This is fascinating. Technology was so over priced back in the day. The amount Lego charged for the education/dacta stuff was crazy. Loved seeing your “simple” process to integrate all these different technologies
Thanks! Yeah anything to do with education or medical is going to be insanely overpriced, kind of sad when you think about it. I've gotten comments from teachers or students in other countries that are using the RCX and NXT era stuff nowadays since they can't afford the newer stuff. That's a good motivator for me to continue making tutorials and repair videos for that old stuff. Glad they were high quality (for the most part) and can continue to be used today
Thanks! I've wanted to build something like this for quite some time. Glad I stocked up on monorail parts years ago, they are crazy expensive nowadays!
"I'm a Lego purist, but when it's something Lego hasn't made for a very long time, I'll give it a pass" Uhm, what about the frickin' old and expensive Monorail system?? :D I totally get it, don't get me wrong, haha! I didn't know the servo motors were that expensive already and that the 3rd party ones are that cheap! But man, what a project to get the whole thing going. Great explanation of how the whole thing works, well done!!!
I may be using the term "purist" in the wrong way 😅. My goal is to only use solutions which are possible with Lego products, old and new. An example being powering the PF IR receivers from the 9v train regulator, Instead of using the official converter cable and an empty battery box to make the necessary electrical connections, I made my own cables. Yes third party PF servos have opened up a ton of possibilities for me, still finding new uses for them all the time! Thank you so much for the kind words, I still go back often and watch your Automated Coal Terminal video and dream about what I may one day build from that inspiration 🙂
@@BatteryPoweredBricks same im getting more and more 3rd party electronics as thats the thing thats super expensive also maybe get 3rd party radio controllers which are basically lego PF ir recievers and controllers but radio controlled.
The monorail system was so cool, glad I picked up a fair bit back in the day. Still I could always use more pieces 😅 but the prices are crazy nowadays 😬
Well, lubricating plastic parts is always problematic, as most of the fluids leave a film, which will collect dust over time; besides it is also not known how it will damage plastic parts on a longer term. In case of slowly moving (sliding) surfaces I usually use a thin layer of graphite. If you can dismantle the switches, you can try to apply graphite too. It's quite simple: it is enough to take a soft pencil (3-6B), and shade the invisible contacting surfaces :)
I would have loved to be able to disassemble and clean them. I'm not aware of anyone who has but I imagine it takes a good bit of cutting and then gluing them back together. Not something I really want to do. Graphite is a great lubricant!
The "customish" RJ12 connectors are just a standard RJ12 MMJ which you can get connectors and crimping tools for. So in theory you could get some flat 6-core telephone cable, the connectors and a crimping tool to make longer cables (being very careful you have the correct pinout at each end). I don't think the extra length would be an issue but I've also never tried this. Just thought it might help.
With standard connectors there won't be a clip to hold the cable in. I did order some connectors with offset clips but need to modify a crimping tool in order to use them. I haven't had the need to as of late but the option is there
Thanks! I loved your combination of GBC and the Dacta Control Lab Interface 😁. Always glad to see them put to good use rather than gathering dust somewhere
Thanks! It was a ton of fun. I used a similar concept in my "Take a ride through a ridiculous Lego train layout" video to fully automate a monorail layout with an NXT. It always been so much fun to me to combine old and new Lego electronics. I'm grateful to all the Lego fans out there for sharing the concepts and ideas I combined to create something so over the top 😅
Thanks! That video was SO much work 😂. It didn't do very well when I first uploaded it but has continued to get views (a decent portion from search) over time. Glad all that work wasn't in vain 😅
Another great and helpful video. Glad I found you 🤣 subscribed. Do you happen to be an engineer/programmer? Thanks, now I have a lot of catching up to do.
I've had an interest in electronics and computers my entire life. Never had any real training, I was homeschooled which gave me plenty of skills learning things on my own. Programming knowledge is actually something I'm lacking in, I learn enough to get by with each project but I'm much more comfortable with hardware 😅
@@BatteryPoweredBricks very nice. I was an electrical engineer and did a lot of programming years ago. It’s something I still enjoy and automating my trains is a good way to enjoy both.
They are, and I have bought 6p6c cables and snipped of the latches before. Even then it wouldn't have helped much with this project since I needed 10 sensor ports (unless I can ever find a touch sensor multiplexer), the 8 touch sensors and the two IR Link sensors. Also it would have been a LOT of wire to run. Plus it would have been a lot of work for a temporary layout. When I did the big POV train layout recently I used couplers to combine multiple cables for the lengths I needed. "Eventually" I'll get around to making an assortment of longer cables for projects such as these
I bought them years ago on eBay and some on Bricklink, It was slightly cheaper back then. I bought lots of Mindstorms PBricks, motors and sensors and sold the stuff in good condition to help feed my addiction to Lego 😅. If you keep an eye out at all times, and use followed searches you can find good deals over time
I've hesitated to post a link so people don't hold me accountable for someone else's listing (not to mention variance in quality with the 3d print). The seller is currently out of stock but if you search eBay "lego monorail straight 3d printed" and click the check box for "sold listings" it will come up. I didn't mention in the video but they don't connect directly to the monorail stanchions
It's fairly widely available. Archive dot org has disks for various versions of windows. I believe there are virtual machines that are ready to go for download in some places. Eventually I'd like to have a 98 VM with all of the DACTA / Mindstorms software pre-installed but haven't had time to work on it yet. I was going to use XP but even after it being abandoned for many years Microsoft is still not happy with people sharing it 🙄
This is fascinating. Technology was so over priced back in the day. The amount Lego charged for the education/dacta stuff was crazy. Loved seeing your “simple” process to integrate all these different technologies
Thanks! Yeah anything to do with education or medical is going to be insanely overpriced, kind of sad when you think about it. I've gotten comments from teachers or students in other countries that are using the RCX and NXT era stuff nowadays since they can't afford the newer stuff. That's a good motivator for me to continue making tutorials and repair videos for that old stuff. Glad they were high quality (for the most part) and can continue to be used today
This is the most over the top use of Lego electronics ever! Bonus points for involving monorail!
Thanks! I've wanted to build something like this for quite some time. Glad I stocked up on monorail parts years ago, they are crazy expensive nowadays!
@@BatteryPoweredBricks Monorail tracks are almost as expensive as goats!
@@ubervocal8777 😂😂😂
"I'm a Lego purist, but when it's something Lego hasn't made for a very long time, I'll give it a pass"
Uhm, what about the frickin' old and expensive Monorail system?? :D I totally get it, don't get me wrong, haha! I didn't know the servo motors were that expensive already and that the 3rd party ones are that cheap!
But man, what a project to get the whole thing going. Great explanation of how the whole thing works, well done!!!
I may be using the term "purist" in the wrong way 😅. My goal is to only use solutions which are possible with Lego products, old and new. An example being powering the PF IR receivers from the 9v train regulator, Instead of using the official converter cable and an empty battery box to make the necessary electrical connections, I made my own cables.
Yes third party PF servos have opened up a ton of possibilities for me, still finding new uses for them all the time!
Thank you so much for the kind words, I still go back often and watch your Automated Coal Terminal video and dream about what I may one day build from that inspiration 🙂
@@BatteryPoweredBricks same im getting more and more 3rd party electronics as thats the thing thats super expensive also maybe get 3rd party radio controllers which are basically lego PF ir recievers and controllers but radio controlled.
advantages is the range, not affected by light levels and can go through walls
Not sure why I didn't see these comments, I haven't tried them yet but I was curious how they worked. May have to pick a couple up for science :)
@@BatteryPoweredBricks you should try! greengecko sells some mouldking sells hubs and motors along with a few others
Wow this is such a cool system! It was beloved visually for me but I love the functionality!
The monorail system was so cool, glad I picked up a fair bit back in the day. Still I could always use more pieces 😅 but the prices are crazy nowadays 😬
This is so cool! I love the use of all different forms of Lego electronics!
Mixing old and new Lego electronics is kind of my thing, it's a fun challenge 😀
Man man man. I have no idea what just happened but it sure was cool
I just call it fun 😅
Well, lubricating plastic parts is always problematic, as most of the fluids leave a film, which will collect dust over time; besides it is also not known how it will damage plastic parts on a longer term. In case of slowly moving (sliding) surfaces I usually use a thin layer of graphite. If you can dismantle the switches, you can try to apply graphite too. It's quite simple: it is enough to take a soft pencil (3-6B), and shade the invisible contacting surfaces :)
I would have loved to be able to disassemble and clean them. I'm not aware of anyone who has but I imagine it takes a good bit of cutting and then gluing them back together. Not something I really want to do. Graphite is a great lubricant!
The "customish" RJ12 connectors are just a standard RJ12 MMJ which you can get connectors and crimping tools for.
So in theory you could get some flat 6-core telephone cable, the connectors and a crimping tool to make longer cables (being very careful you have the correct pinout at each end).
I don't think the extra length would be an issue but I've also never tried this. Just thought it might help.
With standard connectors there won't be a clip to hold the cable in. I did order some connectors with offset clips but need to modify a crimping tool in order to use them. I haven't had the need to as of late but the option is there
Super awesome! Love the combination of modern and vintage LEGO electronics. 👏🏽
Thanks! I loved your combination of GBC and the Dacta Control Lab Interface 😁. Always glad to see them put to good use rather than gathering dust somewhere
Amazing collection and nice video!
Very interesting idea and perfect execution!
Thanks! It was a ton of fun. I used a similar concept in my "Take a ride through a ridiculous Lego train layout" video to fully automate a monorail layout with an NXT. It always been so much fun to me to combine old and new Lego electronics. I'm grateful to all the Lego fans out there for sharing the concepts and ideas I combined to create something so over the top 😅
@@BatteryPoweredBricks I have two or even three incomplete monorail sets - hopefully I'll create my own layout one day :)
So nice!! Great collection
0 dislikes this video is amazing!
Thanks! That video was SO much work 😂. It didn't do very well when I first uploaded it but has continued to get views (a decent portion from search) over time. Glad all that work wasn't in vain 😅
Another great and helpful video. Glad I found you 🤣 subscribed. Do you happen to be an engineer/programmer? Thanks, now I have a lot of catching up to do.
I've had an interest in electronics and computers my entire life. Never had any real training, I was homeschooled which gave me plenty of skills learning things on my own. Programming knowledge is actually something I'm lacking in, I learn enough to get by with each project but I'm much more comfortable with hardware 😅
@@BatteryPoweredBricks very nice. I was an electrical engineer and did a lot of programming years ago. It’s something I still enjoy and automating my trains is a good way to enjoy both.
Aren't the nxt wires the same as the 6 pin telephone cables but with a notch on the side instead of the middle?
They are, and I have bought 6p6c cables and snipped of the latches before. Even then it wouldn't have helped much with this project since I needed 10 sensor ports (unless I can ever find a touch sensor multiplexer), the 8 touch sensors and the two IR Link sensors. Also it would have been a LOT of wire to run. Plus it would have been a lot of work for a temporary layout. When I did the big POV train layout recently I used couplers to combine multiple cables for the lengths I needed. "Eventually" I'll get around to making an assortment of longer cables for projects such as these
How did you get these tracks and was it expensive?
I bought them years ago on eBay and some on Bricklink, It was slightly cheaper back then. I bought lots of Mindstorms PBricks, motors and sensors and sold the stuff in good condition to help feed my addiction to Lego 😅. If you keep an eye out at all times, and use followed searches you can find good deals over time
my friend drive his monorail train with pf remot control and ir function. forward and backwards and stop
Yep that's an option too!
can you share who you bought it from on ebay? i need more straight tracks too!
I've hesitated to post a link so people don't hold me accountable for someone else's listing (not to mention variance in quality with the 3d print). The seller is currently out of stock but if you search eBay "lego monorail straight 3d printed" and click the check box for "sold listings" it will come up. I didn't mention in the video but they don't connect directly to the monorail stanchions
Where did you get your windows 98 I have a few mondstorms and I can't use them
It's fairly widely available. Archive dot org has disks for various versions of windows. I believe there are virtual machines that are ready to go for download in some places. Eventually I'd like to have a 98 VM with all of the DACTA / Mindstorms software pre-installed but haven't had time to work on it yet. I was going to use XP but even after it being abandoned for many years Microsoft is still not happy with people sharing it 🙄
Thanks this will help a lot
@@BatteryPoweredBricks il check it out now
soo cool!!1
Thanks, it was quite the project! Can't wait to take it further 😀
To complex for me
I like complexity 😅