The History of Lego Technic 1977-1987 Part 1

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     Before we start, I would like to say that I will be breaking down the history into chunks, all links can be found at the bottom of this page when all posts are wrote, 38 years of history over four posts. Lego Technic spurred from Lego in 1977 under the name, Expert Builder, or Technical Sets, in 1982 and 1986 the line was renamed Technic. According to Brickset.com, there are currently 273 sets, not counting supplementary sets, and accessory packs. That number is forever changing as every year Lego releases a new batch of Technic sets. The sets are designed 2-3 years in advance to being released, so a set that was released in 2015 got its concept in 2012-2013. In 1977, Lego released what were called "Technical Sets" in Europe; this new line of Lego's was aimed for older children in their teenage years. In 1978 "Expert builder" sets were released in the U.S, both lines are the same sets just under different names; both launches consisted of four models and two supplementary sets. In Fig 1. We see the original Technic elements, some bricks with holes for axles and pins; at the bottom middle, we see a 40-tooth gear, a 24-tooth gear and a 24-tooth crown gear. The crown gear was later replaced by bevel gears, which didn't come along until 1995. In 1979 Lego released its first motorcycle along with its first bulldozer and 6 more supplementary sets, set 951 (Fig 2.) which featured lifting and tipping of a bucket, treads running on 40 tooth gears. The 12-volt motor was also introduced in 1979, it used the same transformer as the 12-volt train motors. In 1980 the 8858, and 8860, were released, both sets were designed to allow the builder to build different designs of their choice. The 8888 expert builder book was also released in 1980. In 1981 five sets and one accessory set were released; 8710, accessory set, 8844, 8845, 8846, 8848, 8859. 1982, the technic year, Lego changed the name of these sets from Expert Builders and Technical sets to Technic in continental Europe, the name was not changed in the USA until 1986, even with the long time between the two continents name change,  The name Technic has held firm ever since. 1982 also saw the introduction of a 4.5 volt motor set, the Friction connector was also introduced, also known as a pin, it became one of the most valued pieces in all of the technic line, its main purpose is to clamp attach two pieces together, by the lip on each end of the pin latching on to the outside edge of a beam or brick. Only four sets were released from the technic line in 1982, those sets were 8030, 8050, 8090, and 8700. In 1983 only three sets were released, the 1924 motorcycle which was designed as a promotional product, the 8841 desert racer, and the 8847 dragster made 1983 a small year. 1984 made up for the drop in 1983 by introducing pneumatics (Fig 3.). This was the first line of pneumatics to be used in technic. to properly set up a proper with these pneumatics one needed to connect a pump to a distribution block, now the air compressor is of course able to create compression but

Fig 3.

somehow the distribution block also creates vacuum pressure; both pressure and vacuum are transferred to a valve to choose between the two. The vacuum or pressure is then routed through the bottom port of the valve and into the only port on the cylinder. The only downside to this pneumatic setup was the cylinders could move a better amount of weight when using pressure instead of vacuum. The only two sets released in 1984 were 8851, 8843 and another idea book for pneumatics. 1985 was a very small year of the technic line as attention was focused elsewhere in the Lego group, the only set to be released was the 1972 Go-Kart. In 1986, Lego released eight set in total, two of which were supplementary packs. the sets of 1986 took on an arctic appeal, 8620, 8640, 8660, 8680, 8842, 8849, 1986 is also when we saw the premiere of technic figures, bigger than a mini figure.1987 was another small year for technic, as only one set was released the 8852 robot, as the transformer movie was released not to long before this set was released Lego tried to catch a part of the hype by creating their own transformer, there was also another idea book released in 1987. as long as this may seem it only covers a 4th of Lego’s long running history, more updates to the history of technic will come soon, until that time, remember if you can dream it you can build it.

Lego CVT. Continuously Variable Trasmission.

Fig 1a.

Fig 1b.

     What do you build for the person that has everything? Why a Lego CVT (continuously variable transmission) of course. This creation was originally built by Nico71, based on an idea from Zblj's work of a transmission that can constantly change between gears, thus he created a CVT. Nico expanded on the idea by adding the Tach's for motor and output speed. Fig 1a shows the rear side of the machine where all the magic takes place, two 16-24 tooth differentials are the heart of this machine. Underneath the differentials are two 24-tooth gears maintaining a ratio of 1:1.

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     On top of the 2 differentials is an 8 tooth gear meshing with a 40 tooth gear, creating a ratio of 1:5, a pin is in place next to the 8 tooth gear with a 8 tooth gear on that pin, that prevents the top gears from turning until resistance is applied, the video clearly illustrates that at 3:00. Fig 2. shows the two tach's, created using momentum that throws the arms, which picks up the 8L axle with stop, which is connected to a  7L rack, as the arms sling out the rack is picked up, which is connected to a 12 tooth double bevel gear which turns the tach. In Fig 3. is the gearing on top of the structure for the Tach's, the motor tach and output tach are both geared up 1:1.67, which turns the L motors 270 rpms into 445 rpms on both tach’s. The video goes over some parts I might have missed here. This is the link to Nico's blog where you can find the pictures on how to build this machine. That’s all for now, remember if you can dream it, you can build it.

Erm..... its a teaser for today.

 Nico71 has already built one, it’s better than an automatic transmission, it’s better than a manual transmission, but less complicated. Two differentials are the heart of this machine, but in the end, what is it? What does it do? Well those are questions that will not be answered until Friday, let your minds wander, and remember if you can dream it, you can build it.

Lego Technic Racing Wheel And Phone Holder

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Fig 1.

  How do you prop your phone up on your desk to watch videos, surf the web, or even playing games? Why with a technic phone holder and racing wheel of course (Fig 3).

In (Fig 4) you are able to see the 1:1 ratio between the steering wheel and the axle that leads to the turntable.

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Fig 4.

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 In (Fig 1) you are able to see the axle that leads from the steering wheel over to the 60 Tooth Turntable, a 12 Tooth double bevel gear turns the turntable, creating a gear reduction of 5:1. Referring back to Fig 3, it would take 5 turns of the small steering to make one total turn of the phone carriage. The carriage is specifically designed for the Droid Turbo 2, the phone fits snug in the carriage and can even be turned upside down without the phone falling out.

Lego Technic 42008 Pneumatic Modifcations

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Anyone familiar with recent technic sets will recognize 42008 almost instantly; its green body is one of the most recognizable sets in the long line of technics. The 42008 featured power functions, and pneumatics, the only pneumatics in the truck were 2 1x5 cylinders and they were small and didn’t provide and power. The power functions in 42008 never seemed to do the \

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set justice, I was itching to build it again as I loved the set, it packed plenty of functions into a body that is beautifully sculpted with panels and liftarms. I purchased an extra set of all pneumatic cylinders in set 42043 to be able to play around with, as I was building 42008 I started looking at it and said I can use the new cylinders to make a pneumatic 42008. In Fig 1. We see the air tank that holds all compressed air in the truck. There is also an onboard compressor on the truck along with a hand pump (Fig 6). Both are connected by a T-piece visible in Fig 5, while looking at Fig 5 I would like to go over the different color valve handles. The Brown handle is the master valve, pushed to the right it dumps all air from the entire system, pushed to the left it supplies the system with air, 

Fig 9.

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Fig 11.

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 System with air, the red handle, pushed to the right lowers the whole boom, pushed to the left it raises the boom (Fig 9). The black handle pushed to the right raises the tow dolly, when pushed to the left it lowers it (Fig 4). The white handle when pushed to the right retracts the arm extension, when pushed to the left it extends the arm extension (Fig 8). The yellow handle when pushed to the right retracts the rear stabilizers, when pushed to the left the stabilizers are extended (Fig 3). Figures 2,7,10,12 are skeleton pictures of the truck, showing all the hoses and cylinders, Fig 10 showcases all the functions with out the side panels on the trucks. Fig 11. Is the last picture to be discussed, it shows all the functions of the truck, but paneled over, without the panels the truck feels very empty. Below is a link to my review of 42008 without pneumatics.

     Review of Technic set 42008

More Technic 2016 1H sets leaked

Technic 2016 2H sets can be found here.
The images below are more leaked pictures of Lego Technic 2016 1H sets (click on one to enlarge it). Set 42050 (fig 3 top) appears to be a dragster, which appears to use tumbler-tires (which appeared in set 76023). It also has a load of light blue panels and pieces, which will make MOC building better and worse.

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Better for the builder and worse for the person trying to collect the parts to build it. The V8 engine also seems to be more detailed than seen in previous years. The next set is 42051 (fig 3 bottom), an airport rescue truck. the arm is fold-able, by use of a worm gear turning, most likely a 24 tooth gear, and the gear is the pivot point of the arm, is you look closely above the name airport rescue, a tan 20 tooth double bevel gear can be spotted, either for arm folding or HOG (hand of god) steering. The red is a welcome color to me, even though most of it is panels. Two red flexible axles are used to shape the cab; nothing else can really be noticed in 42051 except the odd use of balloon tires, instead of typical road tires. In fig 2, we see the latest helicopter that created quite a buzz, due to its coaxial rotors, in the picture we can also see that it is power functions equipped, or ready for power functions. doing a quick stud count using panels, this set will be the biggest of the 1H sets for 2016, if you zoom in on fig 2, just above the IM in image there looks to be a red changeover catch, indicating a gearbox in the helicopter for functions such as; rotors, landing gear, opening cargo bay door, and winch. In addition to, if you look at the base of the rotors there is one small turntable to hold both rotors to the helicopter. In fig 4, we see the 42044 jet in the top left corner, it looks to be an ordinary jet, and nothing special can be seen when looking at the jet, just a bunch of panels covering a small shell.

Technic 2016 1H sets

fig 1. 42045

fig 4. 42048

fig 3. 42047



fig 5. 42049

fig 2. 42046

Every year LEGO releases a new line of sets, in two batches, 1H and 2H. 1H sets have always been released in January, while 2H sets have always been released in august. The five figures shown are the only sets that have been leaked by Lego. In (fig 1.) we can see the new hydroplane racer, with a body that looks to be manly comprised of panels, give it a sleek and flowing look. The only noticeable new item is the technic curved panel 1x13 in light blue, across the back of the racer. The hydroplane racer also sports a massive I4 (inline 4) engine. In (fig 2.) we see the 42046 getaway racer, featuring gold rims, and a pullback motor. No new molds or colors of molds can be seen on the 42046. I should note that since these pictures are first leaked images, the resolution is small, and the picture is not accurate of the final design, the final design has been known to change when released to stores. The next new set (fig 3.) is the police interceptor, built more like an off-road vehicle, for off road chases, lime accents, a bright white body, and a red and blue beacon on top of the car, give it a brilliant look that next to the getaway racer will stand out brilliantly against its black, and smoke gray colors. This set also has a pullback motor in it, up until now the two pullback sets for each year have had a duality of on road/off-road. This year one could say it is a cops and robbers showdown between the pullbacks. in (fig 4.) we see a race kart, or go kart, many have said that the red handle next to the seat might be a handbrake, but if we look on the other side of the seat, we can see part of a 1x9 technic link (fig 6. at bottom of page) which must be connected to the rear engine module. If you look carefully inside the module, next to the wheel, you can see a red clutch gear, Indicating a gearbox inside the rear of the go-kart, which is most likely used to change the engine speed. The only new item I can spot is the technic curved panel 1x13 in purple. The last picture shown (fig 5) is 42049, which is also called a mine loader, rides on 62.4 mm wheels, same wheels used in 42009, 42043, and other various sets. The mine loader has a low profile to allow it to work in the tight spaces of a coal/ diamond, anything mine. There is a grabber claw on the front of the loader, making it more of a handler, then loader. There are more sets to be released, (see list below, clicking on the set will take you to the Brickset page for it) but pictures are not available for those sets. It was hard to get my hands on these. Lego is not too happy when there pictures are leaked. There is also a theory that the pictures are intentionally leaked in order to create hype among the Lego community. 

• 42044 Display Team Jet
• 42050 Drag Racer
• 42052 Heavy Lift Helicopter
• 42053 Volvo EW 160E
• 42054 Claas Xerion 5000 Tractor



fig 6.

• 42055 Bucket Wheel Excavator

Lego Scmihdt coupling

What’s a Schmidt coupling you might ask, A Schmidt coupling is a type of coupling designed to accommodate large radial displacement between two shafts, in the video above, that is shown very clearly, by turning the first "rack", the three beams are rotated either clockwise, or counter clockwise, which turns the second "rack", which then repeats the same action with the beams again, and then the third "rack" closes the coupling and a shaft is connected to it. A Schmidt coupling can handle very high amounts of torque. There is no limit to how many "racks" you can have, or how long the beams can be, but the longer the beams, and more "racks" in the coupling, the more play in the system. Until next time, if you can dream it, you can build it.

LEGO 10 speed transmission, 5x2

A Lego 10 speed transmission, really??? Out of Legos?? Yep that’s right, the transmission is comprised of a 5 speed box followed by a 2 speed box, and the low gear in the 2 speed box is 3:1, while high gear is direct drive or 1:1. I am unaware of what the ratios in the 5 speed box are, as they weren’t listed on the moc's homepage, and I didn’t take the time to figure them out when I was building it. The CV joint and universal joint was placed between the two transmissions to overcome the slight offset of the axle in the 5 speed. When pinned together the output and input didn’t line up so the use of the CV joint was the easiest route to overcome that problem. Now why did I make this transmission you might ask, well I wanted to see if I could, and it turned out fabulous, the 5 speed transmission is a MOC I found on Rebrickable created by neo. 1st and 6th gear will crackle when too much resistance is applied to the output shaft, the crackle is the gears jumping teeth with the next gear it meshes with. The device built on top of the 2 box was built to apply resistance to the rubber wheel, with the use of a worm gear turning an 8 tooth which is directly connected to a 4x7 bent lift arm, thus applying resistance.

I plan to build a "car" around this transmission, putting either an I6 or V8 in front of the transmission, and a differential after the transmission. The car wont drive, but it will be a model to demonstrate ratios, and torque vs speed. Until next time, remember, if you can dream it, you can build it.

Wreckers, then and now.

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  In 1916 Ernest Holmes, invented the first wrecker out of necessity (fig 1), in 1916 Ernest received a call from an old professor, he had flipped his Model T Ford into a creek-bed on its roof, Ernest and 6 men, took 8 hours to pull the car from the creek. Ernest knew there had to be an easier way to do this job. A 1913 Cadillac was rebuilt to include a wrecker body on the back of it, Ernest tested it and realized the weight pulling on the rear of the truck would lift the front end up, Ernest added rear stabilizers and this time it worked like a charm. Wreckers have come a long way from the early days, in fig 2 is a 99' Peterbilt 379 flattop wrecker with a 350" wheelbase, which I will be MOCing, (my own creation) over the course of the next month or 2. I was inspired to build a wrecker as it is full of different functions, a lifting boom, rear stabilizers, extending boom, and a wheel lift built into the boom or chassis itself. I’ve roughed the chassis of my truck, and have already built the pneumatic pump, placed all 4 valves (lift, rear stabilizers, auxiliary air supply and wheel lift). In Fig 3, you can see the rough mockup of a boom I created in order to find the proper cylinder angle, if you look at fig 2, in the rear of the truck you can see the hydraulic cylinders that lift the boom, they sit at approximately a 50 degree angle in relation to the chassis. In my truck the cylinders are straight up and down, which leads to the wheel lift being too high when fully raised, although I don’t necessarily have to raise the boom all the way up. In fig 4, the rear drive set up is built very similar to the Mercedes Benz Arocs technic set 42043, two differentials, hung underneath 6 medium shock absorbers, with a driveshaft connected to a model engine, I don’t have the engine in place yet, I do plan on putting an I6 engine in the wrecker. In fig 5 you see the 4 valves that will control all the pneumatic features on the truck, the red valve raises/ lowers the boom, the brown is to supply air to the auxiliary output in the back of the truck, visible in fig 4 as the black hose. the grey and black valve don't have a function plumbed to them yet. The last picture, fig 6, shows the onboard compressor, powered by an L-motor. There is also an air tank on this truck, to help the functions run more smoothly. That’s all for now, until next time when I plan on building a 10 speed transmission. remember, if you can dream it, you can build it.

fig 5

fig 6