fischertechnik
fischertechnik is a construction kit system for children, for technical training and further education and for research and development. The construction kits consist of basic building blocks made of plastics and components such as axles , gears , motors , structural components , gears or sensors . The range is divided into six rows and includes 41 construction kits and extension sets.
The kits are manufactured and sold by fischertechnik GmbH, with end customer sales being handled by an external sales company. fischertechnik is a division of the fischer group of companies and manufactures exclusively in Germany.
Structure of the system
The fischertechnik system is based on a module that can be attached to all six sides. For this purpose, it has a pin at one end which can be pushed into the grooves on the long sides and the side opposite the pin. Thanks to this patented attachment on all six sides and the possibility of moving the building blocks against each other in the grooves on the long sides, the system is flexible even beyond the basic grid of 15 millimeters.
The system should convey technical facts in a playful way. For a long time, the focus was primarily on the function of the models. The basic building blocks as well as the structural parts were made of gray, special building blocks such as angle stones and building plates made of red granulate. Blue and yellow components were added in the early 1980s. A new color concept was introduced in 1989: the basic modules are now black ( red for the ADVANCED Automobile kit since 2006 and yellow for the Big Bulldozer kit since 2009 ) and the structural parts are yellow (for some models since the turn of the millennium, they have also been black or red). Red parts stayed red. Since 1983 there have been aluminum profiles up to 75 cm long in some construction sets, which are more stable than a row of plastic building blocks.
The modules are usually offered in thematically-oriented kits. Since the 15-millimeter grid of all components has been retained unchanged, the components of all kits are largely compatible.
The following system components are or were available:
- Building blocks: basic building blocks, connecting elements, wheels
- Drive technology: motors, gear sets, gears, worm drives, racks
- Static modules: angle and U-beams as well as struts for the wind bracing
- Electromechanics: switches, lamps, electromagnets
- Electronics: photo or touch sensors, differential amplifiers, switching stages, digital modules
- Optics: lenses, light guides, mirrors (up to the 1980s)
- Pneumatics: compressor, valves, pistons
- Computing: controllers, software, sensors
History of the system
1965-1969
fischertechnik was originally developed in 1964 as a Christmas present for the children of business partners. Due to the positive response, the decision was made in 1965 to offer this invention on the market as a modular system. The inventor Artur Fischer (1919–2016) donated the first 1000 construction sets to the Problem child campaign at Christmas 1965 .
Fischertechnik was launched on the market in spring 1966. In addition to three basic sets, five supplementary sets were offered. The basic color of the packaging was blue, the fischertechnik lettering on it was white and red. Children playing were shown on the boxes. These first boxes were relatively large, the individual building blocks lay in a deep-drawn plastic insert, which earned the boxes the nickname “praline pack”. The new modular system received the Meilleur Jouet award in France in 1966 ("best toy"), the "Diplôme du meilleur jouet" award in 1966 and 1967, and in 1970 the highest French award for toys, the "Oscar du Jouet".
In 1967 the first sales brochure appeared in which the entire fischertechnik range was shown. The modular system was expanded to include a motor and gearbox, initially with a battery box and a little later with a power supply unit. A smaller basic set enabled entry. New additional boxes made it possible to buy additional items such as tires, axles, gears, etc. In 1968 an electromechanical kit was added and in the following year an electronics kit.
In 1968 the fischertechnik fan club was founded, in which the members were kept up to date with the latest news with the club magazine.
In 1969 the program was expanded to include the first electrical construction kit. This contains an electronic switch stick that enables the construction of optical circuits and experiments with the supplied luminous stones, pinhole diaphragms, lenses and mirrors.
1970-1980
The structural engineering kits from 1970 made it possible to build larger models such as cranes, towers or bridges. The new hobby product line aimed to address adults as a new target group. The sets were largely identical to the series of construction sets for school lessons. In 1972, pre-stage sets for children of kindergarten age were released with smaller wheels that can be attached to the building panels and cladding panels that could be clipped onto the normal building blocks. The hobbywelt box launched in 1974 enabled the processing of expanded polystyrene (Styrofoam). This enabled the fischertechnik models to be integrated or disguised in landscapes. In the same year, a screw jack appeared that simulated the function of hydraulic cylinders.
In 1976, construction kits for preschool children were presented under the designation 2bis6 (later referred to as 3bis6). This was the first time that yellow and blue building blocks and toy figures were added to the range. For the fan club members there was a new membership card in the form of a key fob. In 1977 two new kits came on the market, with which the basic knowledge of electronics and digital technology should be imparted. From 1978 onwards, the program was supplemented by subject boxes.
1981-1984
1981 fischertechnik presented itself uniformly with the lettering "fischertechnik" in the colors red / blue on all packaging. From 1981 the models changed their appearance with red, yellow and blue components. In the same year the supplementary set of pneumatics appeared. Using pneumatic cylinders and manually operated valves, models can now be controlled with compressed air. A small motorized compressor and a hand pump were available for generating compressed air. Compressors made from fischertechnik elements were added later. In the following year, cylinders that could be filled with water appeared, which simulated hydraulic functions. The hydraulic cylinders were green to distinguish them from the blue pneumatic cylinders.
In 1983 a 4-channel remote control appeared. This could be expanded to eight channels with a second receiver. This made it possible to remotely control large models.
Seven of the 14 new fischertechnik construction sets at the time dealt with motorsport. The program comprised three racing cars, fire fighting vehicles, emergency vehicles, transport vehicles, pit stands, rescue helicopters and ambulances. In 1984 the largest construction kits came onto the market, the large tower crane and the container crane.
1985-1988
Fischertechnik got into computer technology with computing , training robots and plotter scanners . Interfaces for all home computers common at the time appeared, including Apple II , Acorn and Commodore 64 , later also for Schneider, Atari ST and IBM PCs . Programming languages for controlling the models were u. a. GW-BASIC , Turbo Pascal and, in later kits (1991), the in-house programming tool Lucky Logic .
The fischertechnik fan club was resumed in 1987 after a pause since 1980. The new magazine for club members was named Fan Club News and was first published in 1987.
- See also: Programming Languages for Children
1989-1995
fischertechnik renewed the entire program and brought a new concept with the Master modular series, which was based on the Master basic modular system and could be expanded with the Master Plus expansion packs.
Numerous new components were developed for this new modular program and the colors were colored: the basic components were made in black and the structural components in yellow. In 1991, the power supply was changed to 9 volts, but the first rechargeable batteries did not appear until 1998.
With the professional construction kits, a new series of construction kits came onto the market, which were supposed to bring the application of technology closer to everyday life with models. The computing area was also renewed, and with the new LLWin for Windows software, it could also run under the widespread Windows operating system.
1989-2003
With the new construction sets of the Junior and Master series, the color of the building blocks was changed: The basic building blocks were now black, the structural components were yellow, the angle blocks remained red. The electromechanical components such as lights and motors have also been revised and the power supply (battery boxes and transformers) modernized. As the successor to the hobby program, the professional kits were aimed at children from the age of twelve. The black packaging made them stand out from the rest of the range.
The subject of bionics was taken up with the construction kit I'm walking from 1994 . In contrast to the Bionic Robots , the version from 2001, the six crawling animals only managed to run in a straight line. In 1997 there were solar components in the SOLAR SET kit . This contained the components motor, solar module and a double-layer capacitor for intermediate storage of the energy. The computer-controlled fischertechnik models learned to walk for the first time with the Mobile Robots kit . In the following year the remote control IR CONTROL SET appeared , which worked on the basis of infrared light . This could be used to control three motors.
2004 until today
In 2004 the modular system was divided into the six series JUNIOR (from five years), BASIC and ADVANCED (from seven years), PROFI , COMPUTING and PLUS . As before, current technical developments are taken up as topics for the construction kits, for example in the PROFI Oeco Tech kit (2009), which addresses regenerative power generation, among other things with a fuel cell, and in the kits of the COMPUTING series (2009), in which robot Models can be programmed using Robo Pro graphic software or other languages.
TXT controller
In 2013 the Fischertechnik TXT Controller came onto the market, which, compared to the previous model, the TX Controller, has WiFi, a real-time clock, an IR transmitter / receiver, a camera input, and a micro SD card slot to expand the memory , a loudspeaker and a color 2.4 ″ touch display.
| TX | TXT | |
|---|---|---|
| processor |
Atmel AT91SAM9260 32-bit, ARM9E, 200 MHz |
TI AM3359 32-bit, ARM Cortex-A8 , 600 MHz |
| Storage | 8 MB RAM / 2 MB Flash | 256 MB RAM / 128 MB Flash a |
| Display | 128 × 64 pixels, monochrome, 1.7 ″ |
240 × 320 pixels, color, 2.4 ″, touchscreen |
| Inputs / outputs |
|
|
| Interfaces | Bluetooth 2.0 | Bluetooth 2.1 |
| I²C ; RS-485 | I²C | |
| - |
|
|
| size | 90 mm × 90 mm × 15 mm | 90 mm × 90 mm × 25 mm |
Secondary lines
In the 1970s there were several construction and experiment kits in the fields of electromechanics and electronics, which were listed in brochures and catalogs, but did not require any other kits from the fischertechnik range. Modern Fischertechnik sets are mostly complete and do not require any other sets, but they can always be combined with parts from other sets in the system.
- In 1973, the fischergeometric sets, an independent series of four construction sets for training in descriptive geometry, which were not compatible with normal fischertechnik.
- 1978 and 1979 appeared two boxes for the construction of aircraft ( jet and jumbo jet ).
- In 1979 the Bau-Spiel-Bahn followed , a train made of fischertechnik parts and running on Fleischmann H0 tracks. The railway could not establish itself on the market, the last innovations appeared in 1980.
- A large number of articles for small children were available from 1980 under the name fischerform . From baby toys for the cot to wooden puzzles and "PerlBlocks" (rattling, because ball-filled plastic building blocks) to the actual fischerform , a modular system for children from 4 years.
- Fischertechnik launched two special models of steam engines under the name Classic Line : The steam roller around 1920 (1995) and the mobile steam engine (2000) with base plates made of solid wood and a black and red color scheme.
pedagogy
From the beginning fischertechnik also had an educational claim. This is how the fischertechnik school program came into being in the 1960s, from which the hobby line developed. In the hobby booklet, technical and physical relationships were explained to the reader in detail with the help of fischertechnik models.
fischertechnik construction kits are still used in school today, other manufacturers offer themed construction kits and models as a supplement for technical and scientific subjects. Fischertechnik also offers industrial models for technical training at universities and in industry, such as cycle lines, punching machines or conveyor belts; extensions from other manufacturers are also available here.
Awards
fischertechnik has received several awards:
- 1970 Oscar du Jouet (France)
- 2007 The Federal Association of Toy Retailers and the TOP 10 toy jury nominated the ADVANCED Ships + More kit as a TOP 10 toy.
- 2008 The PROFI da Vinci Machines construction kit was Toy of the Year in Belgium. In Germany the kit was nominated for the Golden Rocking Horse.
- In 2009, the PROFI Oeco Tech construction kit was awarded the Golden Rocking Horse in the “Games and Technology” category.
- In 2010 the PROFI Technical Revolutions kit was nominated for the Golden Rocking Horse (category "Games and Technology").
- In 2011, the PROFI Dynamics construction kit was nominated by the Federal Association of Toy Retailers and the TOP 10 Toy Jury as a TOP 10 toy and for the Golden Rocking Horse in the "Games and Technology" category.
- In 2012, the PROFI Pneumatic 3 construction kit was nominated by the Federal Association of Toy Retailers and the TOP 10 Toy Jury as TOP 10 toys and for the Golden Rocking Horse in the "Games and Technology" category.
- In 2013, the PROFI Oeco Energy construction kit was nominated as a TOP 10 toy in Germany and the PROFI Optics construction kit was awarded the Golden Rocking Horse in the "Games and Technology" category.
- In 2014, the PROFI Dynamic XL marble run construction kit received the "Toy of the Year" award as the overall winner and winner in the "Games and Technology" category of the Golden Rocking Horse Toy Prize.
- In 2015, the PROFI Dynamic M ball course construction kit received the Games4family Award.
- In 2019 the "Funny Machines" kit, which can be used to build chain reactions, received the award "The Golden Rocking Horse" in the "Games and Technology" category.
Fan clubs
- According to the company, the fischertechnik Fan Club run by fischertechnik GmbH has over 30,000 members. Members receive fan club news and information on promotions and trade fairs twice a year . Once a year, fischertechnik invites fans to the fischertechnik Fan Club Day in the Waldachtal.
- The fischertechnikclub Nederland was founded in 1991. He has 300 (2008) members, publishes two issues of his Clubblad (with translation into German) a year, and meets at three to five exhibitions a year.
- The fischertechnik-community, an internet community founded in 2001 that documents its models on the internet. Since March 2011 she has published the free quarterly magazine ft: pedia .
Web links
- Official website of fischertechnik GmbH
- Open source version of the library for fischertechnik ROBO Interface (runs on Unix-like systems such as Linux, BSD, Mac OS X)
- Numerous building instructions and a lot of old brochures
- Website of the german fischertechnik community
Individual evidence
- ^ Virtual fischertechnik Museum by Frank Holzhauer, http://www.cc-c.de/fischertechnik/german/ft_museum/ft_start.htm
- ^ Aluminum profile ( Memento from January 22, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ 75 cm long aluminum profile in the "Container Bridge" kit
- ↑ ROBO Pro Software ( Memento from June 20, 2012 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ a b Dr. Till Harbaum: Heart for Fischertechnik - Community firmware drills out the Robotics TXT controller. In: Heise online . May 27, 2016 (fee-based article from c't 12/2016, pp. 134-139). Retrieved June 19, 2016.
- ↑ Official website of the TOP 10 Toys initiative
- ↑ The Golden Rocking Horse 2009 ( Memento from January 30, 2013 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ The Golden Rocking Horse 2013
- ↑ Toy of the Year 2014 ( Memento from July 31, 2014 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ PROFI Dynamic M ball course from fischertechnik. In: games4family. November 29, 2015, accessed on August 20, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Industry. Retrieved on August 20, 2019 (German).
- ↑ Clubblad, Volume 17, No. 4, December 2007
- ↑ Free fan magazine ft: pedia ( ISSN 2192-5879 )