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Fischertechnik

Fischertechnik is a German brand of construction toys created by Artur Fischer, designed for educational purposes in teaching simple machines and robotics. Since its introduction in 1965, it has evolved to include various sets and components, including electronic and robotic elements, while maintaining a focus on engineering and STEM education. Despite competition from brands like Lego, Fischertechnik remains popular among schools and hobbyists for its technical complexity and educational value.

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84 views4 pages

Fischertechnik

Fischertechnik is a German brand of construction toys created by Artur Fischer, designed for educational purposes in teaching simple machines and robotics. Since its introduction in 1965, it has evolved to include various sets and components, including electronic and robotic elements, while maintaining a focus on engineering and STEM education. Despite competition from brands like Lego, Fischertechnik remains popular among schools and hobbyists for its technical complexity and educational value.

Uploaded by

immanuel.magnus.luther
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Fischertechnik

Fischertechnik is a brand of construction toy. It was


Fischertechnik
invented by Artur Fischer and is produced by
fischertechnik GmbH in Waldachtal, Germany. Fans
often refer to Fischertechnik as "FT" or "ft".[2] It is Type Construction set
used in education for teaching about simple machines,
Inventor(s) Artur Fischer
as well as motorization and mechanisms.[3] The
company also offers computer interface technology, Company fischertechnik GmbH
which can be used to teach the theory of automation Country Germany
and robotics. Availability 1966–present
Slogan Building blocks for life
Official website (http://www.fischertechnik.de/e
Origin n)

The company is a German manufacturer of fasteners,


and the original Fischertechnik set was intended as a Christmas
(1964) novelty gift for engineers and buyers at industrial clients.
The gifts proved popular, so for Christmas 1965, the company
introduced its first building set for retail sale in Germany. In
part, it has been claimed to foster education and interest in
technology and science among the young. By about 1970, the
construction sets were being sold in the United States at upscale
toy retailers such as FAO Schwarz.

Building blocks
15×15×30 mm (plus peg) standard
The basic building blocks were of channel-and-groove design, block in original gray color

manufactured of hard nylon. Basic blocks came in 15×15×15


and 15×15×30 millimeter sizes. A peg on one side of each block
could be attached into a channel on any of the other five sides of a similar block, producing a tightly-
fitting assembly that could assume almost any shape. Red cladding plates could be used to complete the
exterior surfaces of the models.

Accessories
The original blocks were characteristically gray with red accessories such as wheels and angled blocks.
Electric motors, power sources, and gears were soon added to mobilize models. Additional building
pieces such as struts were added in “statics” sets, allowing the construction of realistic-looking bridges
and tower cranes. A few Fischertechnik girders actually are made of aluminum.[4] At least one company
made Fischertechnik-compatible aluminum bars of any desired
length.[5] To teach the physics of such models, some sets
included measuring devices, so that trigonometric vectors could
be calculated and tested.

Electrical and electronic components


The early sets were sophisticated and were often used by
engineers to teach and simulate industrial robotics. This use was
advanced by the addition of electrical and electronic
components such as microswitches, magnetic-sensing reed
switches, and photocells, which sensed position and provided
input to motors. With the basic electronic block
(Grundbaustein), which contained an operational amplifier,
Schmitt trigger and delay line circuits could be built. In the late
1970s, electronic binary-logic modules (AND, NAND, OR, The fischertechnik da Vinci
NOR, flip-flops) were introduced, so that models could make construction set can be used to
recreate inventions by Leonardo da
some branching decisions. Pneumatic devices were made
Vinci such as this file cutting
available to provide gripping ability. By the late 1980s, process
machine.[1]
control CPU modules were added, so that sequences movements
could be preprogrammed and executed, first using “Lucky
Logic” (LLWIN) software.

Kits for younger ages


As Lego became more sophisticated with its Mindstorms line, Fischertechnik attempted to move down
into less technical, more “fun”, building kits for younger ages. The parts were molded from more colorful
plastics, and small building sets were developed for simple models such as vehicles. However, the
Fischer products were more expensive and had far fewer parts that replicated everyday objects than Lego.
Especially in the United States, Fischertechnik never achieved parity with Lego in the general
construction toy market, and FT is still more positioned as a product for schools, engineers, and
hobbyists. The sets are not as available at retail as Lego products in the United States, or even in Europe.

Robotic process control


By 2006, Fischertechnik sets were available for robotic process control using “Robo-pro” software (the
successor to Lucky-logic), on-board process controllers with flash memory, infrared and radio-frequency
remote control, and pneumatic-activation. Robotic models could follow preprogrammed routes or lines on
the floor, sense obstructions and change course, detect and move objects, and simulate everyday devices
such as vending machines, passenger elevator systems, and traffic-control
lights. In early 2010, Fischertechnik introduced the ROBO TX Explorer kit,
which includes a color sensor.
https://www.fischertechnik.de/en/service/elearning/playing/txt-explorer[6]

Sets
Fischertechnik has produced myriad different sets over the years, and the
company has several times renamed existing sets. Moreover, there have been
Fischertechnik
as many as five different lines of these sets (often referred to as "A", "B", "C", computing with a
"D", and "E" in fan circles) with similar but differing components (all Commodore 64
compatible, of course). Roughly these fit into the production years 1967–1971, interface
1972–1975, 1976–1981, 1981–1984 and 1984–1991. The A line featured
predominantly black-and-white images, whereas the "B" line features the
"Oscar DuJouet 1970" award on the box design. "C" saw the introduction of black plastic cogs (earlier
they were all red), and "D" saw the introduction of yellow plastic "statics" (whereas before they were
grey).

The following equivalencies can help make sense of some of the core sets:

Start 300 = Start 200 + 50/3 = Start 100 + 50/2 + 50/3 = Start 50 + 50/1 + 50/2 + 50/3
Hobby 1 = UT1 = selected parts from Start 300 (but significantly abbreviated)
Hobby 2 = UT2 = Mot1 + Mot2 + Mot3 (The Hobby 2 / UT2 lacks the battery box that comes
with Mot1.)
Hobby 3 = UT3 = EM1 + EM2 + EM3 (The "EM" stands for "Electro-Mechanical".)
Hobby 4 = UT4 = EC1 + EC2 + EC3 (The "EC" stands for "Electronic".)
Hobby S = Start 50S + 50S/1 + 50S/2 + 50S/3 (Note that those are "S" = "structural", not a
"5".)
Note that prior to the Fischertechnik "C" line (1976?), the starter sets didn't have as many parts, and
neither did their add-on kits (50/1, 50/2, 50/3). Because the older manuals lack copyright dates or official
line designations, it is difficult to distinguish sets without in-depth knowledge of what was actually in the
box for each line and set.

More recently, Fischertechnik has started producing a whole line of kits specialized for the construction
of particular models, like boats, airplanes, bridges, cranes, etc. This is something of a departure from their
traditional niche producing generic sets from which (literally) hundreds of different models can be built.
Fischertechnik has also started producing advanced robotic sets, including battery packs, remote controls,
and programmable control boards.

See also
Lego Technic
NORBIT

References
1. "fischertechnik PROFI Da Vinci Machines" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110719013328/ht
tp://www.fischerwerke.de/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-253/249_read-1315/). Archived from
the original (http://www.fischerwerke.de/en/desktopdefault.aspx/tabid-253/249_read-1315/)
on July 19, 2011. Retrieved February 28, 2010.
2. "fischertechnik Community" (https://ftcommunity.de/). ftcommunity.de (in German).
fischertechnik Community. Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220401155205/https://ft
community.de/) from the original on 2022-04-01. Retrieved 2022-04-16. "Du baust gerne mit
fischertechnik? Hier gibt es für dich …."
3. "Education | fishertechnik" (https://www.fischertechnik.biz/education). fishertechnik.biz.
Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20220416200451/https://www.fischertechnik.biz/educ
ation) from the original on 2022-04-16. Retrieved 2022-04-16. "Education is dedicated to
supporting STEM education. They offer hands-on solutions for learners of all ages, from
kindergarten and elementary, through middle & high school, right on up to college &
university, and even industry. Students are able to develop a deep understanding of how
devices and mechanisms work."
4. "Hobby Engineering: Aluminum Girder 210 mm from fischertechnik" (https://web.archive.org/
web/20100527132426/http://www.hobbyengineering.com/H2094.html). Archived from the
original (http://www.hobbyengineering.com/H2094.html) on 2010-05-27.
5. "Staudinger: Fischertechnik-compatible aluminum profiles" (https://web.archive.org/web/201
80429184002/https://www.staudinger-est.de/en/simulation/index.html#aluprofile). Archived
from the original (http://www.staudinger-est.de/en/simulation/index.html#aluprofile) on 2018-
04-29.
6. "ROBOTICS TXT Explorer" (https://www.fischertechnik.de/en/service/elearning/playing/txt-e
xplorer). Archived (https://web.archive.org/web/20201024170454/https://www.fischertechnik.
de/en/service/elearning/playing/txt-explorer) from the original on 2020-10-24. Retrieved
2020-10-24.

External links
Media related to Fischertechnik at Wikimedia Commons

Fischertechnik official website (http://www.fischertechnik.de/en)—(in English)

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fischertechnik&oldid=1220060353"

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