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Subject: 
Re: Pneumatics book?
Newsgroups: 
lugnet.technic, lugnet.books
Date: 
Fri, 9 Apr 2004 18:03:05 GMT
Viewed: 
18887 times
  
In lugnet.technic, Mark Bellis wrote:
> In lugnet.technic, Kevin L. Clague wrote:
> > <snip>
> > 
> > > I'd like to write a book on Lego pneumatics - I have a few ideas already sorted
> > > into chapters, such as basics, building blocks and example systems.
> > > 
> > > Mark Bellis
> > 
> > Hi Mark,
> >   I've thought about this in the past, and ruled it out because it is such a
> > specialty.  Do you think there is a big enough market to justify a book on this
> > topic?
> > 
> > Kevin
> Well, there are books about Lego Mindstorms and now a book about Lego trains,
> both by AFOLs, so I don't see why not.  Chapters may look like this:
> 
> 1. Basics. Components and simple system.
> 2. Larger basic systems, up to Backhoe Loader complexity.
> 3. Building blocks.  The concept of cylinders driving switches.  Flip-Flop,
> OR/NOR/AND/NAND gate, XOR/XNOR gate.
> 4. using the building blocks.  steam engine.  parity checker.  self-centring
> pneumatic steering (for JCBs etc...)
> 5. Pick and place robot (9 switches, 8 cylinders), including extended flip-flop,
> XOR gate and enabling logic for 4 functions with 10-step cycle.
> 6. Octopus arm that does four functions then reverses them.  4 switches on arm
> and 24 switches on 32x32 logic board!
> 7. Modular 6-legged robot.  Each leg moves individually forwards then all 6 move
> back together.  Logic has 6 identical modules and 1 reverser module.  Total 44
> switches.

> 
> In a book we could only put in example systems, with the aim of getting users to
> experiment.  However, the investment in tens of Backhoe Loaders would be
> prohibitive (except on 3 for 2 at Toys R Us in the UK!)
> 
> The ideas book 8889 had a number of pneumatic models in it, as well as a car
> assembly line that very few people would have had enough parts to build, so it's
> allowed!
> 
> I think one place where people say Jake's train book has fallen down is that the
> instructions for models require specific parts that are hard to obtain in the
> colour used in the book.  With pneumatic parts, the beams etc... can be any
> colour, and the cost is no more prohibitive than for the ideas I'd put in a
> trains book of my own!  The only specialist parts are all in one set, other than
> a £20 car tyre air compressor when you get into repeated cycles of movement!
> 
> I think it would be good for us to write books from our areas of expertise, as a
> permanent reference for AFOLs and enthusiastic teenagers alike.  Perhaps it is
> best to collaborate, though the list of complex models in the back would be
> huge!  If I did go ahead with a book in the next few years, I'd probably let you
> write a chapter on Walkers, since you do a lot of those.

Mark,
  I think the subject of pneumatic sequencing is strong enough to stand by
itself as a chapter.

  Feel free to read my writeup on the subject

http://www.kclague.net/Sequencer/index.htm

> 
> Mark



Message is in Reply To:
  Pneumatics book?
 
(...) Well, there are books about Lego Mindstorms and now a book about Lego trains, both by AFOLs, so I don't see why not. Chapters may look like this: 1. Basics. Components and simple system. 2. Larger basic systems, up to Backhoe Loader (...) (22 years ago, 8-Apr-04, to lugnet.technic, lugnet.books)

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