This is my rotating, light-up Stargate. It was constructed over a period of approximately 3 months in mid-2005, and first displayed at BrickFest 2005, where I'm honored to say it took both the Best Medium Space and Best Brick Mod awards.

The gate itself is constructed of four main parts: The base, the walkway, the inner ring, and the outer ring.

The base contains two motors and an RCX unit which drives a hidden treadmill. On top of the treadmill rests the inner ring, whose outer portions are intentionally knobby in order to grab onto the tread. 1x tiles lining the inside walls of the base keep the inner ring standing upright and snug.

The outer ring sits on the inner ring, and is slightly cantilevered between where the outer ring meets the base and the outer supports... this helps support the outer ring and take some of the weight off the inner ring. Some weight needs to be applied, however, since the inner ring is driven by friction against the tread. The inner surface of the outer ring is made up mostly of 1x2 bricks that form a smooth curve.

	The Stargate - complete with ramp and embarkation area. Don't get too close! That wormhole vortex may just vaporize you.
	The chevrons light up. Right now they're hooked up to four 9-volt batteries hidden behind the back. Eventually I'd like to have them triggered off the RCX so each light comes on at the right time.
	Aaaand... another shot. The inner ring is composed of 39 4x4 tile w/4 studs - or is that a 4x4 plate with only 4 studs? I get confused. Each plate - uh, tile - has a 3x4 sticker with one of the unique Stargate symbols. The symbols were drawn in Illustrator, rendered in Photoshop, and printed onto Avery labels, which were then trimmed to size.
	The base - this small column doesn't actually support much weight of the outer ring, but it does serve as a fulcrum to make the outer ring more circular.
	LEDs - Each light in the chevron is made up of an extra-bright LED fastened through a 1x1 cylinder, and positioned using a 1x2x2 translucent red panel.
	Guts of the base - Here lies an RCX, we hardly knew ye. It's programmed to spin the treadmill for between 2-7 seconds (randomly chosen), stop for half a second, and reverse for another 2-7 seconds. This happens seven times.
	Outer ring construction - The outer ring is formed of inward-facing 2x4 plates, fastened laterally with 1x4 hinge plates (3 per connection). Each of the sets of 2x4s fastened with hinges are held together face-to-face with a 1x2 corrugated brick, studs reversed with 1x2 jumpers and 1x1 Technic brick with holes in the side. See further down for an exploded view of how this works.
	Treadmill - The base contains a treadmill from early Manas. The RCX is on the right, with motors nestled on either side of it. Note the 1x tiles lining the inside - it's a tight fit and keeps the inner ring standing up straight and proud.
	Outer ring and inner ring - The inner ring actually supports much of the outer ring. It will rotate freely without the outer ring - in fact, it dances around a bit.
	Outer ring outer construction - This little construct reverses itself to keep the 2x4 plates of the outer ring facing studs-in.
	Exploded construct - Here's an exploded view of the stud reverser. There are gobs of these used, and the ridged look adds to the stone-like texture of the TV version Stargate. It's not exactly Naquedah, but then again, that'd be kinda heavy for LEGO parts to support.
	LED construction - A closeup of the LEDs in each of the seven chevrons. The smoky-translucent 2x2 slope is held up by the 1x2x2 trans-red panel.
	The inner outer ring - The inner ring needs to spin against a smooth surface of the outer ring. The interior of the outer ring is lined with red 1x2 bricks that form a nice and smooth surface. To keep it balanced, the bricks are staggered connections, like teeth.
	The inner ring closeup - The top of the inner ring, which is hidden in the bowels (eww) of the outer ring, is made up of pins, minifig heads, and 1x1 cylinders. The spacing is just enough to keep the ring circular and fairly sturdy. There's a bit of flex, but not much. It took a looooooooong time of futzing around to get it "just right".
	Inner ring construction - The inner ring is made of 4x4 plates (or tiles, whaddevah) that are held together with this 1x1 modified plate and round 1x1 plates. Note they face inward and outward, so the cylinders are stud-to-stud, and the next tile over is spaced with a 1x3 pin. The inner ring is actually quite sturdy, unless you let Northwest Airlines handle it. Grrrr. (That's four hours of my life I'll never get back, having to rebuild it at BF.)