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Index
cover Page
Title Page
Copyright Page
about the author
about the technical reviewer
brief contents
contents in detail
acknowledgments
introduction
why this book?
is this book for you?
how does this book work?
the discoveries
what to expect in each chapter
part I: getting started
part II: building and programming robots with sensors
part III: creating advanced programs
part IV: advanced robot projects
getting help: the companion website
conclusion
PART I getting started
1 collecting the equipment for your robot
what’s in the box
the NXT brick
the NXT-G programming software
installing the software
the test pad
inserting batteries
conclusion
2 building your first robot
building the explorer
building tip: beams and axles
building tip: friction and nonfriction pins
connecting the cables
using the NXT buttons to navigate on the NXT brick
turning on the brick
selecting and choosing items
turning off the brick
running a program
conclusion
3 creating and modifying programs
a quick first program
creating a basic program
1. programming palette
2. work area
moving and deleting blocks
3. start area
4. NXT controller
downloading and running a program
manually running a program
downloading a program without running it
using Bluetooth to download programs to the NXT
working with the NXT-G software
5. configuration panel
6. little help window
7. program navigation bar
8. toolbar
managing programs
modifying programs
using the pointer, pan, and comment tools
9. robo center
controlling the robot remotely
conclusion
4 working with programming blocks: move, sound, and display
what do programming blocks do?
using blocks to create programs
using different programming blocks
the move block
seeing the move block in action
understanding the configuration panel
port
direction
steering
power
duration
next action
understanding the configuration icons
making accurate turns
the sound block
understanding the sound block configurations
action
control
volume
function
file
note
wait
seeing the sound block in action
understanding the explorer-sound program
the display block
understanding the display block configurations
action
display
displaying images
displaying text
displaying drawings
seeing the display block in action
understanding the explorer-display program
further exploration
5 waiting, repeating, and other programming techniques
the wait block
understanding the wait block settings
seeing the wait block in action
understanding the explorer-wait program
more on the move block: moving unlimited
the unlimited option
the duration unlimited setting in action
understanding the explorer-unlimited program
problems with moving unlimited
the loop block
using the loop block
understanding the loop block settings
seeing the loop block in action
using loop blocks within loop blocks
making your own blocks: the my block
creating my blocks
using my blocks in programs
editing my blocks
parallel sequences of blocks
using parallel sequences in a program
further exploration
PART II building and programming robots with sensors
6 understanding sensors
what are sensors?
understanding the sensors in the NXT 2.0 kit
understanding the ultrasonic sensor
creating the ultrasonic sensor attachment
polling sensors
programming with sensors
sensors and the wait block
using the configuration panel
seeing the sensors and the wait block in action
avoiding walls with the ultrasonic sensor
sensors and the loop block
seeing the sensors and the loop block in action
sensors and the switch block
configuring a switch block
seeing the switch block in action
adding blocks to a switch block
using the flat view option
repeating switches
further exploration
7 using the touch, color, and rotation sensors
the touch sensor
creating the bumper attachment with touch sensors
connecting the cables
programming with the touch sensor
creating a test program for the touch sensor
avoiding walls with touch sensors
creating the discovery-bumper program
the color sensor
creating the color sensor attachment
using the view mode to poll the color sensor
programming with the color sensor
staying inside a colored line
following a line
using the NXT buttons as sensors
the rotation sensors
using the view mode to poll the rotation sensor
making programs with rotation sensors
resetting the rotation sensor
further exploration
8 shot-roller: a robotic defense system
building the shot-roller
connecting the cables
programming the shot-roller
the complete palette
the color lamp block
the motor block
using the control motor power option
autonomous mode
creating the program
light sensor mode
defending a territory with the shot-roller
troubleshooting your program
remote-control mode
further exploration
9 strider: the six-legged walking creature
building strider
connecting the sensor cables
understanding strider’s walking technique
programming strider
creating the walk-forward my block
creating the walk-left and walk-right my blocks
using the my blocks in an interactive program
creating the program
creating the scared strider program
polling sensors with feedback boxes
setting thresholds
creating the program
further exploration
PART III creating advanced programs
10 using data hubs and data wires
building SmartBot
a program to get started with data wires
understanding the sample program
how do data hubs and data wires work?
creating a second example program with data wires and data hubs
using data plugs: input and output
block configurations when using data wires
deleting data wires
sensor blocks
configuring a sensor block
configuring a touch sensor block
configuring a color sensor block
configuring a rotation sensor block
data wire types
the number data wire
the logic data wire
seeing a logic data wire in action
the text data wire
displaying values with the number to text block
the broken data wire
multiple data wire connections
connecting multiple wires to different plugs
connecting multiple wires to one data plug
using settings with both input and output plugs
using help for data plugs
tips for managing data wires
hiding unused data plugs
using data wires across your program
further exploration
11 using data blocks and using data wires with loops and switches
data blocks
the math block
using the math block in a more advanced program
the random block
the compare block
the logic block
logic operations
not operation
switch blocks and data wires
configuring switch blocks with data wires
using number and text data wires and switch blocks
connecting data wires to inside switch blocks
loop blocks and data wires
further exploration
12 using variables, constants, and playing games on the NXT
using variables
defining a variable
using the variable block
creating a program with a variable
changing variable values
initializing variables
using constants
using the constant block
creating a program with constants
playing a game on the NXT
defining the variables
step 1: displaying a target randomly
step 2: waiting until a button is pressed
step 3: storing which button is pressed
step 4: comparing the position and button variables
step 5: adjusting the score
step 6: displaying the current score
step 7: making the program repeat for 30 seconds
expanding the program
further exploration
PART IV advanced robot projects
13 snatcher: the autonomous robotic arm
understanding the grabber
the grabbing mechanism
the lifting mechanism
building the snatcher
creating objects
programming the snatcher
creating the my blocks
my block #1: grab
my block #2: release
my block #3: find object
my block #4: move closer
my block #5: say color
creating the final program
troubleshooting the snatcher
further exploration
14 hybrid brick sorter: sort bricks by color and size
understanding the sorting technique
the driving module
the scanning module
identifying a brick’s size
building the hybrid brick sorter
connecting the cables
finding bricks to use with your sorter
finding buckets
programming the hybrid brick sorter
creating the my blocks
my block #1: reset sorter
my block #2: drop brick
creating the final program
step 1: getting the brick’s size
step 2: checking where there is a brick to sort
step 3: calculating the position of a bucket
step 4: dropping a brick in the right bucket
further exploration
15 CCC: the compact chimney climber
understanding the climbing technique
staying balanced on the x-axis
balancing on the y-axis
detecting balance errors
solving balance errors
building the compact chimney climber
preparing a chimney
programming the compact chimney climber
step 1: extending the arms
step 2: climbing and staying balanced
step 3: going down, staying balanced, and stopping
troubleshooting the CCC
further exploration
troubleshooting and solving connection problems
using the NXT controller to download programs to the NXT
using the NXT window
changing the name of an NXT
problems connecting to an NXT with USB
problems downloading programs to the NXT
The NXT device is no longer connected.
The NXT device is out of memory.
data wire error messages
Cannot download needed file for the program.
The program is broken. It may be missing required files.
The file is currently in use on the NXT device.
using Bluetooth to download programs to the NXT
finding a Bluetooth dongle
connecting to the NXT with Bluetooth
problems connecting to an NXT with Bluetooth
conclusion
companion website
DISCOVER THE CAPTIVATING WORLD OF LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT 2.0!
about the author
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