Toastie

@jacey98penny Sometimes a link tells more than a thousand words, sometimes - well - not. As per usual: It depends. Do you want to control your "setup" = various hubs/trains/whatever (let's call these servers) from one device (let us refer to that as client)? In other words, the servers are all the PoweredUp hubs, the client is a controlling program/device. Or do you prefer individually operating smart devices, running on their own? I believe @Lok24 is touching on the latter, whereas @lego3057 refers to the former. In an exhibition, I'd rather connect from one controlling client to all the servers; this would render the synchronization of all devices more reliable. And in this case, I'd go with @lego3057 suggestion, and use the BAP code, you can download at the website addressed by that link he provided: Easy hub sign up and very nice control. Using this software, you are not restricted to any number of hubs signing-up, other than imposed by your hardware. Yes, this needs a computer to operate all servers, but you have a nice and clean user interface and a rather stable connection means. In a show, all the numerous cell phones, and other BLE devices around may cause some interferences, but that is exactly the same for any other BLE client/server connection, be it the PoweredUp app or the referenced BAP software. With PyBricks you can create self-contained programs, not suffering from heavy BLE traffic - as well as BLE communication type controls (e.g. using the PUp remote), but that can BAP do as well. And then both a prone to heavy BLE traffic interference - to be expected at shows. I'd say: Try it out! Best regards, Thorsten

Well, that is true. However, I was in a similar situation, when inquiring about a LEGO 9771 ISA card in the Technic forum, encouraged by another EB member to do so. And it worked, although the member I then got in touch with, wasn't here for years. The whole thing resulted in a free 9771 ISA card for me; covering S&H was all that member was asking for. PM is also one route that may work - should notifications still be active for that member and the email address still be in use. Who knows ... I would not give up right away. Good luck, @GlennH! Cross my fingers. Best, Thorsten

I am disqualified making any comments on this machine - other than loving what it can do - LEGO Technic wise. This is in a so many levels above my league. However all these very nice System bricks in a Technic MOC, giving it - what it deserves. And not only that, adding to the technical functionality. For me, this is LEGO Technic. The LEGO part includes everything TLG makes, the Technic part makes the functions. Well both do/aid - hmm I am confused ... but wait: Technic is LEGO, System is LEGO, electronics is LEGO ... yes, this makes the difference ... Your model is beyond anything, I can comprehend, but to me, it is the perfect way of doing Technic. Thank you very much for sharing! All the best, Thorsten

Hmmm. On professional for pay software - yeah. On a project like this one [which I found and find simply mind-blowing, particularly when looking back (in this thread) at the light speed pace, this was developed by @Cosmik42], all the "could be", "would be", "what could possibly go wrong", etc. issues are certainly not in forefront programming focus. Now, foreseeing that a potential user has BT radio off when using BLE devices also needs some "imagination" ... believe me - I am no. 1 in line for such failures, but when I find out, I usually slap my head (hard) to get my brain into the clear. It's like calling Comcast, and they ask you: "Well, did you double-check that you turned your device on?" Or even better: "Is it plugged in?" I guess it is more like: If you don't know what you are doing, do it anyway, but don't blame others if it does not work (rather than sloppy programming) ... Here is to SP (sloppy programming) - I am in! All the best, and keep it rolling, Thorsten

No, I don't. I joined EB in 2010 - so missed the debut. Unfortunately. I am older though - or better old BUT. This is a Technic wonder. Really impressive. I am not into cars, or skiing - but so much more into "machines". Wow, all that functionality, so well-thought-out! Mostly I love the progressing with time - just leaving TLG behind (PF is dead - BUY PUp(!), nothing will work anymore) and embracing superior 3rd party electronics - AND keeping it all compatible. This is so my world of LEGO. The "spreadsheet" alone makes me smile, feeling good, and having fun. Wow. I am really taken away and a bit speechless. OK, composed this blurb now, but ... And just to rub it in: The System bricks you used for this Technic MOC makes - again - all the difference for me. No machine gun fire holes, nice slopes, the fence elements ... and so on and so forth. LEGO at its best (aka the best of both worlds, which are not two but one world, in my opinion). Thank you so much for sharing this decade long development. As said, so well-thought-out. All the best, Thorsten

Hi, don't really know where you want to go with this; as a "project" that you chose (right?), you certainly should have a focus - if so, what would you personally like to focus on? As I don't know what the format of this project will be (written report, if so, approximately how many pages; other formats?), it is hard to make any suggestions ... If it were any piece of written work, the introduction could assess the topic "LEGO: Building vs collecting". This topic alone can fill uncountable pages, but you could tailor your introduction towards your "Design and Technology" task. What readily comes to mind in that regard is: "Space, the final frontier (James T. Kirk, 1966)" ... But there is more, there always is ... "All the things I could do, If I had a little money (ABBA, 1976)" - and so on and so forth ... All the best, Thorsten

And as per usual: Tipping hat, a slight nod, and a very deep bow. Incredible, what you have accomplished. As said, per usual; when you post, I don't click right away on the thread/link. No, I relax a bit, make myself comfortable, maybe a Scotch, maybe a Northern Germany beer. Get this and that out of the way on my desk ... and then, just let it flow. Others have said what should be said. Thank you very much for sharing! With very best regards, Thorsten

Oh, and that is absolutely fine with me - they don't have to, though. Technic nowadays looks much "cleaner" - as was pointed out before (with studs adversely affecting the looks). I have the impression (and that may be totally wrong) that this happened because the main theme of Technic went from "machines" to "cars" - not right, but maybe to sets, that require cleanliness rather than function. Yes, I know, you can have all the functions you want with studless Technic, and the gearbox inside such a set in (to me) a miracle, but I can't really see it in operation. You will have to use quite some panels to cover the "exposure-to-prolonged-machine-gun-fire" look when using all these beams for the "hull" of these machines. Which is also fine with me! I just can't adapt to that concept (of making Technic display super cars); I like building Technic "machinery" that does something to the extent that studs don't even come into focus, although they are there. I yes, this is my personal view, this is the world of moccing and not of making as much money as you can. And I am also aware, that virtually nobody in this forum finds any of my stuff appealing at all! So - all is good! Best, Thorsten P.S.: I tried to be - hmm - a little provocative with the post you referenced, so no offense! P.P.S: Just purchase on eBay a used #8485 set - with still working (!) flex system elements - there is no better Technic set than the fully studded dinosaur attached to control center II roaring on my desk ... in my opinion

Oh yes ... "Technic" 4.5V lights can do the same magic - and match very well with the 4.5V train section ... @Andy Glascott: This is so incredibly nice. I have copied your pictures, enlarged them and just sat there and enjoyed every detail ... All the best, Thorsten

Yes, they use gases, but not so much specialized liquids (other than highly volatile liquids = be careful). As far as I can tell, they don't like chemicals at all (as you already pointed out) but much so (very) dry conditions. It is not the low temperature killing mold (they more so fall asleep), but "no water" available. At low temperatures, generally, the water content in the surrounding >air< is low (but upon freezing it condenses, on surfaces, which could be the affected paper as well). If the freezer is not tightly sealed, more water enters and condenses on surfaces - and upon defrosting the "object" may get wet again. Dry conditions are thus pivotal, as "molds" hate that, but it is not that easy to get there if no suitable environment is available. Does not help much, I know, but the "freezer" was catching my attention ... Best, Thorsten

Here we go, studded Technic wise ... And make that in all Technic studless whatever technique ... I love the combination of all LEGO systems. Best, Thorsten

OK, it is what it is, but when I am posting in that forum (my electronics stuff virtually nobody is interested in, and that is totally OK), my "MOCs" are certainly not to any scale, but are Mindstorms related. Which is Thomas' truck as well, isn't it? Besides a nice enclosure, there is some advanced electronics at work here. But: It is up to Thomas, of course. Thank you very much for taking your time responding, highly appreciated! Best, Thorsten

Hi Thomas, I absolutely second this - you should summon some mods ... like @Jim and @Milan It is called the "... Mindstorms ..." sub forum. And scale? Of course, when something is to scale, who can possibly care about the numbers in the scale? And using an Atom M5, the PUp remote, BLE code, IS SO Mindstorms. This post belongs exactly in the "... Mindstorms ... Scale Modeling" forum! OK, that was that. Wonderful scale model - as all your models are!!! And these Tenka hubs/motors are so cool, I love them! Wow, another marvel ... Thank you very much and all the best, Thorsten

This. I believe this is truly "pivotal". Plus all the "decoration" routes, apparently "pure" Technic (^^) can >never< accomplish. BTW - I also >never< got my head around any question about studless vs studded Technic. LEGO is LEGO. Studs or not. Hell, they made Technic holes into studded beams. What the heck is wrong with that??? Best, Thorsten

There are times, when I feel like an idiot messing up colors ... And then there are times, when I'm just sailing along, gray is gray and green is maybe red ... or ... green. Well ... Here is to feeling good All the best and have fun with colors! Thorsten

Well ... ... when TLG "needs" to continue printing instructions of encyclopedia size because they don't want anyone left behind, then - yeah, they better go digital. The one piece per step approach is a bit "paper consuming". And as they are targeting the newbies so much (I know, yeah, they have to) then, yes, go digital. I really don't like digital instructions at all, but well, it is what they decided on, when cranking out the black boxes. All the best, Thorsten

This is soo Technic - using a totally bare minimum of Technic parts - I love it! Thank you very much for sharing! Best, Thorsten

Oh yes, this is absolutely true - and the place you want to be ;) Have fun around here - and welcome to EB! Best, Thorsten

Damit! This thread - as per usual - just drowned in the "Technic" forum. This is simply - bad. Either one pays attention every hour to new entries on this forum - or such entries are simply swamped with TC's, super duper cars, trial trucks, whatever. Man. I need to catch up on this @maehw!!! Thank you very much for sharing! Best wishes, Thorsten

@BrickTronic Hello Jo, thank you very much!!! You are absolutely right - I sketched two versions of this matrix in my scratch book; one with the columns in reverse order ^^ Upon transforming the columns into ascending order in the PowerPoint document - what could possibly go wrong? I hope I fixed the main post properly - as I said before, I am an expert in screwing such things up. I also replaced figure 3, as "PG" = Program 1/2 was not labeled properly. And wow, that datasheet of the Motorola MCU - that is a nice chip! Thank you for the link, just downloaded it. Cool. And I really appreciate your kind words and particularly your deep dive on the content! All the best, Thorsten

Yes, could very well be. "Real answer" or not ... or do you have TLG input on this? If so, that settles it. If not ... ... ABS is not concrete. As far as I am concerned (and yes, I don't know anyone in TLG Valhalla, just speculating ) - I believe the hollowed out stud is a little more "giving". The solid stud is - well - solid ... But what do I know ... All the best, Thorsten

Dear All, I'll update any of my Microsoft (MS) QBASIC programs related to operating Technic Control (TC) stuff, or any other vintage LEGO interfaces, or anything interesting (to me) in this BrickSafe folder: https://bricksafe.com/pages/Toastie/qbasic-programs MS QBASIC programs are 100% compatible to MS QuickBASIC programs, as QBASIC 1.1 (released in 1991) is actually a downgraded version of QuickBASIC 4.5. (final release 1988). QBASIC is solely interpreting BASIC code; QuickBASIC had in addition a compiler with all the bells and whistles and could generate COM/EXE files. So far, there are only two files: Q9750_10.BAS: Control program for #9750 as well as #8485 using either the UI (user interface) or user programs. QPWM_5.BAS: This is my QBASIC code mimicking the TC PWM (pulse width modulation) approach used in TCLogo.COM in 8086/88 machine code. Best, Thorsten

Well, bare metal BASIC, or GOSUBs OK? Let me guess: Applesoft BASIC? Best, Thorsten

Dear All, still making headlines all across the country, LEGO’s Technic Control set #9771 (ISA card for IBM XT along with a 20 ribbon cable, from 1986) is at it again – this time at the famous dance club “The Rose” … no – wait ... (Who you gonna call?) Executive summary: Added external computer control for accessing LEGO Technic Control Center II set #8485, without compromising its built-in keyboard functionality, button motor control and manual programming. Programs can be uploaded to LEGO Control Center II using BASIC or any other programming language on 8-bit (or the like) computers of the 1980’s (external program storage) – and on any emulator on modern machines with an interface providing 6(8) bit parallel output port. Only vintage hardware is used (1980’s), fully compatible with LEGO’s DACTA Technic Control 4.5V robotics line from 1986 (PC ISA card #9771 or equivalents) Figure 1: LEGO Control Center II (left) and LEGO Train Speed Regulator (right), the latter only used as enclosure for my little hardware addition, see below After that stupid intro, allow me to start over: One of my favorite LEGO Technic sets is Technic Control Center II, #8485, from 1995. The dinosaur simply blew my mind – it is both a brilliant Technic set as well as a wonderful display model. I took it apart about 10 years ago, as most of the flex cables had become brittle and simply snapped where they were exposed to light over the years. Around 1999, I hauled the box from Germany to the US (as my XMas "present"), where we lived for some years; Southern California’s sun was apparently too tough for the flex cables, I guess. Yes, you can replace these, but I did not know then. The actual Control Center II controller (I call it LCC II from now on, and believe this is part #2840c02?) itself is a follow-up of Control Center I, part #2840c01(?) – the only noticeable difference being an additional AC/DC plug for the former (yes, it says 9 – 12V AC, but - naturally - it works with up-to 15V DC without any harm; it lies in the nature of bridge rectifiers and classic voltage regulators). And the 9V electrical outputs are differently color coded; on LCC I it is blue-yellow-red, on LCC II it is red-yellow-yellow, from left to right. Manual programming of LEGO Control Center II (as it comes out of the box) What I found out is maybe not entirely documented, at least I could not find such detailed information on the behavior of LCC II regarding its programming. So the following is probably very well known to many of you guys. I apologize for not referencing that information, just let me know, and I will edit this post accordingly! The LCC II keyboard consists of 12 keys: N, S, W, E, A, and B, corresponding to motor A forward (AF), motor A reverse (AR), motor B forward (BF), motor B reverse (BR), motor C forward (CF), motor C reverse (CR), in addition to the following combinations: NE (AF + BF), SE (AR + BF), SW (AR + BR), and NW (AF + BR). Then there are the keys STOP (ST), PAUSE (PA), PLAY, ON-OFF, PROGRAM 1/2, RECORD. Programming LCC II is done – what a surprise – using its buttons = keyboard. In programming mode, LCC II records individual button actions (or “events”). An LCC II event is represented by a change of any motor status (from off to on, and from on to off); tapping the PAUSE button (off-on-off); tapping the STOP button (off-on-off); Upon throwing an event, LCC II records the nature of the change as well as a corresponding timestamp. There is one exception: When all motors are off, and then one motor is turned on for some time, then turned off and after a delay turned on again, the delay timestamps are not recorded; the motor spins continuously for the added times without stopping inbetween. If one wants to record “all motors off” delays, the PAUSE function has to be used. The PAUSE function is operating in two different ways: Record a defined delay when all motors are off. This is done by tapping the PAUSE button once (timestamp recorded upon off-on change of PAUSE button, PAUSE LED turns on) and then tapping again, when the delay is over (PAUSE LED goes off). When you then don’t press any button for some (delay) time, this is not recorded; only another event, e.g., turning on a motor, will create another timestamp. Automatically record all timestamps for all events occurring, even when all motors are off. This function is invoked by a) tapping the PAUSE button anytime during programming, e.g., right at the beginning, as first event (in this case, the PAUSE LED turns on and stays on until any other event occurs), or b) when one or several motors are on. In this case the PAUSE LED remains off as long as any of the motors are on, but the PAUSE function is activated. When all motors are off, the PAUSE LED automatically comes on, and all timestamps are properly recorded. This function is turned off again by tapping the PAUSE button a second time during the programming cycle. (I prefer using the latter function, as all my “delays” during programming, regardless whether motors are on or off, are usually placed intentionally. But: It is up to you!) What bothered me back then (as it did recently, when I broke out my LCC II for the hundredths or so time – and desperately tried to figure out what the hell to do with it – with no dino around anymore …), was that the LCC II is a “closed” system. Which is exactly what TLG designed it to be: A beautiful, programmable, “self-contained” controller box for three 9V motors. No computer required, two programs can be stored - with a total of 51 programming steps/events (41 max. in one program slot). That is perfectly fine (!) - but not with me. About three weeks ago, I began seriously searching the web for a circuit diagram for LCC II – to no avail. I did find a thread in the (German) “microcontroller.net” forum (https://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/461564), which deals with an - unfortunately unsuccessful - attempt to fix a broken LCC I, with a focus on the microcontroller. This controller is apparently of the type “mask programmable Motorola 680X microcontroller”. Whatever that line is, I did not find out. In that thread, user “hinz” posted a pinout of this chip, which was very helpful for my interrogation of the PCB of my LCC II, but I still had no diagram ... Without any diagram available - I had to make one, simple as that (I bet there is such a diagram out there; I am an expert in reinventing the wheel). Or better: a diagram of the “keyboard” layout. Which means: Grabbed my multimeter, put it on beep-beep mode and traced the tiny tracks. Figure 2: The PCB of LEGO Control Center II; my button numbers (blue sharpie marks) are entirely arbitrary, and just for me. Note the rotten 9V cables ... And now what? Da plan: Solder wires in parallel to programming relevant keys, route them to the outside world and use external, computer controlled switches to program/control LCC II. The LCC II buttons are of the usual “conducting rubber mat” type used anywhere in el-cheapo world: There are two separated but close sections of blobs of conducting material (the black surfaces in Figure 2) for each key on the PCB, which are “closed” by the conducting material applied to the rubber mat representing a button. Now, what if I can solder tiny wires to each of the two button contacts on the PCB, route them to the outside world and close them with relays or the like? Well relays are not exactly 1980’s, they are more 1900’s – but analog CMOS switches, like CD4066 are! Sounded good to me, but when I looked at these tiny “feet” of the MC680X microcontroller, I almost gave up. On that scale, my 0.5 mm soldering iron tip looked like a device for roof repair, rather than for soldering wires to an SMD type microcontroller: But wait: There is more (there always is): It appears as if each of the LCC II buttons has at least two tiny “test points”, sort of arbitrarily distributed on the PCB’s traces, each represented by a tiny blob of solder. And BINGO! Each “button test point” is traceable to the micro controller’s little feet, and even better, each trace goes to an I/O port, should the pinout of the above referenced MC680X be correct, which I do believe. I copied that pinout into the picture below: Figure 3: Traced lines from buttons to microcontroller That looked pretty confusing, so I tried the usual stuff, when it comes to multiple button operation: The button contacts are often arranged in “rows and columns” and the microcontroller simply parses these: Raise a column/row to one logic level and see, which row/column responds with the same logic level = key identified. Go on with the next column/row and so on. I arbitrarily assigned the first 5 shared contacts on the MC680X to “columns”, and the 3 other shared contacts to “rows”. This results in the following key matrix: Figure 4: Traced lines rearranged to columns (C) and rows (R). The numbers correspond to the pin numbers of the microcontroller as shown in Figure 3. Next step: soldering (tiny) wires to the corresponding (tiny) test points and route them to the outside world. Figure 5: Wires soldered to corresponding button test points. And yes, hot glue is not my thing, but the wires needed to be fixed in place - somehow. Note that the original 9V output wires TLG used, which were also rotting away of course in a closed case, are replaced; compare to Figure 2. Figure 6: C3PO tapping into the keyboard of LCC II - the 8 ribbon cable connects to the little interface discussed below. White dot = pin 1. With that, the hard work was done. Now on to making external switches. As mentioned, I tried CD4066 (4 x CMOS analog switches), but that totally failed: It worked for some time, then motors attached to the LCC II outputs began to turn erratically, and then they worked again. I have fought with these ICs for decades now, just to fail again ... CMOS seems to be above my head, lower league TTL is my league. That left me with mechanical relays … and … good old 1980’s opto couplers! These have a “direction”, though, as the internal “switches” are transistors. Well, column/row testing has that direction as well, either H or L is to be sniffed. With my arbitrarily assigned columns/rows it worked, when columns are tied to the collector of the opto coupler transistor, and rows to the emitter (but not the other way around). This resulted in the following schematic: Figure 7: Circuit diagram of the #9771 to LEGO Control Center II interface. ILQ74 (quadruple optocoupler IC) can be replaced by any single or double optocouplers such as ILD74 or whatever you have at hand. Applying 5V to the photo diodes of the corresponding opto coupler via a 1kOhm resistor closes the LCC II button, and leads to the expected response. Next challenge: There are now 6 "remote" buttons available for motor control: AF, AR, BF, BR, CF, CR. Outputs A and B (the two yellow 9V terminals) are either forward or reverse; both cannot be (mechanically) turned on. Regarding output C (the red 9V terminal) it is different: When button A is pressed and held and then in addition button B and then both are released, motor C remains “on forever” (forward) – until button A or B is pressed again. The same holds true the other way around: Press and hold button B, then in addition A, release both and motor C is “on forever” (reverse). I initially thought that this feature should be kept functional with external control. Well, not required; a computer holds any line up, as long as you want ... Outputs A and B don’t have that feature, which enables two more key actions: If both outputs are externally turned on (N + S or W + E), this case is decoded by a TTL chip, which in turn activates the switches “PAUSE” or “STOP”. So with only 6 “exclusive” button cases in manual control, 8 “program buttons” can be controlled. And that is sufficient to comfortably program LCC II, see below. Here is how it works: The external control interface is a #9771 card or equivalent circuit, providing 6 TTL outputs. Its 2 TTL inputs are tied to ground, so it does no flip out upon collecting electrical noise. Bits 4 and 5 are directly routed via 1kOhm resistors to the photodiodes of the opto couplers controlling buttons A and B of the LCC II (= motor C). When bit 4 or 5 is H, the photo transistor in the corresponding ILD 74 opto coupler becomes conductive (“switch closed = button pressed”). Bits 0 and 1, as well as 2 and 3 are routed to the A and B inputs of the two 2-to-4 decoders of 74LS139. Their outputs Qn are permanently activated since their inverted enable gates (“/FE”) are tied to ground. The inverted outputs Q1 and Q2 (H=off, L=on) are routed to the opto couplers mimicking the buttons N+S and W+E (motors A+B), respectively. When the inputs A and B of the decoders = H (that would be N+S or W+S=on, which is impossible using the big yellow button on LCC II), then the outputs Q3 are activated, which in turn are used to drive the opto couplers mimicking the buttons “PAUSE” and “STOP”. These are very useful when programming the LCC II, again, see below. This setup assures, that all LCC II buttons remain manually operable (if they are not “closed” externally), so when this little circuit is not powered, LCC II is entirely on its own and works as coming out of the box LCC II is electrically completely isolated from the outside world. The power for the little interface comes from #9771 or equivalent, as done in Technic Control world as well. The other buttons (ON/OFF, RECORD, PROGRAM 1/2, PLAY) could also be controlled by further opto couplers, but #9771 and equivalents only have 6 TTL outputs. I really want to use this original LEGO robotics approach from 1986 for LCC II control. Note that the ON/OFF switch is not part of the keyboard matrix, it connects directly to the reset input of the (speculated) MC680X chip. Computer controlled programming of LCC II How to upload a program stored on an computer into the LCC II? Well, connect that computer equipped with #9771 or equivalent to the little interface board (with a 20 ribbon cable), and connect the 8 opto coupler outputs to the “extended” keyboard matrix of LCC II. Turn everything on. The PROGRAM 1 LED of LCC II blinks, indicating “ready for programming” – provided there is no program already stored in that slot. If you want slot 2 for programming, press PROGRAM 1/2 and PROGRAM 2 LED blinks, same as above. If you want to overwrite an existing program stored on LCC II, press and hold the RECORD button until the LED, which is steadily on begins to blink, indicating “recording”. And then run a program on the computer (e.g., written in BASIC) that emits the corresponding “button states” to #9771 and then into the little interface. The last command should be STOP. You can use precisely adjusted PAUSEs, as this key is also remotely controlled, see above. Here is an example written in QBASIC, that builds on my QBASIC code for operating #9750 - and now also #8485! And yes, the sub routines (e.g., LLC.OUT "XY") are somewhat elaborate ... LCC.PAUSEF.ON 'turn on PAUSE function - all program delays 'are recorded/timestamped LCC.OUT "AF" 'A on forward, button A pressed and held down, 'timestamped Delay 1 '1 sec delay LCC.OUT "BF" 'B on forward (A remains on), timestamp recorded Delay 1 ' LCC.OUT "CF" 'C on forward (A+B remain on), timestamp recorded Delay 1 ' LCC.OUT "ASBSCS" 'all outputs off, timestamp recorded Delay 2 'with LCC.PAUSEF.ON, this 2 sec delay is 'recorded (equivalent to no buttons pressed) 'PAUSE LED is on LCC.PAUSEF.OFF 'from now on, delays to be recorded must 'use LCC.PAUSE, as all motors are off. This is 'exactly the same in manual control LCC.OUT "AR" 'A on reverse, stimestamped Delay 1 ' LCC.OUT "AS" 'A off, timestamped LCC.PAUSE 2 'PAUSE is recorded, although all motors are 'off LCC.OUT "BF" 'B on forward Delay 1 ' LCC.STOP 'end program download; this also stops all 'motors without recording the motor stop 'event Example of a "user program" that runs within my 9750/8485 QBASIC control program. "User program" is just a fancy phrase for a subroutine containing subroutines ^^. Note that the dots are in no way any modern object stuff - QBASIC just does not accept underscores or the like ... but dots ... in a subroutine or variable name. XYZ_NM does not work, but XYZ.NM does. Calling a subroutine in QBASIC is also a bit weird: You need to use "CALL XYZ", when sub XYZ has its arguments placed in brackets: CALL XYZ(PARAM), but you can omit CALL when deleting the brackets: XYZ PARAM. I am happy to share any further QBASIC (or whatever BASIC dialect you speak) programs I come up with. Just give me a note. Note, that when AC/DC power is removed (= hells bells ringing) from LCC II with no batteries inserted, programs 1/2 are immediately lost. Well, from now on, this is no problem at all, as you can upload these programs from any suitable computer Lastly, I needed to make a case for the little interface board, as usual, that somehow “blends in” with the appearance of LCC II. But all these slopes and angles … so difficult. But wait: There is more, there always is: There is #4548, the “9V train speed regulator” (which does not regulate train speed, but the voltage supplied to the tracks ^^). The outer shape of the enclosures of LCC II and #4548 perfectly match, as if they were designed to marry. I happen to have a couple of the latter, so one got an “upgrade” - there is ample of space inside! Well sort of, my clumsy perfboard layout needs a lot of space as well, it really should have been much smaller. So, the rather big 2000 uF capacitor had to be relocated (these bastards hot-glued it to the PCB, for whatever reason, dang-it!), and about 3 mm of aluminum had to be removed from the heat sink; should not cause any problems, as I will run only one 9V Technic motor from that regulator. It now features two new ports: One for the 20 ribbon cable from #9771 and one 8 line port connecting to LCC II. And yes, on both LCC II and #4548 the 9V cables had to be replaced ... but this procedure is so well documented by Brian, it worked very well.@BatteryPoweredBricks Figure 8: Lots of space! The 9V train speed regulator enclosure ... This is the backyard: Figure 9: Left: #9771 equivalent (Arduino Nano USB to 8 bit parallel converter; center: #4548 as enclosure for my little interface, it does not pay any rent for using #4548's electronics; right: new LCC II port for accessing the buttons used for downloading programs. Is this monster enclosure approach reasonable? No, not at all, not for such a tiny board, but it looks good … to me. If the board was made on an actual PCB and the chippies were not socketed, it would easily fit directly into LCC II. But: It would look far less impressive … after all, I have something, I can brag about … All the best, Thorsten

Hi there, welcome to Eurobricks! Now I guess a couple of teaser photos of what you have would make it much easier to decide; as you don't want to sell, I believe this forum is OK. Should you want to post pictures: EB does not host these; put them on a picture hosting site (or any cloud at your disposal) and copy the links into your post. When you are using sites such as BrickSafe (and many others), the c/p'ed link will automatically show the picture when composing your post. All the best, Thorsten