm wondering if there is a form of kit that can make the rods look more like one of a real train? (Shown Below)

Also, anyone have a fix for the jamming issue? I think I have a temporary fix but I'm not sure.

Can you describe in more detail what you mean by "the jamming issue"?

There is a Bricklink store that sells custom-made train driver rods. I've never bought any so I can't speak to the quality. There are supposedly limitless varieties possible but given that you're looking for one that matches a set you should be able to find some already-made for that set.

Regarding the jamming issue, the most common problem is when the wheels aren't properly quartered. When building, the pin holes for the pistons on one side should be at 12:00 (top) and on the other side at 3:00 (front). This helps prevent jamming.

I found building instructions for a BR 23-001-L that has a more realistic look on the pistons.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2n8uh-DBLFg

Here is a pdf tutorial on what to think about when modelling steam engines in LEGO. There are pictures of different examples that has various solutions for pistons.


text:
Mindstorm RIS 2.0 installation on Windows 10
I recently bought a RIS 2.0 but was unable to install the program onto my laptop running Windows 10 (now). I tried it on my office computer running Windows 7 and the installation was successful.
The error message was that (something like) the IR Tower cannot be installed and there was a "- 5" at the end of the error message.
Appreciate if someone can help enlighten me please!

As far as I recall, the drivers for the IR Tower are 32bit only which may be part of the issue - would this explain the difference between the two machines?

Also, there's a couple of good suggestions on this answer, especially the link to Installing LEGO Mindstorms on a Windows 7 PC


text:
Where can I find a 2x2 hinge on Bricklink?
In this picture "The neglect of duty" by Je hyung Lee, he uses four 2x2 hinges in the roof section I can't find on Bricklink.

Does anybody have an idea what set this comes out and possibly a Bricklink link to it or another similar site?

This is not a LEGO part. It's closest LEGO cousin would be 3149:

3149-like hinges don't have a 2x2 version to the best of my knowledge. In addition, the part in the picture appears to be 12 ldu (1.5 plates) thick. This leads me to believe that it is actually a Tyco part.
Also, it looks like this has already been discussed on Eurobricks where the same conclusion was drawn. From that thread:

I can confirm that the hinge is a Tyco brand brick.  I got a large set of these as a kid and still have them.  The Tyco plates are half brick height, which can come in handy sometimes when building SNOT elements if you are not a LEGO purist.

Thank you. This was driving me nuts. And thanks for the link to the other Eurobricks forum.  When I look at it I see the big difference in plate size also
@Josh King thanks for the confirmation