Hello. I received my package and put it together. I reviewed the projects and downloaded a parts lists. Is there somewhere to order these already put together as a set or do I need to order each part individually? Also where is the best place to find these parts on the web? Thanks. I’m a rookie so please bear with me and my stupid questions.
Hey jeffreydg,
Congrats! We haven’t put these up as a set as we’re not authorized LEGO distributors. LEGO takes a very dim view to this sort of thing. What I think you do is use these two websites:
http://shop.lego.com/en-US/Pick-A-Brick-ByTheme
And you might find better deals here:
http://www.bricklink.com/
These are great questions, not stupid at all!
I found some good deals on ebay, especially for the nxt motors. I got one for USD 20 including shipping. I have seen it go as low as 15, since now the ev3 motors are showing up as well.
You can get other bulk technic parts as well, but not exactly what you want or what the part list says. Actually, that is better in a way, you can improvise !
In case anyone is unsure where to get parts to build a WiFi-car:
I didn’t find the parts I needed for the WiFi car from Pick-a-Brick, so I bought the ‘Mini Off-Roader’ model (42001). I chose it simply because it was the cheapest technic pack with wheels.
It made a neat compact version of the WiFi car:
The motors are oriented the other way around from the JJ WiFi Car, so the code needs to be adjusted for that.
Another option I was thinking of for securing LEGO parts, if you don’t have an NXT kit: you can still purchase an EV3 kit if the NXT kits aren’t available. The only thing you would need to find online or elsewhere are the sensors you need for the model you want to build.
Since the EV3 motors and LEGO parts all work with the BrickPi, this might be the easiest and most convenient option for people that don’t have an NXT kit.
I notice that there’s several sellers on eBay that sell bulk Technic parts (from 500 to 3000 pieces). Would these be good things to get? We have a bunch from my son’s addiction to Hero Factory, but we’re missing a few key connectors (e.g., “angular beams with pins”, which actually go for $1+ individually on eBay - ouch). Craigslist, Kijiji, etc. completely failed us.
We live near a large city, so we went to a distributor listed on http://education.lego.com/en-us/distributors for the motors and sensors instead of paying for shipping from an eBay or Bricklink seller (if only Bricklink were easier to use…).
Hey Hadean, if you’re lacking peices, then yes, they’re probably a good way to go. I would double check though that they’ve got the pieces you want.
That’s great you were able to get some motors, fantastic!
What parts do I use to attach the wheels from the Mini-Off-Roader kit to the motors? (sorry for the newbie question!)
I used the dark grey x-rods with the flat cap at one end: the x-rod slots into the orange motor part through the round hole in the wheel. The wheel sticks to the orange motor part by friction between wheel rubber and motor plastic.
I didn’t think it was going to work at first, but it works just fine: I don’t notice any slippage between motors and wheels when driving.
The site http://www.bricklink.com/ lists lots of people and companies all over the world offering lego mindstorms sets and parts, new and used. I don’t know how reliable this site is, but perhaps an option.
Hello,
I am a teacher and have used the brickpi in lessons regularly, I found buying sensors and motors cheaply off ebay and then buying this set from lego worked really well.
Its the UK lego site but i would imagine it is a global product!