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Yeah, serious business huh! I will investigate the Pitsco source, but I have a feeling that it may be limited too. I think TLC are quietly pulling the plug on their whole 9v system. You can't buy 9v train connectors anymore, you now can't buy these (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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John Barnes wrote: > I think it would be foolish to try and ignore the writing on the wall. I > hope they continue to find a way to support all the educational > organizations from schools to colleges to universities who bought into the > whole (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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----- Original Message ----- From: "John Barnes" <barnes@sensors.com> To: <lego-robotics@crynwr.com> Sent: Monday, September 02, 2002 9:23 AM Subject: Re: Service pack 5111 - Wires - no longer available (...) What will they replace it with? 12V? Any (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) ... (...) I fear the implication is that they're not going to replace it; that Spybotics and its ilk are the Mindstormiest things we'll be seeing. I fear it is over. (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) Well, if Spybotics is the true harbinger of doom, the future is to put the computer, the motors, the batteries and all of the sensors into one indivisible lump of plastic. At this point wires are unnecessary and the end user no longer cares (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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I refuse to believe that LEGO would endorse the FIRST LEGO League and the 20,000+ teams that will be registered and competing across the US while discontinuing the Mindstorms line. There is an FLL invitational exhibition at the World Space Congress (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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John, I'll have a peek at the Specturm educational warehouse and see what they have in stock. I'll keep you posted. (...) I agree that it looks like 9V is undergoing some changes. The Spybots run on 4.5V and seem to be pretty strong. I agree that (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) Non-robotic type speaking here: It seems to me that some enterprising individual with, say, access to a CNC machine, a pantograph, an injection molding machine and some spare wire could really fill a niche here. Might make some money at it as (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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I'll care what the voltage is, becuase I have to buy batteries for it/use a wall wart. Higher voltage == more batteries/more expensive batteries, and also more space. So, it seems to me (since the RCX/siblings are already fairly large on a Lego (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) But the total *energy* stored per battery doesn't change - so if there are more batteries then the time between battery changes will be larger. To at least a first approximation, you'll use the same number of batteries no matter which voltage (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) at (...) matter (...) Huh? Say I only use AA batteries (1.5V) How will I use the same number of batteries for a 4.5V, a 9V, and a 12V system? You need more batteries to get the higher voltage (or a step-up transformer to raise the voltage, but (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) I don't mean that you'll plug the same number into the battery box - I mean that over a year of use, the TOTAL number of batteries that you'll consume will be about the same. (...) Yes - but in this hypothetical nightmarish world, there would (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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| | Re: Service pack 5111 - Wires - no longer available
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----- Original Message ----- From: "Steve Baker" <sjbaker1@airmail.net> To: "Andy Gombos" <gombos_2000@earthlink.net> Cc: <lego-robotics@crynwr.com> Sent: Monday, September 02, 2002 2:40 PM Subject: Re: Service pack 5111 - Wires - no longer (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) Well, I guess - but the Spybotics firmware wouldn't know how to drive the extra motor - unless it replaced one of the built-in motors which would then be 'dead weight'. I think you'd have to be pretty desperate to want to do that...especially (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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Unfortunately, we're on dangerous ground here - TLC hold a patent on the 4 stud connector design :( Otherwise, I might be tempted .... JB (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) What about a 2 x 1 connector? It would offer a solution to some other specific problems, PLUS it would be possible to use in all ordinary situations. Just a thought... Pedro (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) I think that Technic parts constitute a very comprehensive "mechanical prototyping" system. You can go through 100 alternate robot structural designs in the time it'd take you to try one in a machine shop! I have already investigated a number (...) (22 years ago, 2-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) Plus there's a bunch of electronics components for 5V, which is hard to get from 4.5V, but easy from 9V. Jürgen (22 years ago, 3-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) IMHO this isn't valid anymore. There are cheap and effective components (e.g. from maxim) to supply any 3.3V or 5V device from any kind of battery, even from single 1.2 volt cells. And these devices are extremely effective and don't waste much (...) (22 years ago, 3-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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(...) There are 7 outputs used to drive the Spybot LEDs. These are each individually programmable with the existing firmware. These outputs could easily be hacked to control additional motors using an external 9V battery box and some simple (...) (22 years ago, 3-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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| | Re: Service pack 5111 - Wires - no longer available
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(...) Utility patent filed Feb 9, 1984. Filed in Switzerland Feb. 14, 1983. You do the math. US4552541: Toy building block with electrical contacting portions. Of course, that's just the patent. I'm sure there are a couple other ones too. (22 years ago, 3-Sep-02, to lugnet.robotics)
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