Lego / Duplo – Ben's Blog

Protected: Candy Train

ben — Sun, 11 May 2025 03:00:42 +0000

Protected: The Spanish Armada is Back for More

ben — Fri, 12 Jul 2024 02:30:24 +0000

Protected: Mindstorm Gondola Plotter

ben — Thu, 07 Sep 2023 02:36:54 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #07 bis – Slippers

ben — Sat, 17 Jun 2023 20:30:11 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #53 – Supply Train

ben — Mon, 05 Jun 2023 02:18:41 +0000

Mindstorms Plotter

ben — Mon, 10 Apr 2023 01:40:02 +0000

Robin built a very cool Lego Mindstorms based plotter. I’ve seen him run into issues similar to what I ran into, and solve them. I’ll sometimes attach a monetary prize to some of his Mindstorms projects. Once he’s scratched the itch and wants to move on, but I know a lot of challenges occur not just making a robot work, but making it work well.

For a while there was $5 on making a drawing machine that drew something beyond a basic shape, it didn’t have to be much, just had to be something that proved the machine’s worth. And he’s earned it with this:

He didn’t write the software that turns text into lines, but there were plenty of mechanical challenges to getting the machine consistent enough to make this. Overall I’m blown away by the quality of today’s Mindstorms. Seeing him build his machine reminded me I had this set growing up:

Might have planted some seeds.

In the meantime I’m testing a 10′ deployment, a drawing machine so big one needs a ladder to get to the top. I haven’t ran it yet, but I know there will be new issues arising from the scale. Even just setting the paper is challenging.

Protected: 3050 2×2 bricks

ben — Tue, 21 Dec 2021 01:42:35 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #52 – Bedside Storage

ben — Mon, 09 Aug 2021 01:45:04 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #51 – Transcontinental Railroad

ben — Mon, 05 Jul 2021 02:43:29 +0000

Protected: When it Clicks

ben — Sat, 19 Sep 2020 05:38:30 +0000

Cool Duplo Project #50 – Confinement Focus Measures

ben — Sat, 11 Apr 2020 03:21:22 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #49 – School Bus Stop Robot Buddy

ben — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 01:59:19 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #48 – A House

ben — Tue, 13 Nov 2018 01:50:49 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #47 – Baby Gym

ben — Fri, 12 Jan 2018 01:59:54 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #46 – Marble Chute

ben — Sun, 06 Aug 2017 02:40:26 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #45 – Boat Trials at Sea

ben — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 00:51:34 +0000

Cool Duplo Project #44 – Face

ben — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 03:33:00 +0000

Behind the mask

I expect more experimentation with faces to follow.

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #43 – Wind experiments

ben — Sat, 08 Jul 2017 04:46:12 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #42 – Shadow Puppet Theatre

ben — Mon, 03 Jul 2017 12:44:58 +0000

Cool Duplo Project #41 – Close up of the Spanish Armada in rough sea

ben — Sun, 28 May 2017 01:48:59 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #41 – Trampoline experiments

ben — Mon, 22 May 2017 01:57:42 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #40 – Godzilla

ben — Wed, 10 May 2017 01:10:34 +0000

Protected: Cool Duplo Project #39 – Chess Set

ben — Wed, 21 Dec 2016 02:23:59 +0000