Lego EV3 > There are two versions of the EV3 robot kit: the 'retail' or 'home' version and the 'education' version. This page describes some of the differences and gives links to further information. In any case, your purchase choice is clear: if you are a teacher or a school you should buy the education version and otherwise you should buy the retail version. The included sensors and other parts are somewhat different in each version and thus the models you can make are also different. If you need items that are included in the other version then you can buy them separately. Having said that, there are MANY differences in the pieces included in each set. For example the education set includes 2 large wheels (diameter 56mm) while the retail (home) set includes 4 less large wheels (diameter 43.2mm).the 'retail' or 'home' version has an emphasis on 'cool' aesthetics, fun, animal appearances and remote control. The kit includes an infrared sensor and beacon/remote control and some fun accessories such as a ball-firing device which are not included with the education version
. oftware is also included and is downloadable HERE The home version lacks the lessons included in the Education version, and also lacks the ultrasound and gyro programming blocks (since the corresponding sensors are not included in the retail kit) but these blocks can be downloaded separately free HERE and added to the free software. Here's how to add the downloaded blocks to the Retail version of the software (see also this Youtube video):Open your EV3 Software ( version).the 'education' version has an emphasis on serious programming. It includes an ultrasonic proximity sensor and a gyro (rotation) sensor which are not included in the retail version, though they can be bought separately. It does NOT include the infrared sensor or remote control though these can be bought separately. It does not include various extras like the ball-firing device. It DOES includes a rechargeable battery. It is necessary to buy a battery charger and software in addition to the basic education kit
. The Education software costs about 100 EUR for an individual licence(?). The education software includes many good 'Robot Educator' lessons that are not included in the retail (free) version, as well as a data logging capability.Here is a table and info from http://www.afrel.co.jp/en/archives/98 :HardwareNoLEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3the home version of LEGO MINDSTORMS EV31Intelligent Brick112Large Motor223Middle Motor114Ultrasonic Sensor105Touch Sensor216Color Sensor117Gyro Sensor108Infrared Sensor019IR Beacon (Infrared Remote Control)0110Rechargeable DC Battery1011Transformer 10V DCOption012the number of parts541 parts550 parts13tray○×SoftwareNoLEGO MINDSTORMS Education EV3the home version of LEGO MINDSTORMS EV31Lobby （the main menu of the software）○△2Programming○○3Data Logging○×4Contents Editor○×5Robot Educator○△（assembly diagrams for 5 models）6Sound Editor○○7Image Editor○○For more information, look HERE or HERThis entry was posted in and tagged , , , , , , , on .
As you’re more than aware by now, Generation Robots is a huge fan of the Lego Mindstorms EV3 kits. We were already won over by its previous version, the Lego Mindstorms NXT, but this latest version is just packed with bricks, sensors and motors all waiting to be transformed into robots! From now on, we’ll providing you more regularly with useful information to help you purchase the right items, and we’ve put together this comparison of the Lego Mindstorms Education EV3 kit and the EV3 Retail Edition for just this purpose. If there’s one thing all these kits has in common, it’s the presence of an EV3 intelligent brick. The Retail Edition includes 2 large servo motors and 1 medium servo. In addition to these, you’ll also find three sensors: The Education version has the same number of servos, i.e. 2 large servos and 1 medium servo, as well as: You’d be forgiven for thinking the ultrasonic sensor contained in the Education kit is similar to the infrared sensor, but the ultrasonic sensor is much more accurate for detecting distances, which might prove useful depending on the kind of robot you want to build.
If you have the Education kit and want to create some of the robots found in the Retail Edition, you’ll need to get your hands on an infrared distance sensor as well as the infrared beacon. You can also make up for the Lego Technic type pieces that are missing from your kit by purchasing the Expansion Set, which includes more than 850 additional pieces enabling you to create impressive models, like an elephant! While a certain amount of confusion and doubt surround the differences between the Retail Edition and the Education kit, it’s worth knowing that they both share the same programming language, commonly called EV3-G. Neither kit comes with a software CD, so you’ll have to remember to download it. We strongly recommend that you do this before purchasing your kit, to make sure all your hardware and operating systems meet the minimum system requirements. For the Retail Edition, the software is available for free download from the Lego website. There is a content editor, plus tutorials and instructions for each type of model.
It is compatible with the sensors found in both the Education kit and the Retail Edition (after downloading the “EDU” blocks). The software for the Education version is sold separately. You can buy a single user or site license (depending on the number of computers to be equipped with the software), which you then download through a custom link provided with your purchase. In addition to the content editor, this software also includes data logging tools that are extremely useful for teaching purposes. You can however use a version of the EV3 software intended for one of the kits with the other kit (we recommend trying the free Retail Edition version before purchasing the Education license), and you can even install both software on the same computer! You might be tempted to think that one of the kits is designed for having fun and the other for learning, but it’s always possible to learn while having fun, so you can easily use the site’s Retail Edition in a school setting and the Education kit at home.