Introduction to Lego Mindstorms NXT

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Introduction to Lego Mindstorms NXT
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Video clips

• Rubix cube solver
• Roboflush
• Gum ball sorter

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Lego Minstorms NXT in Prairie Rose School
Division

• 4 NXT sets
• 1 resource kit
• Resource books are also available with each set
• Teachers may book the kits through the Elie
  Resource Center
• Additional NXT sets in PRSD
• Carman Collegiate
• 1 NXT set
• 1 resource kit
• Iberville School
• 2 NXT sets
• 1 resource kit

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Things to consider when using the NXT sets

• Time
• Space
• Grouping
• Roles assign roles such as Piece Master,
  Instruction Guru
• Use step-by-step instructions as a starting point

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Curriculum Connections

• Science (Design Process)
• Grade 5 Forces and Simple Machines
• Grade 7 Forces and Structures
• Grade 11 Physics
• Electronics
• Computer Programming

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What does the base kit include?

• NXT Intelligent Brick
• Rechargeable lithium battery and charger
• 3 motors
• 1 each light sensor, sound sensor, ultrasonic
  sensor
• 2 touch sensors
• 3 rotation sensors built into the motors
• 3 converter cables (for using existing sensors
  and motors with the NXT Brick)
• 7 connector cables (one .2M, two .5M, four .35M)
• 3 lamps
• USB cable
• Hundreds of Technic building elements
• Plastic storage bin with sorting trays

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• Pieces used to control your creation
• Brick The brain output motor ports and USB
  port, input sensor ports
• Motors Basically we program them to make
  calculated rotations. They are connected to A, B
  or C
• Touch sensor Can sense the button being
  pressed, the button being released, and the
  button being pressed and then released.
• Light sensor Measures the intensity
• of light, how dark or how bright.
• Darkest it does is a dark closet, to
• get a reading of 100 you hold it to
• a flashlight. It can indirectly
• distinguish colours.

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• Sound sensor Measures the loudness of a
  sound, it cannot recognize pitch or tone or voice
  commands. Quiet living room is about 4-5, distant
  talking is about 5 to 10. Moderate music is
  10-30, yelling is 30 to 100.
• Ultrasonic sensor Uses sonar to measure
  distance (sound waves) and has an accuracy of
  3cm, range of 8.5 feet. Caution This is the only
  piece that is incompatible with other pieces like
  it.
• Cables includes 7 cables of different lengths,
  you use the cables to connect both the motors and
  the sensors.

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Beams

• Pieces used to form the structure of your
  creation - think of them as supports, or the
  walls of a house.

• 1-7 straight beams-measured by number of holes
  (15, 13, 11, 9, 7, 5, 3), coloured. (light and
  dark stone grey)
• 8-10 angled beams- measured by number of holes
  (11.5 (big hole1.5), 9, 7), coloured. (dark
  stone grey)
• 11-12 perpendicular angled beams- measured by
  number of holes (7, 5), coloured. (dark stone
  grey)

• 14-15 TECHNIC bricks-measured by top-down
  dimensions of nubs (1x4, 1x6), coloured. (dark
  stone grey)

-13 triangular half beam-coloured. (black)
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Straight Beam
Straight Beam
- Most basic structural piece. - Number of holes
(usually odd) used to connect to other pieces
with connectors. This piece is measured by number
of holes. - If just the word beam is used assume
it means straight beam.

• Most basic structural piece.
• Number of holes (usually odd) used to connect to
  other pieces with connectors. This piece is
  measured by number of holes.
• If just the word beam is used assume it means
  straight beam.

Angled Beam
- Used to make creation more interesting or for
specific uses (E.g. claws) - Is almost exactly
the same in function as the straight beam, but it
has one or more angles at 45 or 90 degree angles
depending on the specific piece.
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Half-Beam
- Beams of a variety of shapes that are only half
as wide as standard beams. - The only one in your
set is in a triangular shape (these pieces arent
measured under any standard).
TECHNIC Bricks
- Pieces that have holes in their sides to
interact with other beams but also studs on the
top/bottom to interact with standard LEGO pieces.
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Connectors

• Pieces used to connect other parts of your
  creation, namely beams. Think of them as screws,
  bolts, or nails.

• 1-5,7-8,10-11 axles -measured by chart (12,10,
  8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2), coloured. (black, medium
  and dark stone grey)
• 6,9 stopped axles- measured by chart (5.5,3),
  coloured. (dark stone grey)
• 2,13 bushing-half width of full width,
  coloured. (medium stone grey)

-14,15,17,20,21,23 pegs- variety of colors,
lengths, and circle/cross ends.
Other assorted connectors/connector
blocks- variety of axles/pegs/other joints or
places to put them for more specific and dynamic
connections.
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Axle

• Length of axle designed to be fixed into a cross
  hole or to spin freely in a round hole.
• Most common connector piece usually attached to
  spinning parts such as motors. Can be held in
  place with bushings.

• Bushing
• Their purpose is to be slid onto the ends of
  axles
• and keep the axles fixed into round holes without
  
• them falling out the sides.

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Pegs

• One of the most vital connectors in LEGO
  Mindstorms, these pieces quickly attach 2 round
  holes, 3 round holes, or a round hole and a cross
  hole in a freely turning joint.

Assorted Connectors/Connector Blocks

• A large variety of different pieces with round
  and/or cross holes in a variety of different
  shapes to input axles and pegs into in order to
  enhance your construction capabilities.

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Gears

• Pieces used to transmit motion and forces and to
  change speed/torque ratios.

• 1-4 spur gears- measured by teeth (8, 16,
  24, 40), coloured. (medium stone grey)
• 5-7 double bevel gears- measured by teeth
  (12, 20, 36), coloured. (black, medium stone
  grey)
• 8-10 other- assorted gears such as worm gears,
  knob wheels, and turntables, coloured. (black)

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Spur Gear

• - The most standard gear designed to transmit
  motion in a parallel plane.
• Measured by number of teeth, coloured medium
  stone
• grey.
• Gears are usually mounted the right spacing apart
  on
• free spinning axles.
• - The second gear will turn in the opposite
  direction as the first gear. If the second has
  less teeth speed will be increased if it has
  more teeth torque will be increased.

Double Bevel Gear
- Essentially the same as a spur gear, but the
number of teeth differs and these can be mounted
parallel OR perpendicular to each other.
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Worm Gear
A gear to greatly reduce the speed of a motor
while also greatly increasing torque. It has to
be mounted specifically (see picture) and can
only turn gears gears cant turn it.
Knob Wheel
Not really a gear but functions as a gear when
coupled with other knob wheels. Turntable A large
powerful gear usually used specifically to mount
large portions of a creation that should be
rotatable.
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Miscellaneous Elements

• Random pieces that do not fit into other
  categories.

Includes claws (to grab things?), balls (to
shoot?), tires and wheels (to drive), decorative
cones and teeth (to look cool!), and pulley
wheels (to do physics!).
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Building

• Your task Build Zippy-Bot!

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Programming

• Make a program that plays a sound file.
• Try to use the display and wait programming icons.

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Problem-solving Process

• What is the robots task?
• What behaviors are needed to accomplish it?
• Create the program debug then download.
• Run the program.
• Is the NXT behaving badly (doesnt do task)?
• Check the robot first. If theres a problem, can
  you fix it?
• Next, check the program. Problem? Can you fix it?
• Last, go back to the beginning and reread the
  task. Does your program really tell the robot
  what its supposed to do?

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Programming

• Challenge 1 Create and test a program to make
  the robot go forward in a straight line for
  exactly 1 second
• Challenge 2 Create and test a program to make
  the robot go in a square

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Challenge 3 Light Dark Program

• Create and test a program to make the robot
• Go forward until it finds a dark line
• Stop for 1 second
• Go forward until it finds light
• Stop for 1 second
• Reverse for 4 seconds

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Challenge 4 Tracker Program

• Create a program to make the robot
• Go forward until it finds a dark line
• Move forward along the edge of the line
• Save your program as your first name and Tracker
• Hints You need a loop, and its easier if the
  robot starts at less than a 90? angle

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Challenge 5 Bump Program

• Create a program to make the robot
• Go forward until it finds a wall
• Turn moving backward for 2 seconds
• Repeat these behaviors for 5 wall bumps
• Save your program as your first name and Bump
• Hint Youll need to use wait until Touch in for
  the first step.

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Bonus Beep Challenge

• Create a program to make the robot
• Go forward until it finds a line
• Stop for 1 second and beep
• Repeat for 5 lines
• For fun, end with a different sound
• Save your program as your first name and Beep

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Questions?
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