While it may appear that I work for LEGO, I don't.

But, I have had the honor of playing with the new Mindstorms NXT for a while now.

I'd like to share some of the things I've been playing with...

This is a collection of blocks I've made for NXT-G , using NI's LabVIEW NXT Toolkit. The blocks will load directly into the Mindstorms software, once the Dynamic Block Update is installed.

Line Following block

This block should be placed in a loop, and will cause drive the motors at the speed specified, so the robot can follow the edge of a line, with a single light sensor.

My tests show this single block will execute about 2 to 3 times as fast as the same code in NXT-G.

Display Number block

I made this block as a debugging tool.  It combines several blocks that (due to program limitations) can not be compiled into a My Block.  The block takes a line number, a caption, and a number as input.  The Caption and Number are displayed on the given line on the screen.

This block requires the "Display Performance" block be installed, in order to work.

Display Time block

This block is a combination of many other things.  It's a modified version of the display number block that will display the value of a timer in minutes and seconds.  (added 2/28/07)

Bit Logic block

This block will do bitwise operations on numbers (And, Or, Xor, and Not).

I'd love to take credit for this, but the block actually come from Michael Gasperi.  He created this block, and asked me to take a look at it.  I made some changes, and passed it along to Brady (at National Instruments) who made some improvements before sending it back, where I made even more improvements.  Now, it's a pretty nice little block, that's easy to use and looks good. (added 2/28/07)

Simple Array block

The array block is a repackaged sub-block.  It will allow you to Clear the array, Add values, and Get values given the index.

Acceleration Sensor block

This is the first block I made.  The Configuration panel is not complete.  It works with one of the prototype acceleration sensors from Hi-Technic.  It has outputs for X, Y & Z.  It can not be used as a loop block condition, because I didn't finish that part.

I've added some better pictures that Andy created and posted on NXTasy.org - Thanks Andy

Simple Windows Bluetooth Remote

Pretty early on, I made a pretty simple Windows application, that could control an NXT over Bluetooth. I really haven't done much with it, but someone just asked me about it, so I figured I'd post it.

There aren't many instructions. There is a very narrow button to the left of the "C" motor button. And, another appears between the B & C motors.

Also, there are keyboard commands to run the motors. I think it's Q/A, W/S, & E/D.

NXT Software Compairison   

Many people ask about programming software.  This table shows different programming languages that can be used for programming or controlling your NXT.

Brians Remote

One of the first things both Brian and I did, when we got our second NXT, was play around with Remote Controls. Here's his code, in a zip file. I was going to post them separatly, but if you want one, you really need them all.

"BTRC" that runs on the hand-held unit, and "Remote" (poorly named) that runs on the diff-drive robot. The two MyBlocks are needed by the programs ("GetAngle" & "PutAngle"). The hand-held unit is the BT master.