Talk:Lego Mindstorms NXT

Motor ports The NXT has three output ports for attaching motors - Ports A, B and C

Sensor ports The NXT has four input ports for attaching sensors - Ports 1, 2, 3 and 4.

USB port Connect a USB cable to the USB port and download programs from your computer to the NXT (or upload data from the robot to your computer). You can also use the wireless Bluetooth connection for uploading and downloading.

Loudspeaker Make a program with real sounds and listen to them when you run the program

NXT Buttons Orange button : On/Enter /Run Light grey arrows: Used for moving left and right in the NXT menu Dark grey button: Clear/Go back

NXT Display Your NXT comes with many display features - see the MINDSTORMS NXT Users Guide that comes with your NXT kit for specific information on display icons and options

The four sensors are the "us" sensor (ultrasonic) which alows it to determin how far away an object is, touch sensor, sound sensor and light sensor. It also controls up to three motors. When programming the block it has a lot of functions you can choose from. There are a lot of blocks:

Common:

movement block: Use this block to set your robot to go forwards or backwards, in a straight line or to turn by following a curve. Define how far your robot will go by using the Duration property.

record and play block: To record an action, choose a name and the length of time you want to record. Then download the block. Run your program and act out the motion you want to record. Change the block to “play” to run the recorded motion (making sure that the name is the same as when you recorded).

Sound Block: Use this block to play a sound file or a single tone. To compose a melody of tones, arrange several sound blocks in a row. Selecting “Wait for completion” will finish playing the sound/tone before moving on to the next block.

Display Block: Use this block to display an image, write some text, or draw a shape on the NXT’s display screen. Choose “Clear” to start with a fresh screen.

Wait Block: This block lets your robot sense its environment for a certain condition before it continues. Use the slider or type in a number to set a trigger point so that the program continues when sensor values are below or above it.

Loop Block: Use this block to repeat sequences of code. Set the condition that will end the loop: elapsed time, the number of repetitions, a logic signal or a sensor. You can also set a loop to go on forever

Switch Block: Use this block to choose between two sequences of code. For example, when configured with a touch sensor, the switch block might run one series of blocks when the sensor is pressed and another when it is not.

Action:

Motor Block: This block allows for precise control of one motor’s speed. You can “ramp up” to a set speed or “ramp down” to a stop. By de-selecting “Wait for Completion,” your program can move on to the next block once the Motor block has started a motor.

Send Message Block: To send a wireless message, first use the NXT's buttons to choose a different connection number for each NXT. Then select the connection number for the target NXT, input your message and data type, and choose a mailbox number where the message will be deposited.

Sensor:

Touch Sensor Block: This block sends a logic signal (true or false) through a data wire indicating the current condition of a touch sensor. Use the radio buttons to decide which action will produce the “true” signal.

Sound Sensor Block: This is a sound detector. Using data wires, it can send the current sound value and a logic signal (true or false). Specify the trigger point and the range that will generate a “true” signal.

Light Sensor Block: This sensor detects ambient (surrounding) light. Through data wires it can send a logic signal (true or false) or the current light reading. Turning on “Generated Light” will allow the sensor to detect its own reflected light.

Ultrasonic Sensor Block: This block has a range of about 250 cm (or 100 inches). By specifying a trigger point less than that (by using the slider or by typing in a number), you can have your robot react if something gets too close to it. Output is sent by a data wire.

NXT Buttons Block: This block outputs a “true” signal through a data wire when one of the NXT buttons is activated. Select the button and the action that will send the “true” signal.

Rotation Sensor Block: This block counts the number of degrees (one full rotation is 360 degrees) or full rotations that your motor turns. It will send a logic signal (true or false) or the current value through a data wire. The reset button clears any value in the feedback box as well as in the NXT.

Timer Block: When your program starts, the three built-in timers in the NXT will automatically start counting. With this block you can choose to either read a timer’s current value or cause a timer to start counting again from zero.

Receive Message Block: To receive a wireless message, set the message type and mailbox number to match those of the sending NXT. This block’s output can be the incoming message itself or a “true/false” logic value (if you are comparing the incoming message to a test message).

Flow:

Wait Block: This block lets your robot sense its environment for a certain condition before it continues. Use the slider or type in a number to set a trigger point so that the program continues when sensor values are below or above it.

Stop Block: This block will stop your program and any running motors, lamps or sounds. Stopped motors will start to coast.

Data:

Logic Block: This block performs a logical operation on its inputs and sends out the true/false answer by a data wire. The inputs (which must also be “true” or “false”) can be set using the radio buttons or supplied dynamically from data wires.

Math Block: This block performs simple arithmetic operations like addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. The input numbers can be typed in or supplied dynamically by data wires.

Compare Block: This block can determine if a number is greater than (>), less than (<), or equal to (=) another number. The input numbers can be typed in or supplied dynamically by data wires.

Range Block: This block can determine if a number is either inside or outside of a range of numbers. The input values can be typed in, set using the sliders, or supplied dynamically by data wires. The output logic (true/false) signal will be sent by a data wire.

Random Block: This block will output a random number through a data wire. You can use this number to generate unpredictable behavior in your robot. The minimum and maximum limits for the number can be typed in or supplied dynamically by data wires.

Variable Block: Create and name a variable by using the Define Variable command in the Edit menu. Then drag a Variable block into your program and, after selecting its name from the list, choose to either read or write to the variable.

Advanced:

Text Block: This block can add small pieces of text together to create longer pieces of text (like sentences). The input text can be typed in or supplied dynamically by data wires. The output text is sent out by a data wire.

Number To Text Block: This block will take a number (like a reading from a sensor) and turn it into text that can be displayed on the NXT’s screen. The input number can be typed in or supplied dynamically by a data wire.

Keep Alive Block: This block will keep the NXT from entering sleep mode. Add this block if your program needs to wait for longer than the NXT’s set “sleep time” (that is configured using your NXT’s menus).

File Access Block: With this block you can save data from your robot in files on your NXT. After writing data to a file, you must use another File Access block to close the file before you can read or delete the file (using a third File Access block).

Calibration Block: Use this block to calibrate the minimum (0%) and maximum (100%) values detected by a sound or light sensor.

Reset Motor Block: This advanced feature turns off the automatic error correction mechanism that precisely controls how far each servo motor turns.

Some of these blocks go into multiple categories.