LEGO's robotics kits are used in classrooms, clubs and living rooms, and they get used hard: built, rebuilt, dropped and left in a cupboard for a year. The bricks last forever; it is the electronics, the hub, the battery, the motors and the sensors, that give out. LEGO has also stopped selling Mindstorms, which makes repairing the kit you have worth considering.
Blue Apple looks at LEGO robotics kits at Rijnstraat 76-H in Amsterdam. The LEGO robotics repair page shows what a typical repair costs per model; the final price is confirmed in writing after the diagnosis.
What usually goes wrong with LEGO robotics kits
Try another cable and charger, a fresh set of batteries on an EV3, and a different motor or sensor on the same port before you decide a hub is dead. If the fault stays, these are the ones we look at.
- Hub that will not charge or start. A battery that no longer holds, a worn USB or charging connector or a board fault can all leave a hub dead. The Robot Inventor and Spike hubs have a rechargeable battery that ages.
- Ports that no longer detect a motor or sensor. The six ports take thousands of plug-ins. A port that works with one cable and not another has a worn contact or a damaged connector.
- Motors that grind, stall or stop. Strip gears, a worn motor or a damaged encoder show up as noise or a motor that no longer reports position.
- Sensors that give wrong readings. A colour, distance or gyro sensor that has been dropped or worn can give nonsense readings or none.
- Cables and connectors. Cables wear at the plug, and a bent pin makes a motor or sensor intermittent.
The LEGO models we repair
Every model below has its own page, with an estimate of what a typical repair costs.
LEGO Mindstorms Robot Inventor 51515, LEGO Mindstorms EV3, LEGO Boost 17101, LEGO Spike Prime.
Repair or replace?
A repair on a hub, a port or a battery costs a fraction of replacing a Robot Inventor or an EV3 set, and since Mindstorms is no longer sold new, that is more than a saving. For a cheap Boost with a worn hub, we compare honestly and tell you after the diagnosis.
Looking after your LEGO robot
- Use the right charger and cable. Cheap chargers can cause the battery to age fast or not charge at all.
- Do not force connectors. Plug them in straight and do not wiggle them.
- Store the hub charged, not flat. A battery left empty for months ages quickly.
How a repair works at Blue Apple
The prices for these devices are estimates until we have seen them. Send a request with the model and what is wrong, and we tell you what a repair is likely to cost and how to get the device to us. The final price is confirmed in writing after the diagnosis, before any work starts. You can use the custom repair form, or call 020 239 11 93.
Questions about LEGO repair
LEGO no longer sells Mindstorms. Can it still be repaired?
Often yes: hubs, ports, batteries, motors and sensors are repairable electronics. We tell you after the diagnosis whether the part is available.
Which LEGO models do you repair?
Robot Inventor 51515, EV3, Boost 17101 and Spike Prime, listed on the LEGO page.
In short
Hubs, batteries, ports, motors and sensors can be repaired on LEGO robotics kits, and the diagnosis tells you whether it pays. See the LEGO robotics repair page for the models and repairs, or send us a request. You will find us at Rijnstraat 76-H in Amsterdam, and you can call 020 239 11 93 with a question first.
