Make: Lego and Arduino Projects: Projects for extending MINDSTORMS NXT with open-source electronics

by John Baichtal, Matthew Beckler, Adam Wolf

Overview

Make amazing robots and gadgets with two of today’s hottest DIY technologies. With this easy-to-follow guide, you’ll learn how to build devices with Lego Mindstorms NXT 2.0, the Arduino prototyping platform, and some add-on components to bridge the two. Mindstorms alone lets you create incredible gadgets. Bring in Arduino for some jaw-dropping functionality—and open a whole new world of possibilities.

Build a drink dispenser, music synthesizer, wireless lamp, and more

Each fun and fascinating project includes step-by-step instructions and clear illustrations to guide you through the process. Learn how to set up an Arduino programming environment, download the sketches and libraries you need, and work with Arduino’s language for non-programmers. It’s a perfect book for students, teachers, hobbyists, makers, hackers, and kids of all ages.

• Build a Drawbot that roams around and traces its path with a marker pen
• Construct an analog Mindstorms clock with hands that display the correct time
• Create a machine that mixes a glass of chocolate milk at the touch of a button
• Make a Gripperbot rolling robotic arm that you control wirelessly with Arduinos mounted on your arms
• Explore electronic music by building a guitar-shaped Lego synthesizer
• Build a Lego lamp with on/off and dimmer switches that you control with a smartphone application
• Jump feet first into the world of electronics, from learning Ohm’s Law to working with basic components

You'll need the Bricktronics shield created for this book by Open Source Hardware kit maker Wayne and Layne, or you can build a breadboarded equivalent (see Chapter 10) for about $25 in parts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781449321062
Publisher:	Make Community, LLC
Publication date:	12/07/2012
Pages:	326
Product dimensions:	8.00(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	9 - 18 Years

About the Author

John Baichtal is a contributor to MAKE magazine and Wired's GeekDad blog. He is the co-author of The Cult of Lego and author of Hack This: 24 Incredible Hackerspace Projects from the DIY Movement.

Matthew Beckler is a graduate student in EE at Carnegie Mellon University, and is a co-founder of Wayne and Layne, LLC, where he makes open source hardware.

Adam Wolf is a firmware engineer at an electronic design services company, and is a co-founder of Wayne and Layne, LLC, where he makes open source hardware.

Table of Contents

Foreword; Preface; Assumptions This Book Makes; Contents of This Book; Conventions Used in This Book; Using Code Examples; Safari® Books Online; How to Contact Us; Acknowledgments for John; Acknowledgments for Matthew; Acknowledgments for Adam; Chapter 1: Project: Drawbot; 1.1 Parts List; 1.2 Assembly Instructions; 1.3 Program the Robot; 1.4 The Next Chapter; Chapter 2: Anatomy of Lego Robotics; 2.1 Mindstorms; 2.2 Expanding on the Mindstorms Set; 2.3 Programming Your Brick; 2.4 The Next Chapter; Chapter 3: Arduino Interlude; 3.1 History of the Arduino Project; 3.2 What Is OSHW?; 3.3 Anatomy of the Uno; 3.4 The Arduino Ecosystem; 3.5 Arduino Resources; 3.6 The Next Chapter; Chapter 4: Project: Clock; 4.1 Parts List; 4.2 Assembly Instructions; 4.3 Program the Robot; 4.4 Setting the Clock; 4.5 The Next Chapter; Chapter 5: Project: Chocolate Milk Maker; 5.1 Parts List; 5.2 Assembly Instructions; 5.3 Program the Robot; 5.4 The Next Chapter; Chapter 6: Basic Electronic Theory; 6.1 Basic Concepts in Electricity; 6.2 Know Your Electronic Components; 6.3 Sensors 101; 6.4 Further Study; Chapter 7: Gripperbot; 7.1 Parts List; 7.2 Building Instructions; 7.3 Assembling the Gripperbot’s Electronics; 7.4 Programming the Gripperbot; 7.5 The Next Chapter; Chapter 8: Project: Keytar; 8.1 Parts List; 8.2 Assembly Instructions; 8.3 Program the Keytar; 8.4 Play Some Music!; 8.5 The Next Chapter; Chapter 9: Project: Lamp; 9.1 Parts List; 9.2 Assembly Instructions; 9.3 Program the Lamp; 9.4 The Next Chapter; Chapter 10: Advanced Techniques; 10.1 Wiring Up Bricktronics Equivalents; 10.2 Mounting PCBs to Legos; 10.3 Adding Molex Connectors to Lego Wires; 10.4 All About Motors; 10.5 Powering Your Robot; 10.6 NXT to Arduino Communication; 10.7 XBee Wireless Modules; 10.8 Epilogue; Colophon;