Unboxing the Lego Mindstorms EV3 By Troy Wolverton / August 20, 2013 at 12:49 PM For Tech Files this week, I’m testing Lego’s new Mindstorms EV3 robot-making set. For those who have played with the previous generation of Mindstorms, the NXT 2.0, the EV3 offers a number of upgrades: Support for WiFi, a faster processor, more storage for programs and a whole new suite of sensors and motors. I got an early look at the EV3 and its capabilities in May and was able to see some of the robots that kids (and parents) will be able to build with it. I’ll have a full review of the device later this week. Meanwhile, you can get a sneak peek at the new kit, which Lego plans to start selling on September 1, in my unboxing videos below. Photo by Troy Wolverton. Tags: ev3, lego, mindstorms, robots, sneak peek, unboxing More Posts in GadgetsI’m a fan of Lego robotics. I’ve written over half a dozen books on the Lego Mindstorms NXT robotic system, and tinkering and prototyping with the NXT just never gets old.
(And there’s a NEW system coming out later this year — EV3 — that I cannot wait to get my hands on!) The same goes for the Arduino microcontroller. Once I started diving deeper into the electronics hobby and discovered the Arduino, all sorts of projects started developing in my head. Unfortunately, the NXT hobby and the Arduino hobby have been kept in their own separate sandboxes in my office. It’s not that they can’t get along… it’s just that I haven’t really spent much time investigating how best to combine these two hobbies.This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. to report an issue. Thankfully, the investigation has been done by someone else, leaving me more time to play and experiment. GeekDad’s very own John Baicthal has joined Matthew Beckler and Adam Wolf (co-founders of Wayne and Layne) to release . Just like other Make: books, it’s a high-quality, full-color book that lays flat and looks great.
It’s part of the Learn by Discovery series, and it contains a straightforward introduction to combining NXT robotics with the Arduino using a mix of projects (six in all) and easy-to-understand discussions on a variety of topics that include the basics of electronics, a breakdown of the NXT and Arduino systems, and advanced building and programming techniques. The book doesn’t dawdle… Chapter 1 starts you right up with the Drawbot project. It’s a mix of Lego parts that include some beams and motors as well as an Arduino Uno and a special shield (used to allow the Arduino to use the NXT set’s motors and sensors). All projects start out with a simple description of the device and then provide a detailed Parts List so you’ll know exactly what you need to assemble in terms of electronics components and other miscellaneous parts (such as a clothespin to hold a marker that the Drawbot will use to draw random sketches on a piece of paper). Numerous sidebars provide additional information on topics that are introduced in the various chapters.
For example, in Chapter 1 there’s a brief sidebar that talks about the special Bricktronics shield that is needed for most of the projects in the book. This shield is purchased from Wayne and Layne and soldered together to create the bridge between NXT motors and sensors and the Arduino microcontroller. Once you’ve got the Bricktronics shield assembled, merging an Arduino with the NXT components is possible. In addition to the electronics Parts List, you’ll also find the Lego Elements List — this is a lettered list that matches up to a visual figure for each project, making it easier to find the Lego pieces you’ll be using. I’m including an example here so you can see just how well the book documents all the parts you’ll need from the NXT set. I don’t have an estimate on the costs for all the various components used in the book; the Bricktronics shield is $35.00 unassembled, but most components are going to be between $0.25 and $10.00 (my estimate). It does appear that Wayne and Layne have packaged up all the components you’ll need to build the Drawbot, so there may be plans to source all the components for the other projects in the book and sell them in pre-packaged kits as well.
Learning electronics is not the cheapest hobby, so I just want you to be warned and approach these projects knowing you’ll be buying some non-Lego parts that don’t come in the NXT kit.Since the release of the Raspberry Pi in 2012 the credit card-sized Linux computer has sold close to four million units.During that time a whole ecosystem of products have grown up around the Pi, each aimed at subtly different users.But which Pi should you get? Here's our guide to which flavour of Pi is best for you.Raspberry Pi A+Who's it for?Budget-conscious hardware hackers or robot builders looking for a compact board that won't suck a battery dry in double-quick time.The A+ drives down the cost of the Pi to just $20. It's smaller size - 65mm-long versus the 85mm B+ - is suited to being packed inside robots. Not only is it slight, it also consumes significantly less power than the model B - making it a good choice for battery-powered ventures, such as orbital camera rigs, that can't be tethered to a power cable.
What makes the A+ a decent choice for controlling external hardware, be it steppers motors on a 3D printer or robotic arms are its 40 general purpose input-output (GPIO) pins, the communications channels the Pi uses to swap messages with hardware. The B+ also offers the same number of pins.On the Raspberry Pi blog one user expressed excitement at being able to use the board as a '"wifi to GPIO gateway" to monitor and control other pieces of hardware for less than $30'.The lack of ports relative to the B+ is less of an issue for roboticists, who don't want wires streaming behind their quadcopter.However, if you're looking to use the Pi as a desktop computer or media streamer, while the A+ will work acceptably, the B+ would be probably be the better choice, as outlined in the next slide.The SpecsChip: Broadcom BCM2835 SoCCore: architecture ARM11CPU: 700 MHz Low Power ARM1176JZFS Applications ProcessorGPU: Dual Core VideoCore IV Multimedia Co-Processor. Provides Open GL ES 2.0, hardware-accelerated OpenVG, and 1080p30 H.264 high-profile decode.