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The Head
 
The head consists of:
the RCX
a light sensor pointing upwards so that whatever's above it can be detected, either a black or white piece, or an empty position.
a magnet mounted on a chassis that can be raised and lowered to 'pull' the pieces around the board as the head moves
two touch sensors to detect when the edges of the playing area are touched - this helps keep the movement calibrated as the game progresses
a motor driving a worm gear that drives small gears on its base, enabling the head to crawl backwards and forwards along the tracks
a rotation sensor to measure the distance crawled.
The magnet chassis
The magnet is mounted in a small construction that can slide up and down on axels to raise and lower the magnet.
The motor turns a cam that pushes the magnet up.
A small stop is built into the body of the head to prevent the cam turning too far; it turns just past the apex so that it doesn't get pushed back immediately, rather the motor has to be turned the other way.
A rubber band ensures the head lowers when the motor turns.
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Andy's LEGO® Mindstorms® Page
