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5 days agoFunded!
MinuteBot Base for LEGO Mindstorms enabled robotics by Soren Jensen
MinuteBot Base is a thick, robust base plate that can be used for construction of robotics based on LEGO Mindstorms.
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124% funded $13,743 pledged
- 169 backers
- Funded May 21, 2012
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5 days ago
Soren Jensen
Posted project update #12Size
Dear Backers,
We're amost there... so this is the last update before the deadline but we will keep you posted on our progress.
The color: We will during the manufacturing/fine-tuning of the tool make some color samples so you can see how the real colors will look on real photographs... So we postpone the decision in order to make a more qualified one!
The size: We have decided to make a 21x31 hole Base. The symmetry gets much better and there will be holes around the center... And you get 3% more holes for the same price!
So... the final design will be (the color may change!):
Now we'll bite our nails for a few hours more - and then tomorrow the work with the tooling starts.
As said: We will keep you posted!
Thanks for making this happen!
The MinuteBot Team
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7 days ago
Soren Jensen
commented on a project update@ all of you: Thanks for the input! This discussion is SO much more interesting at 107% funded than at 80%! @ Matt: RAL and PANTONE are essentially two different systems so it's not possible to make a 100% precise translation. We tend to like the RAL system as pigments for the plastics are normally easily available. In any case: This link may be useful (in French): http://www.imi21.com/conversion-couleur.html. The color originally intented for the MinuteBot Base was RAL 4004. @Jetro: Thanks for the link. Did not know that. We will take a closer look...
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7 days ago
Soren Jensen
commented on a project@Laurens: To be honest, you have a point! As we are 106% funded, we could add 3% more holes... and get a perfectly symmetrical Base... We are tempted!
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7 days ago
Soren Jensen
commented on a project update@Daniele: Thanks! (I have added the RAL numbers in a readable font).
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7 days ago
Soren Jensen
Posted project update #113 Shades of Grey
Dear Backers,
First of all apologies for "spamming" you with updates - but the question of color seems to be a really hot one and we got more than 11,700 reasons to listen to your valuable input!
It seems that black is not a good choice and that many Backers thinks that a light grey could be an option.
So, here are three options A, B and C and the corresponding RAL numbers.
Hopefully none of them "conflict" with the official LEGO colors but we have not been able to get precise info about that...
(the font is not easy to read: It's resp. RAL 7004, 7035 and 7038)
So, what do you think?
The MinuteBot Team
3 of 34View Previous Comments
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7 days ago
Soren Jensen
commented on a project@Laurens: We considered that but then 2 x 15 holes studless beams will not fit perfectly...
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on May 19
Soren Jensen
commented on a project updateThanks for all comments! We listen and take notes! @Paul: Well, some Backers not like any / too many +-holes so this is a compromise... @a lot of you: We have noted that black is a problem... Seem like "whiter shade of black" would be a compromise. @Anders: Yes, we would like to find a unique color of ours... We're checking the scales of RAL and Pantone as we speak... @Larry & Paul: Thanks. We promise not to go crazy with logos!
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on May 19
Soren Jensen
commented on a project@pbenco: Would like to make more colors than one but due to cleaning of the tool, we need to run a certain number of MinuteBot Bases to make ends meet budgetwise... @Scott: We are considering this too but some really do not like too many +-holes...
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on May 18
Soren Jensen
Posted project update #10Now to the serious stuff
Dear Backers (all 138 of you!),
Seems like there is a decent chance that we will make it!
So now to some serious issues:
1. Color:
As Daniele Bernedetelli phrased it: "Please, do NOT do it RED!"
Well, Daniele, we have actually carefully chosen a claret-color similar to a Brunello, Amarone and Barolo! But we have also noted all the comments and input from various Backers! So: We have decided to change the color of the MinuteBot Base to BLACK!
We hope that you will all like that decision!
We may choose to print a discrete MinuteBot logo on the side of the Base to make it a genuine MinuteBot product!
2. Configuration of Holes:
This is the old discussion of o-holes vs. +-holes. This is how the configuration looks like at the moment:
For symmetry reasons there are not a lot of +-holes around the center of the Base but we are still open for suggestions... All we promise is that the total amount of holes will be 630!
Still 70 hours to discuss those issues before we start the work with the plastic molding company!
And again: Thanks to all of you who made this discussion relevant!
The MinuteBot Team
3 of 13View Previous Comments-
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Jetro de Château on May 19
I rather liked the red, although I can see why some (many?) prefer a more standard colour.
Black is indeed hard to photograph, and a very dark colour makes the base less attractive as a test base as it becomes harder to distinguish parts that are mostly used in black like the double sided 12t and 36t gears and all even length axles.The configuration of + holes looks good. There are more than I expected, but it looks fine.
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Soren Jensen on May 19
Thanks for all comments! We listen and take notes!
@Paul: Well, some Backers not like any / too many +-holes so this is a compromise...
@a lot of you: We have noted that black is a problem... Seem like "whiter shade of black" would be a compromise.
@Anders: Yes, we would like to find a unique color of ours... We're checking the scales of RAL and Pantone as we speak...
@Larry & Paul: Thanks. We promise not to go crazy with logos!
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Mike 7 days ago
Just a quick thought, the Lego technic scheme favours odd lengths yet the axle spacing suggested is on an even count, is this likely to cause any problems for Lego builders, is this count finalised yet??
Also have you settled on an axle hole design? Lego seems to use a different design of axle hole for different plastics, just about every gear has a different hole style.
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Soren Jensen
København, Denmark
The MinuteBot team consists of two persons: Soren Jensen and Lasse Mogensen. We come from a background of product and business development, within the fields of medical devices, mechatronics products and misc. B2B and B2C products.
Looks great, can't wait to get my hands on it. Danny, I had wanted +ooo+ too but in order to keep the symmetry it would need to be 21x29 instead, however looking at this new configuration I could learn to deal with it.
The design looks great and I think that showing us some colour samples is a magnificent idea.
I particularly liked the darker grey you proposed, but think even darker might be better.
I looked up the Pantone values for the RAL numbers you proposed and cam up with this:
RAL 7004 = Pantone 423 = RGB 156 156 166 = CMYK 0 0 0 45
RAL 7035 = Pantone 421 = RGB 212 217 219 = CMYK 5 0 5 20
RAL 7038 = Pantone 429 = RGB 158 150 156= CMYK 30 10 20 20
According to Peeron (and the link I provided elsewhere) these numbers correspond to:
Pantone 421 = Light Grey (old)
Pantone 429 = Medium Stone Grey (LBG)
although the RBG and CMYK values are very different in both cases (?!)
Dark Bluish Grey (Dark Stone Grey) is marked as Pantone 431 which appears to correspond to RAL 7005.
When you show us the colour samples, maybe you could sow them together with a few LEGO elements in LBG and DBG (the current grey colours).
Do you have the SolidWorks model for this new design? I would love to construct some concept builds.