Watch A Lego Gearbox Spinning To See How CVTs Work

Lego bricks are widely known for their adaptability, enabling enthusiasts to construct imaginary cars, replicate famous sites, and even show how a car’s transmission works.

On Instagram, Bricks Master Builders has become well-known for constructing intricate models using Lego bricks. Their latest project tackles the continuously variable transmission (CVT), a key component in many modern automatic cars that replaces traditional gearboxes.

There are several cogs and gears in the gearboxes of conventional automatic vehicles. In contrast, the CVT uses two cones to provide an essentially limitless number of gears. How does it make this happen? The Lego model by Bricks Master Builders offers a clear explanation.

For their CVT model, Bricks Master Builders uses two Lego cones, each connected to a shaft: one simulating the engine input and the other representing the output that typically goes to the car’s wheels. The cones do not touch; instead, they are linked by a band that loops around them. By moving this band across the cones with a simple Lego stick, the model demonstrates how the speed of the output changes. When the band is positioned on the thickest part of the input cone and the thinnest part of the output cone, the output spins rapidly.

On the other hand, the output considerably slows down when the band is on the thickest part of the output cone and the thinnest section of the input cone.

This Lego model may not be the most intricate thing ever constructed out of LEGO bricks, but it does explain the internal mechanisms of many different cars’ engines well. Bricks Master Builders demonstrates how easy it is to comprehend and simplify even the most complex engineering ideas with a bit of imagination and a box of Legos.