The Art of LEGO Design.ppt

The Art of LEGO Design Alex Styler, Alex May, and Jason Geist Original version by Michael Rosenblatt January 30, 2008 Sources The Art of LEGO Design, by Fred G. Martin LEGO kit instructions Internet US! And other TA’s, of course. Goals: Build better robots Minimize mechanical breakdowns Build robots that are easy to control Encourage good design strategy Strive for elegant, clever solutions Know your Materials Quick facts: Plastic bricks since 1949 (wooden blocks prior) On average, 2100 different parts each year Manufacturing tolerance: 1/1000 of an inch Number of ways of combining six 8-stud bricks: 102,981,500 Widely used by scientists and engineers as a rapid prototyping tool Geometry 1-stud brick dimensions: exactly 5/16” x 5/16” x 3/8” (excluding stud height 1/16”), This is the base geometry for all LEGO components Structure Common pitfall when trying to increase mechanical robustness: Structure The right way: Structure The right way: Connector pegs Black pegs are tight-fitting for locking bricks together. Grey pegs turn smoothly in bricks for making a pivot Structure LEGO bricks are finicky: They HATE duct tape. They HATE hot glue. They HATE super glue. They HATE epoxy. You should never need adhesives to build reliable LEGO structures Drivetrain LEGO Gears Worm Gears Pull one tooth per revolution Motors 9V Gear Motor ~ 150 mA 300 RPM (no load) Motors 9V Micro Motor 20-30 RPM Internal two stage orbital gearbox (wow!) Mounting Motors Mounting Motors Add a gear: Mounting Motors Use special 2x1 stud plate with “wing” Build for good control Slow vs. fast? Gear backlash Stability Skidding Wires Take pride in your wires!!! Wire management: use zip ties!! Design Strategy Incremental Test components parts as you build them Drivetrain Sensors, sensor mounting Structure Don’t be afraid to redesign KISS Design Strategies Drivetrain driven Chassis/structure driven Modular! Testing Don’t wait until you have a final robot to test, youll find problems tha