Overview

This guide teaches readers how to create powerful programs using the Lego Mindstorms NXT programming language, NXT-G. Learn how to program a basic robot to perform tasks such as line following, maze navigation, and object detection.

Full Product Details

Author:   Terry Griffin
Publisher:   No Starch Press,US
Imprint:   No Starch Press,US
Dimensions:   Width: 20.30cm , Height: 1.70cm , Length: 25.30cm
Weight:   0.684kg
ISBN:  

9781593272180

ISBN 10:   1593272189
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   26 August 2010
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Dedication; acknowledgments; introduction; who this book is for; prerequisites; what to expect from this book; how best to use this book; Chapter 1: LEGO and robots: a great combination; 1.1 LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT; 1.2 the NXT online community; 1.3 the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit; 1.4 art and engineering; 1.5 qualities of a good program; 1.6 software, firmware, and hardware; 1.7 NXT-G; 1.8 what you'll learn from this book; 1.9 what's next?; Chapter 2: the NXT-G programming environment; 2.1 a tour through the MINDSTORMS environment; 2.2 writing an NXT-G program; 2.3 your first program; 2.4 running your program; 2.5 your second program; 2.6 debugging; 2.7 the edit-compile-test cycle; 2.8 comments; 2.9 the configuration panel; 2.10 conclusion; Chapter 3: the test robot; 3.1 right-side motor; 3.2 left-side motor; 3.3 chassis; 3.4 caster wheel; 3.5 attach the caster wheel; 3.6 add the NXT; 3.7 touch sensor bumper; 3.8 attach the bumper to the chassis; 3.9 ultrasonic sensor; 3.10 sound sensor; 3.11 color sensor or light sensor; 3.12 attach the wires; 3.13 the final beam; 3.14 alternate placement for the color sensor; 3.15 alternate placement for the ultrasonic sensor; 3.16 conclusion; Chapter 4: motion; 4.1 the NXT motor; 4.2 the move block; 4.3 there and back; 4.4 around the block; 4.5 the motor block; 4.6 brake, coast, and the reset motor block; 4.7 the reset motor block; 4.8 the record/play block; 4.9 the remote control tool; 4.10 conclusion; Chapter 5: sensors; 5.1 using the sensors; 5.2 the touch sensor; 5.3 the BumperBot program; 5.4 the sound sensor; 5.5 BumperBot with sound; 5.6 the light and color sensors; 5.7 the RedOrBlue program; 5.8 the ultrasonic sensor; 5.9 door chime; 5.10 the rotation sensor; 5.11 the BumperBot2 program; 5.12 conclusion; Chapter 6: program flow; 6.1 the sequence beam; 6.2 the switch block; 6.3 the loop block; 6.4 the keep alive block; 6.5 the stop block; 6.6 conclusion; Chapter 7: the WallFollower program: navigating a maze; 7.1 pseudocode; 7.2 solving a maze; 7.3 program requirements; 7.4 assumptions; 7.5 initial design; 7.6 following a straight wall; 7.7 turning a corner; 7.8 going through an opening; 7.9 final test; 7.10 conclusion; Chapter 8: data wires; 8.1 what is a data wire?; 8.2 the GentleStop program; 8.3 tips for drawing data wires; 8.4 the SoundMachine program; 8.5 understanding data types; 8.6 using the number to text block; 8.7 displaying the tone frequency; 8.8 using the text block; 8.9 adding labels to the displayed values; 8.10 dealing with broken wires; 8.11 conclusion; Chapter 9: data wires and the switch block; 9.1 the switch block's value option; 9.2 rewriting the GentleStop program; 9.3 advantages of using a sensor block; 9.4 passing data into a switch block; 9.5 passing data out of a switch block; 9.6 matching more than two values; 9.7 using numbers with the NXT-G 2.0 switch block; 9.8 fixing the SoundMachine program's volume display; 9.9 conclusion; Chapter 10: data wires and the loop block; 10.1 the loop count; 10.2 timers; 10.3 the timer block; 10.4 a programmable timer, version 1; 10.5 the compare block; 10.6 a programmable timer, version 2; 10.7 a programmable timer, version 3; 10.8 conclusion; Chapter 11: variables; 11.1 a place for your data; 11.2 managing variables; 11.3 the variable block; 11.4 the RedOrBlueCount program; 11.5 grouping common settings; 11.6 replacing long data wires with variables; 11.7 the LightPointer program; 11.8 constants; 11.9 conclusion; Chapter 12: the NXT buttons and the display block; 12.1 the NXT buttons; 12.2 the NXT button block; 12.3 the PowerSetting program; 12.4 the display block; 12.5 the NXTSketch program; 12.6 conclusion; Chapter 13: my blocks; 13.1 building bigger blocks; 13.2 creating a my block; 13.3 the custom palette; 13.4 editing a my block; 13.5 configuring a my block; 13.6 changing the name of a configuration item; 13.7 the DisplayNumber block; 13.8 using the DisplayNumber block; 13.9 managing the custom palette; 13.10 sharing programs with my blocks; 13.11 advanced my block topics; 13.12 conclusion; Chapter 14: math and logic; 14.1 computer math; 14.2 integer math; 14.3 floating-point math; 14.4 the random block; 14.5 adding a random turn to BumperBot; 14.6 the logic block; 14.7 adding some logic to BumperBot; 14.8 the range block; 14.9 improving RedOrBlue; 14.10 improving RedOrBlueColorMode; 14.11 conclusion; Chapter 15: files; 15.1 using files; 15.2 the file access block; 15.3 checking for errors; 15.4 the FileReader program; 15.5 restoring the RedOrBlueCount data; 15.6 managing memory; 15.7 common problems; 15.8 conclusion; Chapter 16: data logging; 16.1 data collection and the NXT; 16.2 the VerifyLightPointttttter program; 16.3 controlling the amount of data; 16.4 data logging using the LEGO MINDSTORMS education NXT software 2.0; 16.5 conclusion; Chapter 17: using multiple sequence beams; 17.1 multitasking; 17.2 adding a second sequence beam; 17.3 avoiding a busy loop; 17.4 adding a sequence beam to a loop block; 17.5 understanding program flow rules; 17.6 synchronizing two sequence beams; 17.7 keeping out of trouble; 17.8 conclusion; Chapter 18: the LineFollower program; 18.1 following a line; 18.2 the starting point; 18.3 selecting the sensor trigger values; 18.4 improving the control algorithm; 18.5 conclusion; NXT websites; moving from NXT-G 1.0/1.1 to NXT-G 2.0; numbers; block changes; using old programs; side-by-side installation; updates;

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Author Information

Terry Griffin has been a software engineer for over 20 years and has spent most of that time creating software for controlling various types of machines. He works for Carl Zeiss SMT on the Orion Helium Ion Microscope, programming the user interface and high-level control software.

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