Alternative programming tools for Lego Mindstorms

[Kenton Hoover]

Next semester I will be changing from teaching programming to teaching robotics. The school owns a bunch of Lego Mindstorms gear (EV3 and NXT) but I formed a strong dislike to the programming tools when two students with perception issues found the visual programming model overly challenging (one programs Arduino just fine so its the visual thing. It also requires me to scramble for laptops.

BBB has an adaptor board for their gear but I don't dislike the processor bricks, just the programming language. Anyone have any options/suggestions on this? Thanks in advance!

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[Tim Cooper]

try robotC (robotC.net) from Carnegie Mellon. It works with the all of the Mindstorms stuff and can expand into Tetrix and Vex.

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Tim Cooper

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[Tim Cooper]

oh and I agree with the craziness of the Mindstorms language. It started out as a logoblocks and then just go crazier over the years. Robolab used to be okay, but the overhead to keep the language "simple" has always made it laggy and the wiring piece confusing. RobotC looks a little scary at first, but there is a sanity to it that can be found in most C variants. It is also a good intro to C -> C# or C++ or Obj C -  all of which are way scarier but use the same basic lang core and syntax.

[Daniel F]

Have you seen https://github.com/Eelviny/nxt-python?

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[Joe Donahue]

Enchanting is based on the Scratch programming language. You might try that.

[Ariel Kitch]

RobotC is only available for PC, right?  

I have been using the EV3 software this year with the old NXT packs and parts.  EV3 does seem less buggy than previous versions of Mindstorms. Unfortunately, although most NXT parts and sensors work with EV3, the NXT light sensors are not compatible with the newer software (without using a complicated custom program).  I would love to find a better solution but we're in a Mac environment!

Thanks for starting this thread.

Best,

Ariel

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Ariel Kitch

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Friends Seminary

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[Chris Dorman]

Does Tickle work with mindstorms? I have a love for that little program.

[Kenton Hoover]

Tickle doesn't, I assume because the BlueTooth API on the EV3 brick won't interface with it. NXT bricks don't have BlueTooth IIRC.

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[David Malpica]

Thanks for sharing, I'll add some of these suggestions to the software list.

[Maureen Reilly]

Hi,

If you have iPads the new LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 programming app for iOS is really user friendly and wireless and makes iterating seamless. It's limited to move blocks, sensor blocks, loops, and switches, and only works on EV3 bricks with EV3 motors and sensors. It's free from LEGO MINDSTORMS retail:

http://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/apps/ev3-programmer-app

Make sure you have the latest firmware loaded on the EV3 brick.

Happy Building,

Maureen Reilly

- Marymount School, NYC

On Tuesday, December 15, 2015, David Malpica <dmal...@bullischarterschool.com> wrote:

Thanks for sharing, I'll some of these suggestions to the software list.

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- Brevity and errors aided and abetted by my beloved iPhone

[Roberta Roboter]

Hi - one relativly new programming environment for the EV3 is #OpenRoberta http://lab.open-roberta.org 

Open Roberta Lab is cloud-based programming environment. This environment allows children and young people with no technical pre-knowledge to program a LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 robot. There is a variety of different program blocks available to program the motors, sensors, and the EV3 brick. Open Roberta Lab uses the approach of visual programming. This approach makes it easier - especially for beginners with no experience - to learn how to code. As a cloud based programming environment no installation is needed, any operation system and computer hardware device may be used.[8][9] The big advantage of Open Roberta Lab is, that it can be used with any device (PC, tablet, smartphone) and with any operating system (Mac OS, Windows, Linux). Only a web browser is needed.

More Information at https://wiki.open-roberta.org 

Best

 Thorsten

[Tim Cooper]

will this work on a Chromebook?

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Tim Cooper

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