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How to Build a Fast LEGO Technic NXT Racer

The Lego Technic line of toys, although from the same brand and based on the same principles, look and feel different from traditional Legos. The pieces are seldom standard bricks. Instead, they are thinner, often angled, and often connect using rods and holes, rather than traditional snap-together building. The Technic line is designed for constructing vehicles, machinery, robotics, and other similar projects. The Lego Mindstorms NXT construction set uses these Lego Technic pieces (the set includes 612 pieces), as well as a microprocessor and the electronic components needed to make your creations come to life.

Things You'll Need

Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0 (Lego Set 8547)

Instructions

- 1
  Construct the rear wheels. Using short blue rods, wheel motor pieces, gray "L" pieces, gray plus rods, and light gray nuts, construct the wheels themselves. Attach the tires using long gray plus rods and nuts. Using the short blue rods, light gray perpendicular connectors, and small and large black gears, construct the gear array for each wheel. Then construct and attach the motor using short blue rods, a three-hole motor piece, mini L pieces, short gray plus rods, and mini black rods. Attach the motor to one of the wheels.
- 2
  Construct the axle. Use short blue rods, seven-hole ovals, a five-hole oval, and a nine-hole oval. Slide the axle into place, and connect the remaining rear wheel. Use the short black rods and an 11-hole oval to set up a means of attaching this assembly to the remainder of the racer. Include a color sensor between the wheels, if you want to program your racer to respond to a colored track.
- 3
  Construct the front wheels. Using short and medium blue rods, wheel motor pieces, and two-hole perpendicular connectors, construct the central wheel array. Use the large gray "J" arm pieces, the mini black rods, and the mini blue rods to create two arms for each wheel, and attach these arms to opposite sides, long-side-down. Use the large and small L pieces, the mini black rods, the mini gray plus rods, and the symmetrical black perpendicular connectors to assemble the axle. Continue to build up the axle, then attach tires to either side and secure with a hubcap piece.
- 4
  Assemble the gear array for the front wheels. Use the fat black gear, the small off-white gear, the four-pronged black "plus" gear, and a medium gray plus rod.
- 5
  Construct the attachment poles for each side, using short blue rods, mini blue and mini black rods, two-hole perpendicular connectors, and nine-, 13-, and 15-hole oval pieces.
- 6
  Wire the two wheel arrays and connect them. Use a 35-cm (medium) cord. Plug one end of this cord into the single motor piece on the front wheels. Use short blue rods to physically connect the two wheel arrays. Connect one end of each of two additional 35-cm (medium) cord to each motor piece on the rear wheels.
- 7
  Attach the NXT microprocessor, plus a 20-cm (short) cord into the color sensor port facing up (just in front of the rear wheels). Lie this cord over the rear axle. Use a 13-circle oval piece and short black rods to connect the microprocessor above the rear wheels. Connect the shorter wire to port three on the NXT microprocessor. Connect the two drive motors (from the rear wheels) to ports B and C on the NXT microprocessor. Connect the steering motor wire (from the front wheels) to port A on the NXT microprocessor.
- 8
  Build the body of the racer. Be creative here; your racer can look however you imagine it. Do not build it too tall, and keep the center of gravity low, to keep speed and steering accuracy up.
- 9
  Connect the wired controller, if desired. Use connector pieces to connect two control buttons to one another, then attach them to ports one and four on the NXT microprocessor using two 50-cm cords.

Construction Toys