Lego RCX equip controlling ur fans and giving you temp readouts

[drunkmonkey]

Just an idea for all people that love strange ideas. The lego RCX is a mini-computer that could be used to controll fans and give accurate temperature readouts. It has 3 analog inputs, 3 analog outputs, and wireless IR communication to a reciever you can hook up to ur computer serial port. No joke,it is really advnced. It is fully programmable with visual basic. Its inputs are based on resistance and outputs go up to 9V which is enough to flip a switch for a fan or light up a light. If you are handy with a soldering iron it can do much more. While doing all of this it can stream live temperature readings into your computer and take commands from a custom vb program. I've been researching how to hack the lil' mofo for a while now and have seen a lot done. They(RCX) can even communicate with each other with signals 1-256. You can also download programs into it so if ur temps get high it throws on another fan and sets off and alarm. Heck, I've been working on making a wireless IR network with these things.
Just thought it was interesting to know. If you do hack the rcx make sure you have acess to a soldering iron and a nearby radioshack. Find more at http://www.lugnet.com/robotics/rcx/ Don't look at the kidie stuff.
http://shop.lego.com/images/products/TYPE58/LEGO-US-2057/set096x072us009709.jpg
I wuz amazed when I saw all that it did, designing software for it now w/ VB,
Tell me what ya think...

[Christoph]

That sounds like an innovative solution, if you've got that kind of money. Legos are EXPEN$IVE, and while it'd own to have something like that that you could program, I'd hate to have the thing tied down to my computer. That's just me, though. If you've got the money, it would be an awesome mod and I say go for it.

[drunkmonkey]

I know that a lot of kids got one when they were younger, stop playing with it, and never used it again(including me). Now they are not kids, they are computer geeks spending all their parent's money on computer equip..
Right now you can get one for $140 and it is cool to hack and mess around with where you can't do that stuff with regular hardware.

[Jon]

I started to build a new chassis from an erector set.

[whooping_a_panda]

I have one of these Mindstorms kits kicking around somewhere. mabey i could use it to mod the speed of that screeming delta in my new computer :)