Mindstorms Podcast Videos

Double-tracked is my attempt at a robust tank using the rubber treads. I used the rubber treads instead of the hard plastic treads since they have much better grip (and I have no plastic treads). This worked very well. The only down side to this is that there was no suspension. Also, the gears connecting the front and back treads would often catch on the ground. Overall though, I think this could outperform almost any other Lego tank the same size with hard plastic treads. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/endersbyt

Double-tracked is my attempt at a robust tank using the rubber treads. I used the rubber treads instead of the hard plastic treads since they have much better grip (and I have no plastic treads). This worked very well. The only down side to this is that there was no suspension. Also, the gears connecting the front and back treads would often catch on the ground. Overall though, I think this could outperform almost any other Lego tank the same size with hard plastic treads. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/endersbyt

You've probably noticed that I've changed the name from racing truck to just truck. this is because there was too much friction and it was too big that having a fast gear ration didn't work well. So I did a 1:1 gear ration and focus on how controllable it was since the two motors were linked with a differential, so different speeds on the two motors made different gear ratios and speeds. It created smooth moment and power. Gear train 2 motors with one to one gear ration - 1 differential to add them together - drive train - differential - differential. I enjoyed building this since this is my first build with differentials. Program Nothing out of the ordinary for the program. It's controlled by the PSP-NX-V3. When the program first starts, it finds the center for steering using the Hitechnic PID block. R1 turns the steering right, L1 turns it left, R2 returns it to center. The two joysticks control the two drive motors. You can download the program at my blog. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/endersbyt

This is my half tracked vehicle. It is remote controlled by the PSP-NX-V3. In "normal" mode it is driven by one joystick, it has no differential but when turning, the back two motors go at different speeds, simulating a differential. When you hold down the R1 button, it goes into "two joystick" mode where the left and right joystick control the treads independently, great for getting around tight corners, the right joystick also controls the front wheels. You can download the program and building instructions at my blog My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/endersbyt

I was a little disappointed about my results this year but I still did better than my first year (2011). I only got 1 trial correct but that one trial was the best trial I’ve gotten ever, but, due to chance/human error, trial 2 and 3 were a fail, lowering my score. Trial 2 seemed to fail due to a shake of some sort. I slowed down that part in the video but I’m still confused as to what happened. In trial 3, the table was lower (there was more than one arena), in the rules it did say that it was supposed to deal with a bit of variation (but it also has said that the last 2 years I’ve done this, but never changed the height). Overall, this is still the best robot out of all three years, if i had completed all three trials successively I believe that i would have gotten second again. They have not posted the final results yet, so I just know that i didn’t get 1st, 2nd, or 3rd, since they announced that. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/endersbyt

Hardware There are two driving motors. One in the front and one in the back. It is 4 wheel drive but it cannot turn. The drive motors are not geared. The third motor is used to control the arm. that is geared down 1:5. The arm lifts up the front wheels, it drives foreword to get the front wheels on the next step, then the arm goes back, and lifts up the back wheels and the robot drives forward to get the back wheels on the step. Program The program is really simple. The PSP-NX-V3 remote control's the robot. one joystick turns the drive motors, and the other moves the arm. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/endersbyt

Hardware This has two main parts (the front and the back) on the front there is the PF battery box, front driving motor, and the steering motor along with PF LED lights. On the back section there is the back driving motor and the NXT. The two parts are connected by one axle, which stays in surprisingly well. Program The program was pretty simple. I used ROBOTC again. The program uses the PSP-NX-V3 to control the driving. Right joystick controls the drive motors and the left joystick controls the steering. You can download the program at my blog My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/endersbyt

Hardware This is simple - just some wheels geared down 1:3 to move the card in and out over the color sensor. The touch sensor senses whether the card is being pushed in. and I also had a touch sensor and motor for the door but that was only to prove that the card reader worked. Program I programmed using ROBOTC. I wanted to re-teach myself ROBOTC and I really like it. I'm never back to NXT-G. ROBOTC is just easier once you learn it. I was having trouble having it read the card (and tell me the code) because it was too inaccurate - it would give me the wrong colors a lot so instead it only figures out if it is the correct card. You can download the code at my blog. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/endersbyt

Hardware This uses 3 motors and 2 sensors. On the controller it uses the Touch sensor as the trigger button and the color sensor as an indicating light. There is also a motor on the controller that controls the angle of the launcher. It s linked with the motor that moves the launcher up and down. The third motor moves a 5m beam up and down. When the beam is up it holds the rocket back, and when you press the touch sensor, the beam is pulled down and the rocket is released. The rocket is down a ramp by a rubber band and then fly's of the ramp. Program The program is pretty simple. First you pull the rocket back with the rubber band than turn the black knob to move the beam up - as soon as the beam is about halfway up the motor begins to turn to make sure its all the way up then lock. you can then use the motor on the controller to move the launcher up and down. then you press the orange button and the launcher locks its position and waits for you to press the touch sensor - when you press the touch sensor the rocket is released and the program starts over again. You can download the program st my blog. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/tendersby Facebook page: http://facebook.com/MindstormsPodcast

A simple robot that shoots beams and other things that are the same thickness like pencils and bushings. Hardware There are 2 main motors geared up 32 times it's speed - which makes up o 4000 RPM output. shooting the beams very fast and pretty far. At the back there is a gear box (from and OLD BIONICLE set I think) and that adjusts the angle of the shooter up and down. The controller is one motor on the side for controlling the speed and a light sensor for indication the speed range (0-11 is red 12-75 is blue and 75-100 is green) and information is displayed on the screen - read the next section for more info on that. Program The program does a simple task of turning 2 motors but displays a lot on the screen. First it resets the motor on the controller and then the program is started. You use the motor to control the power - every degree = 1% of power. This program calculates the RPM and displays it in a bar and the number. it also displays the % power and the Output RPM. The RPM calculation is from NXT Programs: 3-Speed Transmission with Clutch. You can download the program at my blog. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/mindpodplus Facebook page: http://facebook.com/MindstormsPodcast Thanks to musikConomy for intro music

This is a simple robot that turns on the lights after a certain amount of time. It turns a dimer that is connected to extension cords. Overall this is pretty simple - I only made one program and that program counts down till the alarm then goes off when time is up. You can download the program at my blog. There will be a second version that works with normal room light switches - I'll post about that soon. Pictures at my blog. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/mindpodplus Facebook page: http://facebook.com/MindstormsPodcast Thanks to musikConomy for intro music

This is the second model of my "Smart" Cars and this is much better than the first. This is also my entry into The Mindstorms Annual Online Competition under the Car category. Hardware This car has 1 motor for driving, 1 motor for steering, and 1 motor for the ultrasonic sensor. The driving motor was geared 20:10:20 (so in the end -- 1:1). the steering motor was geared 8:40 (1:5) for greater control in the steering, This did lower the speed at which it turned but it made it much more accurate and easier for parallel parking. The motor for the ultrasonic sensor was just holding the sensor with no gears, it was used many different was in different the programs. Programs (all programs require the HiTechnic Motor PID Block) Parallel Park In this program, the robot would find a parking spot and then parallel park. It put the ultrasonic sensor at a 90 degree angle with the car facing the wall, and it would drive straight. when it saw an open spot it would count the rotations of the driving motor till the end of the spot, if the motor rotated far enough then it knew that the spot was big enough, if the spot wasn't big enough, then it would keep driving. Then, once it had parked, it would wait for the orange button to be pressed and then pull out of the spot on it's own. You can download the program at my blog. Autonomous driving This program would have the robot drive until it saw something (or the touch sensor got pressed), then back up, turn the heard to the left and the right, see which has more distance, then drive that way (if there was more than 20in of distance, if not it would back up and do it again) You can download the program at my blog. Assisted drive This program is remote controlled using the PSP-NX-v3. It is a normal remote control program using 1 joystick (up and down for forward and backwards and left and right for steering) but with one twist, when the ultrasonic sees something it slows the drive motor down to half of normal to allow for greater control. the ultrasonic turns left and right with the steering so that it's looking where the car is going. This was used in the last Smart Car also but there are a few improvements over that one, when going backwards the speed is not decreased, and when you click R1, it parallel parks. You can download the program at my blog. You can download full building instructions at my blog. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/mindpodplus Facebook page: http://facebook.com/MindstormsPodcast Thanks to musikConomy for intro/outro music

Hardware This hasn't changed much from my testing video since i din't get to get the parts that i wanted (like the air tanks) but i'm still happy with the design overall. there is 1 motor to drive, geared 2:1. 1 motor for steering. and one motor for the arm gears 1:5. You can see pictures at my blog. Program the program is what changed the most since last time. for one, i made it so that all the operations (steering, driving, arm movement, etc.) where in separate loops so that if one got stuck (like the steering wheels got stuck, which happened a few times during early testing) then the rest of the operations wouldn't stop and the driving and other things will still be controllable. the only problem with this is that this is almost too much for the NXT to handle so the response was not as fast at I would have liked, but the improvement that I liked the most with the up and down arrows for the arm. up reset it at the top. and down put it at the right height for picking up/dropping off the car, which made using the arm very easy. You can download the program at my blog. My Blog: http://Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Google Plus page: http://bit.ly/mindpodplus Facebook page: http://facebook.com/MindstormsPodcast Thanks to musikConomy for intro/outro music

This Robot dispenses 3 different color juices (red, blue, green) into a cup. Hardware The hardware is pretty simple, there are 3 motors, each controlling a different valve to release air into the different bottles (causing the juice to flow out). They are on a "stand" because the pipes aren't long enough to I had to move the motors higher up/closer to the top of the bottles. The dispenser is also pretty simple. It's holds the tubes over the cup and also holds all the sensors. the lever on the left is what you pull to have it pour water. the orange lever on the right is the emergency off lever, it closes the valves immediately and then ends the program. The ultrasonic senses when the cup is there. The color sensors senses the light reflection of the cup, if it's the correct cup (as setup at start of the program) then it will allow you to chose a juice then pour, if it's the amount of reflection, then it will tell you that it is the incorrect cup. Program This is what took the longest and i'm proud about. It's got a great interface and it's pretty big. Basically, first you have the setup screen - you place the cup in the dispenser and it sets the cup reflection amount for the whole program. Then it goes to the start screen which asks you to place the cup in the dispenser. then when it senses a cup, it will tell you if it's the correct sup or not, if correct, it then lets you chose a color, then you pull the lever to pour, then back to the home screen. You can download it at my blog My Blog: mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com Facebook page: facebook.com/mindstormspodcast Google plus page: bit.ly/mindpodplus Thanks to musikConomy for intro/outro music You can download and subscribe to me on iTunes at http://bit.ly/mindpoditunes

This is basically my pneumatic engine at first glance. I did change some things to make it run a bit smoother though. in the past day i have rebuilt this around 3 times. and then came back to this. i was trying to build a good studless design but decided just to go back to this original design. It worked pretty well but not as well as i would have liked. Facebook page: facebook.com/mindstormspodcast Google plus page: bit.ly/mindpodplus Thanks to musikConomy for intro/outro music You can download and subscribe to me on iTunes at http://bit.ly/mindpoditunes

This robot holds a camera and moves it up, down, left, right. It has 2 motors to move it up and down, they move a beam with wheels up and down with a 1:5 gear ratio. the turntable turns the camera with a 1:56 gear ratio using a worm gear. I manly used this for time lapses because it can turn very slow and controlled because of the worm gear. Programs Time lapse This program turns the turning motor a few degrees every 1 second. This was designed to work with the program on my computer to take a time lapse. I plug my camera into a video adapter in my computer (with a long wire through the back yard) and then use tilaphos to take a picture every second. The first two videos in the podcast used that program, the first one is played back at 210 FPS and the second at 150 FPS. The third time lapse was taking with an iPhone at 1 picture every 15 seconds using Gorillacam and played back at 30 FPS. You can download the program on my blog. Remote control This program was used to remote control the robot with my PSP-Nx-V3. It uses the right joystick to move it up, down, left right. You can download full building instructions on my blog. Facebook page: facebook.com/mindstormspodcast Google plus page: bit.ly/mindpodplus Thanks to musikConomy for intro/outro music You can download and subscribe to me on iTunes

This is the final version of the crane. as you can see the base was well improved from the last one, the turntable stays securely connected to the base, the worm gear slips less, it doesn't tip over as much and when it does it doesn't break as much. I also made a spot to hold the weight. Program: Nothing special about this program really but you can download it on my blog Hardware Base: The base was the hardest part to design because of how string it had to be, because it had to hold the weight of everything without tipping or breaking under the leverage. There is a 2 pound weight at the back to help ballance. Crane arm: The crane arm is moved by 1 motor geared down 1:5 and it is pretty strong, It can lift the whole Lego building in the video when the batteries are fresh (but they were dying in the video) The string it pulled by the pulley on the motor opposite the arm motor. Thanks to musikConomy for intro/outro music Subscribe to My blog, MindstormsPodcast.wordpress.com You can download and subscribe to me on iTunes

So the forklift worked pretty well, since the last testing video I made a few physical changes but i mostly made programming changes. The other change is the instructions for NXT 2.0. Programs Forklift programs for NXT 2.0 These programs are made for the forklift when using the building instructions. In each program it limits the top and bottom so that you can't break anything. You can download them at my blog (in .zip format) Forklift programs for modified forklift These programs are made for the forklift but with 40 and 8 tooth gears as shown in the video instead of the 36 and 12 double bevel tooth gears giving a 1:5 ratio instead of 1:3 and it skips less than the double bevel gears. You can download them at my blog (in .zip format) In each zip there are 3 programs, both sets of programs are similar but have different limits the modified ones have an m in the front of the file name 2 button forklift control For use with using 2 touch sensors (plugged into ports 1 and 2). the touch sensors are used for driving and then you press the enter button to change the direction, the right arrow for moving the forklift up and the left arrow to move the forklift down Fork control This requires the PSP-NX-v3 (plugged into port 1). This uses the right joystick for speed and direction (up and down) and the left joystick for turning (left and right) I prefer this way as opposed to using one joystick for both (like in the next program down) because it is easier to go perfectly straight and it is also easier to control turns (once you get the hang of it). It also uses R1 to move the forklift up and L1 to move the forklift down. Select resets the forklift at 0 and then ends the program. Fork control single joystick This requires the PSP-NX-v3 (plugged into port 1). This uses the right joystick for moving the robot and the left joystick for moving the forklift, one of the nice things about this program compared to the other programs is that you can control the speed of the forklift moving up and down as opposed to the other ones where the speed is fixed. Select resets the forklift at 0 and then ends the program. Instructions Instructions were made using the LDraw suit and is similar to the last instructions I made. You can download the PDF at my blog you can download the MLCad files at my blog.

So the forklift worked pretty well, since the last testing video I made a few physical changes but i mostly made programming changes. The other change is the instructions for NXT 2.0. Programs Forklift programs for NXT 2.0 These programs are made for the forklift when using the building instructions. In each program it limits the top and bottom so that you can't break anything. You can download them at my blog (in .zip format) Forklift programs for modified forklift These programs are made for the forklift but with 40 and 8 tooth gears as shown in the video instead of the 36 and 12 double bevel tooth gears giving a 1:5 ratio instead of 1:3 and it skips less than the double bevel gears. You can download them at my blog (in .zip format) In each zip there are 3 programs, both sets of programs are similar but have different limits the modified ones have an m in the front of the file name 2 button forklift control For use with using 2 touch sensors (plugged into ports 1 and 2). the touch sensors are used for driving and then you press the enter button to change the direction, the right arrow for moving the forklift up and the left arrow to move the forklift down Fork control This requires the PSP-NX-v3 (plugged into port 1). This uses the right joystick for speed and direction (up and down) and the left joystick for turning (left and right) I prefer this way as opposed to using one joystick for both (like in the next program down) because it is easier to go perfectly straight and it is also easier to control turns (once you get the hang of it). It also uses R1 to move the forklift up and L1 to move the forklift down. Select resets the forklift at 0 and then ends the program. Fork control single joystick This requires the PSP-NX-v3 (plugged into port 1). This uses the right joystick for moving the robot and the left joystick for moving the forklift, one of the nice things about this program compared to the other programs is that you can control the speed of the forklift moving up and down as opposed to the other ones where the speed is fixed. Select resets the forklift at 0 and then ends the program. Instructions Instructions were made using the LDraw suit and is similar to the last instructions I made. You can download the PDF at my blog you can download the MLCad files at my blog.

Building instructions for the Off-Roader. Completely build able with NXT 2.0 set. Adding bigger wheels and PSP-NX-v3 is recommended. Go to http://mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com/2012/06/05/off-roader-building-instructions/ for a PDF of the instructions, programs and more information.

This was my first attempt at an off-road vehicle and I think it came out pretty well. it is build-able with 1 NXT 2.0 kit (minus the wheels) and if you change the gears, you can build it with NXT 1.0. Hardware: I used only a NXT 2.0 kit along with 4 wheels I borrowed from a friend, this worked without borrowing wheels but these wheels make it work much better. I focused mainly on function not aesthetics since I'm not good at aesthetics anyways. in the back there at 2 motors next to each other and connected and then geared down about 1:2 (see Moment of Genius!!) with the wheels being so big, it was the same as 1:1 with the normal wheels in the end but it was still strong enough. my main problem with found while testing this was how it tips over easily because it doesn't have a very low center of gravity ever since I added the big wheels. the other problem was that I don't have a differential (and it's hard to simulate one with 2 motors). when you turn to sharp, instead of turning sharp, it just goes straight (or slightly in that direction), especially on dirt. it was fine when I only turned slightly though. Program: I made 3 programs for this robot. 2 for people with a PSP-NX controller and one for people with just an NXT 2.0 kit (or NXT 1.0 with and extra touch sensor) Off Roader PSP-NX 2 joystick: Someone suggested to me that I should program it to be controlled by 2 joysticks instead of one (one for steering and 1 for speed) since it would be more controllable and thinking about it, many video games are similar to that (for example, I've seen people play assassins creed and to walk to use the right joystick and to turn/look around you use the left joystick and in racing games the throttle is button and the steering is a joystick). I decided to try it and it works great. I still like the single joystick better but that's because I'm used to that and I feel that I could get used to 2 joysticks easily. This program works by first having you set the center point of the steering with the D-pad and then speed is controlled by right joystick while steering is controlled by the left. Instructions are on the screen. Off Roader PSP-NX joystick: This is the normal program that I would use for most things.it uses the right joystick for all of the control. This is the control I used in the video. This program works by first having you set the center point of the steering with the D-pad and then speed is controlled by right joystick along with the steering. Instructions are on the screen. Off Roader touch sensor: I made this program for people who only have an NXT 2.0 set. This uses 2 touch sensors as the remote which are both connected by the 50cm (20 inch) wires. Both buttons pushed makes the robot go straight forward, holding the left button makes it go left and holding the right button makes it go right. you can also select the speed on-screen (in increments of 20%). Instructions are on the screen. Go to mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com for links, pictures, downloads, and more information Thanks to musikConomy for intro/outro music

The up and down is geared 1:5 with two motors power it. The turning motor it not geared. D-Pad control This program lets me control the robot using the D-pad. Left and right to turn the fan and up and down to move the whole thing up and down. Analog control This program lets you control the robot using the analog stick which make's variable speed possible. left and right to turn the fan and up and down to move the whole thing up and down Automatic This acts like an oscillating fan. It resets everything to about the center and then you set the up and down positioned using the D-Pad and then it automatically has the fan go left to right. My only problem with this is that it went to fast. I could not make it go any slower because putting any less power just had the motor not move or stop halfway. I had the power on 10% Thanks to musikConomy for intro music For more information and dto download the programes go to Mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com

This is my entry into the NXT Car Building Challenge! Steering The steering mechanism is based of of the "racecar" off of NXT programs. there is also a ultrasonic sensor on it (as you can see to the left) the ultrasonic sensor is always facing the direction of where it is going thus, making it more useful in programming than just having one that faces straight. Drive wheels The back drive wheels are geared3:1 so on smooth ground it works great but on rough ground and carpet it does not work so well. you can also gear it 1:1 (with gears not included in NXT 2.0) and 1:3 (by switching the gears. Program The program is for use with the PSP-Nx-v3 from mindsensors. it is remote controlled using a joystick. the ultrasonic is used to slow the robot down whenever it is driving forward towards an object. that way it is easier to avoid objects. the color sensor is red when it is close to something and green when it is far away from something. Go to http://mindstormspodcast.wordpress.com for more info and downloads Thanks to musikConomy for intro music

I built this robot int a tissue box. it is skid steering and the back wheel goes up and down to lift up the back of the robot and the back of the box. uses PSP-Nx-v3 for controls.

I got the PSP-Nx Combo with Wireless Controller for my Birthday. This Comes with a PlayStation 2 Wireless controller and the PSP-Nx converter which you can plug a PS2 controller or wireless receiver into and get a Sensor output for the NXT. From that you can receive from the 16 buttons (Triggers, bumpers, R3, L3, D pad, Shapes, select, start) and X/Y axis from the 2 joysticks. To test this out i built 2 robots. First I built a simple skid steer robot with a rotocaster as the back wheel. Then I used a program from Mindsensors to start off with so that i could learn how the programming works. I also downloaded the NXT-G block. I then built the HiTechnic RotaBot and used ­R J McNamara's program (I'm having trouble finding the link because I believe his website is down) to make it work with the robot. - His code was written in NXC which I do not know so I couldn't edit it. AAs you can see in teh video - this robot can drive in any direction without turning. This robot requires Rotocastors and NXT 2.0 set.

2nd place!!

I’ve setup two testing areas, first on the deck with a carpet but the carpet made the turning unreliable so i was not able to test the turns well. Then i set it up the in the kitchen and i got it to work after playing with it. The only downside with the setup in the kitchen is that it has to come down once i’m finished testing and it only shows the two table placement and 1 wall – does not show sink or dolls. I have gotten it to go home and work a bit better than shown in the video.

Today we talk about vehicles. Tim built 3 tanks and faced them off and Jared built a lawnmower-like car. We also talk about Lego iOS apps. iNXT Remote: connects to a computer on your network though WiFi. You need a computer running the server program on MAC or PC. You can control it using a virtual joystick, poll sensors, delete and transfer files, run programs, and play sounds. NXT Drive: requires a jail-broken iPhone - just type your NXT ID in and it connects and controls by tilting the iPhone iBooks: free app that can read PDFs and you can find instructions or make instructions into PDF form.

Finally, our first episode has been created. In today’s episode we talk about Tim’s Ball shooter and Jared’s Door closer. We also talk about Lego® Cuusoo, a service created by Lego’s® Japanese partner. There you can upload a project and if 10,000 people support your project then Lego® will review it and if it becomes a product you will receive a royalty. It’s now in open beta.