Bluetooth: NXT in control of EV3

Recently I got this question a lot: " Can I use my NXT as a Bluetooth remote for the EV3 brick? "
The answer is: "Technically it should be possible, practical with the standard firmware not."
The main reason for this is that the firmware software developer of the EV3 never thought of making the code backwards compatible as with all the other LEGO bricks is a mandatory giving in order to pass the quality check, so now it is up to the community to start and think about it to make it work.

One of the first tries is here from Hans Odenthal at Sioux.NET a group of software developers form the Eindhoven based country that do like MINDSTORMS as their after hours projects.

As Hans Explains:

The mailbox mechanism is different for the two bricks, the PC application is therefor needed to convert the messages from the NXT format to the EV3 format. By this means, you can send messages (e.g. if you press a button at the NXT) to the EV3 (e.g. to control a motor). A simple test version is already working: using two buttons at the NXT to control two motors at the EV3.

We now use the PC to link between the NXT and the EV3, I hope one of the communities firmware programers steps up to make this functionality work directly form brick to brick, as I'm sure many of our readers have a NXT and we still would love to use it with the EV3 for building more complex robots then before.

MINDSTORMS Retires!

2023 is the 25th Anniversary of the MINDSTORMS brand. For 25 years, MINDSTORMS has educated and inspired a generation of robot builders, both children and adults. Unfortunately, the LEGO Group decided to end the line on December 2022. Many ROBOTMAK3RS have been passionately involved with the development of MINDSTORMS through the MUP and MCP programs. Even with the newest Robot Inventor line, several ROBOTMAK3RS were invited to submit additional bonus models that were included in the official app. Regardless of the retirement of a major LEGO robotics product line, ROBOTMAK3RS continue to MAKE-SHARE-INSPIRE using all LEGO robotics platforms available to us. Here is the official statement from LEGO. Since its launch in September 1998, LEGO MINDSTORMS has been one of the core ‘Build & Code’ experiences in the company’s portfolio, carrying with it significant brand equity and becoming a stand-out experience for the early days of consumer robotics and leading to current Build & Code

Celebrating MINDSTORMS with a Remix Part 1

In honor of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS, we asked ROBOTMAK3RS to combine a LEGO set of their choice with a MINDSTORMS set. Here is what these five ROBOTMAK3RS came up with. MINDSTORMS Chess Assistant by Arvind Seshan Overview: When you are new to chess, it can be a challenge to remember which pieces go where. Now, you can use machine learning and LEGO MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor to build a tool to help you learn where all the chess pieces go on the chess board. Sets used: LEGO® Iconic Chess Set (40174) and MINDSTORMS Robot Inventor (51515) Review: I really like how the chess set base can store all the pieces underneath and that the board neatly splits in half for handy storage. The chess pieces themselves are very sturdy and well built. My only criticism is the building of the box itself. It was quite difficult to see what pieces to use and since the entire box is made mostly of thin plates, it took a lot of time and patience. I would have liked the storage area to be sliding dra

Machine Learning Meets MINDSTORMS

Machine Learning Extension LEGO MINDSTORMS announced today a brand new feature that is sure to excite all users. Machine Learning Extension is coming to the software in August 2022. This will allow users to implement new applications that were not possible before. Machine Learning has become exceedingly popular in recent years with applications in all sorts of industries from robotics to financial services to climate change. Now, even the youngest of robot enthusiasts and programmers have access to the world of Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence. Comparing two classes Machine Learning on MINDSTORMS will work with both images and audio. For instance, you could train your model to recognize smiles and frowns on your face and have the emotion displayed on your hub. You could train your model to recognize when a red ball is present or not or identify a particular LEGO element. You can control your robot with audio commands that use your own voice. It is exciting to see what new p

ROBOTMAK3RS Blog

Search This Blog