LEGO Compass

This project is our answer to the challenge to design a reliable compass only with original LEGO parts except for paper, glue and threads.

Here the result of our investigation:

We use the LEGO magnet from the MARS EXPLORATION set and suspend it in a brick-structure by thin threads. We added a three-color shaft-encoder. The order of the colors makes a distinction between positive and negative rotation.

The encoder

We have placed the compass upon the turnable base which we had previously equipped with the LEGO rotation sensor for experimantal control. For this base have a look at our gyro-pages.

The first tests were made with ROBOLAB. You should have a look at the files there to understand well what's happening.

Here the photo of our experimental design. A micro-motor provides the continuous rotation.

Click to see the video.

We chose a simpler encoder for the LEGO_C_Rover. The compass has been mounted far away from the motors to avoid influences from the motors' magnetic fields. For better weight equilibrium, the RCX has been fixed in a horizontal position.

The RCX is driven by a simple Robolab-program:

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