Plane launcher

Plane launcher was designed to throw toy air planes. Originally plane launcher was a flat bed truck that used power function motors to move around.The NXT is used to release the plane. It uses an IR (infrared) remote and receivers to move the motors on the NXT and power functions. The runway is 16 inches from the bottom to the top and 14 inches high.

This is a movie of Plane launcher launching an air plane.

They usually went 10-15 feet.

On occasion it went 10-15 centimeters.

  

This is a view of the back of the truck.

                                         

This is the front of the truck.  

This is a view of the drive motor.

This is Plane launcher packed up for travel.

How it works.

An IR remote and reciver controls the power functions motors.

(The power functions motors control driving and steering)

The same IR remote controls the NXT motor that pulls a pin out and releases the air plane.

(The IR remote has 4 different channels allowing the use of up to 8 different motors at one time)

Steering:

The steering motor spins the bevel gear which moves the worm gear left or right making the wheels turn.

Driving:

The drive motor is connected to a u joint that is conected to a long cross beam connected to another 

u joint, the u joint turns a smaller cross beam that turns the knob gears which turn the bevel gears.

Launching the plane:

Rubber bands are connected to the top of the runway the plane is connected to the rubber bands with a hook. The plane is secured behind a beam that is held in place with a cross beam. When the motor turns it pulls the string holding the pin and the rubber band pulls launches the plane.

Mobile Crane

Mobile Crane is a crane that is mounted onto a trailer.
This crane shares alot of similarities with Remote Control Crane It has the same engine program exept it uses the color sensor to turn the engine on and off, a green ball turns it on, and a red ball turns it off.

It can turn 360 degrees and has stabilizer jacks. 

Motors turn the turn table, lift the boom, raise and lower the gripper and, open and close the gripper

The boom and gripper are raised and lowered with string.

This is a top view of Mobile Crane ready to travel.

This is the gripper.

This is Mobile Crane with the gripper lowered.

How it works:

It makes an engine noise by using the color sensor. It uses two touch sensors and the orange NXT button to turn the crane and raise and lower the boom. If the ornage NXT button is pressed it reverses the direction that the motors turn.

This is a movie of Mobile Crane loading a pack of bullets.

Raker bot

Raker bot is a rake for RC vehicles.

It is attached like a goose neck trailer.

I made this because I thought it would be fun to rake leaves while sitting down.

This is a close up of Raker bot.

Two motors move the rear axle up and down, raising and lowering the rake. 

This is a movie of the wheels lifting and lowering.

These are movies of Raker bot raking leaves.

The Monday morning QB take

The Eagles are 6-5 with their last win at home (the first win at home for the Eagles in 400 days) against the Redskins who lost the second game to the Eagles 24-16 the Redskins scoring all of their points in the fourth quarter. The Eagles win at Green Bay 27-13 I do believe that the Eagles would not have won the game if the Packers had had Aaron Rodgers out on the field. The replacement QB Seneca Wallace hurt himself running away from the Eagles men. The next QB Scott Tolzien managed to get the Packers down the field then throws an INT. it was hard, but I think that it was just as hard to win against the Redskins with RGIII.  The Eagles are a great team, but if the Chiefs 9-1 (who won the meeting against the Eagles) met the Eagles again the Eagles might win.

Dom

Horse-Bot

Horse-Bot was supposed to be a robotic horse with a rider but it looks more like a camel with rider.

This is the back of Horse-Bot.

This is Horse-Bot's head.

This is the rider.

This is a view of Horse-Bot's side.

This is a movie of Horse-Bot walking.

Morse Code Machine

Morse Code Machine is a robot that plays a tone when one of the two touch sensors is pressed.

This is Morse Code Machine with it's touch sensor's attached.

This is Morse Code Machine with it's touch sensor's detached.

The touch sensor's can be up to 42 inches apart.

How Morse Code Machine works:

When the touch sensor is pressed the NXT computer plays a tone until the touch sensor is released.

Remote Control Crane

Remote Control Crane is another robot that I made from instructions in a book called 

CRANE LEGO NXT (LEGO NXT building & programming guide)

By Jan Dolata and Aleksander Gruszcynski.

Remote Control Crane can lift up to 3oz and spins on a turn table.

This is a side view of Remote Control Crane.

This is what Remote Control Crane does when it picks up a heavy object.

This is Remote Control Crane's remote.

Remote Control Crane's remote uses 2 sensors.

One of them is the rotation sensor that is a part of the motor.

It reads which direction and how many degrees the motor has been rotated.

The other is the touch sensor.

When the touch sensor is pressed and the motor turns the reading (Direction and rotation) is sent to the  motor operating the boom.

When the touch sensor is not pressed and the motor turns the reading (Direction and rotation) is sent to the  motor that turns Remote Control Crane.

This is the gripping mechanism.

This is Remote Control Crane's lifting mechanism.

This is Remote Control Crane's turntable.

This is an audio recording of Remote Control Crane's engine running.

In order to have an engine I recorded a 460 horse power engine turning on, revving up, staying revved up, revving down, and turning off. 

How the engine works:

First Remote Control Crane plays turning on then it plays revving up then it plays staying revved up until the orange button on the NXT is pressed then it plays revving down and then it plays turning off.

This is a movie of Remote Control Crane picking up a basket with three batteries in it.