One of the most requested accessory for Powered Up is an adapter cable that works with the Power Functions components. We are still not sure if it will come officially, but actually it’s not that difficult to make your own – unfortunately you have to sacrifice some parts for it. In this video I show you what are the possibilities of a “dumb” converter cable, one that acts as a standard motor, the other acts as a train motor.
** Update ** – added the mock-up of the Control+ hub, corrected the L motor dimensions and added more information based on an interview
The LEGO Fan Media Days started yesterday in Billund and the lucky participants already had a very interesting session with the Powered Up team. As it was reported by The Rambling Brick and Brickset, the team shared a presentation about the Powered Up system and they had a chance to see some of the Control+ (Technic Powered Up) components we did not see previously. Make sure to check the articles linked above for the full presentation and all the photos, some of them used here for comparison.
Continue readingUpdate – I created a page dedicated to Powered Up to have all information available in one place. Click here!
I presented you in details all the LEGO Powered Up components in January in my video and we’ve been waiting for these parts to show up at shop.lego.com since then. The wait is finally over, you can buy them following the links below – click on the Euro / USD / GBP price for the country-specific LEGO shop site.
Continue readingUpdate – I created a page dedicated to Powered Up where you can see all the information I collected in one place – click here.
Last year we saw the first sets appearing with the new Powered Up components expected to replace Power Functions, we have Boost as well belonging to the same ecosystem. As you’ll be able to buy most of these components separately at shop.lego.com soon I took a look what we have at the moment, how they work with each other, are there any alternatives to have a wider range of control options (sure!) and what I am expecting to see in the future. Let’s check the video:
Let me show you the app that I use for most of my LEGO RC stuff – the great BrickController 2 created by Istvan Murvai.
Speed build and detailed review video about the LEGO 76112 App-Controlled Batmobile. This set contains the new Powered Up hub with Bluetooth app control and two new Powered Up M motors. It also has an exclusive Batman minifigure and some Bat-accessories. Continue reading
Remote control modification with building instructions for the LEGO® Technic 42079 Tow Truck (B model).
LEGO released two new train sets in 2018 after 3 years, the 60197 Passenger Train and the 60198 Cargo Train. Both sets are equipped with the new Powered Up system that has Bluetooth connection instead of the infrared connection of Power Functions. The new system has a dedicated remote but can be also controlled with a smartphone/tablet app. We’ll see the new system in details later, now let’s have a look at the train set!
The new Powered Up system offers a lot of possibility to extend the control range of the previous motorized Power Functions creations. So far only the Boost motor and the WeDo 2.0 M motor is compatible with the new hub apart from the train motor that comes with the new train sets. I paired two WeDo 2.0 M motors with the Powered Up hub and built it in the 42065 RC Tracked Racer to compare the performance and the playability with the Power Functions system.
I also tested it with the new Powered Up iOS app that has a profile available for the 76112 App controlled Batmobile.
While I was filming the review video of the new 60197 Passenger Train set I realized that the operating range of the remote is much better than I thought it would be based on the early reviews. Since I was able to test it indoors only with 10m distance (easily passed, even through 2 walls) I decided to compare it with all the different LEGO RC solutions I have. Took all the equipment outdoors to a remote area without any interference and tested the operating range.
