Smart Box and Lux Box Manual
Explaining the linkable parts
Imagineers
The Imagineer connectors allow you to quickly build any spatial structure with the aluminium tubes.
The arms and legs can be clamped anywhere on a tube, can hold a tube-end in 3 different places and can be clicked onto the wooden box.
The arms and legs are connected via a ball-socket pivot, so they can rotate and be positioned in any direction.
With the help of the Imagineers you can quickly start exploring any possible construction; it is their job to help you realise an idea easily through the construction process.
Pin-clip, Socket-clip & Flex-clip
All these clips can be clicked onto a tube.
The Pin-clip and the Flex-clip can be coupled to the Socket-clip or to an End-plug and form a pivot connection for 2 tubes.
If multiple clips are combined, they can also function as a (static) spacer between 2 or more tubes.
This connection can be used to build hanging rotating mobiles, multi-bar linkages or any other non-static, rotatable, swivelling, or movable kinetic object.
Build an object with multiple pivoting connectors and tubes.
What happens when one tube is rotated?
Flex-plug
The Flex-plug has a pin-receiving part and a connected flexible pin.
The Flex-plug can be coupled together at various angles in a flexible way. The Flex-plugs can be coupled together in a circle; for example 3 Flex-plugs coupled together form a star-shaped tube connector that can connect 3 tubes in a central point called a “node”.
This allows you to create a spatial ‘truss’ type of geometrical structure.
Building with Flex-plugs is challenging as the object only becomes stable when the last tube is connected.
Triangles, pyramids, and geometric shapes are the most stable forms.
Before building with Flex-plugs, imagine the final object. Then couple the Flex-plugs needed to make the node connector for the tubes, slide the tube ends over the coupled Flex-plugs to lock the coupling parts together.
When the final tube connection is made, your object becomes stable.
Fix-plug
The Fix-plug has both a pin and a pin-receiving part that are at 90 degree angles; this allows the fix-plug to be coupled to an End-plug or another Fix-plug to create objects with 90 degree corners.
Two or more connectors can be coupled together via their pin and pin-receiving coupling parts; after they are coupled, insert the plug into a tube which will lock the coupling parts together.
It is also possible to couple 3 Fix-plugs together so that they are all positioned under 90 degrees to each other (in one or two planes), for example to create a tripod object or the corner of a cube.
Rack-plug
The rack-plug is a plug which has a coupling pin.
The pin is connected via a bendable part to a plug with two adjustable toothed racks.
This plug makes it possible to adjust and fix a (sharp) angle between two tubes.
First couple an End-plug to the Rack-plug, then adjust the angle between them by shifting the racks in regard to each other, squeeze the racks together and push them into a tube end.
Once inserted, the racks locked together and fix the angle between the Rack-plug and the End-plug.
Examples of construction details
Plivio instruction videos
