NXT-G Programming Guide, 2nd Edition Release

I got my author copies today of the NXT-G Programming Guide, 2nd Edition... final page count is 309... over 100 pages more than the 1st Edition. The trick with this book was to keep the content relevant for both 1.0 and 2.0 owners but also to provide discussion of the new features in 2.0. Since well over 90% (maybe even 95%) of the 1.0 tools, blocks, and features are still included in 2.0, this wasn't too difficult.

When the 1st edition was released, the CAD software options for NXT pieces was still fairly limited so the building instructions for the test robot (SPOT) were provided as a separate download of photographed building steps. Not anymore... Chris Smith did a great job of providing a CAD set of building instructions that provides steps for both 1.0 and 2.0 kit owners... the only difference is the size of the rubber wheels. These instructions are in the back of the book with the appendices.

Another request I had from many readers (mainly teachers) was extra programming tasks - at the end of almost every chapter, you'll now find an Exercise that provides a written description of a program to be created that involves that chapter's block(s) and previous chapters' blocks. My solutions are provided at the end of each chapter with screenshots of the entire program along with individual screen shots of each block's configuration panel. I'm also assembling all the Exercise .rbt files for download on the Apress website...

I've created a forum area for questions and discussion about the book. I've also fixed errors that made it through into the 1st edition, but that's no guarantee you won't find new ones... if you do find any, please post them over at the book's special forum section as well. You can find that forum area by clicking here or visiting the Book section of the forum.

Celebrating MINDSTORMS with a Remix - Part 3

The ROBOTMAK3RS continued their celebration of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS through these Fall and Winter remix projects. Each ROBOTMAK3R was tasked with selecting one LEGO set of their choice and combining it with a MINDSTORMS set. Below are the five amazing models they came up with. Braill3 by Jerry Nicholls Braill3 is an EV3-based LEGO Braille bricks reader. This robot uses its fingertip, made from three touch switches, to read messages written using the LEGO Braille bricks and will speak out what it detected. If it sees a simple maths problem it will attempt to solve it and give the answer as well. To learn more about the process of creating this machine, read Jerry's blog . Braill3 can be viewed here . Set Review: The Braille Bricks set is well thought out. The ratios of the letters is suitable for general use and the addition of some punctuation and arithmetic operators is excellent. There is a card showing what bricks there are and their quantities, but no form of sort...

Celebrating MINDSTORMS with a Remix - Part 2

The ROBOTMAK3RS continued their celebration of the 25th Anniversary of MINDSTORMS through these summer and fall remix projects. Each ROBOTMAK3R was tasked with selecting one LEGO set of their choice and combining it with a MINDSTORMS set. Below are the five amazing models they came up with. Remote controlled material handle r by Jozua van Ravenhorst (aka Mr Jo) This remix combines the LEGO Technic Material Handler (42144) with MINDSTORMS EV3 (31313) It uses the power of pneumatic cylinders to move objects around. By using a bluetooth remote control, very precise movements can be made with this model. Touch sensors in the base chassis prevent the turret twisting the cables that go through the turntable to much. The program has several protections to prevent over pressurizing the system for each of the 3 individual pumps and valves that control the 2 booms and claws. The real version of this machine is mostly used in waste material sites to bring the material to machines that sort and...

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...

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