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Hey, SMART guys... I must say I really love your Crate Contraption. In fact, I like it so much, I'd like to steal the idea. Sort of. Let me explain... After Brickfest, I've spoken with a couple people about creating something for the Mindstorms room (...) (20 years ago, 7-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) Steve - We've discussed this a few times too. What keeps blocking us is trying to define an interface that is flexible enough. Here are some of the issues we saw: Different interface types: Balls Crates (e.g., drop & pick up) Lines (e.g., (...) (20 years ago, 7-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) I suspect it will be somewhere between very difficult and impossible to define and interface that is truly flexable enough to do everything you (we) will be interested in doing. However, the goal is to define an interface, so anyone can build (...) (20 years ago, 7-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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Are the SMARTies going to be showing anything off at NWBrickCon? (...) Alternatively, if you restrict the depth of a module somewhat, you COULD devise a standard way for a sorter to branch, and a combiner to merge (sorter has two outputs that are (...) (20 years ago, 7-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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I have been pondering on the subject of a modular "thing" for next year's BrickFest Mindstorms room. I have been working on an idea similar to the moonbase idea where a module can have four ports. West and North are ins, East and South are outs. My (...) (20 years ago, 8-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) This is really along the same lines as what I was thinking, except, I'd start with two ports (1 in, 1 out) on opposite sides of the module. Each module would have 1 input "crate" in a specified location, and would be responsable for moving (...) (20 years ago, 8-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) I guess I am confused then. A crate is a thing that balls go in. A crate contraption would need to be able to handle crates, yes? Else it would be a ball contraption? The thing is, I think the problems of actaully building a mechanism which (...) (20 years ago, 8-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) Yes, I think more people will participate in a "ball contraption" than a "crate contraption". It's my intent to create a ball contraption standard. People can use crates to move balls within there own module, if they choose. When balls are (...) (20 years ago, 11-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) I had in mind something a bit like the moonbase concept except where they have level passage-ways between modules, a GBC module would have either one or two two ins which include a slight down slope to encourgage balls to enter and either one (...) (20 years ago, 11-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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Steve clearly wants to keep this simple for the first go-around. But others, including myself, dream of more flexibility. I like Larry's idea of referring to versions. So rather than having to reject some features as too difficult, we can ear mark (...) (20 years ago, 12-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) As long as the "Type 1" standard doesn't tightly constrain future expansion, I think both are achievable. (...) It seems a good one, but certainly not the only one. For instance, have a empty crates not filled directly, but instead via a (...) (20 years ago, 13-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) I'm sure many AFoLs will feed on each other's ideas. My thought was to make a "holding" bin/crate with a trap door at the bottom, that is opened when a removable crate is put underneath it, or, something else that's only "active" when the (...) (20 years ago, 13-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) Which brings up a point about the standard. For a "simple" input, my methods (flip-up-able feeder ramp to temporarily hold incoming balls, or gravity-fed empty crates into newly vacated input zone) need very little height beyond the standard (...) (20 years ago, 13-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Size
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Here's a couple more questions for the SMART guys. First, how many balls are "normally" loaded into a crate? I'm guessing between 20 and 30. How would things be effected if the crates were a little shorter? It appears the crates could be one or two (...) (20 years ago, 13-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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(...) I've been quite busy recently, and so haven't had a chance to participate in this discussion until now. Pardon the long post, but it'll answer many of the questions and give details about SMART's own quest for a module standard. As Mark said, (...) (20 years ago, 13-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Size
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(...) Usually we aim for around 30 balls per crate. That gives enough leeway that if a robot is out of commission for a few minutes (changing batteries, say) that a 'filling' robot still can run without being stopped. More than around 60 balls and (...) (20 years ago, 13-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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David, Thanks for the input. I think the goal for the Great Ball Contraption will be different from your Crate Contraption for a couple reasons. For example, I don't expect this to run constantly. I'm hoping we'll be able to make it work for (...) (20 years ago, 15-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Size
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(...) If I haven't said this already, let me first express how impressed and fascinated I am with your Contraptions. Three questions about the SMART crate. 1. The one at (URL) is 7 1/3 bricks high. The ones at the Road Show ((URL) appear to be 7 (...) (20 years ago, 19-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Size
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(...) Thanks! It has been extremely fun and rewarding to build these. They certainly attract a lot of attention from crowds. (...) The current crate that we use is this one: (URL) The other one that you see was an old prototype when we first started (...) (20 years ago, 19-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Size
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(...) Similar to this piece? (URL) Good luck! Thanks! (20 years ago, 20-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Size
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(...) up on it. Two things I can see at this time, though, are that it only has one technic hole. It'd be much more useful with two or three that you could connect to. And second that it's not quite as thick as a rounded beam on the 'lifting' part. (...) (20 years ago, 20-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Contraption Standard
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A friend passed this thread onto me and thought you might be interested in some work I've done with marbles: A marble pump (Pump folder) A marble machine i.e. continuous pump with falling devices A marble factory (supertrain2004 folder) (URL) be (...) (20 years ago, 21-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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| | Re: Crate Size
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(...) Why 2x2 square bricks for feet, instead of 2x2 round bricks? Having played (only as little!) with the crate on a self-aligning stand (2x2 slopes to help center the feet), the slopes don't seem to need the square edges of the 2x2 feet, and a (...) (20 years ago, 22-Oct-04, to lugnet.org.us.smart)
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