Volume 51 Number 4 Tools of the Trade August 2013 // Volume 51 // Number 4 // Tools of the Trade // 4TOT5 In this article, we show a method for organizing the LEGO WeDo Robotics Set. The system is proving to greatly decrease the time needed for inventorying parts and storing and transporting LEGO sets, saving youth time in finding parts for the various builds and keeping the hair on leader's heads ☺. robotics, parts organization, LEGO WeDo, Junior FIRST LEGO League (Jr.FLL) The LEGO WeDo Robotics set is gaining popularity as an effective and fun means to engage youth in STEM Education (Habib, 2012a; As teachers and leaders begin using the robotics sets, they quickly realize that one drawback is maintaining the parts. A robotics workspace quickly gets cluttered, and parts commonly end up on the floor and lost. In this article we show a parts organization system that is proving to save time and help keep parts organized.Need a simpler and more efficient way to keep LEGO parts organized and inventoried.
Solution: Figure 1 below is a photo of an opened WeDo Kit. Adjacent to the WeDo Kit is the parts tray in which the WeDo parts are organized into separate compartments indicated on the parts organization card inside the tray. LEGO WeDo Kit and the Parts Tray How to Construct a LEGO WeDo Parts Organization Tray The following instructions are for one LEGO WeDo Robotics Set, Part #9580. Purchase Parts Tray and Extra Dividers. a.Parts Tray: 15"x14"x2" Translucent Art Bin Super Satchel Slim 8 Compartment Box 9101AB. The parts tray comes with 20 dividers. You will need 29 dividers. Order extra dividers at: Art Bin; 1-800-232-3474. The company is Flambeau. Be sure to order dividers for the Super Satchel, Model #9101AB. They have packs of 12 dividers. You need one pack. Obtain the WeDo Parts Key Card. Request the WeDo Parts Key Card file from tewers@uidaho.edu. Note: This file is a Microsoft Publisher document, and you will need Publisher to open, edit, and print the document.
Prepare the Parts Key Card. Open the WeDoPartsCard.pub file, and compare card to your WeDo Set inventory to confirm type and number of parts. Edit card to match your specific set. Print out template card on 11" x 17" size paper. You may have to go to a print shop to have them print on a larger paper. Trim the printout along the image borders. Final dimensions of the page should be 12.75" Wide by 11". Before laminating, label the back of the Parts Key Card with the kit number and the name of your organization. You may also add logos and contact information. If needed, print out a separate sheet and laminated back to back with the card.Again, you may have to go to a print shop for a laminator. Cut the excess laminate away so that the card fits inside the top of the tray. Do not cut the laminate too close to the paper, or it will break the seal of the laminate. Note: you may need to sand down the cut laminate border to reduce the sharp edge, which might cause cuts.
Do not attach the laminated card to the tray. When the set is open, the card may be placed under the tray to line up with the compartments, or it can be used to examine the available parts. It is used to identify where parts are to be placed. Label each kit and the parts card if you have more than one kit. If you also have more than one kit, you may wish to label each of the electronic parts (hub, motor, sensors) to specify in which kit each belongs. Place the tray dividers into the tray to match the parts card layout. Label the tray to match the card if you have more than one kit. A complete LEGO WeDo Set will fit into one tray. If you have more than one kit, you may want to purchase a file crate to hold and transport them. You may get crates at an office supply store. Figure 2 below shows the finished product with the LEGO WeDo set organized into the tray compartments. The tray is opened to show the parts and the laminated parts key card, which shows the locations for each part type with pictures and numbers of each part type.
Opened Parts Tray with WeDo Parts and Parts Organization Key Card Parts Tray and Extra Dividers: ~$15.00Printing and Laminating: ~$2.00Time to assemble: 1-2 hours This organization system is proving to save a tremendous amount of time to conduct inventory of the kits. Before each robotics session, youth are asked to inventory all parts in their kit by referring to the parts card. This enables them to find parts more quickly when building robots. Knowing that they are responsible for putting everything back at the end of the session encourages them to keep their workspaces tidy. The task of navigating the parts card, which is actually a form of "map reading," is an important skill for youth to master, and we have found that most youth need to practice this skill. Habib, M. A. (2012a). Starting a robotics program in your county. Journal of Extension [On-line], 50(2) Article 2IAW6. Habib, M. A. (2012b). Robotics competitions: An overview of FIRST events and VEX competitions.
Journal of Extension [On-line], 50(3) Article 3IAW3. Some rare Lego sets are now selling for literally thousands of pounds online, as enthusiasts snap up the popular toys. But it's not just rare pieces that are selling well, with standard sets now frequently worth more than when they were new and even old bags of unsorted bricks in demand. “With the soar in popularity of Lego with both adults and children, the effect on the values of both rare, hard to find sets and new releases has been incredible," said Bev Channell, event director for Lego event BRICK 2015, running at Birmingham's NEC this week. “It’s well worth searching through your old sets to see what treasures are hiding there.” The bigger, rarer sets tend to be worth the most - but with Lego frequently refreshing its range that means any old set that's large enough could be worth upwards of £1,000. Currently, these are the most valuable sets: Sadly, to get the best prices for your Lego, it needs to be “mint in box” - which means not opened since it was bought and still factory sealed.
The good news for people who want to play with their toys is that you can still get good returns for assembled models – as long as there are no pieces missing. The easiest Lego sets to sell are Star Wars themed, with Millennium Falcons, Death Stars and X-Wings all selling well – and some prices in the thousands. But there's much more than just Star Wars selling. A look at the best-selling kits on BrickPicker shows trains, play houses, dinosaurs, Harry Potter sets, Back to the Future Deloreans and Pirate sets all featuring. Most of the sales take place on eBay, with BrickPicker providing lists of the top selling and biggest rising prices – as well as a tool letting you compare the price of sets. You can also search on eBay for sold prices of similar sets. If you've got a box of Lego, rather than a specific set, you can bulk-sell as well – although prices for these are a lot lower. That said, if you have the time and can split the box out by category (be it Star Wars, pirates, Medieval, Technic or whatever) these smaller – more specific - bundles will frequently sell for more than a job-lot of unsorted bricks.
To get the most value, you need to be selling pristine-condition Lego toys. “As with any sort of collectible, the safe storage of the collectible is very important,” Ed Mack explains in a piece on How to make money from Lego . “Although the actual Lego brick is pretty much indestructible under normal conditions, the Lego boxes and instructions need special care.” That means quite a lot of space to store them all if you're trying to make money from them, and possibly adding the cost to your insurance. Then there are the seller fees on eBay. And the shipping costs – remember, Lego is bulky and could cost quite a bit to ship. And if you're selling to a collector, they'll expect it to arrive in good condition, so packing costs go up again. Oh, and don't count your profits before you sell – the price of a set can drop fast if Lego re-introduces it while prices can rise as well as fall in line with demand too. Is Lego better than gold? 500+ VOTES SO FAR The market for old toys on eBay is much bigger than just Lego.