Tuesday, February 27, 2007

why lego is such a great company

Recently I purchased the Mindstorms NXT set (8527). Upon opening the box, I discovered that the software CD-ROM was missing. I decided to see if the software might be available for download, so I went to lego.com and started poking around. Very sensibly, Lego does not offer their base load software for download; you can however download many enhancements and addons free-of-charge.

Not knowing what to do next, I decided to try using the 'Missing Parts' customer service webform. After entering the set number and browsing the available replacement parts, I was a bit disenheartened to see that the CD-ROM was not listed. But this is Lego, the greatest 'toy' company that has ever been, so I figured I had to at least try. So I clicked the 'Don't see your part listed? Describe it here.' link and submitted the form requesting the CD-ROM. In all honesty I really didn't expect anything to come of it.

Well today I find a bubble-pack envelope in my mailbox, from Lego, containing not only the software, but a letter, actually addressed to me with my name in the salutation, expressing Lego's sincerest apologies for having provided an incomplete set.

Well didn't the sun shine just a bit brighter this afternoon!

Lego had come through yet again. What a wonderful company! What a wonderful product! I feel like spending all of my disposable income on Lego sets. Well alright I wanted to do that anyways, but this just strengthens that desire exponentially. Maybe I will try to get my friends to spend their disposable income on Lego...

I went back to the website a few minutes ago and filled out the same form as last time, but this time I expressed my gratitude to the Customer Service Team. I hope it gets printed out and circulated to the team.

I think pretty much every other company around could learn from Lego's example.


It seems I am getting better at putting the Lego models together in MLCad. It also seems that I am getting the hang of using the rendering tools that are packaged with the Ldraw.org install. I don't like all the shadows I am getting within the images, but I am sure I will figure out how to get rid of most of them. Still, the output is fantastic!

Saturday, February 24, 2007


The Lunar Lander from set 565. It is not perfect, as I am still trying to learn how to use MLCad. Still, MLCad is alot of fun to use, and it gives you a chance to build sets you may not actually own. You can always seach lugnet for models and instructions.


Wednesday, February 21, 2007

565 Moon Landing


Another set from my childhood, 565 Moon Landing. This is just the Moon Rover vehicle. The lander module is next.

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

854 finally done


Well it's finally done. Although it is very cool that MLCad lets you build Lego models you have the plans for but perhaps not the actual Lego parts, it is a much more painstaking process. This model is far from perfect, although LDView helps smooth out some of the rougher edges.

It still needs the hoses attached. I am no where near to figuring out how to add those in MLCad.

Sunday, February 18, 2007

ldraw

Of all the tools I have found for experimenting with Lego, the CAD program MLCad is the most fun to use. MLCad, based on the original LDraw program, allows you to build models in a virtual environment. The parts list includes almost every part imaginable, and new parts are being added all the time. The image you see to the right is a partially-drawn model of Lego Technic Set #854. I received this set as a child, and only recently pulled it out again to build it. I found that I was missing some parts, and trying to sort out which parts were gone was beginning to drive me a bit nuts. Then an idea occurred to me: If I built the model in MLCad, not only would I have some great pictures of the model in process, but would also have a complete list of parts I could compare to the actual parts I have. Yes I could go through the instructions and figure out what parts are needed, but that would not be anywhere near as much fun or geeky.

Thursday, February 08, 2007

lego mindstorms nxt


Meet AlphaRex. He's one of the robots I will be building shortly with my new Lego Mindstorms NXT set. I have been looking forward to this for a long, long time.
One of the reasons I have remained a fan of Lego over my 40 years is that Lego never compromises their quality. I have Lego parts that were purchased in the 1960's, that were used continuously by myself and my siblings until probably the mid-1980's, and those parts are not worn out at all.Perhaps a bit scuffed up from being stirred around in a box while we searched for the elusive 1x2 flat plates, but otherwise perfect. They still hold together as if they were new. And not only are the parts durable, the instruction booklets are durable. With the robotics, the software is well-thought out and properly presented. Everything in the Lego world is presented with a professionalism and a respect for the consumer that is unmatched.
As a Robotics Invention Systems 1.5 user (the previous Lego robotics incarnation) I was continually amazed at the capabilities of the base system, and even more amazed at how far the user community was able to recreate the system. I became a huge fan of Dave Baum's NQC, using the BricxCC IDE to develop and test programs far more complex than the original Lego IDE would allow. And it didn't stop with software: The number of 'homebrew' passive and non-passive devices that were developed by the user community was staggering. Mike Gasperi is the undisputed homebrew sensor King. Ralph Hempel has written two programming languages for the Mindstorms Series: pbForth for the Robot Inventions System series, and now pbLau for NXT. And there are more, such as LegOS.
It looks like that enthusiasm has carried over into the NXT world as well. If you look at Phillipe Hurbain's website, you will see the kind of dedication Mindstorms has invoked. I cannot think of another 'toy' that pushes people so hard to think and create. It would be interesting to find out how many software and hardware engineers, who are at the top of their game, played (or more likely still play) with Lego. Alot, I bet. Probably well over 80%.
Lego has become the seminal cross-generational toy. People who loved it as kids love it as adults. For people like me, there has always been Lego, and there will always be Lego.