I need something like K'NEX but better

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Jason
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I need something like K'NEX but better

Post by Jason » Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:10 am

I'm looking for something kind of like K'NEX but with servomotors, potentiometers, and stuff. Like a small scale robotics parts box. I used to have one as a kid, it was mostly stamped steel I think. An array of different sensors and stuff would be awesome too. Does anyone here know of a good place to order things like that? I'm looking for something expandable (so you're not stuck building a roomba or something) and inexpensive.

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Re: I need something like K'NEX but better

Post by Azathoth » Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:18 am

Legotechnicholding together all the bits you need seems to be popular

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Re: I need something like K'NEX but better

Post by Jason » Sun Nov 24, 2013 12:37 am

Does the helicopter there actually fly? 0_o It would be awesome to slip a microcontroller in there with a full sensor suite and have my own 'ai' drone.

I remember what it was [absent minded]: Meccano. I found a couple shops in the UK that sell bulk parts. I'm planning on having some fun with my Arduino Yun while I'm learning my way around it and Meccano is perfect for prototyping custom projects.

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Re: I need something like K'NEX but better

Post by JimC » Sun Nov 24, 2013 3:30 am

Făkünamę wrote:Does the helicopter there actually fly? 0_o It would be awesome to slip a microcontroller in there with a full sensor suite and have my own 'ai' drone.

I remember what it was [absent minded]: Meccano. I found a couple shops in the UK that sell bulk parts. I'm planning on having some fun with my Arduino Yun while I'm learning my way around it and Meccano is perfect for prototyping custom projects.
I used to love building things with Meccano when I was a lad. They had these great clockwork motors, quite powerful they were...

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Re: I need something like K'NEX but better

Post by pErvinalia » Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:05 am

A mate of mine is into a meccano in a big way. He gets a lot of it off ebay now second hand.

What's a K'NEX, by the way?
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Re: I need something like K'NEX but better

Post by Jason » Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:10 am

It's a plastic version, but pretty limited in what you can do with it. Not great for hobbyists.

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Re: I need something like K'NEX but better

Post by JimC » Sun Nov 24, 2013 4:32 am

Făkünamę wrote:It's a plastic version, but pretty limited in what you can do with it. Not great for hobbyists.
It's good to teach construction skills to kids, but not particularly strong.
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Re: I need something like K'NEX but better

Post by Pappa » Sun Nov 24, 2013 7:56 am

Lego Mindstorms is pretty decent, though quite expensive. You can get a bunch of different sensors and the parts are compatible with some of Lego's other ranges. A few years ago we built a "tank" that included a self-reloading cannon by combining some Bionicle parts with the standard Mindstorms stuff.

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