Folks,

There will not be an Austin TexLUG meeting this coming
Sunday.  I'll be at BrickFest in DC this weekend, and
I'm still arranging new reservations for the room at the
library.

Plan on our next meeting for Sunday, September 11, 2005.
(I will email y'all about any changes.)

In September, we can start planning in earnest for the
October all-TexLUG meeting at National Instruments.

I'll also be bringing my photos from BrickFest, as well
as my entry for this weekend's Super Mega Sumo robot
contest.  (It's 3.5lbs of screaming Technic goodness!)

See you next month!

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------
Tentative schedule for our next meeting:

Date: The second Sunday every month (next meeting 9/11/05)
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location:
    Austin Public Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch
    835 W. Rundberg Ln.
    Austin, TX 78758
    (Just west of the Lamar/Rundberg intersection)
Phone: (512) 836-8975
URL: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/little_walnut.htm
(has map link)

Come on out and join in the fun!
------------------------------------------------------------

Folks,

Attending the 7/10 TexLUG Austin meeting were:

    Danny Diaz
    Clendon Gibson
    Laura Hayden
    James Loftus
    David Perdue
    Ed Southerland
    Tim Rueger
    and others

Ed brought his latest custom minifigs in a scene from
Legend of Zelda.  He also showed his nicely-done HG
Wells time machine model, using the clock face from the
Harry Potter Hogwarts Castle.

David demonstrated a three-wheeled line-following robot
with a front-mounted light sensor on the directional
wheel (see photo below).  It was built in an elegant
modular fashion, with the light sensor assembly and each
drive wheel built for easy removal.

We assembled a Great Ball Contraption (TM) with modules
by James, Danny, Laura, and Tim.  It was great fun
seeing the whole thing in action.  The first three, who
work for National Instruments, had previously built
their modules into a GBC at an NI event, while Tim
hastily built his over Saturday night and Sunday morning
to join in the fun, and to try out a module before
Brickfest.  (Videos of the NI GBC are available; we're
looking for a place to host them.)

In addition to the GBC module, Tim brought his sumo
contest robot for demonstrations, as well as a drive
train mockup for the 2005 Brickfest 3.5-lb mega-sumo
robot contest.  There was some discussion about how to
prevent stalls in RC motors, since the power must be cut
so they can recover (a nasty characteristic for sumo
contests).

Tim also brought the brand-new 8421 Mobile Crane;
everyone there was impressed with its scale and
function.

Laura showed off her Deal of the Month (TM) - a Technic
8454 Rescue Truck which she scored as an open (but
complete) set from Kaybee for around $20.

Clendon asked lots of good questions about the RCX,
while two other members of the general public stopped in
to check things out.

All in all, an excellent meeting.  I'll be at Brickfest
in Washington, DC next month, so arrangements will be
made to get the room opened up for the next meeting.

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------

Brickshelf gallery:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=136762

David's line-following bot with front sensor:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303268

The GBC:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303258
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303259
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303260
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303261
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303262
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303263
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303264
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303265
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303266
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303267

Laura and Danny with the 8421 crane:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303269

Laura's Technic fire truck

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1303270

Folks,

Come on by the next Austin TexLUG meeting Sunday,
July 10.

Bring your latest creations, or share some tips on where
you've gotten good deals lately - Target is putting Lego
on clearance up in Dallas, hopefully the same is true
here in Austin.

I'll be bringing the brand-new 8421 Technic Mobile
Crane.  This model is a real beast!  For a preview, see:

    http://guide.lugnet.com/set/8421

See you there!

-Tim

PS - I'll be at Brickfest in DC during August's meeting,
so we'll need someone to open up the meeting room next
month.

------------------------------------------------------------
Date: The second Sunday every month (next meeting 7/10/05).
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location:
      Austin Public Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch
      835 W. Rundberg Ln.
      Austin, TX 78758
      (Just west of the Lamar/Rundberg intersection)
Phone: (512) 836-8975
URL: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/little_walnut.htm
(has map link)

Come on out and join in the fun!
------------------------------------------------------------

All,

I've put some annotated photos of my entry from
our recent sumo robot contest in my Brickshelf
account:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=134499

I've also included my NQC code in the upload.
Please stop by and have a look.

Thanks,
-Tim

Folks,

Attending the 6/12 Texlug Austin meeting were:

    Kurt Baty
    David Perdue
    Lee Rahe
    Tim Rueger
    and many assorted others (see below)

We held the first TexLUG Austin Lego Mindstorms Sumo Robotics
contest.  About twenty people were in attendance, from TexLUG
regulars, to robot team members and parents, to robotics
enthusiasts and other generally interested folks.  Everyone had
a great time.

There were five robot entries: two from David, one from Tim, and
one each from AustinMetroGifts ("Team AMG", a group of
8-to-10-year-old homeschoolers from Austin and the surrounding
area) and Evan Ryker, age 14, another Austin homeschooler.

David's first entry used a novel light sensor configuration to
detect opponent collisions and the black sumo arena border with
the same sensor.  His second was a lightning-fast, but erratic,
variation of a Zip-Zam bot from his "Competitive Mindstorms"
book.

Tim's entry implemented a two-speed transmission (a fast speed
for searching and a slow speed for torque/pushing), with two
front bumpers for turning toward a detected opponent.

AMG's robot was a two-tread design with a light sensor in front.
They had trouble getting their robot working consistently, but
we worked the matches out anyway.

Evan's robot was also a two-tread design, with a very slow,
very high-torque drive train.  An arm assembly in front was
designed to raise an oncoming opponent off the arena.

(Photos of all the entries may be found via the links below.)

The contest was structured in two rounds.  First, a round robin
tournament matched each robot against every other one.  The
total wins in this round determined the placement in a final
single-elimination bracket to determine the winner.  (For the
rule set, see the URLs below.)

After the round robin matches, the scores were:

Tim - 4 wins
Evan - 2 wins
AMG - 2 wins
Perdue #1 - 1 win
Perdue #2 - 1 win

The elimination bracket was thus:

Play-in: Perdue #1 vs Perdue #2
Semifinal 1: AMG vs. Evan
Semifinal 2: Perdue1/2 vs. Tim
Final: Semi 1 winner vs Semi 2 winner

David's #1 robot beat his #2 in the play-in round; #2 had
difficulty staying on the arena due to its high speed.

In the first semifinal, Evan handily pushed AMG off the arena,
ending a very enthusiastic run by the AMG team.

In the second semifinal, Tim hung on to beat David's #1 robot.
A spectacular entanglement occurred during this match: one of
David's large motorcycle wheels got ensnared in the yellow
elastic band which held Tim's front bumpers open.  David's
wheels kept turning, so the elastic caught and wound around the
wheel *multiple* times, while, astonishingly, *not* breaking - a
true testament to the resilience and quality of Lego components.
An entanglement was eventually declared, and David's robot had
to be disassembled to release the elastic band to finish the
bout.  (And I didn't bring any spare elastics - yikes!)

In the final match, Evan's superior tread friction won out over
Tim's complicated high-torque transmission.  Tim twice became
immobilized when trying to push Evan's bot off the arena: Tim's
transmission changeover catches were driven by clutch gears,
which didn't hold the catches in place when the transmission was
subjected very high opposing force.

Evan took home the grand prize, a Technic 8435 4WD set.  The
runner-up prize of a Technic 8415 Dump Truck will be given away
at a future TexLUG event (Tim donated the prizes).

Many, many thanks to all who came out and helped make this a
very fun, exciting day.  I'm looking forward to seeing more
folks at TexLUG meetings in the future, and to other robotic
competitions.

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------

TexLUG Sumo Robotics Rules:

    http://www.davidjperdue.com/competitivemindstorms/upcomingevent.html

Prize links at LUGNET:

    http://guide.lugnet.com/set/8435
    http://guide.lugnet.com/set/8415

Tim's contest photos Brickshelf gallery:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=132763

Team AMG setting up:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260807

The main competition table:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260808

David Perdue checks things over:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260809

Evan vs. Team AMG:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260810
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260811

Evan vs. Tim:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260812

The obligatory sumobot melee:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260813
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260814

Details of Evan's robot:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260815
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260816

The elimination round bracket:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1260817

------------------------------------------------------------

Folks,

Come on by the next Austin TexLUG meeting Sunday,
June 12.

We'll be holding our Lego Mindstorms Robotic Sumo
Contest, so bring your 'bot(s) and we'll see whose
machine reigns supreme!  Or come by to cheer on
the competitors and catch some ABS carnage!

If you're entering the contest, please email me
as soon as possible so I can schedule the matches.

For more details on the contest, visit:

    http://www.io.com/~rueger/lego/texlugaustin/sumo2005/
    http://www.davidjperdue.com/competitivemindstorms/

See you there!

-Tim

PS - If you want to learn about recent rules
changes and other TexLUG Austin news, subscribe
to the TexLUG-Austin mailing list at:

    http://groups.yahoo.com/group/texlug-austin/

------------------------------------------------------------
Date: The second Sunday every month (next meeting 6/12/05).
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location:
    Austin Public Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch
    835 W. Rundberg Ln.
    Austin, TX 78758
    (Just west of the Lamar/Rundberg intersection)
Phone: (512) 836-8975
URL: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/little_walnut.htm
(has map link)

Come on out and join in the fun!
------------------------------------------------------------

Folks,

Two small changes have been made to the
sumo robot contest rules:

1) Robolab has been added among the
allowed programming languages.  This was
largely an oversight on my and David's part;
we certainly did not intend to exclude all the
great robot builders out there who use it.

2) The border of the sumo bot arena has
been widened from 2" to 2 1/2".  This should
have a minor effect on matches, but will make
it easier for a fast robot to avoid running itself
off the edge of the arena.

You can find the updated rule set here:

    http://www.io.com/~rueger/lego/texlugaustin/sumo2005/

-Tim

All,

Attending the 5/8 Texlug Austin meeting were:

    Kurt Baty
    Ed Southerland
    Tim Rueger

A low-key meeting this time (the weather was highly inclement, and it
was Mother's Day), but we still had a fine time.

Ed brought a neat minifig forestman with a cart-mounted crossbow, and
reported acquiring a space monorail set with expansion track on eBay for
the princely sum of $88 (!).  Between Ed, Pat, and myself, the next
all-Texlug meeting layout should be completely infested with monorail
track.

Ed and I discussed a Disney/Epcot-like theme park layout theme, with
each section of the layout accommodating a monorail stop built according
to a moonbase-like spec.  Possibilities abound: castle people could do a
medieval fantasy park, space folks could do a sci-fi park, etc., so
just about anyone can be involved in the layout.

Kurt brought a carrying case of technic parts and built out part of an
adder-subtractor that works with three motors to generate a "A1+A2-B"
output.  A1+A2 is summed with a differential, with its output going
where the "A" input would go in a "A-B" adder-subtractor.  A partially
completed mockup is found among the photos below.

Kurt also brought a stock 8419 Excavator, which packs an impressive
amount of mechanics into a small volume.

Due to the bad weather, I didn't bring my recently-completed sumobot
arena (I need to tie it to the top of my Civic to transport it).
Instead, I improvised an area border on one of the library tables with
black duct tape (see photos below).  It worked really well, so if you
can't make your own sumo arena, put some black duct tape on a white
table for a fast and cheap alternative.

Kurt and I broke down my rendition of a David Perdue Zip-Zam Bot to
lower its center of gravity for improved sumo arena performance.

Laura had asked me to coordinate a TexLUG MOC display at this Saturday's
Robolab Mania gathering at National Instruments.  Kurt, Ed, and I are
planning to bring MOCs: one of Kurt's Texas navy ships, some of Ed's
space models and custom minifigs, and my sumo arena with one or more
sumobots, and maybe the monorail mountain if there's room.  I'll bring
sumo contest signups and TexLUG handouts on Saturday as well.

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------

Brickshelf gallery link:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=128844

Ed's forestman with crossbow cart:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1219962

Improvised sumo arena:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1219963
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1219964

Kurt at work, with Excavator in foreground:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1219965

A partial A1+A2-B adder/subtractor:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1219966

Folks,

Come on by the next Austin TexLUG meeting this coming
Sunday.  (And yes, it *is* on Mother's Day.  Show your
Mom you love her by getting out of the house for a
couple hours!)  Particulars are below.

If you have a creation to show, bring it.  We can also
coordinate our creations display for the Robolab Mania!
gathering on May 14 at NI.

I'll be bringing my very own brand-new sumobot arena
(the paint is drying as I type this), so if you'd like
to try out your sumobot before the 6/12 contest, now's
the time.

See you there...

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------
Date: The second Sunday every month (next meeting 5/8/05).
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location:
      Austin Public Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch
      835 W. Rundberg Ln.
      Austin, TX 78758
      (Just west of the Lamar/Rundberg intersection)
Phone: (512) 836-8975
URL: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/little_walnut.htm
(has map link)

Come on out and join in the fun!
------------------------------------------------------------

All,

Laura asked me to handle coordinating a creations
display at the event.  If you're going to volunteer,
bring by your latest MOC ("My Own Creation" for
those unfamiliar with the acronym).  Tell me ahead
of time and we'll work out how to fit things together.

Thanks,
-Tim

On Apr 28, 2005, at 4:33 PM, Laura Hayden wrote:

> Tiffany, the volunteer coordinator for this year's RoboLab Mania!
>  event, asked me to forward her call for volunteers to you guys to
>  see if maybe you wanted to help out. They were really happy to have
>  our help at the FirstLegoLeague event, and it would be great to see
>  a TexLUG presence at this one.
>
>  If you want to know more about RoboLab Mania!, go to
> http://www.robolabmania.com/ or email Tiffany directly.
>
>
>  ***************************************************
>
>  Hi there!
>
>  We are gearing up for RoboLab Mania! 2005 and want YOU to be part of
>  the fun! There are several volunteer spots that still need to be
>  filled and we need your help, so email me back if you are interested
>  in helping out and having fun!
>
>  What: RoboLab Mania! 2005
>  When: Saturday, May 14, 8:00-11:00 am (volunteers needed from 7:30am-
>  12:00pm)
>  Where: NI Corporate
>  Who: Austin-area teachers, students, NI employees, family, friends,
>  and community guests.
>
>  Get Connected: Sign up to be a RoboLab Mania! Volunteer!
>  Be part of the fun this year and sign up to be a volunteer! We need
>  help in the following areas:
>  ·      Traffic flow managers
>  ·      Greeters
>  ·      Refreshment hosts
>  ·      Registration attendants
>  ·      Expo Hall assistants
>  ·      Parking attendants
>  ·      Project unloaders/loaders
>
>  If you have any questions, or to volunteer, email me! =) Thank you!
>
>  Tiffany Morrison
>  National Instruments
>  Events
>  (512) 683-5189
>  tiffany.morrison@...
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> Yahoo! Groups Links
>
>  •  To visit your group on the web, go to:
> http://groups.yahoo.com/group/texlug-austin/
>  
>  • 	 To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
> texlug-austin-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com
>  
>  • 	 Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of
> Service.
>
>

Tiffany, the volunteer coordinator for this year's RoboLab Mania!
event, asked me to forward her call for volunteers to you guys to
see if maybe you wanted to help out. They were really happy to have
our help at the FirstLegoLeague event, and it would be great to see
a TexLUG presence at this one.

If you want to know more about RoboLab Mania!, go to
http://www.robolabmania.com/ or email Tiffany directly.


***************************************************

Hi there!

We are gearing up for RoboLab Mania! 2005 and want YOU to be part of
the fun! There are several volunteer spots that still need to be
filled and we need your help, so email me back if you are interested
in helping out and having fun!

What: RoboLab Mania! 2005
When: Saturday, May 14, 8:00-11:00 am (volunteers needed from 7:30am-
12:00pm)
Where: NI Corporate
Who: Austin-area teachers, students, NI employees, family, friends,
and community guests.

Get Connected: Sign up to be a RoboLab Mania! Volunteer!
Be part of the fun this year and sign up to be a volunteer! We need
help in the following areas:
· Traffic flow managers
· Greeters
· Refreshment hosts
· Registration attendants
· Expo Hall assistants
· Parking attendants
· Project unloaders/loaders

If you have any questions, or to volunteer, email me! =) Thank you!

Tiffany Morrison
National Instruments
Events
(512) 683-5189
tiffany.morrison@...

Folks,

Come on by the next Austin TexLUG meeting this coming
Sunday (tomorrow).  Particulars are below.

Bring your creations and show off what you've been
working on!

I'll bring my pictures from the recent all-Texlug
meeting, and set up my monorail tunnel mountain one last
time before breaking it down to build Mountain 2.0.

This is also the first of two optional test/debug
sessions for the June sumobot contest.  Let the smack
talk begin!

See you there...

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------
Date: The second Sunday every month (next meeting 4/10/05).
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location:
     Austin Public Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch
     835 W. Rundberg Ln.
     Austin, TX 78758
     (Just west of the Lamar/Rundberg intersection)
Phone: (512) 836-8975
URL: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/little_walnut.htm
(has map link)

Come on out and join in the fun!
------------------------------------------------------------

Folks,

The TRU in Brodie Oaks (at 360 and Ben White) has
Lego at buy-one-get-one-50%-off, sale ending today,
3/26.

Looks like they're trying to clear space for the new
SW episode 3 sets due out this week.

-Tim

All,

The next all-Texas TexLUG gathering will be in San Antonio
the weekend of April 2.  Particulars and travel info are
below.

See you there!

------------------------------------------------------------

What:

All-Texas TexLUG meeting

When:

April 2-3, 2005
4/2: Setup / socialize (all day)
4/3: Public hours 10-2pm, takedown after

Where:

3463 Magic Drive
San Antonio, TX 78229

Maps:

-- Hotels --

http://maps.google.com/maps?
q=hotels%20near%203463%20magic%20drive%2C%2078229

-- Driving Directions --

Austin

http://maps.google.com/maps?
q=austin%2C%20tx%20to%203463%20magic%20drive%2C%2078229

Houston

http://maps.google.com/maps?
q=houston%2C%20tx%20to%203463%20magic%20drive%2C%2078229

Dallas

http://maps.google.com/maps?
q=dallas%2C%20tx%20to%203463%20magic%20drive%2C%2078229

-- Food --

http://maps.google.com/maps?
q=restaurants%20near%203463%20magic%20drive%2C%2078229

Folks,

The Austin chapter of TexLUG is holding a Lego Robotic
Sumo contest!

Win valuable Lego prizes when your robot outwits and
outpushes its opponents out of a circular arena!

Rules, schedule, and entry details may be found here:

    http://www.io.com/~rueger/lego/texlugaustin/sumo2005/

The contest will be held Sunday, June 12, 2005 (an earlier
posting misstated this date), with optional test and debug
sessions on April 10 and May 8.

Many thanks to David Perdue (author of "Competitive
Mindstorms") for help on developing the rule set and
with running the contest.

Get ready to rumble!

-Tim

Folks,

Attending the 3/13 Texlug Austin meeting were:

David Perdue
Jay Perdue
Kurt Baty
Tim Rueger

The meeting focused on getting details set for the Sumobot contest.
The contest will be held June 10, 2005, with optional test and debug
sessions on 4/10 and 5/8.  The contest will be announced shortly, and
the rule set will be posted to Tim's website.

Kurt brought his 12-gun schooner model, as well as his more recent
cannon models (LUGNET and Brickshelf links below).  Both, as usualy,
were spiffy.  Kurt is planning to bring his entire fleet of Texas
naval ships to the all-Texlug meeting in San Antonio next month - it
should be an impressive sight.

We also discussed sumo robot construction techniques, specifically
tire choices and how to maximize pushing power with multiple motors
using adder-subtractor mechanisms.  The library's free WiFi access
once again proved highly useful as we netsurfed for various
construction examples (see below).

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------

Kurt's 12-gun Top-Sail Schooner RTS Remember the Legamo

    http://news.lugnet.com/pirates/?n=4154
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=113321

Kurt's cannon models:

    http://news.lugnet.com/pirates/?n=4176
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=117737

Adder/subtractor sites:

    http://odin.prohosting.com/mrplanet/add-sub.html
    http://www.visi.com/~dc/adder/
    http://staff.science.uva.nl/~leo/lego/diff.html

Folks,

Come on by the next Austin TexLUG meeting this coming
Sunday.  Particulars are below.

Bring your creations and show off what you've been
working on!

Once again, I'll be demonstrating two bots from David
Perdue's sumo robotics book, with more depth of detail
on construction and coding.  We'll also go over the
rules of the sumo contest, and set the date.

See you there!

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------
Date: The second Sunday every month (next meeting 3/13/05).
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location:
    Austin Public Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch
    835 W. Rundberg Ln.
    Austin, TX 78758
    (Just west of the Lamar/Rundberg intersection)
Phone: (512) 836-8975
URL: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/little_walnut.htm
(has map link)

Come on out and join in the fun!
------------------------------------------------------------

Folks,

I have a few meeting schedule questions I'd like to ask
y'all, especially those interested in the sumo robot
contest.  (This is a bit long, so I appreciate your
attention.)

First, David Perdue and I have been working out the sumo
robot contest rules.  They're in good shape, so all we
need is to set a date.

The Little Walnut Creek library has been working nicely
for us, so I'm thinking we can hold the contest there.
But, I'm thinking the April meeting will be too soon
from now to hold the contest for everyone to get their
robots designed and debugged.

Also, the presently-scheduled May meeting may conflict
for some people since the second Sunday (May 8) is
Mother's Day.

The library has the fourth Sunday (May 22) available, so
unless there are objections, I'll reschedule that
meeting.  (5/29 is Memorial Day weekend.)  This
also gives more time to get the word out to find
more contestants.  :^)

Here's my proposal for sumo bot matters over the next
several Texlug-Austin meetings:

3/13: Initial discussions for the regular attendees.  We
can go over the rules, talk strategies, and then get
started working.

4/10: Second organizational meeting for any new people.
First live arena testing of robots for debug, and check
up on general progress.

5/22 (rescheduled from 5/8): We hold the competition.

Comments?
-Tim

Folks,

Attending the 2/13 Texlug Austin meeting were:

Richard Arndt (also of the Austin Robot Group)
Kurt Baty
Lee Rahe
Tim Rueger
David Smith (in from Dallas)
Ed Southerland
Wade, Helen and Roger Yamada

Kurt brought another of his fantastic minifig scale sailing
ships.  Ed brought some of his current MOCs, including some
small mecha models.  David brought a bunch of nifty scifi themed
models, and a really cool miniland-scale office cubicle model.

I did some highly random demonstrations of David Perdue's sumo
robots (and thanks to David for letting me borrow his 4'
circular arena).  I spent some time describing the robots and
their coding to Roger and his parents.  (Roger's team placed 8th
at the recent Austin First Lego League competition.)

Lee and I also brought some stock Lego models.  Roger was able
to successfully get an attacker to climb the back of Lee's
Citadel of Orlan.  Lego's large scale Ferrari Technic model got
good notices.

Links to Brickshelf photos are below.

Thanks to everyone who came out.  I had a great time, and I'm
looking forward to the March gathering.  We'll be finalizing the
rules for the sumo contest, targeting the contest for April.

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------

Gallery link:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=117572

Kurt Baty's 20-gun Brig-of-War RTS San Legonio

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1108261
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1108262

Tim Rueger's demo of David Purdue's sumo robots:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1108265

Dave Smith's miniland cubicle (w/meta cubicle):

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1108259
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1108260

Some of Dave Smith's scifi models:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1108263
    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?i=1108264

------------------------------------------------------------

Folks,

Come on by the next Austin TexLUG meeting this coming
Sunday.  Particulars are below.

Bring your creations and show off what you've been
working on!

I'll be demonstrating two bots from David Perdue's sumo
robotics book (I'll be borrowing his 4' circular sumo
arena for the weekend).  I'd also like to set the ground
rules for a sumo robot contest, so come on out if you
want to help decide how it will go.

I'll also bring a few of Lego's Ferrari sets, because
they're just cool to look at.

See you there!

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------
Date: The second Sunday every month (next meeting 2/13/05).
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location:
    Austin Public Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch
    835 W. Rundberg Ln.
    Austin, TX 78758
    (Just west of the Lamar/Rundberg intersection)
Phone: (512) 836-8975
URL: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/little_walnut.htm
(has map link)

Come on out and join in the fun!
------------------------------------------------------------

I really like the fall meetings, and being able to
lock the room up overnight behind corporate-
class security is a huge plus.  The room at
the library is probably big enough to host the
meeting, but we'd have to be in and out in a few
hours, so I don't think it would work out.

There are usually other large meetings thru the
year in addition to the fall meeting.  I've been
pinging some Texlug old-timers, but none seems
to know of any details on a spring meeting.  I'll
keep asking around...

-Tim

On Feb 7, 2005, at 4:08 PM, Laura Hayden wrote:

> Yes, there is a meeting at the library coming up. Are
>  you going to be there? I don't have anything new to
>  bring since I am swamped at work, but I'll be there.
>  :-)
>
>  The Fall meeting I am referring to is one where TexLUG
>  gets together from all over the state and shows off
>  what we have been building, generally has fun
>  together, and trades/sells sets and parts. They
>  usually take place over a weekend. They are always a
>  blast.
>
>  --- Wade Yamada <wsyamada@...> wrote:
>
>  > I am new to all of this...but is there a meeting
>  > coming up...say Sunday, Feb 13?
>  >
>  > I really dont have an opinion since I am new, but
>  > free
>  > is always a good thing!!
>  >
>  >
>  > --- Laura Hayden <laurahc69@...> wrote:
>  >
>  > >
>  > > Hey there!
>  > >
>  > > As some of you already know, TexLUG Austin puts on
>  > > an annual event
>  > > in the Fall every year (or at least the past few
>  > > years) at my
>  > > company, National Instruments. This happens
>  > because
>  > > I can get the
>  > > room for free and because my company helps out
>  > with
>  > > RoboLAB, a LEGO
>  > > robotics programming language.
>  > >
>  > > Does anyone else have an opinion about Fall
>  > > meetings? Is another
>  > > time of the year better? Does anyone have a place
>  > > they would rather
>  > > use?
>  > >
>  > > Or do you like October at NI and just want me to
>  > > keep things like
>  > > they are?
>  > >
>  > > -Laura
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  > >
>  >
>  >

Yes, there is a meeting at the library coming up. Are
you going to be there? I don't have anything new to
bring since I am swamped at work, but I'll be there.
:-)

The Fall meeting I am referring to is one where TexLUG
gets together from all over the state and shows off
what we have been building, generally has fun
together, and trades/sells sets and parts. They
usually take place over a weekend. They are always a
blast.

--- Wade Yamada <wsyamada@...> wrote:

> I am new to all of this...but is there a meeting
> coming up...say Sunday, Feb 13?
>
> I really dont have an opinion since I am new, but
> free
> is always a good thing!!
>
>
> --- Laura Hayden <laurahc69@...> wrote:
>
> >
> > Hey there!
> >
> > As some of you already know, TexLUG Austin puts on
> > an annual event
> > in the Fall every year (or at least the past few
> > years) at my
> > company, National Instruments. This happens
> because
> > I can get the
> > room for free and because my company helps out
> with
> > RoboLAB, a LEGO
> > robotics programming language.
> >
> > Does anyone else have an opinion about Fall
> > meetings? Is another
> > time of the year better? Does anyone have a place
> > they would rather
> > use?
> >
> > Or do you like October at NI and just want me to
> > keep things like
> > they are?
> >
> > -Laura
> >
> >
> >
> >
>
>

I am new to all of this...but is there a meeting
coming up...say Sunday, Feb 13?

I really dont have an opinion since I am new, but free
is always a good thing!!


--- Laura Hayden <laurahc69@...> wrote:

>
> Hey there!
>
> As some of you already know, TexLUG Austin puts on
> an annual event
> in the Fall every year (or at least the past few
> years) at my
> company, National Instruments. This happens because
> I can get the
> room for free and because my company helps out with
> RoboLAB, a LEGO
> robotics programming language.
>
> Does anyone else have an opinion about Fall
> meetings? Is another
> time of the year better? Does anyone have a place
> they would rather
> use?
>
> Or do you like October at NI and just want me to
> keep things like
> they are?
>
> -Laura
>
>
>
>

Hey there!

As some of you already know, TexLUG Austin puts on an annual event
in the Fall every year (or at least the past few years) at my
company, National Instruments. This happens because I can get the
room for free and because my company helps out with RoboLAB, a LEGO
robotics programming language.

Does anyone else have an opinion about Fall meetings? Is another
time of the year better? Does anyone have a place they would rather
use?

Or do you like October at NI and just want me to keep things like
they are?

-Laura

Folks,

Here's an update on recent Austin-area Lego goings-on...

On Saturday, 1/8/05, the first Central Texas FIRST Lego League
competition was held.  About 20 middle-school teams competed; they came
from Austin, Houston, San Antonio, and as far away as Louisiana.  Teams
ranged in size from over a dozen kids down to a single home-schooler.

National Instruments was a primary sponsor of the event; the bulk of the
event volunteers came from NI, with a few others from HP and Cirrus
Logic.  Laura Hayden was a team adviser, and Lee Rahe and I were
volunteers.

It was a crazy, hectic, exhausting day.  My photos from the day can be
found here:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=112255

Attending the 1/9/05 Austin TexLUG meeting were:

David Perdue (author of "Competitive Mindstorms", age 16)
Jay Perdue (David's dad)
Kurt Baty (chip design consultant)
Tim Rueger (instigator)

David talked about how he got his book published through Apress.  He
said the bonus chapters on the Apress website were ones that were cut
from the book for length.  David had hints and tips for sumo
competitions, including rule sets and arena sizes.  He demonstrated his
zip-zam bot chassis with a Mindstorms remote control (with the
motorcycle wheels mounted directly to motors, it zooms along and spins
*very* fast).  I personally am looking forward to taking David on in a
future sumo-bot contest.

Kurt showed two models.  First was his two-digit rotary encoder, which
provided some nice math problems for some local kids who randomly
dropped into the meeting.  Kurt envisions building a Difference Engine
someday.

Kurt also showed his highly impressive circa-1840 Texas naval warship.
It's roughly four feet long and three feet high.  It's a great example
of minifig-scale modeling.  My photos of it can be found here:

    http://www.brickshelf.com/cgi-bin/gallery.cgi?f=112250

I brought a tiny amount of Lego, the pullback racer Ferrari model 8362.
It moves quite impressively, running up to 30 feet on a single pull.
And even without stickers applied, it's a nice design.  I received it,
and the big Technic Ferrari model 8386, from my wife as an anniversary
gift.  (This tells me I'm either a huge geek, or that I have a
way-too-cool wife, or probably both, actually.)

    http://guide.lugnet.com/set/8362
    http://guide.lugnet.com/set/8386

The next Austin Texlug meeting will be Sunday, February 13, 2005.  Same
place and time, 2:30pm at the Little Walnut Creek library in north
Austin.

-Tim

Folks,

Come on by the next Austin TexLUG meeting this
coming Sunday.  Particulars are below.

Yes, this is one day after the FIRST Lego League
competition in Austin.  Such is the nature of the
regularly-scheduled meeting: randomly-
scheduled events sometimes cluster.

I hope to use the FLL gathering as a springboard
for TexLUG membership.

-Tim

------------------------------------------------------------
Date: The second Sunday every month (next
meeting 1/9/05).
Time: 2:30pm-5:30pm
Location:
      Austin Public Library, Little Walnut Creek Branch
      835 W. Rundberg Ln.
      Austin, TX 78758
      (Just west of the Lamar/Rundberg intersection)
Phone: (512) 836-8975
URL: http://www.ci.austin.tx.us/library/little_walnut.htm
(has map link)

Come on out and join in the fun!
------------------------------------------------------------

Howdy!

Welcome to texlug-austin, a Yahoo! Group
for the Austin chapter of the Texas Lego
User's Group.  For more about TexLUG, see:

    http://www.texlug.org/

This mailing list will be used for messages
of interest to Austin-area TexLUG members,
so as not to take up attention on the main
TexLUG mailing list.

TexLUG Austin is always looking for new
people to join up, so tell your friends about
it and get them to sign up for the mailing
list!

-Tim Rueger