Robot Builders Source Book - Gordon McComb Episode 2 Part 7 docx

x V pentam@cncKITS.com http://www.cnckits.com/ Kits and parts and plans for building CNC lathes and routers and mills.. Available with or without theSuperCam software from Super Tech &

CNC simulation/educational software Web site is in

English, French, and Italian

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 pentam@cncKITS.com

 http://www.cnckits.com/

Kits and parts and plans for building CNC lathes and

routers and mills Good source for leadscrew

assem-blies, at fair prices Includes links to other resources on

http://www.delcam.com/

x VDelft Spline Systems / DeskProto 203696P.O Box 2071

3500 GB UtrechtThe Netherlands

P.O Box 342Wyoming, PA 18644USA

Plans, videotape, and basic parts for the AutoRout

plot-ter-style router For small tools like Dremel

CNC mini mills and lathes Based on Sherline products

Complete and retrofit

Plans and basic starter kits for building your own CNC

router Their “CNC package” includes three stepper

motors, stepper motor controller electronics, and

assorted hardware (minus the case)

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Rua de S Miguel No.3 R/CMacau

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12419 E Nightingale Ln

Chandler, AZ 85249USA

 (602) 791-0219

 (480) 895-9648

 info@microproto.com

 http://www.microproto.com/

MicroProto is the “CNC branch” of TAIG Tools, makers

of precision desktop lathes and mills The standardTAIG is manually operated; MicroProto adds steppermotors and control circuits so that you can control your

tools-cnc 623

Three-axis CNC kit Photo Dave Rigotti

Home Build Hobby Plotter /

http://plotter.luberth.com

Plans for a CNC plotter, hardware, and software

Includes a forum and many other useful resources

machine from computer Available with or without the

SuperCam software from Super Tech & Associates

Minitech manufactures and sells desktop CNC mills,

lathes, and routers Middle to high end

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Nick Carter’s Taig Lathe Pages 203693

http://www.cartertools.com/

Informational site on TAIG lathes From the site,

“Welcome to my pages devoted to the Taig Lathe Since

buying one over five years ago I have become

increas-ingly enthusiastic about the Taig lathe, its economy,

capability and over all style The Taig lathe is especially

good if you are a novice to metalworking, and seek to

learn the basics without a large investment of money

and space It is my hope that these pages are a useful

resource for all Taig users.”

Lots of links Nick is also a dealer for the TAIG

Super Tech & Associates
203690

3313 East Hillery Dr

P.O Box 30729Phoenix, AZ 85046USA

 (602) 867-1755

 (602) 867-1426

 info@super-tech.com

 http://www.super-tech.comSuper Tech manufactures and sells desktop CNC andmills, as well as low-cost general-purpose CNC software.Their MiniRobo, which I purchased for my own shop, is

a compact yet versatile router that uses a Dremel orRotoZip tool for cutting, drilling, and engraving intoplastic, wood, and soft metals Other products includeTAIG mills and lathes and the RoboTorch, a largegantry-style CNC plasma cutting rig

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tools-cnc

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This section provides resources for hand tools of ous types-screwdrivers, wrenches, pliers, that sort ofthing

vari-My word of advice: Buy the best hand tools you canafford Don’t get cheap with your hand tools Betterhand tools help you do a better job, and they’ll lastlonger, too

2400 Merriam Ln

Kansas City, KS 66106USA

tools-cnc 625

Three-axis mill from TAIG Tools Photo

Susan Daley/Wild West BEST.

CadSoft CAD/CAM

http://www.camsoftcorp.com/

Software for CNC machine: mills, lathes, routers,

water jets, lasers, punch presses and EDMs

GriffTek

http://www.grifftek.com/

For CNC: controllers, motor mounts, retrofit kits

Sherline retros a specialty

Ormond, LLC

http://www.ormondllc.com/

Ultra high pressure waterjet CNC machines

• Chesco-hex tools

• Hanson-drill bits, taps, and dies

• Irwin-wood-boring and cutting tools

Products are available through retailers; and much of

the material on their Web site is marketing fluff

However, they do offer informative “solutions and tips”for selected tools



1287 E 1120 S

Provo, UT 84606USA

Construction Tools You Need

If you’re fashioning your own robot frame and other mechanical parts, you need tools tocut, saw, punch, ream, file, and fasten These are the tools you can’t do without:

• Claw hammer, used for just about anything you can think of.

• Rubber mallet, for gently bashing pieces together that resist going together; also for

forming sheet metal

• Screwdriver assortment, including various sizes of flat-head and Philips-head

screw-drivers

• Hacksaw, with an assortment of blades Coarse-tooth blades are good for wood and

PVC pipe; fine-tooth blades are good for copper, aluminum, and light-gauge steel

• Miter box, to cut straight lines

• Wrenches, all types Adjustable wrenches are helpful additions to the shop Small and

large Vice-Grips (that’s a brand name) help you hold pieces for cutting and sanding

• Nut drivers, make it easy to attach nuts to bolts.

• Measuring tape, a 6- or 8-foot steel measuring tape is a good choice A cloth tape

helps measure unusual shapes For precision, purchase a small (6- to 8-inch) ist’s rule, graduated in inches, metric, or both

machin-• Square (18-inch), for making sure that pieces you cut and assemble from wood, plastic,

and metal are square

• File assortment, to smooth the rough edges Get a set for larger pieces, and another small set (called needle files) for miniature work.

• Drill motor,with variable speed control.

• Drill bit assortment, good, sharp ones only If yours are dull, have them sharpened, or

replace them A small set with sizes from 1/16 inch to 1/4 inch is fine for starters

• Wire crimping tool, for crimping lugs and connectors onto various sizes of wires Get

the kind that can handle wire from 12 to 22 gauge

• Vise, for holding parts A modest-size vice that attaches to your workbench with bolts

(not a clamp; they don’t hold) is sufficient

• Safety goggles, for use whenever you’re using tools to hammer, cut, drill, or any other

time when flying debris could get in your eyes Be sure you use the goggles

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616 111th St

Arlington, TX 76011USA

Construction Tools You Should Have

If you want a well-stocked robot lab, consider these optional tools:

• A drill press helps you drill better holes, because you have more control over the angle and depth of each hole Be sure to use a drill press vice to hold the pieces Never use

your hands!

• A table saw or circular saw makes cutting through large pieces of wood and plastic

easier Use it with a guide fence for straight cuts

• A scroll saw or saber saw lets you cut out shapes A decent scroll saw is not expensive

and provides good accuracy

• A motorized hobby tool, like those made by Dremel and Weller, makes short work out

of a number of chores The latest models have adjustable speed controls, which youneed Be sure to select the right bit for the job A more powerful alternative to the

hobby tool is the Roto-Zip (that’s its trade name)

• Hot-melt glue guns let you apply fast-setting glue to most any surface They are

avail-able at most hardware and hobby stores and are availavail-able in a variety of sizes

• With a nibbling tool you can “nibble” small chunks from metal and plastic pieces Use

the tool to cut channels and enlarge holes

• A tap and die set lets you thread holes and shafts to accept standard-size nuts and

bolts

• A brazing tool or small welder allows you spot-weld or braze two metal pieces together.

Use these for small work only, and only if you’re old enough to pay for fire insurance

WASSCO distributes production soldering materials

and supplies Offered are solder, cleaning chemicals,

abrasives, soldering tools, static control products, test

and measurement gear, and hand tools

Woodworkers tools and supplies Be sure to check out

their extensive line of plywoods (if you’re building a

robot base using wood) Of course, they offer the

regu-lar hand tools, like drills, saws, and planes, for working

with wood Order online or visit one of their 61 retaillocations within the U.S

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2625 Beaver Ave

Des Moines, IA 50310USA

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Machinery tools include mills and lathes A mill is used

to carve material to create complex 3D shapes It canalso be used as a very accurate drill press (in fact, a milllooks a lot like a drill press) A lathe is used to cutagainst spinning rod or square material and is used forsuch jobs as cutting grooves in wheel axles

The resources in this section are primarily aimed atdesktop machinery, most of which is affordable for

home workshops See also Tools-CNC for

computer-ized versions of mills and lathes

134 Pine Creek Circuit,

St Clair New South Wales 2759 Sydney

http://www.emco.co.uk/



12 Norton Summit Road

Magill, South Australia 5072

tools-machinery 629

A Quick Look at Desktop Mills, Lathes, and

CNC Routers

Model makers have used so-called desktop mills, lathes,

and CNC routers for years These tools are similar in

fea-tures and function as the behemoths you see at large

machine shops and on manufacturing floors, but are scaled

down in both size and price—an ideal mix for amateur robot

builders

First, some definitions:

• A mill is like a vertical drill press Instead of a cutting bit

that just goes up and down, on a mill the work piece itself

can be moved horizontally and laterally This allows the

mill to produce complex shapes, instead of just holes

• A lathe is used to rotate a part against a cutting tool It is

typ-ically used to contour round or cylindrical material—threads

on a rod, for example The material turns on a horizontal

bed; the cutting tool is brought up against the material

• A CNC router is a high-speed cutting tool, like a wood

router, that is attached to a mechanism that moves the

router along the X, Y, and Z axes This movement is

man-aged by a computer

A CNC router is inherently a computer-controlled device

Mills and lathes can be completely manual affairs, or they,

too, can be hooked up to a computer With most models,

you can purchase a manual desktop mill and lathe today,

and sometime down the road retrofit it for computer control

Desktop lathes can be used to create wheel hubs, shafts, specialty fasteners, and more Photo: Sherline Products Inc.

A desktop mill can be used to create miniature parts for your robot Photo: Sherline Products Inc.

Makers of Desktop Machinery

There are a number of makers of desktop mills, lathes, and CNC routers Among themore common manufacturers are:

Not all desktop tools are created equally Some, like those from Cool Tools, are

designed for garage shop tinkerers on a budget They’re fine for working with lightweightmaterials like soft plastics and thin woods, but don’t think you can use them to producehighly accurate complex shapes from stainless steel! Price goes up based on accuracy,power, and size, so plan your purchase accordingly If you need to work with pieces up to

20 inches, don’t settle for a machine with a maximum cutting size of just 18 inches.One way to save money on a desktop mill or lathe is to purchase it used The bettermachines fetch good prices on eBay and other online auctions, but you may have goodluck snagging a steal simply by going to garage sales and checking the local newspaperclassified ads

Harbor Freight online.

 (805) 445-4912

 (800) 423-2567

 http://www.harborfreight.com/

Harbor Freight built a business on selling value-priced

tools, much of it “off-brand,” but still perfectly

work-able (I still regularly use the Chinese-made drill press I

bought from Harbor Freight over 20 years ago.) They

offer hand and power tools, pneumatic tools, and even

metal mill and lathes

Retail stores in selected areas of North America; check

the Web site for a store locator

ISMG makes a line of desktop and full-size lathes and

mills Available from dealers worldwide

Liberty makes and sells desktop mills and lathes (their

mills are the gantry router type) They also sell

sepa-rately a three-axis CNC motion control kit so you can

build your own mill

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6773 S Hancock Rd

Homosassa, FL 34448USA

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200 Oser Ave

Hauppauge, NY 11788USA

tools-machinery 631

There’s nothing like working with air tools out in the

garage Everyone in the neighborhood can hear you

work, and the “bripp, bripp” of the drill or saw or

sander tells all you’re hard at work building your latest

invention These tools are also fun to use, and

pneu-matic tools cost less than comparable electric tools

Campbell Hausfeld is one of the premier names in

home and shop air tools They sell compressors that

develop the necessary air pressure, the hoses,

regula-tors, and dryers to condition the air, the tools

them-selves, and other accessories Products are sold through

retailers such as Home Depot and other

hardware/home improvement stores Some online

sales of selected (often factory-serviced) products

Campbell Hausfeld’s air tools include air hammers,

drills (including reversing type), ratchets, screwdrivers,

sanders, nailers, and staplers I use two reversing drills,keeping either drill bits or screwdriver bits in them,depending on what I’m doing Quick disconnect cou-plers allow for fast tool changes

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510 New Park Ave

West Hartford, CT 06110USA

Power tools, mainly for woodworking

RIDGID/Emerson Tool Company

http://www.ridgidwoodworking.com/

Maker of power tools for contractors and

well-equipped home shop woodworkers

Care and Feeding of Pneumatic Tools

Water destroys air tools Oiling your tools every day that you use them will greatly prolongtheir life and helps dispel trapped water Even if you have an air dryer attached to your

compressor, be sure to add oil to the tool (just squirt a dab or two into the air intake) thefirst time you use it that day

You may also wish to invest in an inline oiler, which adds oiled air to the tool as you use

it The oiler connects to the hose line from the compressor to the tool

One final word: Wear earplugs (available at any drug store) when using air tools Youreardrums will thank you for it

Coastal Tool & Supply online

Cyber Woodworking Depot 202760

Power woodworking tools: bandsaws, drill presses,

lathes, miter saws, routers, and more

RBI makes scroll saws, wood planers, and drum

sanders Their Hawk brand scroll saws are the notable

product here, as they can be used to cut out precision

parts in wood, plastic, and even metal I have had one

of their 16-inch scroll saws for over a decade, and it’s

one of my most cherished tools These things are

expensive, but they last a lifetime

Shopsmith makes the famous all-in-one woodworking

tool that combines table saw, sander, lathe, horizontal

boring machine, and drill press

• Emco Compact 5 Lathe

• Prazi lathes and mills

• Sherline lathes and mills

sup-Papa John’s Toolbox

http://www.hobbytool.com/

Small precision tools

Cardstone sells primarily to the dollhouse maker, but

the products have equal use in robotics This include

miniature tools, saws, and drills, and Cir-Kit doll house

electrical wiring and lamps (supersmall lightbulbs)

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12 Norton Summit Road

Magill, South Australia 5072

Australia

 +61 8 8332 5944

 +61 8 8332 5944

 http://www.clisby.com.au/

Small precision lathes and milling machines (for wood

and metal) at low prices Useful for working with

light-weight materials such as brass, aluminum, and milling

plastics These are small and are well suited for

machin-ing little parts, like couplers and linkages, for your

robot They aren’t made for rebuilding the crankshaft

for a 1955 Chevy

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For the jewelry maker, FDJ On Time is a one-stop shopfor miniature jewelry tools, casting equipment, solder-ing supplies, electroplating gear, cleaners, mold-mak-ing equipment, and wax-working tools Offers an exten-sive list of investment casting supplies (furnaces,investment, etc.)

Separate printed catalogs are available and are free forthe asking:

• Tool Catalog, lists all the tools, casting, and making products

mold-• Display Catalog, contains display boxes for jewelry

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1088 Fairfax Circle WestBoynton Beach, FL 33436USA

 (561) 965-7280

 (561) 965-3759

 lrminiatures@aol.com

 http://www.lrminiatures.com/

Tools for working with small parts and miniatures Has

a very large selection

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340 Snyder Ave

Berkeley Heights, NJ 07922-1595USA

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12419 E Nightingale Ln

Chandler, AZ 85249USA

tools-precision & miniature

Sellers of Minicraft precision power tools (sanders,

saws), as well as hand tools

of precision miniature tools for over 50 years Moody isproud to manufacture miniature hand tools and setsavailable through distributors nationwide.”

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6773 S Hancock Rd

Homosassa, FL 34448USA

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tools-precision & miniature 635

Tools and Supplies for Wire Wrapping

Wire wrapping is one of the fastest methods of creating permanent and near-permanent

circuits, without fussing with creating circuit boards Wire wrapping is a point-to-point

wiring system that uses a special tool and extra-fine 28- or 30-gauge wrapping wire

Wire-wrapped circuits are as sturdy as soldered circuits, when properly constructed, andyou can change your designs without resoldering

You can purchase either a manual or a motorized wrapping tool Unless you plan on

wire wrapping all day, the manual tool is sufficient To use, insert one end of the strippedwire into a slot in the tool, and place the tool over a square-shaped wrapping post Givethe tool 5 to 10 twirls The connection is complete To remove the wire, you use the otherend of the tool and undo the wrapping

Sherline is a premier maker of miniature “desktop”

lathes and vertical mills They’re a staple in home

machinery shops, and there is an active trade in parts

and accessories on eBay.com and other online auction

Web sites Sherline offers some CNC versions or

retro-fits of their products (and they sell them “CNC ready”),

but many other companies offer retrofit kits So, you

can purchase a manually operated lathe or mill now

and upgrade it to CNC should you wish to automateyour production

Check out Sherline’s “Robot Warriors Links” page: http://www.sherline.com/robot.htm

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12419 E Nightingale Ln

Chandler, AZ 85249USA

Be sure to check out their regular Internet specials Youcan get a nice mill or lathe for less than you think Note thatseveral companies offer CNC retrofits for the TAIG line;TAIG also provides CNC versions ofsome oftheir tools.For CNC versions of TAIG mills and lathes, see alsoMicroProto Systems:

tools-precision & miniature

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Shopping Surplus for Used Surgical Tools

A useful tool for robotics construction is the hemostat,

lock-ing, fine-toothed pliers that are used in various surgical

pro-cedures They’re expensive to buy new, but are available on

the surplus market The hemostats have been autoclaved

(disinfected using high heat), so while “used” they are

per-fectly safe

Most of the surplus hemostats you’ll find are made of

stainless steel, but you might also run into plastic versions

They’re lighter weight but not quite as powerful as the

metal variety

Stainless steel hemostats make good miniature pliers Sherline vertical mill Photo: Sherline

Products Inc.

Specialty bits and accessories for precision tools

(Dremel) Web site provides useful how-to articles on

the proper use of the tools for common applications

Woodsmith is dedicated to the home woodcrafter They

sell a lot of craft plans, but sadly, none on building

robots They do, however, offer a limited line of

wood-working hand tools, bits, saws, router tables and fences,

and shop jigs Their emphasis is on precision

wood-working (cabinetry, inlays, etc.), so their tools are

designed for that extra measure of accuracy Expect

prices to match

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P.O Box 73Merrick, NY 11566USA



tools-precision & miniature 637

¶ Toys

Some of the earliest working robots were toys

though not many were designed to be played with

Rather, these robots, which followed patterns set in

cams, were for timekeeping—clock making with

mechanicals had been a real art for several centuries in

Europe—and for entertainment One of the most

famous “show-and-tell” robots was a doll that wrote its

signature while seated at a desk

In this section, and the several to follow, are listings of

toys with a robotic flavor Some are robotic in shape,

while others can be used to hack robots of your own

design Except for the very high end robot toys, such as

the Sony AIBO, most are priced low enough that you

won’t worry about gutting them to get to their parts

This main section lists general toy repositories, such as

the venerable Toys"R"Us and the famous FAO Schwarz

in New York City The next sections tackle specific types

of toys suitable for robotics:

• Construction-Designed for making things, these toys

teach mechanical interactions, and many (such as

LEGO and K’NEX) and can be used as elements

• Electronics-Some electronics toys can be hacked for

their sound chips, voice chips, and other

compo-nents There are many on the market; this section

lists a few manufacturers that make popular brands

• Robots-Robot toys include old tin windups and

sophisticated microprocessor-controlled

elec-tronic pets

SEE ALSO:

Kits-Electronicand Kits-Robotic:

Electronics and robotic kits you can combine tomake your own toys

LEGO (various): LEGO Technic and LEGOMindstorms construction sets

Retail-Hobby & Kit: Additional robots to try

http://www.amazon.com/

Also sells toys, in partnership with Toys”R”Us See

list-ing under Books.

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767 Fifth Ave

New York, NY 10153USA

A unique attribute of FAO Schwarz is their knack forselecting toys that are interesting for all ages, not justfor little kids Of course this means they carry lots ofrobotics toys, but they also stock science and construc-tion sets The store caters to an upscale crowd, so theyaren’t afraid of stocking the really expensive stuff

Toy manufacturer: Hasbro and Tiger lines; also

sells replacement parts of many of their toys

(some interesting robotic parts ideas)

Imagine the Challenge

http://www.imaginetoys.com/

Construction and electronic learning toys; mostly

for younger children

Makes iCybie, Furby, and other high-tech toys

FAO Schwarz online.

Copyright 2003 by Gordon McComb Click Here for Terms of Use.

GrandParents Toy Connection 202598

“Old-style” toys, including some wind-up robots

Includes a 1950s design of a robotic dog (wind up)

Online mail order for KB Toys retailer Check often for

deep discounts on LEGO, K’NEX, and other brands

KB Toys Stores corporate headquarters:

This is the direct sales site for Manley Toys, makers of

the Tekno robotic dog and other products Minimum

orders apply The Web site also provides information

about the Manley Toys products Product includes:

com-Products are sold through retailers and directly fromthe Web site

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521 Main St., Ste D P.O Box 83Bloomer, WI 54724USA

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toys 639

Manley Toy Direct.

Toys"R"Us is the largest specialty toy retailer in the

world (only Wal-Mart sells more toys, but they are a

general discount store, not a specialty toy store) You

can find a Toys"R"Us store in most every

town—some-times two or three The stores are generally well stocked

and the prices are competitive Stock comes and goes,

which is typical in the toy retail trade, but you can count

on Toys"R"Us for a steady supply of these time-honored

products:

• LEGO Mindstorms

• K’NEX construction sets

• Tonka motorized tractors and bulldozers (hack

‘em!)

• R/C batteries and rechargers

• Nerf pistols and balls (for lightweight fighting

robots)

• Motorized cars

The main Web address listed for Toys"R"Us is their

cor-porate site (their store holdings include Toys"R"Us,

Babies"R"Us, Kids"R"Us, and Imaginarium) Check the

corporate Web site for their retail store locator

The Toys"R"Us company once attempted to get into the

Internet game, but decided (at least for now) to

part-ner with Amazon.com for online sales You can visit the

Web site using the following URLs

Manufacturer of the Rumble Robots toys, as well as

other robotic toys (Muy Loco, Johnny Applebot,

Vendobot, and more), the C-Video wireless camera,and miscellaneous goodies Web site has some supportinformation and replacement parts

toys

640

Web site for Trendmasters.

57 Ting Kok Rd., Tai Po New TerritoriesHong Kong

 +85 2 2680 1000

 +85 2 2680 1300

 http://www.vtech.com.hkVTech manufactures electronic educational products,sold through retailers such as Toys”R”Us Several ofthese toys are hackable for their speech units, musicsynthesizers, or sensors Web site is in English andChinese

 (781) 899-7900

 (781) 899-6485

 (866) 899-7900

 foreman@constructiontoys.com

 http://www.constructiontoys.com/

Online and local retailer of construction toys

These toys are available both online and in the retail

store: Capsela; Eitech; Erector; Fischertechnik; Geofix;

Geomag; K’NEX; LEGO Dacta; Roger’s Connection;

Rhomblocks; Rokenbok; and Zome System

These toys are available in retail stores only:

Expandagon; LASY; LEGO

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David Williams: Meccano

http://www.freenet.edmonton.ab.ca/meccano/User Meccano support page

520 W Oklahoma Ave

Milwaukee, WI 53207USA