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⚡ Lego Technic · Coding · Circuits · 3D Printing · Bikes

COLTON'SMad Lab

Build huge.Crash.Fix it.Build bigger.

My workshop on the internet: gearboxes, crawlers, games, circuits and printed parts — plus everything that broke along the way and how I fixed it.

⚙ See my builds 🔧 Now building
Sparky, the Mad Lab robot assistant, wearing an orange-visor helmet

SPARKY: Lab assistant reporting! Today's job: handing Colton gears for the crawler.

FIG.1 CHAINRING DRIVE v2 TECHNIC 16T COG

// Latest Builds

Every build gets a log: what I tried, what broke, and the fix.

BUILD #13 DIVE BOMBER · TOP VIEW ~3 ft WINGSPAN2× 1806 MOTORS 2 DART BAYS(ground test only) HOLLOW WINGSBRAKE CHUTE

3D-Printed RC Dive Bomber

Paused

A twin-engine RC plane with a 3 ft wingspan, hollow printed wings and two Nerf-dart bays.

⚠ LIPO BATTERY: GROWN-UP CHARGES IT
  • 3D Printing
  • Electronics
  • Coding
  • Motors
A short row of dark gray LEGO Technic track links on carpet.BUILD #12

3D-Printed Battle Tanks (1:40)

Idea

Six self-driving printed tanks, blue team vs orange team, in an IR laser-tag style battle game.

  • 3D Printing
  • Electronics
  • Coding
  • Motors
BUILD #11 3x3 CUBE · 57 mm 57 mm REUSED CORE+ SCREWS & SPRINGS ~54 SNAP-FIT WHITE PLA TILES"C" LOGO · I PAINT THEM (redesign next)

3D-Printed Rubik's Cube (3x3)

Paused

A 57 mm 3x3 puzzle cube with snap-fit white tiles I paint. First test corner didn't fit. Paused for now.

  • 3D Printing
  • Mechanisms
My printed V1 Magnarail: a red 3D-printed track piece with magnet holes and the red train sitting on it, on a desk.BUILD #10

Magnarail Train (Prototype V1)

Paused

A magnetic train on my own 3D-printed track. V1 is printed and V2 parts are ready. Paused for now.

  • 3D Printing
  • Tinkercad
BUILD #09 MODEL ROCKET · SIDE VIEW BALANCE PTNEW FINS 30×30 300 mm × 24 mm · 3D-PRINTEDGROWN-UP LAUNCH ONLY

3D-Printed Model Rocket (C6-5)

Building

A 300 mm printed rocket with a parachute. Making bigger fins so it flies straight.

⚠ GROWN-UP BUILD: ROCKET LAUNCH
  • 3D Printing
BUILD #08 TURBINE · FRONT VIEW CASING 70 mmWALLS 3 mm INSIDE ~64 mmBLADES: TBD

3D-Printed Jet Turbine

Building

A motor spins turbine blades inside a 70 mm printed casing, like a real jet engine.

  • 3D Printing
  • Tinkercad
  • Motors
AI-drawn concept guide for a LEGO Technic 10-speed gearbox: a parts list and 11 illustrated steps. It uses parts I don't have yet.BUILD #07

10-Speed Technic Gearbox

Building

5 gears × 2 ranges = 10 speeds. Redoing the build guide with only my real parts.

  • Lego Engineering
  • Mechanisms
BUILD #06 4WD CRAWLER · SIDE VIEW DIFF PF MOTORS · LOCKING DIFFS · 4-SPEED

4WD Technic Crawler

Building

Off-road crawler with suspension, locking diffs and a 4-speed shifter.

  • Lego Engineering
  • Motors
  • Mechanisms
BUILD #05 UNO R4 220Ω

Arduino LED Lab

Building

Uno R4 lessons — on lesson 4: safe resistor values for LEDs.

  • Electronics
  • Coding
  • Arduino
BUILD #04 123456

6-Speed Technic Gearbox

Building

Six gears, one shifter. Rebuilding it after the instructions went missing.

  • Lego Engineering
  • Mechanisms
BUILD #03 LEAN-TO-STEER · 3 WHEELS 3D-PRINTED (sketch — not built)

Electric 3-Wheel Scooter

Idea

Lean-to-steer, 3D-printed brackets, handlebar throttle.

⚠ GROWN-UP BUILD: BIG BATTERIES
  • 3D Printing
  • Tinkercad
  • Electronics
  • Bikes
BUILD #02 if y < -170 → respawn

Puppy Catch (Scratch game)

Done

A puppy catches a falling squirrel, tennis ball and taco.

  • Coding
  • Scratch
BUILD #01 COIN →LEVER →DISPENSE

Coin-Op Lego Soda Machine

Scrapped

Coin pushes a lever that unlocks the dispenser.

  • Lego Engineering
  • Mechanisms
BUILD #??

Project coming soon

🔒 Locked

Something new is waiting on the workbench.

BUILD #??

Project coming soon

🔒 Locked

Something new is waiting on the workbench.

BUILD #??

Project coming soon

🔒 Locked

Something new is waiting on the workbench.

// Skill Meters

Lego EngineeringLVL 9 · Gear Wizard
Gearboxes, diffs, suspension, shifters.
CodingLVL 5 · Block Boss
Scratch games now, Arduino code next.
ElectronicsLVL 3 · Spark Starter
LEDs, resistors and the Uno R4.
3D PrintingLVL 6 · Layer Lord
Tinkercad designs + the printers.

* Fun levels made up by the lab. Every crash = +1 XP.

// Badges Earned

  • GearheadBuilt gearboxes, diffs & shifters
  • CoderShipped a real Scratch game
  • Circuit RookieLit an LED the safe way (resistor!)
  • Printer ProDesigns in Tinkercad, prints layer by layer
  • Crash SurvivorCrashed it, fixed it, built it bigger
Scrap HeapBuilds I scrapped — and what I learned.
Idea VaultWild ideas I haven't built (yet).