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Aside from the basic RIS set, the MINDSTORMS product line also includes expansion sets. These sets provide additional parts and software to supplement the RIS set. Two such sets exist, each
selling for about $50US :
Extreme Creatures
This set comes with about 150 LEGO pieces and is designed so you can add decorative jaws and claws to your robots. It includes a light that can be attached to one of the output ports of the RCX.
Robosports
This expansion set includes about 90 LEGO pieces, two balls, two pucks, and an additional motor. It's oriented towards robots that can play different sports.
A third expansion set,
Exploration Mars,
should be released sometime in 1999.
Among LEGO enthusiasts, the consensus is that the expansion sets are not as good a value as the RIS set itself. If you're looking for extra pieces, it might be better to buy a LEGO TECHNIC set
instead. If you're looking for additional sensors and motors, by themselves, there are other ways to get these. See Appendix A,
Finding Parts and Programming Environments,
for details.
Other Sets
RIS isn't the only game in town. In 1999, two new MINDSTORMS sets were released: the Droid Developer Kit and the Robotics Discovery Set. Both sets are
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based on the same technology as RIS. They have more limited capabilities than RIS with the intent of making them easier to use.
What Now?
Now that you have some background in mobile robots and LEGO MINDSTORMS, what should you do? Play.
Read the manuals, follow the instructions on the MINDSTORMS CD, and have fun with your new toy. When you're thirsty for more, come back and read the rest of this book. It will tell you
everything you need to know to push your MINDSTORMS set as far as it can go.
Online Resources
One of the most exciting things about MINDSTORMS is the online community that supports it. On the one hand, LEGO's official MINDSTORMS site provides some interesting information as
well as a chance for RIS owners to exchange designs and ideas. But in the months since the release of MINDSTORMS, many unofficial sites have appeared. These cover a broad range of topics:
clever mechanical designs, novel sensors, alternate programming environments, even a new operating system for the RCX. I'll list references to online resources at the end of each chapter in this
book; my lists are also available online at
http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/Imstorms/.
There's a lot of information out there.
LEGO MINDSTORMS
http://www.legomindstorms.com/
This is the official site of MINDSTORMS. It contains handy tips and mildly informative articles. If you own a MINDSTORMS RIS set, you can sign up for your own little corner of this web site,
where you can post pictures of your creations and even the programs that run them.
LEGO Worlds
http://www.lego.com/
This is the official site of The LEGO Group. It's a good place to go to browse through different product lines and to get a sense of the entire company's product offerings.
Robotics
http://www.lugnet.com/robotics/
LUGNET (the international fan-created LEGO Users Group Network) forms the hub of the online LEGO universe. LUGNET hosts many useful discussion groups; a whole hierarchy of them is
devoted to robotics. This URL will take you to the top level of the LEGO robotics discussion groups, which is further
Содержание MINDSTORMS Robots
Страница 22: ...Page 18 The back tread wheels are anchored to the shafts with the 16t gears ...
Страница 23: ...Page 19 Page 20 Next start building support for the drive motors ...
Страница 25: ...Page 22 Attach the motor wires to output A and output C Next build the platform for the front bumpers ...
Страница 26: ...Page 23 The touch sensors are attached only by the shaft that runs through them ...
Страница 41: ...Page 41 ...
Страница 43: ...Next build the support for the light sensor ...
Страница 80: ...Page 85 Make sure the bump on the long pin is up against the 4u beam ...
Страница 82: ......
Страница 84: ...Page 89 ...
Страница 85: ...Step 14 is similar to Step 11 take a deep breath and go slowly ...
Страница 86: ...Page 90 Grabber Arm In Step 17 the half bushings go between the center block and the cams pear shaped pieces ...
Страница 87: ...Page 91 ...
Страница 88: ...Page 92 Make sure that the two sides are at the same angle They should mirror each other ...
Страница 89: ...Page 93 Page 94 ...
Страница 90: ...Structural Support Page 95 ...
Страница 91: ...Idler Wheel Page 96 ...
Страница 92: ...Page 97 Drive Motor ...
Страница 93: ...While you re putting the motor in hold on to the worm gear so it doesn t slip off Page 98 ...
Страница 94: ...Grabber Arm Motor ...
Страница 95: ...Page 99 ...
Страница 96: ...Page 100 RCX Attach the RCX on both sides as shown Page 101 ...
Страница 158: ......
Страница 159: ...Page 175 The 16t gears are nestled inside the tread wheels ...
Страница 160: ...Page 176 ...
Страница 161: ...Page 177 Attach the motors to output A and output C as shown Page 178 ...
Страница 162: ...The light sensor which is mounted on the bumper is attached to input 2 The touch sensor goes on input 1 Page 179 ...