Subject:
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Fwd: Re: AFOL/Mindstorms stagnation (Was Re: FLL not allowing NQC)
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Sun, 13 Mar 2005 21:09:55 GMT
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Original-From:
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Dan Sydow <dan_sydow@yahoo.comANTISPAM>
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Viewed:
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1176 times
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Sorry if this turns out to be redundant for some of
you, but I've had pretty good success augmenting my
RIS sets with parts from the Lego Education Store
(Lego's partner is Pitsco in the US...not sure about
elsewhere).
http://www.legoeducationstore.com/catalog.cfm?dest=dir&linkon=section&linkid=77
You won't find everything in bulk you'll ever want,
and items are often out of stock (I've been waiting
two months for some micro motors) but eventually
everything I've ordered has arrived.
Bulk pneumatic tubing would be great...it wouldn't
surprise me to learn you could get something
equivalent from a non-Lego source for a good price.
Regards,
Philip Sydow
--- Mr S <szinn_the1@yahoo.com> wrote:
> Date: Sun, 13 Mar 2005 11:15:44 -0800 (PST)
> From: Mr S <szinn_the1@yahoo.com>
> Subject: Re: AFOL/Mindstorms stagnation (Was Re: FLL
> not allowing NQC)
> To: lego-robotics@crynwr.com
>
>
> --- Mark Bellis <mark.bellis@tiscali.co.uk> wrote:
> > To improve the power to weight ratio you could make
> > a power interface and use RC motors, but unless
> > someone makes the interface to sell it's a bit
> > prohibitive.
>
> This is exactly what I'm doing for my robot.
> Mindsensors.com has an interface that will control
> two
> R/C servo motors using an IR interface. I'm building
> one that will use a modified 9v battery box
> (includes
> voltage regulator) and IR interface to control upto
> eight servo motors. The electrical interface is much
> easier than the mechanical one. I'm studying
> plastics
> that I can mold at home to work on that 'issue'. I
> promise to publish when its working :)
>
> > Mmmm yes! I'd buy 100 pneumatic switches at $2 each
> > if they were available. I wish flex tubing could be
> > available in 100m reels too.
>
> There is the first item for the piece parts product
> list: pneumatic parts. I can see that those who like
> the pnuematics would easily make a piece parts
> product
> line work for pneumatics.
>
> > True - to make bulk technic parts worthwhile they'd
> > have to put lots in a bag, but then people would
> > only buy a few bags, which would fail to meet the
> > volume sale requirement. Five pneumatic switches in
> > a bag for $10 might work though - I could buy 20
> > bags and others might buy only one.
>
> That's my thought. With some market study, it would
> be
> possible to make 'grab bags' of parts for particular
> functions. I'm sure that there could easily be upto
> five add-on kits for robotics that LEGO could sell
> to
> those who already have a RIS kit.
>
> Suggested parts for add-ons:
> 1 - A chain link
> 2 - gear kit and/or differential kit
> 3 - Worm gear kit
> 4 - battery box / wires kit
> 5 - beams kit (lots of 16 hole)
> 6 - pnuematics kit (probably several of them)
> 7 - several varieties of various parts not available
> in the RIS kit
> 8 - Sensor kits in several varieties
> 9 - physical case parts for standard servos?
> 10 -Turntable kit
>
> The list can go on, and these are just parts that I
> know will work for AFOL robot builders.
>
> My thought is that you would have to order a minimum
> dollar value, say $25 USD to get any of the kits.
> This
> ensures revenue for the added task of making these
> kits. Mail/www order direct from factory
> distribution
> center so there is no cost associated with
> distribution or sales per se'. Just the straight
> cost
> of boxing them up. LEGO already uses pre-made kits
> that are then put into various box kits. So making
> these is part of their manufacturing process. Note
> how
> the RIS parts come in separate bags? A motor kit has
> 2
> or 3 bags of parts that ship together? It is only
> the
> boxing of the kits for shipment that adds cost.
>
> Anyway, I hope they are listening. I wouldn't even
> mind a 14 day wait for parts ordered online, and
> that
> would give them time to make the parts, that is to
> say
> that they would not need to be stocked up anywhere,
> so
> there is no loss in revenue for those associated
> overheads.
>
> S
>
>
>
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