Unpacking the NXT Education kit

A week on and I have still barely done anything beyond opening all the bags and making sure no parts are missing.

My inventory has been on www.peeron.com for a few days, and bought a grey baseplate today so I should be submitting photos of new parts soon.

There are quite a few differences from the shop NXT kit, amongst the most striking is the absence of the corner pieces the MUP (esp. Steve Hassenplug) fought for. (Ref the Wired article from February.) This has some impact on what can be built!

The instruction book (& software) only has one model - the Multibot (aka Tribot), in a base version and 7 alternate add-on assemblies; sensors in various positions, a light and the golf/hockey arm. (But not the grabber.)

[Note the light uses a converter cable to the older Technic/Mindstorms NXT connectors, and must be connected to one of the three motor ports.]

At this point I have not seen the retail kit, but I believe there are also instructions for the Alpha Rex, Spike and a Robo Arm. One reason is doubtless so that the Multibot can be re-used by classes without a lot of initial assembly time. Perhaps also these models use pieces not in the Educational kit?

The NXT Education software is not supplied in the kit, but as two parts (1) a set of 2 CD-ROMs, (software & some documentation) and (2) a site/class licence to allow use with any number of NXT kits. Similar to the arrangement for the RoboLab educational software used with the RCX.

The software requires Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Mac OS X, as with retail version of the NXT. Somewhat dissappointing as I only have one XP machine, and the only related functionality that the software appears able to use is the Windows XP Bluetooth stack.

My JVC mini-notebook (MP XP3210) has a screen too small to meet the software's requirement, and a small & full 20Gb hard drive. So I connected up an external monitor and an external hard drive to install on to. Software installed okay, but put up a message about untested Bluetooth drivers being present.

Not that helpful as I did not have Bluetooth dongle installed but I have previously installed drivers for at least three different Bluetooth dongles! Which one was it complaining about?

- Ttfn, Tony

ROBOTMAK3RS Review: LEGO River Steamboat

I thought the LEGO River Steamboat would be an interesting set for a ROBOTMAK3R review for a few reasons. First, the LEGO designer of the model is Marina Stampoli, a long-time collaborator of the late ROBOTMAK3R Vassilis Chryssanthakopoulo s. From earlier collaborations with Vassilis, I knew Marina was incredibly talented, with an eye for aesthetics and functionality. Her background in architecture is particularly useful for her relatively new position at LEGO. Her other sets include the Magic of Disney (21352), Message Board (41839), and Red London Telephone Box (21347). Second, watching Marina's reveal video and reading her designer interview made this set even more tempting to build. The gearing mechanisms running through the model gave way to many opportunities for automation using LEGO robotics elements. Since ROBOTMAK3RS is all about adding interactivity and automation to LEGO brick, I thought it would be fun to see where and how LEGO robotics could be added to this s...

Celebrating 25 Years of MINDSTORMS

In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS, we take a trip through history. Please also visit ROBOTMAK3RS Community every week as we highlight different projects all through 2023 in celebration of the anniversary. Some of the early history is based on the content shared by Coder Shah in our MINDSTORMS EV3 Community Group . Some of the text and links may have been edited from his original posts for consistency and clarity. 1984 - Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen watched a TV program called "Talking Turtle," where MIT professor Seymour Papert demonstrated how children could control robot "turtles" using LOGO, a programming language he developed. 1988 - The collaboration between MIT and LEGO resulted in LEGO TC Logo in 1988, which allowed students to control LEGO models using computer commands. The video shows Papert demonstrating TC Logo. 1990 - LEGO TC Logo was hampered since the robots you built had to be tethered to a personal computer. LEGO and MIT...

Ghostbusters R.T.V Remix

Nino Guba is from Torrance, California, USA. He played with LEGO as a kid, but growing up in the Philippines, it wasn’t something he had easy access to. He only got reintroduced to LEGO when he moved to the US and had kids of his own. When his sons were younger, they received LEGO sets as gifts, but as they grew older, the sets got put into storage as their interest faded. Fast forward a few years, he started coming up with his own product ideas and thought about how he could quickly prototype them. That’s when he discovered LEGO MINDSTORMS—and was hooked! He raided his kids’ old collection, got everything organized, and now he's designing and building his own creations, blending his coding skills with LEGO robotics to bring ideas to life. Tell us about your Ghostbusters Remote Trap Vehicle (R.T.V) project. This project is a LEGO Technic adaptation of the Ghostbusters R.T.V.—a ghost trap converted into a remote-controlled vehicle. Its companion build is a prop replica of the Futaba...

ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

Search This Blog