Happy Birthday To the One Brick at a Time Blog

This blog is officially one year and two days old! Thank you everyone for visiting.

 

If you would like to see the status of the first year, I will give you the status of the audience and the most popular posts below.

Audience: 

We had people from over 20 countries, but the stats will only give me the first ten that have visited the blog the most. 

Place            Country                   Pageviews 

1st                United States             1,741

2nd               Russia                       87

3rd               Germany                   43

4th                Malaysia                   31

5th                Canada                     27

6th                United Kingdom        24

7th                France                      16

Tie for 7th     India                         16

8th                Austrailia                  13

Tie for 8th     Lebanon                   13          

                                         Total    2,132

There was a variety of browsers, but I will only give you the top 4 mainly because the others are very low in percentage. 

Place            Browser                    %

1st               Google Chrome         44

2nd              Mozilla Firefox          33

3rd              Internet Explorer        12

4th              Safari                         5

5th              Other                         6

We also had a variety of devices that went to One Brick at a Time. I will give you the top 4 mainly because the others are very low in percentage.

Place           Device                              %

1st              Microsoft Windows           90

2nd             Macintosh                         3

3rd              iPad                                 2

4th              Linux                                1

5th              Other                               4

Now for the most popular posts:

Place               Title of Post                                        

1st                  Hanging Gardens of Babylon

2nd                Public Transport Station Tram Modification Version 2

3rd                 LEGO Tiananmen Square 1989

4th                 Posting Postponed for a day               <---------------------Who actually reads that?

5th                 Half of an A-Frame house

6th                Mindstorms NXT Turret

7th                Party House

8th                LEGO Public Transport Station Tram Modification 

9th               Camper Trailer and Modification

10th             9/11 Memorial Fountain

Thank you all for coming. Let a new year of LEGO creations come about. Thank you again, and stay tuned for more from the One Brick at a Time blog. 

Public Transport Station Tram Modification Version 2

Here is a better way to motorize the tram from LEGO Set #8404 Public Transport Station.

This mod doesn't require you to change the shape of the tram, or extend anything; however, if you are using Battery Box #8881 (The one with the holes to fit in LEGO Technic snaps), then removal of the roof, or extending the top will be necessary.

You can see the shape of the tram is the same; except for the right side of the tram. The battery box is too tall, so I used parts of the roof to dress the top as best as I can. If you use Battery Boxes 8878 or 88000 (Basically the ones that fit in LEGO bricks.), then the roof can be kept on. I don't have those battery boxes; therefore, I cannot keep the roof.

Here you can see the modification I made using the Technic beams, axles, gears, and a universal joint. The rubber wheels give the tram traction when going along the track. I added rubber bands on the wheels to make them thicker

Here are the ball joints and the universal joints between the two cars. Behind the 24 tooth gear is a small LEGO motor. The motion from the motor is transferred through the gears, through the universal joint, and through the last couple of gears, which turn the wheels. 

The LEGO Technic battery box is too tall to fit inside. I used parts of the original roof to keep the same style. 

Overall, this mod isn't difficult. To take it a step further, you can integrate the Power Functions IR Receiver (8884), the IR Speed Remote Control (8879), and the Light Set (8870). I'll make another post on motorizing the tram with remote controls if I can get my hands on them. Out of all the modifications of motorizing the tram I've seen on YouTube, they all required the pre-made train motor (8866 or 88002), which required them to extend the tram to accommodate the motor.

Here is a couple videos of the tram going up a 12.8 degree slope:

This video is sideways. Please turn turn your head clockwise 90 degrees for the best viewing angle.

Flying Bird Extras

If you haven't seen my original flying bird, go to the previous post and get caught up.

Using a tiny, lightweight camera, we attached it to the other end of the bird, and turned it on.

Warning: Video content may cause headaches and dizziness. Please refrain from this video if you cannot stand 18 seconds of repeated scenes.