Subject:
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Guide to the Throwbots elements (was Re: Incorporating Throwbots Elements?
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.build, lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Fri, 6 Aug 1999 00:35:44 GMT
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Viewed:
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1186 times
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In lugnet.build, Eric Joslin writes:
> [...] [how] to connect [Throwbots ball-and-socket elements]
> to other, "real" Lego building elements. Has anyone out there
> discovered a really good way to accomplish this? rankly,
> I'm kinda stumped. I've found a few ways, but they all seem kind of...
> structurally unsound, and I prefer solidly-built models.
> Any suggestions?
I keep finding more and more ways to use the Throwbots elements with the older
"standard" LEGO Technic elements, and many of them are quite stable.
In fact, it's really making me respect the amount of time and attention the
engineers at TLG obviously put into this.
Best of all for builders, the Throwbots pieces are available in lots of colors,
come in small cheap sets, and the boxes actually have a pictorial inventory so
you can see exactly what you'll get before you buy!
The "shoulder" piece (32172, 3 x 3 type I large ball socket) can be attached
very solidly to the side of a Technic beam, the side of a z24 gear or z40 gear,
or the top of a 2xN Technic plate by running cross axles through 2 of the
little square openings (If you don't know where these openings are, lay the
piece 32172 "flat" on the table and look down from above. See the 3 square
holes?) The best axles to use for this are ld6587 (#3 cross axle with stud),
and you'll want to use two or more half bushings (ld4265) on the other end of
the axle. You can use three #4 cross axles and 9 half bushings to connect two
of piece 32172 back-to-back and thereby create a double socket piece (you need
to insert the piece that goes in the socket before putting all the
half-bushings on).
The "hip" piece (mr0080, 3 x 2 type II large ball socket) is even easier to use
because of its obvious bushing-like end. This end is easily attached to all
sorts of things using the cross axle pieces.
What's a little less obvious about this piece is that the two circular holes
are just the right size for a cross axle to fit through, and that makes this
piece a great way to mount a vertical axle between two beams with only one stud
of space between the two beams (the standard approach involves using Technic
plates and requires two studs of space)
Once you have two sockets securely attached, you can connect them with the
"leg" piece (32173, Throwbot leg with 2 ball joints). This piece also has two
peg holes (the same holes found in Technic beams) and these holes are great for
attaching the leg piece to the side of a beam or lots of other things.
Depending on where you attach it, you might have to add half bushings (ld4265)
to allow clearance between the beam and the ball joints.
Then there's piece mr0086 (Throwbot double 10t rack with ball joint). This goes
with piece 32167 (Throwbot half gearbox type II), the rectangular-shaped
gearbox that comes in two sections and has all the #1 cross axles sticking out
of it. If you use it as a gearbox it converts linear motion to rotational
motion (or vice versa); the range is limited but it allows for more torque.
However, the piece is quite useful just as a sort of multidirectional universal
connector. Multiple mr0080 sockets can be attached to the cross axles to make
various kinds of linkages that restrict the number of degrees of freedom in
different ways.
I'll also mention a few things about the Throwbot pieces that don't have balls
or sockets.
The "foot" (mr0079, 3 x 3 Throwbot foot) is used in thenew super car set (8445
Indy Storm). It is another good way to mount a vertical axle between two beams
with only 1 stud of clearance, although in this case the axle doesn't turn. Use
3/4 connector pegs to attach the foot to the beam through two of the foot's
holes, then use an axle extender (6538) to connect a cross axle.
32165 (Throwbot head) fits very nicely on top of a 2x6 brick (2456), although
LEGO only used this in one Throwbot set and then only with a 1x2 tile!
mr0082 (Throwbot 1 x 7 liftarm with rails) is the piece used as "wings" on Jet
and Electro and as "skis" for Ski. It works great as a 1x7 liftarm, albeit with
a little extra decoration around the edges.
- Robert Munafo
LEGO: TC+++(8480) SW++ #+ S-- LS++ Hsp M+ A@ LM++ YB64m IC13
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Incorporating Throwbots Elements?
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| I picked up a Throwbots set over the weekend, and I was having a fairly good time exploring the different ways in which the ball-and-socket elements combine. Not an extensive array of combinations, to be sure, but they would seem to have their (...) (25 years ago, 2-Mar-99, to lugnet.build)
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