Hydroelectric dams are usually major infrastructure projects that costs tens of millions of dollars to construct. But they don’t have to be — you can build your own at home, using LEGO, as [Build it with Bricks] demonstrates!
The build is set up in an aquarium with a pump, which serves to simulate flow through a river system. The LEGO dam is installed in the middle of the aquarium, blocking the flow. It has a sluice gate in the lower section to feed water to a turbine for power generation. The gate is moved via a rack and pinion. It’s driven by a LEGO motor on a long shaft to keep it a safe distance from the wet stuff. The dam also gets a spillway to allow for overflow to be handled elegantly. Meanwhile, a second motor acts as a generator, fitted with a fairly basic turbine.
Hilariously, the first build fails spectacularly as the hydrostatic pressure of the water destroys the LEGO wall. A wider base and some reinforcements help solve the problem. There’s a better turbine, too. It’s all pretty leaky, but LEGO was never designed to be water tight. As you might imagine, it doesn’t generate a lot of power, but it’s enough to just barely light some LEDs.
It’s a fun way to learn about hydroelectric power, even if it’s not making major amounts of electricity. Video after the break.
That looks like quite a nice inspirational project for students in their STEM subjects. There’s a nice amount of practical engineering to get them interested and have fun doing it.
” but it’s enough to just barely light some LEDs.”
Awwww! I was hoping it would generate enough power to pump the water back up to the reservoir!
B^)
I do believe this against the laws of thermodynamics!
AKA getting more energy out of a system then you put in!
And since there will be losses even if you can break even that would not work very well.
Even I had the dream back in the day of using something like Springs or rubber bands to be able to essentially create perpetual motion before I understood mechanics and that this would not be possible.
Even if there were flywheel spinning in a complete vacuum and under ideal bearings eventually that flywheel would cease to rotate.
Also has anyone seen any of the Lego pneumatic quote unquote steam engines people have built driving a LEGO motor as a generator!
Seeing some pretty cool ones there is at least one I think maybe available as a third party cusstom. Kit ih I’m not mistaken.
It looks like a big industrial steam engine single cylinder differently large flywheel.
Have even seen one complete with the Fly ball governor/ regulator and a mechanism to adjust the speed via pinching the pneumatic tubing to adjust air flow pretty clever.
Myself had an idea to build a Lego vehicle almost entirely don’t worry about Lego pneumatics essentially just supplying air under pressure via remote air source.
Utilizing Lego motors as generators and if feasible to operate power function remotes and essentially using other Motors to control valves don’t know if this would actually work well but with the components available including the Lego capacitors from the Lego education system sets one might be able to get enough steady power to do this but even if it’s not feasible possibly just do a pneumatically operated remote essentially just being able to use this as sort of a way to trigger valves and adjust things and steering.
He goes further being able to operate a Pneumatic arm or otherwise from remote and even being able to control the speed from idle and more and using a Lego pneumatic engine to drive the entire vehicle.
If cannot get enough power from the multiple Quorum quote generators being also driven by cylinders perhaps just having controls only operated by a single battery box.
Also was planning to use power functions lights to do headlights and such power from another one of the Lego generators.
I’ve seen the working design that uses a single small pneumatic cylinder to generate enough power to lightening power functions lights I believe it was two sets but it might have just been one.
Worked pretty well but I would have added two of the 9 volt capacitors in series for better performance.
And yes serious connection is possible and the 9 volt system with proper parts and Arrangements of the cables. Gets awkward and pricey but it can be done readily and well gets kind of bulky for smaller models unfortunately.
I expect it cost a few hundred dollars, considering how pricey LEGOs are.
The plural of Lego is, Lego.
Muphry’s Law
LEGO is always capitalized.
Sure, if you are the Lego company. It’s still an uncountable noun.
From a adult Lego enthusiast can concur Lego is both the singular and the plural .
one in the same.
However there’s so many people in the world.
that think there is an s on the end of the plural it’s pretty much to the Unknowing person often going to be said this way with the s on the end when referred to more than one piece as in plural
there’s always going to be that situation but to the people close to the one enough to be seeing a persons Hobby lego creations.
in terms of this or other fellow Lego enthusiasts.
Among those yes it’s worth mentioning about the plural versus singular.
it’s so common we referred to with the s on the end it’s basically an endless cycle of trying to get it otherwise…
to people that are unaware of this fact so yeah it’s perpetual trying to get this the way it should be alas that is an endless job of trying to do it in my opinion
Something else I want to mention along the lines of the Lego and hydrodynamics!
First of all it’s actually possible now to it probably done to do water tight construction and or nearly watertight if done properly in proper reinforcing of course there’s limits to this but it’s feasible to do some of this now unlike years ago things would leak like a kitchen colander!
And surprisingly you can actually build some pretty impressively powerful in terms of the amount of water pumped actual working water pumps including centrifugal pumps and others of various types if you need. I’ll flow but higher pressure parasoltica tubing pumps is your friend.
This is a lot more feasible to sounds even with Lego even believe it or not.
Well the things I have plans for one of these days once I get enough to be able to do it would be to do a scene where there is a water wheel and say a mountain stream with actual running water all circulated entirely by a 100% Lego pumping system.
And also yes even piston pumps are possible and actually effective if done right.
So the designs out there for different types of pumps actually pump quite a bit of water he’d be surprised at just a flow rate she can get if you do enough stages in parallel.
Yeah sure you might need RC race buggy Motors in some cases and or crane Motors connected by a belt drive.
Even being able to do something as a wow factor of having say a fountain outside a Lego structure actually working this is actually feasible.
In some manner is actually possible to have some actual working Plumbing 100% Lego.
And could be used for some pretty dramatic effects say for example.
The Plumber’s nightmare bathroom as I have plans to do.
Basically every single fixture overflowing simultaneously.
Just think of the comedic effect with and the minifigure with that a shocked or whatever Lego minifigure print head you would desire to have in this case and of course you’ve got to have the Lego plunger in at least one fixture.
And if the parts are new you can get a pretty tight seal enough to be mostly water tight if not completely using numerics tubing and combination of certain parts you got something with work very well for this however probably a good idea to have some type of reservoir or backup protection just in case that there’s a bit leakage always a chance.
Oh and yeah already working on a demonstration model that to someone’s surprise when the faucet panel is turned after a bit of delay surprise running water.
And of course the bathroom model would include working light bar the Chrome plated brakes for the mirror simulated exhaust fan Grill with lighting and even the red lighting for simulation of the heat lamp.
And of course all three controlled using the polarity switches with a unfortunately slightly out of scale wall switches.
Already have done a model with working ceiling fan with light kit courtesy of Lego fiber Optics with the light controlled separately within running ceiling fan that was quite a feat but very feasible!
Don’t underestimate what can be done basically as they thoughts anything can be built nowadays from Lego.
Currently working on something much more complex than yet working like a phonograph that is actually able to play a vinyl recording would be very similar to victrola but a horn in a horn within a horn and currently working on getting the reproducer working.
Still in Prototype stage but looking promising and eventually yes actually being able to hear the record being played back and yes 3-speed turntable and spring wound utilizing either the wind up Motors of one type or another or many many rubber bands and everything running in the way that there’s one winds down another one takes over multiple stages in parallel running the thing.
Needless to say this would be something that we left together possibly even integrated into a Lego housing