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Subject: 
Re: Crate Contraption Standard
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.org.us.smart
Date: 
Fri, 8 Oct 2004 22:02:31 GMT
Viewed: 
3888 times
  
In lugnet.org.us.smart, John Barnes wrote:
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 idea was
that the interface be gravity driven. There would be  gradient across the module
boundaries so balls could flow from module to module.


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 balls to the input crate in the next module, using any means (as you
suggested)

The "input crate" could be a funnel that leads balls to a conveyor belt, that
lifts balls up, and drops them into the next module's input crate.

It sounds like that's pretty close to what you're suggesting.



What modules do with the balls is up to them. If we use two sizes or colors,
then modules can hord, sort, divert etc etc.



The LEGO soccer/basket balls seem to work well, from what I've seen...


If you think the crate scheme is more appropriate, I will cease and desist. I am
concerned that the crate thing may be too complex for all but a few. I woild
like to attract less complex modules if I can.


My general thought is to have more than one type of interface.  The simplest
(Type 1) would just have modules passing balls.  A more advanced standard (Type
2?) would allow modules to exchange crates.

Steve



Message has 1 Reply:
  Re: Crate Contraption Standard
 
(...) 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)

Message is in Reply To:
  Re: Crate Contraption Standard
 
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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