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Jan. 15th, 2008 12:04 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
carlfoxmarten*a package appears on the doorstep of the fox/marten*
*the fox/marten peeks outside, sees the package and snatches it up, dashing back inside*
*after a few minutes, he crashes out of the front door*
"AH HA HA HA HA! Mortals! Fear the awesomeness of my creation!"
*a tiny, fragile Lego robot drives out the front door and attempts to drive down the stairs, but ends up crash-landing in a pile of small pieces at the bottom of the steps*
"Darn, I guess I should have checked the manual on this thing first..."
Well, since that didn't seem to work, I should say that I've enjoyed playing with Lego for many years now, and had got my first Lego Mindstorms kit a couple years ago from a secondhand toy fair.
I was so excited!
I could finally build and program my own Lego robots!
But the problem was that it only came with one working motor, the other had came completely seized up and wouldn't even turn by hand, let alone on command from the RCX unit (the Lego robot's brain).
However, on my last birthday my parents gave me a "gift certificate" for $50 from Lego to use as I wished.
So I carefully browsed their website trying to find a match for the motor that came with the Robotics Invention System I had, but what with it being several years old, I didn't find it on their website.
Fortunately, they still make some of them (or at least have some in stock), as I found out after not one, but two calls to Lego's Canadian phone number.
It's a darker grey, but I don't care about the colour, it'll be compatible with what I have already.
Now I can finally build a mobile robot that can actually steer without having to do that nasty turn-in-reverse thing that I had to do previously.
Once my order comes in, I'll finally be able to build robots like they describe in the books I have!
Later, once I've played around with the system I have enough, I'll probably go out and buy their new update to the system, the Lego Mindstorms NXT.
Boy, what I could do with that!
(it can use many Bluetooth-compatible devices, including cellphone cameras!)
*the fox/marten peeks outside, sees the package and snatches it up, dashing back inside*
*after a few minutes, he crashes out of the front door*
"AH HA HA HA HA! Mortals! Fear the awesomeness of my creation!"
*a tiny, fragile Lego robot drives out the front door and attempts to drive down the stairs, but ends up crash-landing in a pile of small pieces at the bottom of the steps*
"Darn, I guess I should have checked the manual on this thing first..."
Well, since that didn't seem to work, I should say that I've enjoyed playing with Lego for many years now, and had got my first Lego Mindstorms kit a couple years ago from a secondhand toy fair.
I was so excited!
I could finally build and program my own Lego robots!
But the problem was that it only came with one working motor, the other had came completely seized up and wouldn't even turn by hand, let alone on command from the RCX unit (the Lego robot's brain).
However, on my last birthday my parents gave me a "gift certificate" for $50 from Lego to use as I wished.
So I carefully browsed their website trying to find a match for the motor that came with the Robotics Invention System I had, but what with it being several years old, I didn't find it on their website.
Fortunately, they still make some of them (or at least have some in stock), as I found out after not one, but two calls to Lego's Canadian phone number.
It's a darker grey, but I don't care about the colour, it'll be compatible with what I have already.
Now I can finally build a mobile robot that can actually steer without having to do that nasty turn-in-reverse thing that I had to do previously.
Once my order comes in, I'll finally be able to build robots like they describe in the books I have!
Later, once I've played around with the system I have enough, I'll probably go out and buy their new update to the system, the Lego Mindstorms NXT.
Boy, what I could do with that!
(it can use many Bluetooth-compatible devices, including cellphone cameras!)
