Egglift: an automatic LEGO egg cooker

LEGOs are really great to build all kinds of robots. I'd like to introduce you the Egglift.
The Egglift is an appliance to cook boiled eggs made out of LEGO bricks, powered and controlled with LEGO Mindstorms.

Acknowledgment:

• The original Egglift idea is from famous French inventor Roland Moreno.
• The black-and-white wheel light sensor is an original idea from Benjamin Erwin in his excellent book Creative Projects with Lego Mindstorms
• Thanks to [http://mailto:r.olivero_at_wanadoo.fr Richard ''Vauban''] for his help and advices.
• LEGO is a trademark of The LEGO Group. This document is not endorsed, sponsored, or authorized by The LEGO Group in any way.

Step 1 Description:

The Egglift is mainly composed of four elements:

1. A metallic perforated non-LEGO basket where you lay the eggs. The basket, made of metallic wires, is fairly small and can contain 2 eggs maximum.

2. A winch that contain a motor to pull up or down the basket through a string and also a light sensor to detect the position of the basket. (in red)

3. A LEGO RCX to pilot the basket through the winch and a 180 seconds temporization (adjustable). (in yellow-grey)

4. Finally, a LEGO structure where the three above elements are graft. (in blue)

Comments

[biochemtronics]

Chrismake: Do not pay any attention to the arm chair makers that think they are scientists and engineers. If you check you will see that not a one of them has posted their first instructable. Their comment history also shows they have nothing good to say about anyone's project. Just a couple of wanna be makers. I am not planning to build or buy an egg lift (I don't eat boiled eggs) but I am impressed with yours. I think it is a great project.

[dla888]

There's no need to put people down. Great makers could start out asarmchair makers. And there is nothing bad about not publishing aninstructable. There are so many instructables out there that it is hardto find one that has not been done.  There is also no such thing asa wanna be maker. You don't have to build something grand to be amaker.Dreaming about something makes you a maker.

Sorry for my errors my computer is freaking out on me.

[durgledoggy]

There is certainly a need to put someone down if that is all they do to others. Strangely enough, the biggest ... put downerers are the ones without any instructables.

[MikeyBlair]

Very well done, thank you for posting this.

[crazyguy13]

oh

[crazyguy13]

what if you want to boil it for fifteen minutes

[Bartboy]

Place in this group.

[The Jamalam]

you can put it in by pressing the "+ Add this instructable to one of your groups" button yourself

[cuteaznprincesss]

if you were able to make this completely with legos, i feel as though you'd be more than capable of making another using materials that don't require snapping together = ] when you do, please post it!! it would be phenomenal.

i think i speak for myself and many others that standing by a simmering pot of water waiting for eggs to cook is a complete mismanagement of time. this is awesome.

[Plasmana]

That would be a perfect tool for gorillazmiko! Good instructable by the way...

[hill72]

were the eggs even done because if they wernt that is not an egg cooker that is just a dipper.

[chrismake]

hill72 --> Like I said in a previous comment, the video is just a demo with a temporisation of 3 or 4 seconds only. To cook eggs, what I have done BTW, I have a temporisation of 9 minutes.

[cotton]

i did not vote for tis because the legos wi.l melt

[chrismake]

Before I even built this robots, the LEGO parts melting was my biggest concerns. I was even planing to wrap my LEGO parts with tinfoil, but dind't need to. After trying it out, it is NOT a concern at all ! Even the temp captor that is very close to the water (1 inch) don't melt.

[cotton]

ok but shouldent the eegs stay in the water unlis its at like 500 600c

[jmicko]

when the peiceses all warp, i will laugh. sure maybe they're doing fine now, but you only had the eggs in the water for 8 seconds. i wouldn't be doing that if i were you. other than that, good job.

[chrismake]

The eggs in the the water for 8 seconds, that was only for the video. I cooked eggs for 3, 6 and even 9 minutes.

[derttiej]

did u get the idea from peewee herman's big adventure...

[karossii]

You say that at $190.00 for parts only (not including labor or other expenses), it is cheaper than a $25.00 steamer. Methinks you've misplaced a zero somewhere in there...?

[chrismake]

karossii -> I tagged step # 6 with It's a joke :o)

[Uru Wolf]

The cost is irrelevant really. It's the fun of doing it.

[lukeyj15]

Exatly

[SOADfan2010]

Great idea, But don't the steam and high temperatures directly under the Lego structure damage the pieces?

[chrismake]

SOADfan2010 -> That was my biggest fear when I started this project, but to my surprise, it's not a problem at all. Even the temperature sensor and the other small bricks that are only 1" above the boiling water are doing just fine !

[davidturner666]

I would have never thought of this idea- well done, i like it. Just need something now to make some soldiers to go with the egg.

[GorillazMiko]

VERY nice job!

Go eggs!

+5/5 stars.
(added to favorites)

[LinuxH4x0r]

Cool! Sort of pointless, but totally awesome