1. Attachments

Quick Pinless Attachments for LEGO EV3 Competition Robots (Part 1)

You think that you can quickly change the attachments of your LEGO Mindstorms EV3 competition robot? Are you sure? In this first episode of the series you will see how to create and attach attachments without using pins and how faster and easier this could be. You will see the design logic of a few attachments and how they work on the field. 

Construction

The first part shows a construction similar to the one shown in Episode 60. The construction presents the logic of how to make a quick pinless attachment. The robot from Episode 58 has been used for the current presentation.

Attachment base

The second part of the video shows how to make a base for various pinless attachments. Usually, there are two bases designed for one robot. While the robot is using one of the bases on the field, the other remains with the team who attach the construction necessary for the following missions. When the robot returns to the base, the quick pinless attachment base is removed and the other one is attached and vice versa.

Adapter

The third part of the video shows how to build an adapter. This is a construction connecting the base to the attachment. One adapter could be used for several attachments. It is also possible to have an adapter for each attachment.

The purpose of the base, the adapter and the quick pinless attachment is to save parts which could be used for the making of whole attachments.

The last part of the video shows how the robot behaves on the field.

We are looking forward to your comments. We would be happy if you share how this video has been useful to you.

Pinless Attachments (Part 2)

If you think that the quick pinless attachments shown in video 63 are quick enough, see this tutorial and you will find out that the quick pinless attachments could be even quicker. These attachments can work without motors but by using the inertia forces.

This tutorial shows the logic of creating quick pinless attachments which do not have any moving parts. This facilitates their placement and is the key to the quicker change of attachments on the LEGO Mindstorms robot construction.

There is a short description of how the attachments work; how the inertia forces affect the robot parts and what causes these inertia forces. The tutorial once again focuses on the building process of the quick pinless construction base, the attachment and the adaptor.

Try to use this type of quick pinless attachments and see how many new opportunities it will give you. Share with us your comments and ideas.

Instruction for building the Quick Attachment

Instructions for building the quick attachments for this LEGO robot

Quick Pinless EV3 Attachment

The attachment shows how to do build a pinless robot attachment with LEGO EV3 Mindstorms.

Second quick pinless attachment

Another example for a quick pinless attachment build with LEGO Mindstorms EV3 robots.

Pinless attachment added below the robot

Pinless attachments are smart and quick and could make a big differences between two robot constructions. In this video we are sharing a nice idea for a pinless attachment placed below the robot.

It is actually an extension for pinless attachments. One could place this or similar LEGO attachment on almost any robot construction, but this one is designed specifically for the EV3 Competition Robot from video 58.

Placing the robot above the construction is a very easy and fast way do to attachments. 

Other pinless attachments:

Quick Pinless Attachments for LEGO EV3 Competition Robots (Part 2)

Quick Pinless Attachments for LEGO EV3 Competition Robots (Part 1)

Pinless Attachment for LEGO Mindstorms Robots

Probably the simples trick for pinless attachments that we've found. It is a construction build in just three steps. Simple as that. But it has a lot of potential to teach you how to use pinless attachments. Pinless attachments are very useful during FIRST LEGO League and World Robot Olympiad competitions. 

Rubber bands attachment for circular motion - solving FLL 2012 stove

The attachment builds on previous episodes this time using two LEGO rubber bands. When a lever is released the rubber band exerts pressure on it and moves it in a circular motion. As an example we are solving the 2012 FIRST LEGO League, Senior Solutions, stove mission (which was quite interesting as a mission)

The FIRST LEGO League 2012, Senior Solutions, Oven mission involved a circular motion. Teams had to build attachments that could move the Oven lever in half a circle. Now this proved to be challenging to do without the use of a motor. It is always a good idea to do every possible mission without a motor because you could save the motor for missions where it is actually not possible to accomplish without them. 

Having said that, rubber bands for this mission is a very elegant solution.

Check out the video and leave a comment if you have any questions or suggestions for new videos.

Previous videos on rubber bands:

  1. Rubber bands - Solving the FIRST LEGO League World Class COMMUNITY TREE
  2. Rubber bands - LEGO robot attachment that triggers with a motor
  3. Rubber bands - LEGO robot attachment triggered with a motor - part 2 removing the motor
  4. Rubber bands - one more way to remove the LEGO attachment dependency on the motor for triggering
  5. Rubber bands pinless attachment for taking loops

Other pinless attachments:

  1. Quick Pinless Attachments for LEGO EV3 Competition Robots (Part 1)
  2. Quick Pinless Attachments for LEGO EV3 Competition Robots (Part 2)

Pinless Rubber Band attachment for solving the Oven

Building instructions for the LEGO Mindstorms attachment using Rubber Bands

How to on taking loops from LEGO parts

Each year the FIRST LEGO League robotics Competition involves loops. In this video tutorial I will go through the most common way of taking loops, show its disadvantages and suggest another way to do it.

Carabiner

A LEGO Mindstorms construction for taking loops. Uses the same principle as a carabiner.