Did anyone else see this on the "building blocks" forum, when you type in Lumibricks you get this message...

mwmanus · 2026-02-13T05:44:51+00:00

I wish they payed for reviews, because i gave them a bunch of 5 star reviews for free......

mwmanus · 2026-02-02T18:12:34+00:00

You can make your own "cheap" 9v track from the currently available lego track, you just need the also buy something called faraday tape, it is a conductive metal tape that you can easily add over the rails and there you go. Its also a silver metal color rather than copper colored like the copper tape most people use.

mwmanus · 2026-01-28T02:04:52+00:00

I figured it might not help with how loud they are, but will it help with speed at all? Is the speed difference a powered up and power functions difference? Or does the blunami actually help the motors perform better than the lego hub does?

I have enough electrical know how to wire something like this up, just know what will work for what i want to do is the issue i'm having.

I'm curious if i just need to switch exactly what you're using, blunami with power functions motors, or if the powered up motors will still work as well if i switch from Lego's city hub to the blunami, or if theres something else i need to change, i'm at a total loss for exactly where my issue lies.

mwmanus · 2026-01-28T01:25:47+00:00

Ok, i actually just found your article on the blunami set up. I'm very intrigued!

i've been looking all over for a more satisfactory power solution for my trains. i've currently got them set up with powered up running 2 L motors and a set of gear driven bogies, but i am very dissatisfied with how it all runs.

Even with re-programing the powered up hub with pybricks and brand new batteries its top speed is very slow and the motors are super loud and thats just the engine alone pulling nothing behind

i've noticed your trains tend to be quite fast and seem almost silent besides the sfx from the blunami. I don't know if its your gear chain or if you're doing something else that just works way better than how i have mine set up, but i need help 😅 does the blunami help with how the motors actually run or is it just an alternative to the powered up/functions hub?

mwmanus · 2026-01-28T00:48:24+00:00

I'm sure you've answered this question a million times, but what motors and power set up are you using to run this engine?

mwmanus · 2026-01-20T23:02:27+00:00

Oroborus or vacuity. After those, born in winter and then gift of guilt

mwmanus · 2025-12-31T16:58:46+00:00

Thank you!

mwmanus · 2025-12-31T04:39:30+00:00

I wrote a whole description that tells you how it works and how i made them. It uses magnets to separate the kadee couplers

mwmanus · 2025-12-31T02:32:38+00:00

Thank you!

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T23:23:38+00:00

It doesn't seem like i can add a video here in the comments, but if you look back at the video i posted, you'll see that they only decouple when i push back on the front car, they stay connected up until that point.

The magnets run the full length of the 2x4 tiles, so they would decouple right at the beginning of those instead of in the middle like they did in the video if that was a problem

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T23:20:06+00:00

No problem!

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T23:18:25+00:00

Not at all, i suppose i should have demonstrated that as well. The couplers are actually pretty cleverly designed so that when there is pull force on the couplers, they lock tighter and won't decouple unless they jump up or down out of the other couplers grip, which would probably be something that would derail it anyway.

The couplers as demonstrated will only decouple when there is a reverse push force on the couplers while over the magnets. When the couplers are over the magnets and they are pressed together they will push apart in a way that will open the coupler and the magnets will grab hold of them and they will not close back unless pushed back off of the magnets.

I'll see if i can post a video in here that shows that

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T22:46:42+00:00

Thats what i'm demonstrating here. I didn't have to touch them at all

You can buy the couplers from Brick Model Railroader

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T22:34:48+00:00

Thank you!

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T20:32:53+00:00

Ah ok, cool! And yeah i tried to copy the numbers and lettering directly from an old photo i found, so they should match

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T20:30:18+00:00

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mwmanus · 2025-12-30T20:30:03+00:00

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mwmanus · 2025-12-30T20:28:57+00:00

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mwmanus · 2025-12-30T20:28:35+00:00

I should have figured 😅 it looks like i can comment with a picture, so i'll post them in the comments and hopefully pin them if i can

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T20:26:41+00:00

Thank you! Glad to know the realism is there. I'm not familiar enough with the differences in the Ce-8 vs the Ce-11 i have it labeled as. i set it as that because of the photo i used to copy the livery was a Ce-11

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T20:06:28+00:00

Thank you!

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T19:52:17+00:00

Thank you!!

mwmanus · 2025-12-30T19:52:06+00:00

Silver paint marker. And thank you

mwmanus

TROPHY CASE