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How does one become a LEGO® Certified Professional?
The LEGO Group's official website has a page speaking about the "LEGO® Certified Professional" designation that a person can earn. It states:

LEGO® Certified Professionals is a community-based program made up of adult LEGO hobbyists who have turned their passion for building and creating with LEGO bricks into a full-time or part-time profession.
LEGO Certified Professionals are not LEGO employees, but they are officially recognized by the LEGO Group as trusted business partners.
Each LEGO Certified Professional is selected for the program based on his or her:

Building proficiency
Enthusiasm for the LEGO brick and building system
Professional approach towards other LEGO fans and the broader public

What seems to be missing from this page is information on the exact process.
How does one become a LEGO® Certified Professional?

Is there an exam that someone can formally request to sit at a LEGO Store or corporate headquarters?
Is there a formal portfolio evaluation process?
Is one required to amass a certain number of course credits in engineering, design, polymer chemistry, and/or education?
Is the program invitation-only?

I did find an interesting article giving biographies of several LEGO® Certified Professionals, but it doesn't go into depth about how they specifically came to become certified. It mentions that "So if you are thinking about becoming a LEGO Certified Professional one day, it is a good idea to study their work and follow in their footsteps.", which isn't exactly helpful. If I want to become a physician, I need to be looking in to how to get admitted to medical school, not reading biographies of Galen and Jonas Salk.
I also found a testimonial of someone claiming to have earned the certification in 2010, and it consists of the author talking about how awesome the certification is and what they plan to do with it rather than explaining the process that they went through to earn it. This also makes me suspect that the requirements may be arcane or not well known.
Whether I, or anyone here, has or could ever achieve the level of skill required for the certification is not part of the question - the question is how one could try, even if the result is failure - rejected portfolios, failing exam scores, eternal banishment to Ice Planet 2002, etc.

I always thought that LCP was by invitation only - in other words, you needed to become visible in your achievements, but it was TLG who decided to bestow the LCP title on those who stand out. Net, there is no sure-fire way to get the certification. I might be wrong though...

@PhilB. that is what I am trying to figure out. The evidence seems to be leaning that way, but I haven't been able to find any official resources specifically indicating that and also that is not really the most common model of industry certification - nearly all other companies use written and/or practical exams.

First of all, there needs to be an opening for one, which typically means LEGO feels they need more Certified Professionals in a particular region.
The most-recent opening was last November and was presumably filled in December. For this most-recent one, LEGO had a posting on their website where people could apply, and they made a small announcement to fan communities via their ambassador program.
Assuming this is how future certified professionals get selected, basically becoming a certified professional means applying to an opening in the program, and getting accepted (I strongly suspect anything beyond the initial application is protected by an NDA).
Unfortunately, I don't know what specifically was asked from potential applicants to the most-recent opening, but if you are interested in perhaps applying you should be on the lookout for future openings. In the mean time, consider joining some RLUGs or RLOCs and making some connections, to gain a reputation as a builder and perhaps be recommended to apply when there is an opening.


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Please help identify this Ausini piece
The one that looks like a rocket head or a projectile tip. I hoped there was a corresponding LEGO piece. There is no inventory on the instructions.

I caanot identify this piece. Are you sure instructions are for LEGO set? What is the number of this set?

it's not Lego, it's the Ausini Rifle https://bricker.info/osets/Ausini/P22002/

What kind of information do you expect? As far as I know, the Ausini brand has no public parts database or identification schema like with the LEGO part IDs. Therefore I doubt anyone can tell you more than "the rifle cartridge piece". If you have the instruction manual or the box, you could check them to see if they have a complete inventory listing with numbers, but I wouldn't hold my breath.

I hoped there was a corresponding Lego piece. No there is no inventory on the instructions. I'll have to ask to the seller to ship the piece. Thx anyway.

Maybe they can put a Friends lipstick (part# 93094c01) inside a Technic pin stud (part# 4274) and pretend they're tracer rounds? LOL xD  I mean... it might work?

Even though there's no corresponding LEGO piece, you could get away with this substitution:

Part #89522 - Horn (Unicorn).
This is how it would look with the pieces you have, and color wise the Horn comes in metallic silver too.

Bar with Light Cover (Bulb) / Bionicle Barraki Eye is close to the shape you are looking for. Can be placed over the round 1 x 1 brick. It comes in Light Bluish Gray color too.

source: Stack Exchange

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

sort: votes


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Why are different ID informations printed in the inside of the same sort of bricks?
While sorting old bricks I observed that the inscriptions printed inside show a different coding. As you can see the outside it is always a ordinary "1x2 tile with groove in good old Light Gray (item number 3069)". The inside instead appears very different.
Reading from left to right it says:
15; (c) LEGO; 032 #
LEGO; 3 #
(c) LEGO; 16; 35; 3069 #
8; (c) LEGO; 032 #
LEGO;  1 #
3069; 36; 17; (c) LEGO #
5; LEGO; 3; 1 #
LEGO; 11; pat. pend. #
LEGO;  11 #
3069; 36; 9; (c) LEGO

Why is that so?
You can also see that most of the bricks got on one half of the inside a yellowing. It seems that the effect is not only accruing on the surface but really eating its destruction through the material which I was not aware of.

Has to do with copyright patents of the brick design, and warding off general infringement. Other numbers.  I don't know. Design references?
Your (c) LEGO = © symbol, or the word 'Copyright' or abbreviation 'Copr.'; The year of first publication of the copyrighted work; Identification of the owner of the copyright, either by name, abbreviation, or other designation by which it is generally known.

My personal rule when buying any bricks from Bricklink.com when it comes to colors and brick type.
I use a high number of finishing bricks to cover up studs, so I try to get all tiles new.
When it comes to colors be very weary of old beat up pieces, which will ruin the look of your masterpiece. Biggest offenders for me are White, Yellow, Light Gray, and old Blue pieces that will crumble with the slightest pressure in your hand. White/Yellow always get bought new or in bulk from a LEGO store.
I tried your recent chemistry lab experiment to whiten some of these older pieces with hydrogen peroxide with mixed results.  For me it's just better to buy new in bulk from a LEGO store if posible.

The items I am looking for are not availlable in new anymore, made in the 99ies but I got pretty good results, also with light grey bricks. I am using a 12% concentration and soak it for days, It is also available in 3% or 6%. maybe you need to take a stronger fluid?

On newer pieces (maybe also the newest of the ones you show), there's a number identifying the mold and one identifying the position in the mold, allowing LEGO to trace a problem all the way back and examine the mold if a high number of errors seem to come the same mold.

While we might not know all stories behind additional numbers it has been discovered that in later years LEGO use numbers to designate the mould they are using. With massive productions moulds tend to wear out and need to be replaced. This case is well known with basic 2 x 4 brick aka. 3001, which are produced in large amounts. Latest numbers embeded on the bottom of the brick are 200+.

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


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Half sized block
I know a standard block is 9.6mm tall and a plate is 1/3 of that at 3.2mm.  I found several blocks that are 4.8mm tall or 1/2.  What are they called?  Are they still made and where can I get some?

Do you have any pictures of those?

Are they really LEGO bricks? (Can you see the LEGO marking on them, are they compatible with known LEGO bricks?)

I know there are some LEGO Technic parts that are half a stud tall, but they are not bricks. Is this what you are talking about?

You seem to be describing LEGO Modulex bricks.

Video of the history of LEGO Modulex HERE.
And a post on LEGO brick sizes HERE.


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Can you identify this handle-like LEGO piece?
Can anyone help me identify the name and part no of this piece? I’ve tried looking in BrickLink for handles, guns, bars. Can’t think of any other way to describe it.

Definitely on bricklink:
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=60849#T=C
However, not as a minifig weapon but a minifig utensil

Thank you Michael. Didn’t think to look under hose or nozzle.

Yes, I think this was used on some tanker truck and fuel pump builds, and possibly also fire trucks.


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How to mirror an EV3 motor?
I want to get one EV3 large motor to copy the other. So if I move one half a rotation the other copies.

Hi Nixtoo, can you share what programming language you're using and what you've already tried? It will help to get better answers.

I am assuming that you want motor a to copy motor d and motor to is controlled manually(with your hands).
You can use the motor sensor to sense the degree of movements of motor d, then use link it to how much motor a turns. However, as motor d will still retain the degree it has been turn, motor a will continue moving even after motor d has stopped(unless you turn back motor d). To counter this, you have to use the switch block and a bunch of compare blocks. You will have to make it so that if motor a's degree is the same or more than b's degree, the motor degree will reset. However, if I turn d counter clockwise, d's degree will be negative and the comparison(same or more than)will not work and it will keep spinning. Thus, I added another switch block that will compare motor a's degree and motor b's degree, this time resetting the motor's degree when it is a is equal to or smaller than d.

This way what ever rotation done to d will happen to a.
Hope this helps you!

I would make a my block (with turquoise-colored tab) and move motor A and B in that block. You can make two parameters for speed and revolutions.
EDIT:
Now you can control that motor-couple by using that my block.

Hi Sadap! I have interpreted the question as if the first motor should be passively accepting any rotations, and the EV3 should play these rotations back on the second motor in real time. If Nixtoo sees this, they can decide whether this reflects their original intent or not and give appropriate feedback.


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Mecha Rail Launchpad Building techniques?
Another mecha question, but this time, at least I think, is not so intense as my last question.
I've decided to take my biggest and most ambitious LEGO project yet, a custom MOC of a Pacific Rim style Shatterdome. I plan to house each mech in it's own private holding pen/dock/bay, with each bay having it's own trolley leading to the center of launchpad which houses a central turntable. This turntable being used to redirect the mechs to where they need to go.
Something important to note, the mechs are arranged, in their pens, around the turntable almost in a radial, floral pattern, with the turntable at the center, almost like a sunflower.
The issue that I am facing is that I cannot come up with a design for said turntable. No matter what I try, I just can't get the turntable to integrate nicely with the mech sleds.
Here is a picture of the mech dock. It's a rough idea, but more or less what I am going after -->

Here is also a fabulous picture/sketch done quickly in paint of what I am trying to accomplish -->

As soon in the picture, there is also my attempt to create the turntable in question, but as you can see, it's not going as grand as I had hoped.
Any ideas?

So, what exactly is your question? Are you looking for a large turntable solution? In that case, look at the 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator. What do you mean with integrate?

That is what I am looking for in a nutshell. My question is how to build a large turntable that will accept robots from various directions, and send them in their desired direction. I need help getting a starting point on creating such a model. I will look into the Bucket Wheel Set, that could be a great starting point. What I mean by Integrate is that I want the turntable to integrate nicely with the surrounding mech bays (i.e. no grinding, scratching the rail system etc.), as well as being able to accept mechs from any direction, as stated above.

Based on your drawing and description, the closest analogy to your idea would be a railway turntable, where the mech bays would be akin to the roundhouse and the "exit" on your diagram represents the connecting railway to the turntable switching yard.
LEGO models of such structures can be found and analysed for their various building techniques to see which ideas would suit your expectations and situation.
Rails: yes or no? Obviously these models are designed with LEGO railway pieces in mind which might or might not be suitable for your MOC. Using the existing railway system offers a few advantages, like a complete ecosystem for straight and curved rails, wheels, carriages, switching points, couplings, etc. and might even look suitably industrial and heavy-duty. On the other hand their usage seriously limits the possible geometries (wheelbase length, minimal height of the carrier trolley, etc.), defines the look of the model and might provide challenges with the connection of the turntable and the static rails. Another option would be to use carrier trolleys with rubber wheels on a tiled surface to get around some of the above restrictions.
Implementation of the turntable itself The basic component is a circle-shaped, pit-like structure with a radius big enough to fit a carrier upon the rotating bridge above it and with enough depth to house the end supports, the central pivot column and the mechanism used to motorize it if needed. The central pivot and the end supports must be strong enough to hold the combined weight of a carrier and a mech on any point along the tracks on the turntable, which would mean either really sturdy supports or a carrier long enough to distribute its weight among multiple supports and the ground around the structure.
SIDE CUTAWAY VIEW OF THE PROPOSED STRUCTURE
                                        MAGNIFIED VIEW OF
 mmmmmm      mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm       THE DRIVING MECHANISM
 oo==oo      o==o   o==o   o==o    /   ----------  -------
 ------ ----------------- ------  /         d|b3   MMMMM##
 ######  T      A      T*~MM#### <           *~~~~~MMMMM##
 ######  !      H      !  ######  \                MMMMM##
 ########^#############^########   \               #######

Legend:
# "Solid" ground
- Rail for the mecha carrier trolley
o Wheels of the carrier
= Structure of the carrier
m Feet of the mecha, or upper structure connecting multiple carriers
T End support structures
! Support structures with tiny wheels on their bottom parts
^ Suitable rolling surface for the end support wheels (rails or tiled surface)
A Central axis pillar
H Central pillar structure
M Motor for driving the ring
3 The inner gear rack of a Bucket Wheel Excavator ring
d|b A gear with a vertical axis, meshing with the gear rack ("3")
* A mechanism for turning a horizontally rotating axle into a vertically rotating one
  (like two bevel gears or a gear and a worm gear)
~ Horizontal axle

End supports and their wheels The end supports must travel along the bottom edge of the pit, supporting a great portion of the carrier and the mech, while losing not too much energy to friction. This calls for wheels, but even here we have many options:

You can certainly use generic railroad tracks if the dimensions permit it (the radius of the pit is just a few studs larger than the outer curve radius of the LEGO rail pieces)
For smaller dimensions the narrow gauge rail tracks might be used
The newer roller coaster pieces could be an alternative if a suitable wheel setup can be constructed either from scratch, or built around the existing rollercoaster cars
At least one example I have seen uses monorail tracks, if you have those, feel free to use them this way
Tiles and road wheels are certainly the most flexible option regarding the possible diameters but they tend to have a lot of resistance compared to non-flexible wheels on rails
Some Technic sets, like the 42054 Claas Xerion tractor, the 42082 Offroad Crane or the 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator for example feature such turntable solutions that can be used as inspiration

Motorization You haven't mentioned if you'd like to use a motor to drive the turntable, but if yes, then you have a few options here as well:

Train engine on rails as the "feet" of the end support(s)
Motor housed in the end support(s) propelling against the wall of the pit
Motor housed in the central column
Motor housed in the wall of the pit propelling the turntable by its edge

The first two options require either a battery and control system built into the moving parts of the turntable itself, or wires that can feed the built-in motors from a static battery - but this option must be used with limiters or the wires might get tangled or snap. The third needs extensive gearing down to be able to handle the load and all losses without overstraining the motor. The last option avoids these problems but requires the turntable to be a complete ring with an interface suitable for propulsion (either a smooth circle that can be driven via friction from multiple rubber wheels, or a circular gear rack - The specialised parts from the Bucket Wheel Excavator or the 4481 Hailfire Droid wheels would be my first idea).
If you have any more questions, either in general or regarding a specific problem, feel free to ask - I'd love to see your project come to fruition :)

You know, I hate it when I post a question like this, but I come up with the solution almost immediately after. Let me explain as best I can...
So, I did some digging online for pictures to use as references for building this turntable I described above. By sheer luck, I stumbled across this post on LEGO Ideas for a discontinued idea for a Train Turntable MOC. The link can be found here.
On this page, I managed to download the Turntable module itself, and dissected the model left, right and center to get an idea of what I wanted to do and accomplish in this massive MOC of mine.
Essentially, the Turntable is a large long plate spinning on a central point, controlled by a gearing system that is used to rotate the assembly without actually touching the turntable itself. The Turntable itself is then surrounding by a radial pattern outfitted with rails, leading to the various mech bays I have surrounding the central turntable.
Below is a picture of the turntable outfitted with a bunch of my mechs in their respective bays.

Truth be told, the design is so blatantly simple, I'm surprised I didn't see it right in front of me in the first place.


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Website to help identify set(s) from approximately 20 bags of LEGO?
I bought a storage unit at auction. There were approx 20 sealed bags of LEGO in the unit. Each bag has a number on it. I'm trying to find out if I have a complete set so I may sell them. Is there a site I can go to to find out? Thank you.

Brickset is a database of Lego sets. You can search for set numbers and see if they match what you have. It also provides full parts lists so you can see if your kits are complete or not.


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Lego Adventurers set with bridge, board with mountains?
I'm looking to identify a Lego Adventurers set. At least I'm pretty sure it's adventurers, or a similar theme like Orient Express.
The set has a mountain board, with a river underneath. (If you own a LEGO curved road board, it's similar, except it has a river in place of the road and 3-dimensional mountains.) It's a very unusual piece, though it broke apart quite quickly unfortunately.
The piece also included a rope bridge.
The box had an adventurer wearing a hat swinging from a rope (?)
I don't have pix - it's a set I remember from my childhood and would love to re-buy.

How 'bout Set #5986 Amazon Ancient Ruins?

No, though the bridge looked similar. The board was 3-dimensional, that was the biggest standout of the set.

I added more detail.

Hmm... let's look again...

Amazon ancient ruins!!!! BINGO!!

The little car looks great.

Hi @TheAsh - if this has answered your question (and it looks like it has), could you click the little Tick by the up and down votes - this gives both you and Rin Rio-Oki some reputation, and lets others know that your question is solved.


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LEGO Mindstorm EV3 Line-With-Gaps Follower? [Robotc]
Trying to create an algorithm / code in order to get my robot to follow a track which it currently can do, using a color sensor and following the inside edge. So I'm wondering how to transition to the track with broken parts: the track has gaps with a max. length of 20 cm and only on straight parts. I also have a distance sensor available. What would be the recommended ideas?

As you already have a working program for the continuous line, you just need to add provisions for the cases when
(the robot is moving on a straight part) AND (the color sensor finds a gap in the track)

Depending on your existing solution you might need to code dedicated methods to identify the two sub-cases and then call them repeatedly to see if the robot is

on the track,
off the track or
in a gap but on the track.

The above mentioned provision could include just "hold the current direction and continue forwards" or something more elaborate. It could include measuring the distance traveled and seeing if the gap is indeed shorter than 20 cm (and trying to find the line again if a longer gap was found), or introducing a slight fanning motion to help find the end of the gap, or maybe something completely different.
If you post more about your existing solution, we could give you more specific ideas.


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black pants (jeans?) with silver/gray pockets and gold dot
Do you recognize these pants? Are they on Bricklink, etc.? (I looked on Bricklink and Rebrickable but couldn't spot a match.)

This is :
Part# 970c00pb176
Hips and Legs with Gray Jacket Tails Outline and Gold Button Pattern (Lord Vampyre)
Keyword: Gold button


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Can't link variable inside a switch when creating a new block
I have a problem when connecting the variable (from the create a block) to a variable in the function because it's inside a switch. How can I link them?

I want to connect the variable to each (20) in the motor blocks

Using variables is probably a better solution, but you can pass data wires into a switch block if it is tabbed view.

To get technical, this thing (pictured below) is a "parameter", not a "variable".

"Variables" look like this:

You can use a data wire to write the parameter value to a variable before the switch block and then read the variable inside of the nested switch blocks. Something like this...


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Is there any easy, documented or official way to replace pullback mechanism with Motor Set 8293
There are many Technic cars with a pullback mechanism, like 42059, 42073 or 42072.
Is there any systematic, easy, documented or official way to replace the pullback mechanism with the LEGO Technic Power Functions Motor Set 8293?

I dont't see how a standard way could exist. That would pretty much require a setup with a PF motor, gears, etc. having the same size and interface as the pullback
motor, which according to bricklink (I don't think I have any) is 6x5x3. As far as I remember the only PF motor shorter than 6 studs (there has to be room for at least one gear) is the XL, but that's 5 studs wide.
For any given set, it's quite possible that you could find a solution, and even that the same solution would work for a lot of sets.

It isn't clear what do you mean by "replace with 8293 set". Just with a motor? While there isn't official way (instructions) of doing it I think it is possible to fit the M-motor included in 8293 set with few additional parts. However then there is a question of power. You need to attach battery box somehow. I see this as a bigger issue as there is no convenient place to attach it to.


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What minifigure has a textured lab coat?

With body on legs it will not fully sit down. From a tote of LEGO parts my kids played with in jr high or high school. They graduated in 2008.

Are you sure that's LEGO?

That's not a piece made by LEGO. It's most likely made by a compatible brand.


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Help identifying a black and white 1 x 1 LEGO part with clip on top
The numbers inside this brick are 01 B02.  The brick is a 1 x 1 black plate with a white clip inserted into a hole.  I have searched BrickLink with no success. I have also searched Google.  Hoping someone from here can help.

Hey there Treppy!
This is Part #93062c01 Leg Skeleton with Black Square Foot.
Ya see, even the Skeletons know stepping on a LEGO bare boned is a no no!
See ya!


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What’s this gold helmet piece and is it rare?

I don’t know what this piece is and where it’s from

That looks like a Minifigure, Headgear Helmet Gladiator
I wouldn't call that piece rare.

However, it costs around 1 Euro, so don't be too careless with it.


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Why do Star Wars sets include the Disney logo/brand name while Marvel Super Heroes sets do not?
I have noticed that LEGO sets from the past few years of their Star Wars theme include a prominent, or at least noticeable, Disney logo, typically in one of the corners. For example, see this Imperial AT Hauler set, with the trademark quasi-signature Disney logo in the lower right corner:

On the other hand, Marvel Super Heroes sets (e.g. the Thanos: Ultimate Battle set below) do not seem to include a Disney logo, despite the fact that both Lucasfilm/Star Wars (since 2012) and Marvel Comics (since 2009) are owned by Disney.

Why is this? Is this primarily a result of different contractual clauses in the specific licensing agreements for Star Wars and Marvel (i.e. this is done for legal reasons), or is this primarily a marketing decision by LEGO? I could easily see how they might do this to make it seem less violent and more appealing to parents with small children - "No, son, Star Wars is a really violent series about a father and son that are always fighting and chop each others' hands off, then team up to throw a local politician down a pit - wait a minute, it's Disney? Ok then!", but then that doesn't explain why they wouldn't do the same with Marvel, which also has a lot of young fans.

This is a guess: It would be too much. Star Wars is just one subtitle, so there is space to put the owner's name (Disney) very small in one corner. With Marvel, you would have MARVEL, Super Heroes, Avengers AND Disney on the box. In 4 different prominent fonts! I think this is a design issue, not a legal issue.

It's more likely to be that the Marvel films are distributed by Marvel Studios (a wholly owned division of The Walt Disney company) whilst the Star Wars films are now distributed by Walt Disney Studios - so the Marvel sets already have the appropriate logo on them (Marvel).

I emailed TLG:

These changes are different as it is how Disney would like it be displayed.  Prior to a set release, each set goes through a number of reviews.  One of these, is our designers show Disney the boxes for them to sign off on and approve, after they review the boxes.  For each set, they said the boxes were approved for release!
It does appear that for the Marvel, they were ok with the Disney Logo not included on the exterior but they did want the Disney Logo on the Star Wars sets!

I also talked with a customer service representative. He took ~5 minutes to "do research." Here's a portion of (only) what he said (comment and ping me in chat if you want the full transcript):

I'm sorry, but we don't have a clear answer on why the boxes differ. What we do know is that the designers create the artwork for the boxes that the sets come in [sic; in] and after that the parent company (Disney) signs off on the designs!
That's it exactly! We provide the images to the parent company and they do have a say in what appears on the box, once we get the okay from them we print them off. With the Marvel and Star Wars TM they were both approved, but have the different printing.

He suggested reaching out to Disney. Unfortunately, I am still in the process of doing so.
What the above replies mean is that (1) designer decided to design a box a certain way (possibly for aesthetic reasons), (2) Disney approved the design, (3) this is the design you see on your boxes. As such, there is no "real reason" the boxes were designed this way.
I will be updating the answer with a reply from Disney.
The (second) reply from Disney; the first was a generic "thanks for the feedback":

That is actually a good question for LEGO- there is a contact page in the links you sent us.
This is not something we could answer...

That is very strange indeed that Disney themselves are not exactly clear on this decision and say that it should be directed towards the Lego Group alone. For some time it has bugged me, and I have been seeking an honest answer. So maybe I should contact Lego/Disney myself (3 years later). I have always thought that this decision was taken by the merchandise department of Star Wars (since it was bought by The Walt Disney Company in October 2012), this addition to branding is because of contractual agreements since becoming part of Disney, and that comes through Disney tax. It has indeed seemed that a majority of Marvel merchandise (wherever sold) has been generally more affordable by a small margin and a big factor of this is Lego sets - Lego Marvel sets value Vs Lego Star Wars sets value. The Force Awakens had the biggest amount of merchandise a film ever had (even with a big amount of merch not even based off the film) because it was Disney's time to shine big, and additional Disney Tax on Star Wars merch has especially been clear across the 5 Disney Star Wars films from 2015 to 2019.
Also, we notice that Lego Star Wars sets typically have to have accuracy to the franchise, and I know there are officials at Lego who consult with Disney on what exactly to put in every main set, from build to minifigures. That is not as much the case with Lego Marvel, and their often off-comic/film builds.

Hi Pranav and welcome to Bricks.SE! Your answer seems to be comprised entirely of personal opinion and speculation - could you per chance add any facts or information from official sources?


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Best Way To Make This 8x8 Grate Plate Flush With The Wall?

I would like to use the 8x8 grates on the side of the building (studs out) as window pieces so there is nothing behind them. I'm wondering if there is a better way to have a more stable connection. I'm kinda stumped if I can pull this look off. Of note and not easily seen in the picture: There are four panels used in this section.

So which is your goal: do you want to have the panel sit flush with the wall or have a more stable connection? Or both? Also, what do you mean by "flush": do you want to have the surface of the grate in the same plane as the wall or the surfaces of the studs in the same plane?

By flush I mean even with the outside edge of the wall.The goal is to use the panel much like a window. The problem is the bell tower is only a 10 stud square. So the entire weight of the upper half of the tower is being supported by four 2x2 pillars. My worry is just with the 2x2's it might not be stable enough, even with the roof tie in, for transport to a display location.

JMK!
This is what I came up with:

Studless overall look.

Studless (Gray) window paneling and thickening.

(Black) window pane connecting pieces Part #6541 Technic Brick 1x1.

(Flame Yellow) window frame connecting pieces Part #87087 Brick, Modified 1 x 1 with Stud on 1 Side.

Bird's eye view.

LEGO Digital Draw build file: HERE.

This was not as easy as I thought. I think I solved the "flush" problem in the following way:
This is the final result:

The secret behind it consists of brackets 2436 (or 2436b) and the famous hinge plates 4275 / 4276.

For the lower part, put the brackets on top of two plate layers. Then add a 1x8 plate in front.

For the upper part, you need the brackets upside-down. To do this, put together the hinge plates upside-down as shown and attach the brackets. Then add a 1x8 plate in front. Now you can attach the 8x8 plate, and it will sit firmly and - most importantly - flush with the front wall.

In the end, you can cover the frame with whatever you want.

I hope, this works for you. The most difficult part was to figure out that the upper brackets need to be upside-down.
I just noticed that you need this on all 4 sides of the tower. In this case, you can use only one bracket/hinge combination on each upper side (e.g. only on the right of each 8x8 grate).


text:
Is there a hobbyist standard for Trains track modules?
Many non-LEGO model railroaders have standardized track module standards allowing for interchangeability of (often highly-decorated) track sections (due to availability, damage, scheduling, etc.) as well as quick set up and breakdown of layouts at meetings and conventions. For example, most of the N-scale model railroad clubs in my area adhere to the NTRAK standard. One can make their own custom 4'x2' module at home and "just show up" at a meeting and expect to connect to the organization's layout that day. Similarly, if someone drops the club's Police Station module and damages it, a spare Quarry module that someone happened to have in their trunk can be swapped in as a substitute with only very minor assembly work (mostly plugging things in).
Is there anything resembling a standard module size or configuration among serious or organized LEGO railroad hobbyists?

Yes there is, and the standard is not unique to trains, but rather applicable to all LEGO construction. It is called MILS (Modular Integrated Landscaping System). You can find its specification in many places, but a good resource is at L-Gauge.org, where they have many more resources and standards for the LEGO train hobby.


text:
Using two color sensors simultaneously
I am new to the world of robotics, and I'm preparing a new project with my students. Our goal is to make a self driving robot that can read colored signs from the road in order to turn right or left a specific angle. For example, if the color sensor 1 detects red color, and at the same time the color sensor 2 detects blue color, the robot must turn 90 degrees right. What's the best programming approach to do this? Consider that the total number of combinations could be up to 49 since each color sensor can read 7 colors.

If you've already tried anything, then you should edit your question to explain what you've already tried. Consider sharing your work-in-progress code.

I am still working on this project, i will be glad to share it's code when its done or partially done. Thanks for interest

There will certainly be some mechanical and robotics questions that you'll need to figure out, such as where on the car to position the sensors, and how to ensure that the car is reliably reading both colors at every intersection. (Which brings up contextual questions like "are there discrete intersections?")
From a programming perspective, 49 possible options is kindof a middle ground.
You could have a systematic representation. For example, each color could map to a digit, and so the pair represents a two digit base-7 number of 2π/49 radians (where 0 means go back the way you came). I don't actually suggest that particular scheme, but something like that could work quite well.
You could just have a lookup table. Or a lookup table of lookup tables. In a C-like language that would look something like
table = [
  'red':  ['red': -90, 'blue': -45],
  'blue': ['red': +90, 'blue': +45]
];
turn_degree = table[first_color][second_color];

I would call that the "normal" approach, although you're getting toward the upper size of the table one might really want.
You could also treat one color as a modifier for the first:
first_table = ['red': -90, 'blue': +90];
second_table = ['red': -45, 'blue': +45];
turn_degree = first_table[first_color] + second_table[second_color];

This is secretly the same as that first option I gave (base7), but more flexible, easier to read, and easier to explain to kids. And you could use multiplication instead of addition if you wanted.
A robotics consideration: Will the car always correctly sense which color is the "first" color?
If not, then there's actually only 28 (21?) possible combinations. You can still use any of the above methods, but additionally you'll define an ordering of the colors (so for example, you'll just decide that green is "less than" blue). Then your "first" color will always be the lesser of the two colors, regardless of which sensor sensed what.
But seriously, how should you do this in a classroom?

If either sensor sees red, the car will turn left.
If either sensor sees blue, the car will turn right.
If either sensor sees yellow, the car will turn 15°.
If either sensor sees green, the car will turn 45°.
If either sensor sees orange, the car will turn 60°.
If either sensor sees purple, the car will turn 90°.
If either sensor sees black, the car will turn 135°.
If the car doesn't see two colors, or if the colors don't clearly say what to do, then the car just keeps going forward.

first = get_sensor_one();
second = get_sensor_two();
directions = ['red': -1, 'blue': 1];
degrees = ['yellow': 15, 'green': 45, 'orange': 60, 'purple': 90, 'black': 135];
if(contains(directions, first)){
  direction_color = first;
  degree_color = second;
} else {
  direction_color = second;
  degree_color = first;
}
if(!contains(directions, direction_color) || !contains(degrees, degree_color)){
  keep_going();
} else {
  turn(degrees[degree_color] * direction[direction_color]);
}

Thanks alot for your professional approach of my case, for me i was thinking in a way that the two sensors will see different colors at the same time, like there is a line cutting the road which is made up of two distinct colors, for example brown at one end and red on the other. My question is that how to tell the robot to do a certain task when he detects this combination, in my project the task is that the robot must turn right 120 degrees for brown and red.

I was thinking in a way that if cs1 = brown , and cs2 =red, go 120 right.

Its going to be nested if conditions i think, what do you think?

Nesting ifs is fine, but if you find yourself nesting similar if statements then that suggest there may be a better way.  Sequential ifs, elses, and else ifs will at least keep your code flat. switch statements usually aren't worth the bother, but some people like them. If you can avoid ifs etc ("branching") altogether, then you probably should.


text:
Two motors are driven forward, why are they rotating in different directions?
I have the Lego Mindstorms EV3 Pack and built a simple car with 3 wheels. The back wheels are motorized.
When I run the following code:
Motor.A.backward();
Motor.D.Backward();

both motors are rotating in different directions. I could understand if backward needs to be interpreted as forward. But how come that the motors are behaving differently?
It is basically not a big drama, I could build a wrapper to handle this. But still: When I want to use a chassis implementation, I would maybe run into that problem?

The "forward" and "backward" expressions are only interpreted in the reference frames of the motors themselves and translate to clockwise and counter-clockwise. In your case you must have mounted the motors in a way which requires them to rotate in different directions in order to propel the vehicle.
Consider a car with four wheels: in order to go forward, the wheels on the left hand side need to rotate counter-clockwise but those on the right side must turn clockwise.
While most chassis types share this property, it is indeed possible to build a chassis that requires both motors to be driven in the same direction for the vehicle to advance. In that case the program must be adjusted to accommodate for that.

thank you for the reply.  I solved that Issue by simply turning and reassembling one motor. So now its fine:-)

You are welcome! On this site if you feel an answer has helped you you can click on the upward pointing triangle to show your appreciation and if an answer has proven to solve the problem at hand, you can signal it by clicking the check mark next to it. This will tell other readers that the solution offered is indeed correct.


text:
Color sensor reliable?
I am experimenting with the light sensor shipped within the mindstorms ev3 package.
My Problem is that the bot is standing quiet at one place. Each value returned by sensor is different, although the bot is not moving. Why? :-(
I am using the Red mode:
SensorMode t = sensor.getRedMode();

float[] sample = new float[1];
t.fetchSample(sample,0);
return sample [0];

I tried putting the sensor in different positions and tried different distances to the floor. When it is on a black line the values differ a lot.
Which sensor modes do you guys use for getting reliable information about underground colour? Or let's say underground brightness?

Light sensors are mainly affected by three independent variables:

Distance between the sensor and the surface
Color of the surface
Amount of ambient light

What this means is, in order to measure one of these things, the other two variables must be held constant. So, in order to measure color, the distance must be constant and the ambient light should be constant.
You can maintain a constant distance between the sensor and the floor by attaching the sensor, pointing downward, to a fixed point on the robot. Simple enough. In my experience the sensor should be about 1cm from the floor for best results.
You can maintain a constant ambient light by avoiding shadows or bright lights. If this isn't possible, you can build a shroud over the sensor to block out external light. You should also recalibrate the sensor at program startup to account for ambient light.
After doing the previous two things, you can measure the reflected light from the surface by shining one of the colored LEDs and taking a sample. Using only 1 LED should be sufficient to detect differences in grayscale, but to actually measure "color" you can quickly cycle between the Red, Green, and Blue LEDs, taking samples with each, to get a crude estimate of the RGB components of the surface.

Thanks for your reply. The three variables are stable. I set up the sensor around 1 cm far away from the ground. Robot is not moving. No Shadow is changing the ambient. When i take 10 measurements, results jump between 0.1 to 0.6...:-( I was thinking about trying a light sensor instead of the color sensor. But as far as i understood, the reflected light mesaruement  is quite the same.

What are the expected values here? Are they supposed to be between 0 and 1?
I'm not quite familiar with using LeJOS for this purpose, but it sounds like there's some option that needs to be set for this to work properly.
I found this tutorial regarding color sensor usage with LeJOS EV3. Hopefully there's something useful in there.

Yes...in reflection mode it is supposesd to be between 0 and 1, which samples the reflection in percent. I found out that shadows are really a big problem for making the sensor reliable. I will think about putting protection around do keep the sensor from outside light. I will also think about calibrationg the sensor, meaning: Measure current white and black value and use theese values as reference. Will see how far i come with that. :-)

I solved my problem:
I was experimenting with the sensor and its modes and I came up with following solution:
I am using the RGB mode and read the three samples. The samples are much too accurate, so I round them at the second place after decimal delimiter and use the red value only.
In this way I can place my robot on the paper and each time I get the same value for white or black (light or dark).
I also assembled a kind of light protection around my sensor, but this allone did not result in same values on white places.
I was now able to implement a line follower which works with intervals for light, neutral and dark zone, each one in a seperate behavior.


text:
Who are these Figures?

Does anyone recognise the two larger LEGO figures? They are from sets released in the 80’s and I am trying to find out what sets they’re from so I can hopefully build the sets with my son. One is a fireman and came with a fire engine. They fit perfectly between Duplo and LEGO but I can’t seem to find any trace of them, the closest similar product I’ve found is Fabuland which is all animals but the same size figures.

Based on their apparent size they could be Duplo figures, but I couldn't find any exact matches in Bricklink or Brickset (albeit with an admittedly non-exhaustive search). Are you sure these figures are genuine LEGO pieces? Or they could also be mixed up from multiple separate figures: the legs do look like Fabuland, but the heads don't match.

@zovits good points, but both Duplo and Fabuland figures were designed to not be taken apart easily.

@RobertColumbia I know they weren't designed to be separated, that's why I'm sceptical whether they are LEGO figures at all. Nonetheless, "designed to be not taken apart" =/= "can't be taken apart", especially when talking about kids with seemingly unlimited creativity, tenacity and time. But the well-preserved state of the figures indicates the lack of forceful disassembly attempts, so I'm still not sure enough to warrant an answer.

The sets were identified as Lego Basics 390-1 and 392-2 and I’ve been able to assemble both from my hoard of bricks now that I’ve seen pictures of the vehicles. The figures have Lego stamped inside the legs so I was certain they were original Lego pieces.

These are Basic Figures

fab13a  : Basic Figure Human Boy Blue, Black Legs, Brown Hair
from 390-1: Helicopter

and
- fab13c : Basic Figure Human, Black Legs, White Hat
from 392-2: Fire Engine

Thank you for your response. I also contacte Lego directly and they identified which sets they came from and after some rummaging I was able to piece the sets together for my young son to play with.


text:
Helmet with flip-down binoculars is not in any of the databases

The helmet has 10198 inside but I cannot find that on any of the usual part databases. Does anyone have any ideas?

It's probably a 3rd-party LEGO-compatible accessory, several 3rd-parties make such military themed accessories.
LEGO doesn't make very many modern-day military-themed pieces and I found similar pieces on one 3rd-party accessory shop. It's not an exact match, but it's pretty close. It might be that you have an older version of their product, or some competitor's product.

Thanks Alexander, I was just beginning to suspect it isn’t actually Lego even though the type face of the number looks correct. I appreciate your reply, thanks.


text:
Improving EV3 Screen Readability
I often have a hard time reading the EV3’s LCD display. I presume that I’m not the only one who has experienced this issue. Is there a way to improve its readability?
For example, are there any good magnifiers that fit, or any ways to add backlighting or mirror the displays to a larger screen?

One guy found a way to make the EV3 Brick's screen have light on it like it is on any device, but if you think training for soldering and blowing $30 just to see your EV3's screen is not worth it, you might as well use a lamp.
Here's the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPNJC5Uz9HY&t=0s


text:
Do they have every brick type or just the basics at the PaB wall?
I am looking for a specific piece and I don’t know if they will have it. Is it any piece or just basic ones like 2x4’s?

At the LEGOLAND California Pick a Brick wall last week (March 9th 2019) they had mostly basic brick shapes. There were some plates, some modified bricks with studs on the side, and a couple of containers had thick rubber wheels, the smallest kind. There was also a container of 1x6x6 panels in white. Nothing else stood out as particularly interesting.

Can you imagine the size of PAB wall to contain every piece? It would be enormous. So naturally PAB brick choice is limited.
Normally shop management decide which bricks they are willing to have on their wall. However there are exceptions:

some stores have space dedicated to PAM (pick-a-model), with all parts available for such model;
some stores may have "AFOL choice" bricks;
there may be shops testing some new bricks choice.

And so on. So chances you find a piece you need are random. If you look for a particular piece - give a call to accessible LEGO stores with PAB or order them online via LEGO webpage or Bricklink.

The management (or the employee(s) they have delegated that to) of each store decides what is in the wall of that store, but they do it from a list of elements somebody higher up, thinks should be in the stores (and having been to a number of stores, I guess it's the same list. at least on each side of the Atlantic ocean).
There's always a selection of fairly standard element
It probably don't accurately reflect what's in that wall today, but they can give an idea of what the s, but always also a selection of not so standard elements.
There a website dedicated to listing what's in the wall at each store, but it's only correct if somebody updates it, and as we don't use that in Copenhagen (see below), I've forgotten the address.
In Copenhagen traditionally nobody can be bothered updating that site, but there are a few members of the danish LUG that takes an element from each hole, places them sort of nicely on a table and takes some pictures, that they then share. An old (january 2017, I couldn't find a recent, and this is just to give an idea anyway) set of such pictures:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/25179966@N06/sets/72157668755923501

When going on a toy run to any store, the easiest thing to do is to simply call the place up, and speak to a live person. In most cases they want to help you not waste your time or money on a fruitless trek.
The store could be a Target, Walgreens, GameStop, Best Buy, Barnes & Noble, Sears, Walmart, or LEGO Store.  Just Google Map the area for a specific store and a list of locations and phone numbers pop up.
Simple say "Hello, or Hey there", and repeat the franchise name, "I'm looking for..."
Either way, if they say they do or don't have it, use this time you have them on the phone to chat them up about new promotions, "Hey LEGO store, I haven't been in there in a month or two, has anything changed?"
So, personally I'm 40 minutes between two stores, but haven't been to one since past November.  The last thing my LEGO rep said to me that might help in regard to your specific question about needing a specific piece is, LEGO allowing a store to order their own inventory, which is something great.
It might take a little more patience, and fitness with other store reps that aren't versed in LEGO, but always remember the gas money saved by not driving there on a hope and a prayer.

Check the inventory at your local store (and please update it if it's out of date!) http://www.brickbuildr.com/index.php/all-stores/


text:
Which part number goes to these LEGO wedge pieces?
I'm trying to identify these two parts, plus the color on the greenish one.

The white one appears in 51 sets. It is piece #43713 "White Wedge 6 x 4 Triple Inverted Curved".
The second piece looks like its color is "sand green", which is color #151. It is part #47759 "Wedge 2 x 4 Triple", which appears in one set in sand green: 70840 "Welcome to Apocalypseburg!"

Thanks; I'm still trying to identify what piece # the green one is.

I got it; it's actually LEGO Olive Green Wedge 2 x 4 Triple (47759).

On the picture that doesn't look like olive green. I would have said sand green like EL_DON did in his answer. (But colors can be hard to tell from pictures)

It is Sand Green. Olive Green is quite different and is darker.


text:
Bionicle parts for own bionicle figure
I need Bionicle parts to make my own Bionicle.
Any good set recommendations?
 Any LEGO set will do.  It does not have to be Bionicle.

There aren't many sets with big Bionicle part variety. I'm not sure what you are looking for. If you need specific parts I suggest to look for them on Bricklink. If you need to increase your Bionicle parts collection it might be better to look for local sales as Bionicle/Hero Factory are usually quite cheap.


text:
Is it possible to build 3 or more concentric circles / nested circles / telescoping pieces?
There are round 2x2 pieces.
There are round 4x4 pieces with round 2x2 holes, the 2x2 can slide/rotate inside of it.
There are "macaroni" pieces to make an 8x8 circle with a 6x6 hole.
But are there no 6x6 rounds with a 4x4 hole?
I've also seen sets use curved slopes, curved inverted slopes, and arches to make circles or nearly-perfect-circles. Are there ways to make nested circles from those pieces?

It is a bit difficult to see what you are aiming at. From what I read, you are looking for concentric brick circles or tubes that fit into each other? Maybe like a telescope? There are arches that can achieve sort of concentric 180 degrees, but it sounds as if you are looking for something else. Have you checked the "arch" or "cylinder" sections in bricklink?

I can also suggest to look into curved slopes. These + SNOT techniques may bring shape close to circle.

Aziraphale I'm asking for either: telescope of bricks or even flat plate circles that nest together with no gaps. I looked at cylinder pieces and they seem to have the same dimensions, there is no 6x6 round with a 4x4 round hole. Though I did see one with a square 2x2 hole, that could be helpful, thanks for the suggestion.

But why are you asking for that? I.e. what do you want to build? If you told us maybe we could suggest some other way of achieving your goal.

What about 30554b you can use 8 of those to make a ring around a 4x4 circle, which is done in set 21309

There is only one piece that fits all your criteria: 41823. Placing four of those pieces together will create a 6x6 circle with a 4x4 interior gap. Albeit, it is a decorative fence piece and it's two studs tall, so it might not work for what you are trying to accomplish.


text:
How to include submodel into main model in LeoCAD?
In LeoCAD I can create multiple submodels. But how do I merge them or integrate one into the other? The release notes suggest that this is possible, but I can't seem to find out or find resources about how to do it.
The idea behind this is that I would like to create building instructions for the model using LPub3D. I would like to use submodels to make the building instructions easier to understand. I would like to show how a certain part of the model is built and then at some point integrate it into the main model. So far I have not managed to do this. The different submodels coexist separately and in LPub3D I have only access to the main model (i.e. the first submodel).

I have now figured out that you can include submodels the same way as normal parts. In LeoCAD, go to the parts panel where you can select a category ("All Parts", "Parts in Use", ...), scroll to the very bottom and select "Models". Then you can select your submodels and incorporate them.
(For some reason, my submodels still don't show properly in LPub3D, but I guess that is a separate question.)


text:
My LEGO character's helmet keeps falling off... Is there any way to fix?
My figure won't keep its helmet on and if I get it on it is very loose and will spin around.

Have you tried the helmet on another head and another helmet on that head?

That won't help if head and helmet belong to this particular minifig.

Are you sure that it's a genuine LEGO figure? It would well be a lower quality bootleg.

The best and most effective technique I've come across is to use a bit of nail varnish on the inner anti-stud of the helmet piece, as Tonk explained on his blog TonksToysBlog. Just be sure to apply a very tiny amount and give it plenty of time to dry.
Also, if it matters to you, the helmet you have pictured does not go to the figure pictured. The figure is Jay Legacy from 2019. The helmet, on the other hand, is 98133pb02 from 2012-2016.

Shouldn't the pieces be interchangeable and still fit well?

Most likely, yes. I don't see that as being the problem but you never know.

Hmm... Looks like his character is fairly new, with it being introduced this year, Jay (Legacy).    With the relative newness of the pieces, I'm surprised the clutch strength is at issue.

Well, anyway, head over to LEGO's customer service page and fill out the request to replace your broken piece(S).  I'm emphasizing because we don't know which piece, Helmet or Head, is "jayed" up.

Part #40925pb02: Minifigure, Headgear Ninjago Wrap Type 4 with Dark Blue Headband Pattern.

Part #3626cpb1892: Minifigure, Head Dual Sided Reddish Brown Eyebrows and Freckles, Lopsided Grin / Frown Pattern (Jay) - Hollow Stud.

Request to replace broken pieces HERE.

Parting words of advise: "Sunlight is the LEGO killer": Be cautious of any of your precious pieces being exposed to direct sunlight.  The darker the piece the more warping sun heat it will absorb.  I've ruined sculptures this way, where they just fall apart after spending a month in the sun on a shelf.

I've had the same problem with two of my new LEGO sets. However, I've managed to fix my Stormtrooper helmet by taking a small piece of a rubber band about 2 centimeters long and put it between the helmet and the head. The rubber slows the spinning and it doesn't fall off as easily.

I noticed that all of the red Sith Storm Troopers in the recent battle pack (the blue speeder one) were the same, and I opened about 8 packs.

I don't think this will solve the problem since the stormtrooper helmet has space for the rubber band but the blue Ninjago accessory doesn't look like it will have space for it.

Assuming that they came together as a set, some Lego helmets don't fit tight in order to make it "easier" to put the helmet on, and if not, might not fit correctly at all.  However, there could be an issue with the pieces itself.  Get a cotton swab and some water, DO NOT USE ALCOHOL, as it will eat at the paint, and clean out the contacts.

Hi and welcome to Bricks.SE. Cleaning the head and helmet would result in even less clutch power, wouldn't it?


text:
Anyone have the control block for the hitechnic color sensors?
I'm just wondering if anyone has a copy of the control block for the hitechnic color sensor v2? I'll take a v1 if you have that because I'm desperate at this point. The downloads page for it is down and my team needs this soon. If you have this or know where it can be found please can you provide the link?

Welcome to Bricks.SE!

It looks like the page listing downloads is down, but direct links to the downloads still work. I believe that this is the file that you're looking for:
https://www.hitechnic.com/upload/306-Color%20Sensor%20V2.zip

Thanks! OMG YOUR A LIFESAVER! I can't thank you enough!

Hi @rpi-noob and welcome to Bricks! If this has answered your question, you can also click the little tick mark under the votes to "accept" this answer :)


text:
Submodel does not show properly in LPub3D
I am new to digital LEGO models and building instructions with LPub3D. In order to find my way around submodels I have created this very simple dummy ldraw model:
0 FILE new model.ldr
0 Name: new model.ldr
0 Author: Undefined
1 4 10 -24 -90 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3005.dat
1 4 10 -24 10 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3005.dat
1 4 110 -24 -90 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3005.dat
1 4 110 -24 10 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3005.dat
0 STEP
1 4 60 -32 -90 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3666.dat
1 4 60 -32 10 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3666.dat
0 STEP
1 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 roof.ldr
0 NOFILE
0 FILE roof.ldr
0 Name: roof.ldr
0 Author: Undefined
1 1 10 -56 -90 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3005.dat
1 1 10 -56 10 1 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 3005.dat
0 STEP
1 1 10 -64 -40 -0 0 -1 0 1 0 1 0 -0 3666.dat
0 Name: roof.ldr
0 Author: Undefined
0 NOFILE

It adds some red bricks in two steps and then references a submodel that itself consists of two building steps, too, adding some blue bricks. The file shows alright in LeoCAD, but when I open it in LPub3D it shows the expected building instructions for step 1 and 2, followed by the two steps of the submodel. But then when it should show the result of merging the submodel into the main model it only shows one blue box at some weird place instead of the submodel. Does anyone know what I am doing wrong?

It looks like I might not be doing anything wrong after all. If I switch the preferred renderer from native to LDView under Preferences everything looks fine.
Maybe I should mention that I am using LPub3D 2.3.6 under Linux. At least the Linux version seems to be rather buggy. It regularly crashes with a segmentation fault when you try to edit the configuration. So this behavior might be a bug, too.

I've also found LEGO CAD under Linux to be pretty buggy.  I've been trying to file bug reports and folks are making improvements.

@chicks LEGO CAD? What is that?

I've tried a few different programs.  I wasn't trying to refer to just a specific one.


text:
Makeblock and LEGO PF cable synthesis
My 10yo son and I have ventured into the realm of taking our LEGO hobby up a notch with robotics. We have built the makeblock mbot and adapted LEGO bricks and want to incorporate the Power Functions set we have.
My question is, does anyone have any insight on creating an RJ25 adapter cable that is plug and play with the PF motors? Before I start hacking, I figured I would ask and see what additional info may be available.

Possible duplicate of How to use Power Functions with Mindstorms EV3?

Given that the official cables mentioned in the other question/answer are no longer available directly from LEGO I'm ok with seeing if there is a better current answer.

Last year there was already a follow up question to see if there was an alternative... 9858. Nothing new was added then except I pointed out that LEGO is moving away from power functions 1.0 ... so no alternative except soldering your own cable, for which the original question has links...


text:
Can the experts Identify these sets, grey octagon platform and tan plates?
A friend gave us a bunch of sets with only a few sets of instructions.  We were able to figure out a few of them.  Not sure what these are.

Mostly, both pictures come from Set #79006 The Council of Elrond, but...

...Minifigure white chest piece comes from: Set Col03-15 Rapper, Series 3 (Complete Set with Stand and Accessories).


text:
Can you identify this 1x2 brick with groves going opposite directions on each side?
There are about 20 of these bricks in the set. Nothing else that stands out as unique. This may be a long shot.

Part #2877 Brick, Modified 1 x 2 with Grille (Flutes).


text:
Seeking HiTechnic Color Sensor V2 control block for EV3-G
I'm looking for the EV3-G control block for the HiTechnic Color Sensor V2, previously distributed by HiTechnic (https://www.hitechnic.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?key=NCO1038&preadd=action), apparently now distributed by Modern Robotics (https://modernroboticsinc.com/product/hitechnic-nxt-color-sensor-v2/).
Many websites and online installation guides claim that the block is available from the downloads and support website from the original supplier (https://www.hitechnic.com/downloadnew.php?category=38).  However, that site has been down for at least the past week and perhaps longer.  Emails to both HiTechnic and Modern Robotics have gone unanswered, thus it appears that the sites are no longer maintained.  :-(
A similar question was recently asked and answered (Anyone have the control block for the hitechnic color sensors?), however, the direct download link suggested there (https://www.hitechnic.com/upload/306-Color%20Sensor%20V2.zip) is for the older NXT control block only.  Unfortunately, the NXT block is not compatible with EV3-G and the current EV3 brick.  I'm seeking the EV3 block, not the NXT block.
I hope that someone here can help.

Hitechnic.com now points to modernroboticsinc.com. You can find the Hitechnic EV3 color sensor block here:
https://modernroboticsinc.com/download/hitechnic-ev3-color-sensor-block/
All available downloads are available and searchable here:
https://modernroboticsinc.com/downloads/

It seems like the download is no longer working. Is there anyone who has the file and can mirror it somewhere?

@AstroGD I've updated the links in my answer

Thank you!  The answer from jncraton did the trick.
Summary: the direct download for the EV3 sensor block for the HiTechnic Color Sensor V2 is here:
https://www.hitechnic.com/upload/545-HiTechnicEV3Color.zip
The zip archive includes three files:
(1) instructions (HTColorREADME.txt)
(2) the control block (HTColor.ev3b)
(3) a sample file demonstrating use of the control block (ViewColor.ev3)
All three worked like a charm.
The instructions above for locating arbitrary HiTechnic files worked well also.  This technique will be useful to others seeking programming blocks for other HiTechnic sensors.


text:
My DUPLO railroad engine stops after 20cm
My DUPLO railroad engine stops after 20cm moving.
I suppose the sensor in the front axle is damaged.
So is it possible to repair it?

If you have red floor or carpet, that could be recognized as the Stop Rail Accessory by the engine. Otherwise I would contact Lego customer support.


text:
Any (small) Lego Technic parts not in whole units?
This is aimed at building a GBC module, not to reproduce an actual engine.
I need a piston type construction with stroke length of 3 units, which means a crankshaft radius of 1 1/2 units. Are there any existing LEGO Technic parts that will support this?
Edit:
TechnicTechnician provided the answer - the technic cam (6575) proved to be exactly what I needed. In case my original question wasn't totally clear I've added a picture of the solution below.

The distance between the two crank axles is 1½L, which means that the other end of the connecting rod (point X) will move a total of 3L as the crank rotates.

I assume you mean L when you say units?
Well anyhow, unless I'm misunderstanding, I would try these: https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=6575
You can stack 3 of them up to get 1 and a half L
If you mean 3L long instead of 3L wide, this should still work because it has axle holes which is 1.5L apart, it also has axle holes that are 3L apart.
Search youtube/eurobricks for 'technic mini engine' / 'technic micro engine' for some ideas.

Definitely the part for the job

There's also this old piece that is not a full 1L offset

https://www.bricklink.com/v2/catalog/catalogitem.page?P=2853#T=P


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What is this piece? 2 axle and 1 pin?

I've been looking around for this piece, google images etc, cannot find it.  Any ideas on a part number?

One of its common names is 'beam thin 1x3'. It is also called a 'liftarm thin 1x3'. and it is in 'blue' ('bright blue' in lego digital designer)

excellent thanks. I'm new to trying to identify the pieces, it's quite hard!

I found it:
6632
It's the Technic, Liftarm 1x3 Thin piece.


text:
Was there ever a LEGO store in Miami International Airport?
I was lately in Miami International Airport (MIA), and there are many signs displaying their array of stores within the airport. One wall I saw was showing logos of the stores in a design way, not in a directory format. It had the news stands, M&M logo, and then I saw the LEGO logo. I have been searching it up, but I can't seem to find any recognition of a LEGO store being or once being in the airport. There had to be some sort of planning for that small, but pervasive logo to be in the airport. Note: I found a (bad) picture of where the logo is. I circled the logo to show you one place it is found. I only have found it on wall displays that look as such.

I couldn't find any mention of a full LEGO store in MIA on the web.  Looking at the other logos that are recognizable I would guess that they don't represent full stores, but products available in the existing stores.  I doubt Jack Daniels and Johnny Walker have free-standing stores in the airport.  I don't see any sign that Jack Daniels has any free-standing stores.
There is a Mindworks Toys in MIA which probably sells LEGO sets.  I'd guess that's the source of the logo for this sign.


text:
Is there a way to restart a program with EV3?
I've got a program with a code lock, and I would like the program to restart when you enter the incorrect code. Does anyone know of a way to do that?

If I were you I'd use a loop inside the program. In this loop the prompt for entering the code would be displayed, then the user input would be read. Finally, the code would be checked and if correct, the proper action executed, otherwise a failure message would be shown and the execution would loop back to the start (display the prompt).


text:
Looking for sets with lots of printed parts or other special parts to use as components for my city
I'm thinking about building an early 20th century ('30s / '40s) European city, using both complete sets and parts of sets as resources
I'm looking for pieces that add detail to this city, both outside (streets & parks) & inside the buildings... from sofas & benches to kitchen sinks & traffic signs.
I don't really like using stickers and I'd like to avoid them altogether, but I do love printed pieces.
So I wonder... Can some of you folks recommend some sets that have lots of printed parts or other special parts that could help me add detail to my city?
I would prefer sets that haven't been discontinued. However, feel free to recommend discontinued sets if you think they're a great match for me needs.

It would probably be better and cheaper to buy printed parts from bricklink because of the below answer.

What kind of print do you have in mind? Wall textures, paintings? In Bricklink, the key word 'pattern' will show all printed parts.

@Aziraphale : I'm thinking of newspapers, store signs, street signs, book covers, etc. Anything that could add more life and fits in in a 1940s setting would do.

@TechnicTechnician : Bricklink is definitely an option, especially for rare pieces. However, ordering from Bricklink can be pretty cumbersome & expensive. So, for the less rare parts, I'd rather but them as part of a set.

All of the decorations in the LEGO Juniors (now called LEGO 4+) sets are printed, and they tend to have a lot of nice decorations. Decorated parts in the LEGO Ideas sets are also almost always printed, but double check this because at least some of the sets also have stickers.
There is not one set which is going to be full of printed parts, and sets with printed parts tend to be more expensive when it comes to price per piece. If you are looking for a large quantity of specific printed elements, you are better off to just order exactly what you want from BrickLink, the online LEGO marketplace.

Lego has somewhat recently started a theme called Xtras, if case you weren't aware. They have a variety of odds & ends great for detailing builds. They do have some printed tiles in a few of the packs, but probably not quite the variety you're after.  If you can't find the printed elements needed for your build elsewhere, you might try the 853921 sticker pack as a last resort.


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Can a v1 PF reciever power an XL motor and servo?
I have a v1 PF receiver but don't want to pay $35 for a v2 receiver and I was wondering if a v1 receiver can power a single XL/L motor and a servo.

I just tried connecting an XL motor and a servo motor to a v1 receiver and yes, it works just fine. ( I knew it would anyhow :) )
The only thing that might be a problem is that some V2 receivers are not labelled 'V2' but are unlabelled like V1 receivers are. But I'm sure that I have still done this before V2 receivers even came out and it worked.
If you want the motors to be independent you must put them on separate channels of the receiver and have both the receiver channel selector and the remote control channel selectors to the correct channels in which the motors are connector.
V2 has slightly more IR range over v1 however I have heard that v1 has a higher output to the motors.
If you want the motors synchronized for whatever reason then you can put them on the same channel of the receiver.


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Who produces these sets of Venetian gondolas, and is there more of it?
While staying in Venice, Italy, I came across a shopping window with what looked like a LEGO set of a gondola - except that the familiar white letters in the red top left square said "IDEA" rather than "LEGO".
I failed to take a picture back then, but a picture is available e.g. in an expired online auction. The description on that page actually makes it sound like these were repackaged LEGO pieces from original sets or something similar. And someone else posted an even clearer picture, but without any description, on their Facebook page.
What is this product? Is it a clone brand, or is it repackaged original LEGO? Or is it even a promotional set produced by LEGO that is, for some reason, not labeled "LEGO"? Is it part of a larger series that includes more sets?

Apparently these are designed and distributed by a Venice shop holder, named Steve
http://havetwinswilltravel.com/2018/09/11/lego-shop/

This sounds like a good lead (+1 for that). I won't mark the answer as accepted yet, though, as I'm still hoping for some additional confirmation. What's written in that blog may very well be true; on the other hand, store owners in tourism hotspots who can tell the most wondrous stories about their products and themselves are far from unheard of.


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How much to support a big model?
Exactly, how many LEGO blocks would somebody need to support a model that weighs 30 pounds?

30 grams? I think pretty much anything bigger than a Lego flower stem would handle that...

oh oof wait wrong mueasure cRAP-

1 . According to experimental results, a single Lego 2x2 brick can support about 950 pounds before failing.
This does not take the shape of the model into account - if you have a sharp point going down into the brick, it's probably going to fail a bit more quickly!


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How many Star Wars Storm Troopers have there been?
How many different storm-troopers are there in the LEGO Star Wars sets
for the entire timeline?

Based on the LEGO wiki on Fandom, there have only been 7 different variants of the plain white Stormtrooper minifigure since they were introduced in 2001 (plus one Chrome-Silver variation).
If you also include Clone Troopers, Sand Troopers, Snow Troopers, Scout Troopers,  and other such armored soldiers from the Star Wars universe, that number would be much, much higher (also see 'Variations' at each of the links above).

Hi Christopher, welcome to Bricks.SE. This post on Eurobricks lists quite a large number of stormtroopers. I haven't compared all the minifigures. Does it confirm your answer? I think there are more than 7 white stormtroopers listed.

Thank you! Yes, that article does provide a more comprehensive list of stormtroopers (including sand troopers, storm trooper disguises worn by Luke and Han, first order troopers, and more). I suppose the answer to the question varies depending on your definition of what is a storm trooper variant and what is a different figure entirely.


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Need help identify a piece
It's some kind of tile with a bench shape.

Which set are you building?

It looks like this, this, or this
Personally, I would say it's the 3L version in dark gray but it's hard to tell without a better picture of the parts on the page around it.
Hope that helped.


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Difference between The Lego Group and LEGO Systems A/S
I am not sure what LEGO is called currently.  Is it still The LEGO Group or is it LEGO Systems A/S or is it both?  What is the difference between them?

LEGO explains its ownership here https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/ownership.
Also available from that page is the annual reports. Last year's annual report has a list of all the various subsidiary names by country (see last page of https://www.lego.com/en-us/aboutus/lego-group/annual-report/). It appears 'LEGO Systems A/S' is the company name for the Denmark arm. So there are a lot of names and nuances and it depends in what context you want to refer to it - and how exact you need to be. The LEGO Group would be the right name to use in most fan (rather than business/legal) contexts.


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What is the Airport Shuttle logo meant to symbolize?
The Airport Shuttle set features what is apparently supposed to be a logo of the Airport Shuttle monorail system, both on the train itself and prominently on top of the city stop (and possibly in more places). It looks like a capital letter T in front of a circle.

Is there any information available as to what this was meant to signify? I.e. is it meant to symbolize anything about the set (a cross-section of the airport stop?), or is it modeled after a real-world symbol of a comparable transportation system?

I would have said it's the track and a stylised pillar, seen side on. A number of real-world monorails tend to include the track in their logos.

@Zhaph-BenDuguid That was my immediate reaction also, something like this perhaps

First of all, here's a slightly enhanced, upclose image of the logo.

My best guess is that it's meant to represent a railway T-Intersection as seen below.

I believe this is especially possible, considering how the T tapers down to the bottom, similar to a railway T-Intersection.


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What is the piece and piece number of the rocket launcher accessory this Joker figure is holding?
He is holding a rocket launcher type piece that I cannot identify.  What is the piece and piece number of the accessory this figure is holding?

I suspect that the rocket launcher is made from more than one piece.

6195916: Function Element, Female

+
306226: Round Brick 1X1

makes:


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Identify Lego set from a partly-built object with a handle and colored yellow, white, and black
I found this partly-built object in a box of jumbled LEGO.

What set did it come from?

This is the incomplete lawn mower from
3315-1: Olivia's House


text:
Has LEGO ever been used in an assembly line or a manufacturing process?
With LEGO Technic and LEGO Mindstorms becoming ever more sophisticated, I wonder if it has ever been used in a real commercial setting to automate parts of an assembly line or manufacturing / research process.
There are several fun / nonsense assembly line videos on YouTube like a LEGO Car Production, a Paper Plane Machine, and of course the Great Ball Contraption. So it would definitely be up to the task, but has it ever be done?

Here are a few examples of LEGO being used for practical and useful purposes I remember seeing. I'm sure there are many others:
Some LEGO liquid-handling robots and experiments for STEM education and research: https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.2001413
Here, MIT is using LEGO for micro-fluids: http://news.mit.edu/2018/microfluidics-lego-bricks-0131
There are several examples of LEGO used for prostatic research and development, like this one: https://www.wired.com/2015/07/lego-makes-everything-bettereven-prosthetic-kids/
And here is a LEGO Braille printer developed by a student: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2015/01/20/braille-lego-printer/22055135/

Probably not exactly what you were looking for - but Lego did help make Google get off a good start
https://royal.pingdom.com/original-google-setup-at-stanford-university/
http://infolab.stanford.edu/pub/voy/museum/pictures/display/0-4-Google.htm


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Identify Lego set containing a trailer with light-blue & purple color theme
This looks like some kind of trailer with light-blue & purple color theme.

From what set is this come from?

Yup, good guess.
Comes form Set# 41026 Sunshine Harvest.


text:
LEGO Event in Fountain Hills Arizona
I'm trying to find documentation for a special event that Lego did in Fountain Hills Arizona. I believe it was in the time of LEGO Power Miners and the castle series.
They had a tent set up and had 4 different events. One was building a LEGO tower in a time set, another was just looking at a big set up (of what I think was a giant Power Miners MOC). You would get stickers for each thing completed. You would have a lanyard with a yellow 2 by 2 LEGO brick, with the studs being where you put the sticker for each event.
I can't seem to find documentation on this, so would anyone else out there know this or a similar event that happened, and if there is any info about it out there?


text:
Can anyone identify these 4? (Extra 1x3 brick for scale)

I found these in with my old LEGO while sorting for my daughters, hardly been used in around 30 years, some came from my great granddad. What are these red things without studs for?

Welcome. Do these items have the LEGO logo marked on them?

No obvious logo, too well made not to be for something...

They don't look like LEGO to me.

These are Part bb300 Garage Door Counterweight - Old without Hinge Pin
from Part # 822ac02 - Garage Door Solid Assembly - Old (Hinge Pins on Counterweights - Both Sides)
which belongs to
Set #435-2: Garage Plate and Door (The Building Toy)

Thank you! Now I want to go home & check  the garage doors!

Awesome, I have a bunch of those plates with the funny ramp in the middle.


text:
ID for Off-Brand 1x1 Round Plate, Stud on BOTH Sides (1 is Hollow)
I have a round 1x1 plate (from a blind by-the-pound secondhand sale) with a male stud on both sides of the plate, no female holes. One stud is hollow, the other is solid with a large "C" and a smaller "3" next to it, similar to a cubed notation (superscript). I think it might be C3, (Create, Construct, Customize), but I don't know how to find individual parts for that brand.
So what is it from, and how can I get more? These things are amazing for inverting directions!

Looks like the brand is defunct: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minimates

I see that the figure sets are still continued, under a different license, but I don't see part lists for them (no do I see actual sets anymore, just the figures).  Thanks for the confirmation on the brand though!

I don't know this exact brand, but please note that Mega Bloks (now Mega Construx) has those male/male studs. They appear in many of their sets and come in many different colors. They are exactly one plate tall, just like the one you have on your picture. The Mega version has a hole going through the middle to accommodate any bar shaped piece, which makes them even more useful!

Do you happen to know what the part number for the 1x1 double male plates in MC is?  I found a site that shows cropped tiny pictures of some pieces with numbers, but it's hard to tell (https://s219.photobucket.com/user/Orrex/library/Parts?page=1).
I see they have several others, like a 1x2 and 2x2 plates, as well as bricks and brackets and hinges, oh my.  I'll have to buy the sets themselves since MC doesn't do individual pieces, but I really wish I could track down these 1x1 round m-m plates; making a custom minifig for my son, and it's essential to get more!
Thanks everyone!

Eric, it's tough because Mega's part numbers are unique to both the part shape and color. For example, in the #FVG41 Destiny set, the part appears In pearl-gold, and the part number is AM76558ATH. I believe the last three letters refer to the color, and the numbers and letters before the last three letters refer to the part design.


text:
Stuck on "Installing rootfs" when installing leJOS on the brick
When following the instructions for creating an SD card with leJOS, the brick freezes when it comes to the screen “Installing rootfs.” I'm using a new 32 GB SanDisk SD card. I've confirmed that I'm using the appropriate version of the Java runtime, and there are no error messages at all.

I was able to fix the problem by creating a smaller partition on the SD card. (The idea came from this forum post; it was not necessary for me to buy a different SD card, despite what many people say there.) Using Windows 10, I was able to create a 4 GB partition with the “Computer Management” utility. After that, I used the ev3sdcard.bat utility again, and the installation completed successfully.
I do not know whether some intermediate value between 4 GB and 32 GB would also work. The forum posts I read suggest that 4 GB will be plenty of space.

Working on a Son's STEM Science Fair project, and your post here SAVED our bacon. We used a lexar 32 GB SDHC card. Some places say that SDHC isn't recommended, but it worked beautifully once we created the smaller FAT 32 partition of 4 GB using the "Disk Managment" partitioning tool. For anybody else who knows absolutely nothing about this stuff, don't let the mention of the ev3sdcard.bat utitlity (file) throw you off. That file is simply the little program that pops up in the top lefthand corner of your screen. The little program where you enter the JRE gz file and then click "create." THANK


text:
LEGO Plastic Bags #

Please help to identify the LEGO Plastic Bags # (2,4-319g7,5-419g7,7-219g7)
I used QR code reader and it gives me a digits of 6172090.
Unfortunately I could not find any information.
I bought this items only in LEGO plastic bags with no other info. from a recycle store.
Thank you!

This looks like a part number of LEGO. Its also 7 digits long similar what LEGO uses for their parts. As far I know there is no publicly tracked list of these numbers. Best to do is keep the bags closed and post some clear photo's on this site, showing the content of each bag.

Interestingly, Bag 11 of the Bugatti is 617-2090 on a QR Code reader.

I believe QR codes can only be used by TLG to identify which polybag should go to certain set during production. So far none of existing QR codes have lead to identification of the set. This means having a QR code or its value is a bit useless.

If the parts on the background are from the bags its probably:
70614-1: Lightning Jet
based on:
370223: Technic Brick 1X8 in Bright Blue. This is the only set released after 2017 with this part.
It also contains:
302126: Plate 2X3 in Black
428623: Roof Tile 1X3/25° in bright blue

thank you for the answers joost and you are correct it is the 70614-1/Lightning-Jet. I got the manual after you provide the info, unfortunately sa bags are incomplete... lacking of bags#1,3,6 and did tried to assemble them. I just modify I can from whats left of it. again thanks a lot....allan

Everything Lego does carries an SKU (Stock Keeping Unit).
If you look at most recent instructions, you have a list of parts with 7 digits numbers, that's the part SKU.
Similarly, each set has an SKU (labeled as "item number" next to the EAN / UPC barcode on the box), the box itself has an SKU (written smaller, generally) each instruction / pamphlet has one or more SKU (depending on version) and thus each bag in the box has it's own.
Also recent boxes have, next to the product barcode, a small white box, which appears to contain a lot numbers and production serial numbers which is readable as a datamatrix).

Bag 20 (scan with QR and the note is 6172090) is the spare pieces for the Harry Potter collection (with hedwig standing on a stack of books). It's so you can make the scarf whichever house colour you want.

This is incorrect. The correct set has already been identified, see the top-rated Answer from nearly 5 years ago.

This does not provide an answer to the question. Once you have sufficient reputation you will be able to comment on any post; instead, provide answers that don't require clarification from the asker. - From Review

The QR code on the bag only identifies the plastic bag as the packaging material, and bears no information about its contents.


text:
What techniques can be employed to build a low-profile sliding door/wall?
I'm looking to build a sliding door or wall that doesn't use the defacto "sliding door" parts, 2874 and 4511.  These parts are almost usable for my design: they are thin and have a built-in stopper when using the corresponding "door rail" parts 32028 and 4510.  Unfortunately, they are too tall.
Is there a technique to slide a plate, tile, or panel without resorting to using part 30586.  I don't think I have the extra width needed by this part in my design.

What size of door are you looking for? What's the width of the wall?

@Uli: I'm building a railroad car using a 28x6 plate, so the wall length is constrained to 28 studs.  Wall thickness is 1 stud, so the interior of the car has 4 studs of space.  That said, I have things inside the car and so I was hoping to mount the sliding door on the outside and keep a low profile.  Ideally, the door will be under 5 studs in height.  I can probably increase the height of the car and then use the defacto sliding door, but I was interested to see if other alternatives exist.

How many studs is the opening in the wall?

Fairly flexible at this point as I'm trying to see what is possible with the technique.  That said, I would estimate the the opening to be between 4-6 studs.

Have you tried using "bricks with groove" ?
https://www.bricklink.com/v2/search.page?q=brick%20with%20groove#T=A

Thank you for the suggestion!  These may work, but I would have to orient them so that the studs align horizontally.  I'll have to analyze my design to see if that is feasible.


text:
Identify LEGO set. Star Wars?
Trying to figure out what this set is from a large bin I bought.

This is from  Set # 75076-1: Republic Gunship

Keypart : Cone 2 x 2 x 2 - Open Stud in Dark Red

Thank you.  I was thinking gunship but searches kept showing the big kit.  Appreciate your help - am new to this side of LEGO - id’ing sets, parts, etc.


text:
What does this error symbol on the EV3 mean?
I get this error image pop up when I power on my EV3. What does it mean?

Also, is there a list of different error codes anywhere, I looked in the User Manual and I could not see anything.
Cheers!

Educated guess: is the storage on the EV3 brick itself full by any chance?

The hard disk is likely full on the brick. Try deleting some projects to allocate space.


text:
How to build a waterproof roof out of LEGO blocks?
How would Lego blocks be tiled to provide a water proof roof against the rain?
The lattes or internal support structure of the roof doesn't have to be also made of Lego. Basically the tiles on a roof would be replaced with lego in such a way to be waterproof where the glue holds them together but isn't the water barrier.

Hi Muze! Just to clarify, do you mean building a roof-like structure out of LEGO bricks that can offer protection against real-world rain? If so, what is the size of the roof or the area to be protected? Does it need to stay dry even in windy or stormy weather as well?

@zovits how is this? Thanks for pointing that out.

I have provided an answer based on my current understading of your expectations and my assumptions on your constraints and goals. If any of these does not fit, please amend the question with the appropriate details.

I'm still wondering how big of a roof you are trying to build.  Is this for a small shed or a house or a dog house or .... ?

Since you are willing to use a non-LEGO frame to hold the roof and glue to fix all together, I would recommend buying baseplates in bulk and gluing them onto a wooden frame as if they were shingles. If the gradient and the overlap (vertical between rows and horizontal between individual plates) are correctly matched, the rain won't get inside.
For more resources on professional shingle roofing see these links:
https://www.iko.com/na/pro/building-professional-tools/roofing-101/how-to-install-shingles/
https://www.wikihow.com/Lay-Shingles


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Is there a way to convert stud.io files into LDD files?
Is there a way to download stud.io files from Bricklink and convert them into a format that Lego Digital Designer understands?

Yup.

Both programs (Stud.io and LEGO Digital Draw) can read the LDraw extension (*.ldr).

Overview:

I'm using Windows 10.
I have NOT ungraded to the Stud.io 2, but I think it shouldn't matter
in this case.
In Stud.io, we will be exporting the file into the *.ldr format.
In LDD we will be importing a *.ldr file to be readable in LDD.

The Method:

Download ".io" file from BrickLink to your PC.
Open in Stud.io. and export save as a .ldr file.
(File > Export As > Export As LDRAW...)
Open LDD and import file. (File > Import model) Here you will also have to toggle the file format, *.ldr, you wish to import.
Find your *.ldr file and get to modifying.

Know Annoyances: Ghost Switching 1x4 Bricks.  Tubeless vs. Tubes files.
The final leg is to order your model through Bricklink via Stud.io, but Stud.io can't recognize the default tubed version of this 1x4 Brick. So, you'll be saying to yourself, but I've never used this tubeless version in my build, so what gives?
Apparently, the conversion into the LDraw format changes tubes into tubeless. This is annoying becasue it's not immediately clear why you're not able to find sellers for 100% of your wanted pieces, not understanding that a switch happened early in the conversion process.
Just a heads up.  In LDD you could search for these 1x4 tubeless pieces, and manually switch them out to tubed then re-save the file, or just mentally note to add the proper amount of tubes pieces in Bricklink.  Either method is just as annoying as reading this brick of text...
See  ya!

I tried that. Unfortunatetely, I experienced many issues with that approach. First of all, LDD requests a licence for a "Vortex toolkit", which I don't have. After canceling that, the file does load, but quite some pieces are missing. And for some models, pieces end up positioned incorrectly. This makes LDraw unusable as an intermediate format, at least for the 2 random models I tested!

TLG no longer provide new parts for LDD. These won't be available in LDD if your LDraw model has recently released new parts.


text:
Help identify these sets/bricks
Some of these are sets and some are bricks. Sorry if the quality is bad, I can't get any other pictures.
Please note: 3 and 4 seems to be from the same build, although I cannot fully verify that.

01)  Bionicle piece ???
Part #98141 Minifigure, Weapon Crescent Blade, Serrated with Bar, with an updated and correct answer provided by site member Phil B.

02) Part #4150 Tile, Round 2 x 2.

3 + 4) Hails from Set #76109 Quantum Realm Explorers.

The yellowed outlined pieces in 3 and 4 is Part #17485 Brick, Round 2 x 2 with Pin Holes.
HERE's a Youtube speed build on the piece breakdown/buildup of this design look you're interested in.

The first part is 98141 Minifigure Weapon Cresent Blade Serrated with Bar.


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Legoings quality concerns
Can anyone tell me about the quality of Legoings? I'm considering a purchase from China. I can't seem to find any reviews on this clone brand.
Thanks, John

Possible duplicate of What is the quality of lego replicas on Aliexpress?

Legoings seems to be the reincarnation of LEPIN, which had some of its factories (or more like sweatshops judging by the published pictures) raided late April this year (2019). Expect quality to be similar, with the usual disregard to workers’ conditions, quality and safety of materials and foremost intellectual property rights of others (TLG and MOC builders in the LEGO community).
I predict it will be shut down in due time as well. I strongly discourage buying their products for the above reasons. Also note that a collection tainted with bootleg bricks will have very little value to a collector, unlike proper LEGO sets.


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How to describe a building set which is like LEGO without using the "LEGO" word?
We are sellers of building toys like LEGO online. But their website does not allow using the word "LEGO" directly to describe the products. Are there any other words that could describe the building sets like LEGO? It seems that LEGO is the representative of all kinds of building sets.

The usual phrases I've seen include some mixture of the following:

Universal interlocking bricks
Modular building system
Plastic construction toy blocks

and so on...
But don't forget adding "Compatible with leading brands" if it is indeed the case :)

I would use a mix of the above - modular plastic building blocks.

Often "bricks" is used instead of "building blocks".

@Raidri Thanks, edited!

"Universal plastic interocking modular construction building toy brick blocks system" seems like something I would see on ebay or Wish

The answer can be closer than you think. Quoting from the Bricks help page:

Bricks is a question and answer site for LEGO and building block enthusiasts.

Living in China, home to a lot of LEGO clones, the wording "blocks" is indeed the most popular here in shops and pre-schools.

...actually it’s a highly sophisticated interlocking brick system
source Lego Movie Quotes on WIkipedia

I have seen the sentence "Compatible." in product descriptions. When you are selling interlocking plastic toys, you can assume that everyone knows what this means.

Have a look at this items (first and second) and their descriptions: clip-on blocks and Building Block respectivly.