Nabble - LEGO Robotics

Re: RCX not listening to IR remote

2009-10-28T12:41:31Z

In lugnet.robotics, Matija Puzar wrote:

> On 2009-10-26, Jetro de Chateau <linmix@...> wrote:
>> In lugnet.robotics, Chris 'Xenon' Hanson <xenon@...> wrote:
>>> I was trying to get the RCX to work with the IR remote (#9738) that I have.
>>
>> Before you start worrying something may be wrong with your RCX, we should get
>> someone to confirm this can actually be done,
>
> They are talking about the old IR remote (#9738), not the PF one.
> So, it should work like a charm.
>
>
> Cheers,
> Matija

Oops, my bad.

Jetro

Re: RCX not listening to IR remote

2009-10-27T04:01:43Z

On 2009-10-26, Jetro de Chateau <linmix@...> wrote:
> In lugnet.robotics, Chris 'Xenon' Hanson <xenon@...> wrote:
> > I was trying to get the RCX to work with the IR remote (#9738) that I have.
>
> Before you start worrying something may be wrong with your RCX, we should get
> someone to confirm this can actually be done,

They are talking about the old IR remote (#9738), not the PF one.
So, it should work like a charm.

Cheers,
Matija

Re: RCX not listening to IR remote

2009-10-26T13:25:04Z

In lugnet.robotics, Chris 'Xenon' Hanson <xenon@...> wrote:
> I was trying to get the RCX to work with the IR remote (#9738) that I have.
>
> I'm pointing the IR remote at the IR window on the RCX. Can anyone think of anything I'm
> missing to get the RCX to listen to the remote?

I'm not at all that certain the RCX can actually listen to the remote. If I
recall correctly, Bob Kojima got the RCX to work as a remote control for the PF
IR-Receiver, but to do so he used BrickOS and it would only work with an RCX 1.0
I don't recall hearing/reading of anyone who managed to make the RCX respond to
the IR Remote.

I can't find the info on their website now, but if seem to remember the first
IR-Link sensor mindsensors produced for the NXT could communicate with PF
elements, but not with the RCX.

Before you start worrying something may be wrong with your RCX, we should get
someone to confirm this can actually be done,

Jetro

Re: RCX not listening to IR remote

2009-10-26T06:42:41Z

Firstly, do you have the firmware on the RCX in question? If the
screen shows 00.00.00 then you should be good (i think). Turn on the
RCX, and start pressing buttons. Connected motors and lights should
start doing "things" repsonding to the commands from the IR remote. If
NOTHING happens at all, then the ir LED must be bad on the RCX. Can
you program it sucessfully with Robolab or similar?

Jake (dats me)

On Mon, Oct 26, 2009 at 8:17 AM, Steve Hassenplug
<steve@...> wrote:

>
> Chris,
>
> I don't think the RCX will "listen" to the remote, unless you've
> loaded the firmware. The firmware will need replaced, if the
> batteries have been removed (or have died).
>
> On the RCX, it will show the program number (1-5), and it will also
> show three other digits, IF the firmware is loaded. If only one digit
> shows, the firmware is not loaded.
>
> The firmware would be on the original software CD. If you don't have
> that, it may be on the NQC web site, or possibly the RobotC web site.
>
> Hope that helps.
> Steve
>
> On Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 11:54 AM, Chris 'Xenon' Hanson
> <lego-robotics@...> wrote:
>>
>> I just dug all my old Mindstorms RCX gear out of the closet because my 4-year
>> old son is
>> now ready to play with gears and motors and stuff. Programming is a bit off
>> yet, but he
>> loves the technics parts.
>>
>> I was trying to get the RCX to work with the IR remote (#9738) that I have.
>> As I recall,
>> the A,B,C buttons on the remote can be used to manually drive the outputs and
>> you can
>> launch programs and send events.
>>
>> The remote has good batteries and seems to be putting out IR signals (I can
>> see the IR
>> LED lighting through my camcorder). The RCX seems to work (the program
>> currently in slot
>> #1 runs output A continuously). But, the RCX doesn't seem to pay any attention
>> to the remote.
>>
>> This isn't my original RCX, rather it's a 1.0 model I bought off eBay because
>> mine seems
>> to have died while being stored in the closet.
>>
>> I'm pointing the IR remote at the IR window on the RCX. Can anyone think of
>> anything I'm
>> missing to get the RCX to listen to the remote?
>>
>> Also, anyone want to buy a presumably injured RCX for a few bucks?
>>
>> --
>> Chris 'Xenon' Hanson, omo sanza lettere Xenon AlphaPixel.com
>> PixelSense Landsat processing now available! http://www.alphapixel.com/demos/
>> "There is no Truth. There is only Perception. To Perceive is to Exist." - Xen
>

Re: RCX not listening to IR remote

2009-10-26T06:17:52Z

Chris,

I don't think the RCX will "listen" to the remote, unless you've
loaded the firmware. The firmware will need replaced, if the
batteries have been removed (or have died).

On the RCX, it will show the program number (1-5), and it will also
show three other digits, IF the firmware is loaded. If only one digit
shows, the firmware is not loaded.

The firmware would be on the original software CD. If you don't have
that, it may be on the NQC web site, or possibly the RobotC web site.

Hope that helps.
Steve

On Sun, Oct 25, 2009 at 11:54 AM, Chris 'Xenon' Hanson
<lego-robotics@...> wrote:

>
> I just dug all my old Mindstorms RCX gear out of the closet because my 4-year
> old son is
> now ready to play with gears and motors and stuff. Programming is a bit off
> yet, but he
> loves the technics parts.
>
> I was trying to get the RCX to work with the IR remote (#9738) that I have.
> As I recall,
> the A,B,C buttons on the remote can be used to manually drive the outputs and
> you can
> launch programs and send events.
>
> The remote has good batteries and seems to be putting out IR signals (I can
> see the IR
> LED lighting through my camcorder). The RCX seems to work (the program
> currently in slot
> #1 runs output A continuously). But, the RCX doesn't seem to pay any attention
> to the remote.
>
> This isn't my original RCX, rather it's a 1.0 model I bought off eBay because
> mine seems
> to have died while being stored in the closet.
>
> I'm pointing the IR remote at the IR window on the RCX. Can anyone think of
> anything I'm
> missing to get the RCX to listen to the remote?
>
> Also, anyone want to buy a presumably injured RCX for a few bucks?
>
> --
> Chris 'Xenon' Hanson, omo sanza lettere Xenon AlphaPixel.com
> PixelSense Landsat processing now available! http://www.alphapixel.com/demos/
> "There is no Truth. There is only Perception. To Perceive is to Exist." - Xen

RCX not listening to IR remote

2009-10-25T08:54:05Z

I just dug all my old Mindstorms RCX gear out of the closet because my 4-year old son is
now ready to play with gears and motors and stuff. Programming is a bit off yet, but he
loves the technics parts.

I was trying to get the RCX to work with the IR remote (#9738) that I have. As I recall,
the A,B,C buttons on the remote can be used to manually drive the outputs and you can
launch programs and send events.

The remote has good batteries and seems to be putting out IR signals (I can see the IR
LED lighting through my camcorder). The RCX seems to work (the program currently in slot
#1 runs output A continuously). But, the RCX doesn't seem to pay any attention to the remote.

This isn't my original RCX, rather it's a 1.0 model I bought off eBay because mine seems
to have died while being stored in the closet.

I'm pointing the IR remote at the IR window on the RCX. Can anyone think of anything I'm
missing to get the RCX to listen to the remote?

Also, anyone want to buy a presumably injured RCX for a few bucks?

--
Chris 'Xenon' Hanson, omo sanza lettere Xenon AlphaPixel.com
PixelSense Landsat processing now available! http://www.alphapixel.com/demos/
"There is no Truth. There is only Perception. To Perceive is to Exist." - Xen

Re: Walking Robot Competition Results

2009-10-10T02:40:55Z

In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, Steve Putz wrote:

> In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, Jetro de Chateau wrote:
>
>> ¿Are there any videos of the event?
>>
>> Secondly, I'm a little confused: if Gus Jansson made the quickest run, how come
>> Steve Putz won the prize?
>>
>> Jetro
>
> I've posted a short video of my walking robot (but not the competition event)
> at:
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveputz/3996696471/

Thanks for the video. I need to figure out how to get a nice table like that for
our next event...
>
> Gus passed the prize on to me because he works for HiTechnic.
>
Some people have all the luck :D

Jetro

Re: Walking Robot Competition Results

2009-10-09T22:43:08Z

In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, Jetro de Chateau wrote:

> ¿Are there any videos of the event?
>
> Secondly, I'm a little confused: if Gus Jansson made the quickest run, how come
> Steve Putz won the prize?
>
> Jetro

I've posted a short video of my walking robot (but not the competition event)
at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveputz/3996696471/

FYI, I built the robot after arriving at BrickCon, starting late on the night
before the competition.

Gus passed the prize on to me because he works for HiTechnic.

A few other photos I took at BrickCon 2009 are at:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/steveputz/sets/72157622428484687/

Steve Putz
www.RoboticsLearning.com

Re: Walking Robot Competition Results

2009-10-08T17:28:05Z

In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, Jetro de Chateau wrote:

> In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, David Schilling wrote:
>> We had several great entries for the Walking Robot competition at BrickCon.
>>
>> Third place: Bryan Bonahoom at 70.55 seconds
>> Second place: Steve Putz at 39.54 seconds
>> First place: Gus Jansson at 30.79 seconds
>>
>> As they've done for so many previous competitions, HiTechnic provided a sensor
>> for the winner. Thank you, HiTechnic!
>>
>> The winner of the HiTechnic prize for the Walking Robot competition was Steve
>> Putz.
>> http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/David/Conventions/BrickCon2009/cimg1283.jpg
>
> First of all congratulations to all participants and especially to the winner.
> ¿Are there any videos of the event?
>
> Secondly, I'm a little confused: if Gus Jansson made the quickest run, how come
> Steve Putz won the prize?
>
> Jetro

Simple: he didn't want it. Perhaps he has enough sensors.

--
David Schilling

Re: Walking Robot Competition Results

2009-10-08T02:21:29Z

In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, David Schilling wrote:

> We had several great entries for the Walking Robot competition at BrickCon.
>
> Third place: Bryan Bonahoom at 70.55 seconds
> Second place: Steve Putz at 39.54 seconds
> First place: Gus Jansson at 30.79 seconds
>
> As they've done for so many previous competitions, HiTechnic provided a sensor
> for the winner. Thank you, HiTechnic!
>
> The winner of the HiTechnic prize for the Walking Robot competition was Steve
> Putz.
> http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/David/Conventions/BrickCon2009/cimg1283.jpg

First of all congratulations to all participants and especially to the winner.
¿Are there any videos of the event?

Secondly, I'm a little confused: if Gus Jansson made the quickest run, how come
Steve Putz won the prize?

Jetro

Re: Walking Robot Competition Results

2009-10-07T21:45:43Z

Hey how cool! Congrats to the winners and to the contestants. Bravo HiTechnic!

Walking Robot Competition Results

2009-10-07T15:52:12Z

In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, David Schilling wrote:

> There will be a walking robot competition at BrickCon 09 this year. We'll be
> following the rules for "regular" robots found at
> http://www.robothon.org/robothon/walking.php with a couple of minor adjustments
> for LEGO robots:
>
> - All robots must be completely built of unmodified, non-glued, LEGO. Third
> party or custom sensors are allowed.
>
> - Pneumatic propulsion IS allowed, as long as it's LEGO pure.
>
>
> That's it! Looking forward to seeing you there!
>
> --
> David Schilling (Mindstorms coordinator)

We had several great entries for the Walking Robot competition at BrickCon.

Third place: Bryan Bonahoom at 70.55 seconds
Second place: Steve Putz at 39.54 seconds
First place: Gus Jansson at 30.79 seconds

As they've done for so many previous competitions, HiTechnic provided a sensor
for the winner. Thank you, HiTechnic!

The winner of the HiTechnic prize for the Walking Robot competition was Steve
Putz.
http://www.brickshelf.com/gallery/David/Conventions/BrickCon2009/cimg1283.jpg

Steve will be able to choose his free sensor by going to
http://www.hitechnic.com. (You can order sensors there too!)

Congratulations to all who entered!

--
David Schilling (Mindstorms coordinator)

Re: Walking Robot Competition at BrickCon 09

2009-09-27T09:57:48Z

In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, Bryan Bonahoom wrote:
> Who else is planning to be at BrickCon and compete in this event?
>
> Good luck, Bryan
Hi Bryan,
I will be there. Not sure if my walking robot is competative but I will enter
it.

Looking forward to seeing you next week.

Gus

Re: Walking Robot Competition at BrickCon 09

2009-09-24T23:08:03Z

In lugnet.events.nwbrickcon, Bryan Bonahoom wrote:
> I will have a robot ready to compete.
>
> Who else is planning to be at BrickCon and compete in this event?
>
> Good luck, Bryan

Looks like you might win by default!

Anyone else out there planning on entering the Walking Robot Competition?

--
David Schilling

Re: I have RCX 1.0, what more do I need?

2009-09-24T22:15:49Z

Looks like you didn't get any answers?

The towers make no difference to the RCX brick at all. The originals with serial port work
with some things better than the newer USB version. I have both to play with. A serial port
on your pc would be a d-type 9 pin male connector ( the video connector on your pc is a female
if you are unsure which has pins and which has holes). If your motherboard is a few years old
you will probably have a serial connector. Also, the OS you use could affect which will work
best for you. XP will know how to use the USB tower. I can look to see if I have a copy of the
original CD's.

The firmware in the RCX 1.0 brick can be flash upgraded to version 2.0 firmware. I can't remember the
latest version number off the top of my head, but upgrading is easy. Essentially, when the code is
compiled to download to the RCX brick, the firmware is included in the compilation. So you essentially
write your code in NQC/Bricx and click on the program button... the rest is taken care of for you. There
are other ways which are more technical in nature but its easy enough for a young child to do, right?

Once you have that hardware, you need to write programs. The Lego CD has some CAD
like software to use blocks to program. It's clunky to my way of thinking. Try a search for
NQC and Bricx. When you get to the more technical end of programming the brick, there are
ways to use your favorite text editor to write the code, then use a utility to compile / download to the
RCX. Editpad Pro is my fav and has syntax highlighting for NQC :-) I wouldn't be surprised to
find support for NQC on Eclipse either.

also find mindsensors.com brickshelf and ebay. The way I started was finding a brick much
like you have then buying bulk sale items off of ebay that had lots of technic bricks in them.
Basically it was a bunch of grandma selling grandson's old legos etc.

The gear motors are worth about 22 USD. Any of the bricks are worth what you are willing
to pay for them. Check around before laying out any cash. You'll see ebay listings of $5+ for
some mini figures but can often get them from Lego for $3. The market for used Lego is not
steady nor a buyers market, but you will find some deals. Those dumping RCX Mindstorms
for newer versions might offer a good deal here and there.

Lugnet is a great place to find reading links.

As soon as I get time to dig in the closet I'll follow up with a bit more info.

Cheers and have fun

----- Original Message ----
From: Owen Dive <captainowie gmail.com@...>
To: lego-robotics@...
Sent: Friday, September 18, 2009 5:00:27 AM
Subject: I have RCX 1.0, what more do I need?

Hi all.

I have recently come into possession of an RCX 1.0 brick (the one with the power
socket), but nothing else that would come with it. What other things do I need
to purchase to make my new brick useful?

I understand that at the very least I will need an IR Tower so that my computer
can communicate with the brick. From what I've read, I should be able to use the
USB version of the tower that came with RIS 2.0 [is this correct?] (I'm much
more familiar with USB than I am with serial ports - I'm not even 100% sure that
my computer even _has_ a serial port!). I know that I will need to install some
form of software that will let me interact with the brick, but I am unclear as
to exactly what is required. I can think of three fuctions that will need to be
taken care of: some form of development environment where I can write programs;
a driver for the tower so that I can pass these programs to the RCX; and
firmware that will allow the brick to execute the programs. I've read terms like
ROBOLAB and BrickOS, but I don't know which software performs which function,
nor whether I can download everything I'll need from the Internet or if I'll
need to source a copy of the original CD with drivers etc.

I did find this thread from last year
http://news.lugnet.com/robotics/?n=27598
which I think goes some way to answering my questions, but I'm still confused
because I'm unsure of how all the components of the software work together.

I also know that without sensors of some description I'm going to be very
limited in what I can do. I'm ok with that. :-)

Of course, one possibility is to simply purchase a RIS 2.0 kit. That way I'd at
least have all the basics, with the added bonus of two RCX bricks. However, if I
can get away without spending that much money I'd be happier.

I'm running Windows XP, which seems to have some problems running the original
software, but I can cross that bridge when or if I come to it!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Owen.

8263 Snow Groomer

2009-09-22T21:20:58Z

My daughter and I just finished the primary model in the 8263 Snow Groomer set
tonight. I bought two primarily because the set inventory looked like it would
yield a lot of handy robot building parts. That was a good decision. It has a
nice yield of very handy parts. Oh... the base model is interesting a fun, too,
according to my daughter.

Re: Walking Robot Competition at BrickCon 09

2009-09-20T17:56:16Z

I will have a robot ready to compete.

Who else is planning to be at BrickCon and compete in this event?

Good luck, Bryan

I have RCX 1.0, what more do I need?

2009-09-18T03:00:27Z

Hi all.

I have recently come into possession of an RCX 1.0 brick (the one with the power
socket), but nothing else that would come with it. What other things do I need
to purchase to make my new brick useful?

I understand that at the very least I will need an IR Tower so that my computer
can communicate with the brick. From what I've read, I should be able to use the
USB version of the tower that came with RIS 2.0 [is this correct?] (I'm much
more familiar with USB than I am with serial ports - I'm not even 100% sure that
my computer even _has_ a serial port!). I know that I will need to install some
form of software that will let me interact with the brick, but I am unclear as
to exactly what is required. I can think of three fuctions that will need to be
taken care of: some form of development environment where I can write programs;
a driver for the tower so that I can pass these programs to the RCX; and
firmware that will allow the brick to execute the programs. I've read terms like
ROBOLAB and BrickOS, but I don't know which software performs which function,
nor whether I can download everything I'll need from the Internet or if I'll
need to source a copy of the original CD with drivers etc.

I did find this thread from last year
http://news.lugnet.com/robotics/?n=27598
which I think goes some way to answering my questions, but I'm still confused
because I'm unsure of how all the components of the software work together.

I also know that without sensors of some description I'm going to be very
limited in what I can do. I'm ok with that. :-)

Of course, one possibility is to simply purchase a RIS 2.0 kit. That way I'd at
least have all the basics, with the added bonus of two RCX bricks. However, if I
can get away without spending that much money I'd be happier.

I'm running Windows XP, which seems to have some problems running the original
software, but I can cross that bridge when or if I come to it!

Thanks in advance for your help.

Owen.

AW: RCX with Visual Studio

2009-09-14T02:25:45Z

Hi,

Using the the IR from and independant PC sound like a good solution.
The camera is not connected directly to the RCX, but to the PC, that sends the IR command depending on the camera pictures.
Thanks for your help

Philip

-----Ursprüngliche Nachricht-----
Von: news-gateway@... [mailto:news-gateway@...] Im Auftrag von Steve Hassenplug
Gesendet: Freitag, 11. September 2009 19:25
An: lego-robotics@...
Betreff: Re: RCX with Visual Studio

It won't be easy to write a program with Visual Studio that runs ON
the RCX. It should be pretty easy (for a programmer) to write a
program that runs on a PC, and uses the IR tower to send commands to
the RCX, telling it what to do.

Also, you can't connect a camera directly to the RCX. So, one way or
another, it will be connected to a PC.

This page will have all the information you need:
http://graphics.stanford.edu/~kekoa/rcx/

The only real question is if you can find it in there...

Steve

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 1:10 PM, Mewes, Philip <lego-robotics@...> wrote:

>
> I was wondering, if it's possible to program a RCX with Visual Studio (either
> with C# or with C++(using something like SDL as an interface)). I kind of a
> newbie with mindstorm, so what I imaging is the following: Actually I plan to
> attach a camera to a RCX robot and to move the robot depending on the camera
> images. I would need a way to influence the robot movement in real-time from a
> GUI, that I'm coding myself with C++ or C#.
>
>
>
> I suppose that I need to write a separate program that runs on the controller
> and to integrate some code in my image processing software to interface with the
> robot. Right?
>
>
>
> I found some project
> (http://blogs.msdn.com/coding4fun/archive/2006/10/26/877499.aspx
> <http://blogs.msdn.com/coding4fun/archive/2006/10/26/877499.aspx> ) that is
> dealing with RCX Programming with visual studio, but it seems quite outdated.
>
>
>
> Can anybody give me a hint?
>
>
>
> Thanks a lot in advance
>
>
>
> Philip

Re: NXT and iPod touch

2009-09-12T13:08:01Z

No, it will not work. Due to Apple's restrictions, any device that a developer wants to talk to over Bluetooth must be brand-new and approved by Apple. The developer of the iNXT Remote app says that if the restrictions are changed, he will gladly add direct Bluetooth support. Until then, if you have a computer with Bluetooth in it, you can use it with the iNXT Remote app to control your robots. :)

Rafe Donahue wrote:

My kids are planning to upgrade the OS on their iPods to 3.0. Apparently this
upgrade will enable the bluetooth functionality that has been there all along.

The question: does anyone have any experience with iPod Bluetooth and our
beloved NXT?

Thanks,
Rafe

Re: RCX with Visual Studio

2009-09-11T10:25:17Z

It won't be easy to write a program with Visual Studio that runs ON
the RCX. It should be pretty easy (for a programmer) to write a
program that runs on a PC, and uses the IR tower to send commands to
the RCX, telling it what to do.

Also, you can't connect a camera directly to the RCX. So, one way or
another, it will be connected to a PC.

This page will have all the information you need:
http://graphics.stanford.edu/~kekoa/rcx/

The only real question is if you can find it in there...

Steve

On Fri, Sep 11, 2009 at 1:10 PM, Mewes, Philip <lego-robotics@...> wrote:

RCX with Visual Studio

2009-09-11T10:10:31Z

Hi,

I was wondering, if it's possible to program a RCX with Visual Studio (either with C# or with C++(using something like SDL as an interface)). I kind of a newbie with mindstorm, so what I imaging is the following: Actually I plan to attach a camera to a RCX robot and to move the robot depending on the camera images. I would need a way to influence the robot movement in real-time from a GUI, that I'm coding myself with C++ or C#.

I suppose that I need to write a separate program that runs on the controller and to integrate some code in my image processing software to interface with the robot. Right?

I found some project (http://blogs.msdn.com/coding4fun/archive/2006/10/26/877499.aspx <http://blogs.msdn.com/coding4fun/archive/2006/10/26/877499.aspx> ) that is dealing with RCX Programming with visual studio, but it seems quite outdated.

Can anybody give me a hint?

Thanks a lot in advance

Philip

Walking Robot Competition at BrickCon 09

2009-09-11T08:35:09Z

There will be a walking robot competition at BrickCon 09 this year. We'll be
following the rules for "regular" robots found at
http://www.robothon.org/robothon/walking.php with a couple of minor adjustments
for LEGO robots:

- All robots must be completely built of unmodified, non-glued, LEGO. Third
party or custom sensors are allowed.

- Pneumatic propulsion IS allowed, as long as it's LEGO pure.

That's it! Looking forward to seeing you there!

--
David Schilling (Mindstorms coordinator)

Re: list of NXT sites

2009-09-09T07:03:33Z

In lugnet.robotics, GRK_Astronomer <glenn_kelly_revere@...> wrote:
> Some other programming sites that support NXT/RCX:
>
> LeJOS: http://lejos.sourceforge.net/
> pbLUA: http://www.hempeldesigngroup.com/lego/pbLua/
>
> Likewise, one may find a lot of programming development on
> http:www.sourceforge.net and then conduct a search on NXT, Mindstorms, etc.
NXTGCC:
http://nxtgcc.sourceforge.net
Rasmus

Re: NXT utilities for Mac OS X

2009-09-02T08:43:23Z

In lugnet.robotics.nxt, John Hansen wrote:
> http://forums.nxtasy.org/index.php?s=&showtopic=4090&view=findpost&p=31955
>

Since the nxtasy forums require that you be a member before you can download any
attachments I have also uploaded the NeXT Tools Mac OS X application to my
BricxCC website. There is a link to the utilities page in the NXT News section
near the top of the page. The new utility is the first one listed on that page.

http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/

John Hansen

Re: list of NXT sites

2009-08-31T07:53:43Z

Some other programming sites that support NXT/RCX:

LeJOS: http://lejos.sourceforge.net/
pbLUA: http://www.hempeldesigngroup.com/lego/pbLua/

Likewise, one may find a lot of programming development on http:www.sourceforge.net and then conduct a search on NXT, Mindstorms, etc.

Now, let's have some fun!

James F. Kelly wrote:

I got an email from a blog reader the other day requesting a summary of all the NXT-related sites I've come across. I figured I'd just post it here so I don't have to re-type it down the road. Please add URLs because I'm certain I've missed some. And apologies if I missed yours... I just grabbed the ones I could find off of existing blogs and websites. Thanks.

Jim Kelly
http://thenxtstep.blogspot.com

www.mindstorms.com
www.legoeducation.com
http://mynxt.matthiaspaulscholz.eu/
http://legoeducation.typepad.com/
http://www.nxtasy.org/
http://www.bnxt.com/blog/
http://www.jstuber.net/
http://www.hitechnic.com/
http://www.philohome.com/
http://www.ortop.org/NXT_Tutorial/
http://www.nxtbot.com/
http://www.nxtclub.com/
http://www.mindsensors.com/
http://www.rifagent.com/
http://www.vernier.com/nxt/
http://mindstormsnxt.blogspot.com/
http://www.brick-labs.com/
http://www.nxtclub.com/
http://robotchallenge.blogspot.com/
http://www.nxtidea.blogspot.com/
http://nxt.natulte.net/
http://www.nxt-mindstorms.com/wiki/Main_Page

Re: NXT utilities for Mac OS X

2009-08-31T07:11:41Z

In lugnet.robotics.nxt, John Hansen wrote:

> In lugnet.robotics.nxt, John Hansen wrote:
>> I've posted a zip containing some very early versions of my NXT utilities (tool
>> windows from BricxCC) for Mac OS X. Currently they appear to require Leopard to
>> run and they also require the LEGO FANTOM drivers for Mac OS X.
>>
>> http://forums.nxtasy.org/index.php?s=&showtopic=4090&view=findpost&p=31847
>>
>> There are GUI issues that I will try to resolve over the next few days. These
>> utilities are built using Lazarus/Free Pascal for Mac OS X. They are universal
>> binaries. They are built from the same source code that I use to build BricxCC
>> on Windows.
>
> I uploaded a new nxttools.zip late last night which now enables the tools to run
> on Tiger as well as Leopard. See my post from last night in the thread above.

Cross posting to lugnet.robotics in case this announcement got missed in the nxt
subgroup. If you use a Mac and have an NXT you might be interested in trying
out the Mac versions of most of the tool windows from BricxCC.

http://forums.nxtasy.org/index.php?s=&showtopic=4090&view=findpost&p=31955

John Hansen

Re: another comparison

2009-08-20T04:46:39Z

In lugnet.robotics, Claude Baumann wrote:

> We have compared the sampling and computing speed of NXT and RCX. NXT uses
> standard firmware 1.03 and is programmed with the LabVIEW toolkit. RCX is
> programmed with ULTIMATE ROBOLAB. Both bricks do the same thing: computing the
> DFT on a small dataset of 128 points that are read from the legacy light-sensor
> on a shaft encoder that is rotated with a legacy motor. ULTIMATE ROBOLAB keeps
> the whole system running (managing sensors, sound, display, buttons,
> IR-communication...) e.a. all the things that the standard firmware also is
> doing; so there is no reduced funtionality and thus no tricky speed gain. Both
> programs are absolutely comparable. But the RCX operates the sampling plus DFT
> 22.8 times faster than NXT! This is intriguing.
> Beating the RCX is not that simple !

Now the new LabVIEW NXT tookit 2.0 that includes firmware 1.26 drastically beets
the RCX performance ( http://zone.ni.com/devzone/cda/tut/p/id/4435 ).

We repeated the experiment and now the NXT runs the DFT much faster than the RCX
with more features: power-spectrum (needs floating point data) with graph on the
NXT display; life graphs on the PC. Please consult the new experiment:

http://www.convict.lu/htm/rob/RFT_second.htm

So, congrates to LEGO and NI for this excellent programming work.

( Btw legoengineering (Tufts CEEO) offers free download of fw 1.28:
http://legoengineering.com/library/doc_details/250-nxt-firmware-v128.html )

Claude

Re: Looking for replacement CD-Rom for Droid Developer Kit (9748)

2009-08-17T10:06:24Z

In lugnet.robotics, Tom Tuddenham wrote:

> Oops.. absolutely correct - do I feel like an idiot? :)
>
> As Doug says, the brick can only be programmed in a limited sense
> using VLL. The way we do it is via a Spybotics robot, programmed
> using NQC and connected to the Microscout via a light-tube.
>
> Not really the answer (unless you have a Spybotics) - sincere
> apologies for leading you up the garden path. And thanks to Doug for
> correcting me.
>
> Cheers
> Tom

I didn't think there would be a programming software on the disk - but the box
and the instruction manual indicated that there were instructions for additional
models on the disk.

Re: Looking for replacement CD-Rom for Droid Developer Kit (9748)

2009-08-17T09:59:27Z

In lugnet.robotics, Brian Bachmeier wrote:

> In lugnet.robotics, Mark Chittenden wrote:
>> Picked up a used Droid Developer Kit (set #9748) via garage sale. Had the
>> instruction manuel, the micro-scout and missing less than a handful of parts
>> (easily replaced). However, it was also missing the CD_Rom. Anyone know where I
>> can get a replacement CD (or, since the set is over 10 years old, where I can
>> download the software that was on the CD)? I tried Bricklink, but couldn't even
>> find the set for sale there.
>
> You can find the CDROM on Bricklink at
> http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?itemID=41370

Thanks for the link!

Re: Looking for replacement CD-Rom for Droid Developer Kit (9748)

2009-08-16T14:46:36Z

Oops.. absolutely correct - do I feel like an idiot? :)

As Doug says, the brick can only be programmed in a limited sense
using VLL. The way we do it is via a Spybotics robot, programmed
using NQC and connected to the Microscout via a light-tube.

Not really the answer (unless you have a Spybotics) - sincere
apologies for leading you up the garden path. And thanks to Doug for
correcting me.

Cheers
Tom

On 16/08/2009, at 11:35 AM, Doug Eaton wrote:

> In lugnet.robotics, Tom Tuddenham wrote:
>> Hi Mark
>>
>> If you can't get your hands on the original dev kit CD-ROM, you
>> should be able to program it with NQC. If the hardware is the same as
>> the Dark Side Development Kit (pretty sure it is) NQC works
>> brilliantly.
>
> Actually, the Droid Developer Kit and Dark Side Development Kit
> contain the
> Micro Scout which is not really programmable. See http://
> www.elecbrick.com/vll/
> for details on how to program it with a VLL.
>
> The CD was a marketing mistake as the only think on it was the same
> building
> instructions that are in the manual but presented in quicktime for
> some reason.
> There is nothing on the CD about programming. The only thing the CD
> did was
> dissuade many people from buying the set thinking they needed a
> computer to make
> it.
>
> Doug

Re: Looking for replacement CD-Rom for Droid Developer Kit (9748)

2009-08-16T04:35:53Z

In lugnet.robotics, Tom Tuddenham wrote:
> Hi Mark
>
> If you can't get your hands on the original dev kit CD-ROM, you
> should be able to program it with NQC. If the hardware is the same as
> the Dark Side Development Kit (pretty sure it is) NQC works brilliantly.

Actually, the Droid Developer Kit and Dark Side Development Kit contain the
Micro Scout which is not really programmable. See http://www.elecbrick.com/vll/
for details on how to program it with a VLL.

The CD was a marketing mistake as the only think on it was the same building
instructions that are in the manual but presented in quicktime for some reason.
There is nothing on the CD about programming. The only thing the CD did was
dissuade many people from buying the set thinking they needed a computer to make
it.

Doug

Re: Looking for replacement CD-Rom for Droid Developer Kit (9748)

2009-08-15T18:05:18Z

In lugnet.robotics, Mark Chittenden wrote:
> Picked up a used Droid Developer Kit (set #9748) via garage sale. Had the
> instruction manuel, the micro-scout and missing less than a handful of parts
> (easily replaced). However, it was also missing the CD_Rom. Anyone know where I
> can get a replacement CD (or, since the set is over 10 years old, where I can
> download the software that was on the CD)? I tried Bricklink, but couldn't even
> find the set for sale there.

You can find the CDROM on Bricklink at
http://www.bricklink.com/search.asp?itemID=41370

Re: Looking for replacement CD-Rom for Droid Developer Kit (9748)

2009-08-14T23:56:59Z

Hi Mark

If you can't get your hands on the original dev kit CD-ROM, you
should be able to program it with NQC. If the hardware is the same as
the Dark Side Development Kit (pretty sure it is) NQC works brilliantly.

Cheers
Tom

On 15/08/2009, at 5:50 AM, Mark Chittenden wrote:

> Picked up a used Droid Developer Kit (set #9748) via garage sale.
> Had the
> instruction manuel, the micro-scout and missing less than a handful
> of parts
> (easily replaced). However, it was also missing the CD_Rom. Anyone
> know where I
> can get a replacement CD (or, since the set is over 10 years old,
> where I can
> download the software that was on the CD)? I tried Bricklink, but
> couldn't even
> find the set for sale there.

Looking for replacement CD-Rom for Droid Developer Kit (9748)

2009-08-14T22:50:35Z

Picked up a used Droid Developer Kit (set #9748) via garage sale. Had the
instruction manuel, the micro-scout and missing less than a handful of parts
(easily replaced). However, it was also missing the CD_Rom. Anyone know where I
can get a replacement CD (or, since the set is over 10 years old, where I can
download the software that was on the CD)? I tried Bricklink, but couldn't even
find the set for sale there.