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Hacking with LEGO Bricks
NOT for the LEGO Purist!Graphic images involved!
Turn back now!( LEGO is a trademark of the LEGO companies)
( I am NOT affiliated with the LEGO companies )
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Confessing my sins (and tips)
I have used…
• Cyanoacrylate (“Super-glue”)
• Hot Glue
• Xacto Micro-saw
• Dremel moto-tool
• SOLDER!
• Use Non-LEGO elements!!
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Graphic Image Desktop
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Got non-LEGO scrap parts?
• A use for non-LEGO bricks and plates!• Hold your precious LEGO while you cut,
saw, glue and solder them!• You don’t want to
waste your LEGO• You don’t care if
you damage thenon-LEGO bits!
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Start simple, and practice
• Cutting my first green 2x2 tiles into a pair of 1x2 tiles for a roof project was tough, but I learned from it;
• Practice on non-LEGO parts first!
• Use non-LEGO parts as a saw guide
• Hide the “cut side” under other parts
• Use a micro-saw to minimize loss/gaps
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Making Adapter Tracks
• Have you ever needed a 1/2 straight?
• When you are nesting loops oftrack, that 5-inchstraight track isa big shift, when you need 8 studs
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Two straights, two adapters
• Sacrifice two regular straight tracks, and you get a 1/2-track and a 1-1/2 track– Cut the tracks at the 1/4 to 3/4 point– This puts the junction on a 2x8 “tie”– The split tie is how you align the parts
• You can do this with curves and switch track as well, but you need to be careful
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Align your track parts!
• There will be a gap from the saw to fill
• Use non-LEGO to align the parts
• Now solder the railhead parts
• Short, quicksoldering!
• Copper foil?
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Add some Copper Foil Tape
• Cut and lift the railhead
• Align the track
• Carefully add foil
• Anchor the railhead
• Hot-glue rail in place
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Stiffen your track joints
• LEGO braces thejoints of their track
• You should also brace your joints!
• AFTER soldering.
• If you don’t, your joints may bend underpressure while assembling them…
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Smooth out the solder joint
• Trains and cars bumping over a bad joint will derail a train and stop your fun
• You can either sand it, or cut it flat!
• Inside thegauge, andtop of rail,get the work
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Was it worth it?
• I have these parts on my shelf railroad
• I think my club benefited from this effort on some of our public displays.
For me, it was.
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Track Power Extensions
• You cannot get sufficient power across a long distance using the normal LEGO-supplied power extension cables.– Wire gauge is too small for long haul…– Adding train motors adds more load…– Adding more cars, (or causing a motor to
“stall”) adds more load.
• LEGO designed this for safety!
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Why I made my decisions
• PNLTC Guinness 2000 layout
• Hard to get LEGO 1-meter power cords– They didn’t perform well daisy-chained
• The Far End of our layout was 30’ off!– Trains slowed as they got to the far end– Trains sped up as they came back…
• We wanted consistent train speed
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Debugging a big display…
• Hot days/rooms will aggravate the thermal safety devices in Track Power Controllers and in Train Motors!
• Thin wires loose more power over a given distance than larger wires.– This holds true for the railhead! You lose
more power as you go farther from the power feed points! You need more power!
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To splice, or not to splice?
• Splicing thicker wire is less work, but is also less efficient.– But, how much power do you need?
• Soldering to the rail is easy enough• Soldering to the 2x2 power brick will require
some grinding as well!– But it will be WORTH THE EFFORT!
• Try 18-gauge wire. Maybe speaker wire?
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Opening the 2x2 Power Brick
• Use two fine, flat screwdrivers– Two tabs near the cord– Two more on the other end
• Approach from the bottom
• Be very slow and gentle…
• You should wind up with twopieces in the end… --->
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Preparing the power brick
• I use a small router bit in myDremel tool,to widen the trough that supports the wire.– Be careful to preserve the tabs– You can dig down a bit…
• Finally, carefully solder in between the studs like this– Polarity is going to matter…
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Soldering to the Railhead
• Pick an area near a wire pass-through gap on the bottom edge of the track
• Prepare your wire (cut and strip it)– Only one wire goes under the track…
• Rough the area on the “outside”edge– Scratch with a scribe, or light steel wool
• “Tin” the spot first, before you add wires– Only heat the outside edge, not the top
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Railhead Clues
• Find the wire pass-through– Wires solder to the “outside
edge”, below the top of the railhead so trains won’t derail
– A dab of hot glue holds the wire
• Only one wire needs to crossfor a track power connection
• (Only the white wire here…)
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What else can I hack?
• Why tie up TrackPower Controllers topower many models?
• Make an adjustable-voltage power brick!– Add a 2x2 power brick
(now you’ve done it!)– Stack a few models
on this same power
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What about Mindstorms Stuff?
• I’ve only hacked with the RCX bricks.– I’ve seen some interesting sensors.– I wanted to trigger train automation.
• I tried optical sensors, but they are bulky,take up space
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Hide-A-Train Idea
• I originally heard this at the set-up session for a Vancouver LTC display
• Mix a Hogwarts train with freight train
• Paced to leave the platform after the freight, and follow around the loop
• Diverted to a hidden siding, to wait a random number of freight-loops & return
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What would you need?
• Automated switch points (2)– Only divert from the main line to the siding!– Switches allow re-entry from the siding!
• Isolated track power • Gradual power to start the train• Some type of sensors to say it is safe• Sensors to say Hogwarts is parked• A random-loop counter (Mindstorms)
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Magnetic Reed Switches
• Two contacts enter the reed from opposite sides, meeting in the middle.
• The reed works when opposites attract.– One contact must be North, one South
• Where are the poles on your magnets?– Test your idea with a reed switch!– Which axis works the best?
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Testing the magnet axis issue
• When trains are coupledthe reed switch shouldbe in-line with the track
• But, the first and last couplers usually pivot 90 degrees!(The reed cannot sense them!)
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What is the best way?
• I built a fixture to try all three axis’– Adjustable
positioning– Lights if
the switchis tripped
• Here’s the best axisto sense train couplers
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Building a Reed Switch sensor
• All it takes to build a basic switch– LEGO 2x2 brick
power connector(cut a cable?)
– a pair of wires– small reed switch
(no polarity)– A housing to keep
the reed safe
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Solder the reed switch
• Don’t clip the leads of theswitch until you are done
• Keep the cable leadsshort, and solder themclose to the reed body
• Test the switch with a meter, or an RCX– If it works, THEN you can clip the leads
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Build a safe enclosure
• The switch will fit inbetween the studs
• You need to trim 2studs for the wires!
• I use a thin router bit in the Dremel, but I’ve also used an Xacto hobby knife too.– Test-fit the switch before you proceed!
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Make the tiles to cover it…
– Left: remove one edge of the tile, and part of the inside surface
– Right: remove one edge, the center stud, part of the inside surface, and notch other edge
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Uses for the Reed Switches
• Robot cows ->
• Level crossing
• Train pacing(block control)
• Use a few in parallel, if it works
• Use a resistor plate to save inputs
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Test-fit the tile covers
• First try the tile that protects the cable and the reed.– Make adjustments as may be needed
• Check the fit of the second tile– The reed it just a little taller than the space
under the tiles, so you may need to grind the inside-edge of the tiles for a good fit
– Seal with hot glue, or CA
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Track Power Isolation
• Useful for “Block Control” of tracks
• Controlled by handor by Mindstorms!– Original train pacing
project developed by Tony Pratkanis, using all-LEGO part for a BayLUG public display
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How Block Isolation works
• Start with a normal loop of track,powered by a speed controller.– Now, electrically isolate one section
of track from the loop (the red track)– When the train motor gets here, it
stops because there is no power.– Add a switch, so you can apply the
loop power when you want it to go…
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Step 1: Miniaturization!
• I replaced the LEGO switchand track power connectorswith a pair of Reed Relays
• I would drive them with anRCX, or a 9-volt battery box– The reed relay is a reed switch
with a wire coil wrapped aroundthe reed switch.
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I built it onto a straight track
• I used the micro-saw to make a gap
• Hot glue to tack down the railhead
• Set the relays backfrom the track, andkept the profile low,below the trains…
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Step 2: Make it simple!
• Short structure
• Self contained– To isolate the
block, just addpower.
• Fail-Safe– No power?
No isolation!
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Step 3: Make it reliable!
• I soldered to the outside ofthe railhead (away from theflanges of the rail wheels)
• I made sure the railhead was smooth and flat, so trains would not derail
• I used a reed switch sensor to detect the passing trains instead of optical…
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Why is there only one cut?
• I made one block power switch track.(The isolated section is to the right)
• The other track simply has a micro-gap
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But how big is a Block?
• The white building hides the RCX
• The red tiles indicate the block limits
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Track Cleaning Tools
• Even a Kleenex is a light abrasive…
• You will eventually wear off the metalon the railhead if you clean your track
• But track should be cleaned once in a while to preserve it’s service lifetime!
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L-Gauge Track Cleaning Cars
• Centerline was first, Aztec was second.
• Aztec bought Centerline, retired both!
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RCX Level Crossing Program
• Basic flow iswaiting for apassing trainto get near the crossing– Start lights– Lower gate– Wait for train
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• Two of theprocess flows arepretty busy,moving thegates!
• Two othersdo nothing!
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Thank you for attending!
• I’ve very glad that you came to BbtB
• Thanks for attending my talk
• You can reach me at ;