Mindstorms Strider with the EV3 Brick Mounted Higher

This modification of Strider Ver 3's frame allows the EV3 brick to be mounted 2 holes higher.  The resulting center of gravity is still low enough for good climbing performance, and the robot's width only had to be increased by 2 LEGO holes, which seems like a good trade-off.  Below is a comparison of Strider's climbing performance with and without the modification.

​Strider without the modification:

Strider with the brick mounted higher:

Below is an 8-legged Strider with the low mounting of the brick - notice how it barely clears the shag carpeting:

Here are the changes required:
1. the length of the metal support rods should be increased from 20 to 21 inches for 12-leg Striders, and from 15 to 16 inches for 8-leg Striders
2. the space between the 2 sides of the frame needs to be increased by 2 holes, with a stack of 3 beams used to space the frame sides
3. the frame's 4 vertical beams need to be switched from 11-hole beams to 9-hole beams
4. the parts that are used to mount the EV3 brick under the frame need to be changed, which are shown in the following instructions

Modification Instructions

Flip Strider over:

Remove the brick:

Build 2 of the following frame spacers:

Before replacing the 11-hole beams you'll need to disconnect the diagonal beams:

​Then attach the two 3-beam spacers to the front and back diagonals:

​Then, remove the parts from the EV3 brick:

And replace with the below parts:

The wider frame allows the brick to be mounted between each side's gears:

Mindstorms Strider Ver 3