Rating:
(22 reviews)
Author: John Baichtal
ISBN : 1449321062
New from $16.00
Format: PDF
Download for free books Free Make: LEGO and Arduino Projects: Projects for extending MINDSTORMS NXT with open-source electronics [Paperback] for everyone book 4shared, mediafire, hotfile, and mirror link
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.
Direct download links available for Free Make: LEGO and Arduino Projects: Projects for extending MINDSTORMS NXT with open-source electronics
- Paperback: 328 pages
- Publisher: Maker Media, Inc (December 7, 2012)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1449321062
- ISBN-13: 978-1449321062
- Product Dimensions: 0.6 x 7.9 x 9.4 inches
- Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Free Make: LEGO and Arduino Projects: Projects for extending MINDSTORMS NXT with open-source electronics
I have very mixed feelings about this book. I think this book is a good attempt, but for the following reasons does not leave you feeling like you bought an educational book, but rather a manual for how to incorporate an Arduino Shield (sold by two of the authors) into your project. There is nothing, in my view, that is too wrong about selling a book and selling a product you use in the book's projects, but since it is not EXPLICITLY mentioned, especially to the online sales on Amazon, it leaves you feeling a bit ripped off. That written what follows are a few of oddities the book contains:
Beyond the buy book, still need to buy or make shield issue is that the authors try to introduce and present too many things i.e. an introduction to LEGO construction (via super glossy step by step instructions for their projects... this could have been done in a better layout --not one step one page. Also, some of this could have been put on a website and then the cost and content for the book could have been more refined in its information and more focussed in its incremental introduction of new concepts and projects --often the chapters are rather loosely related... not as tightly linked as some MAKE books that I own, that is for sure!
Moreover, during the intro to Arduino... and when I say introduction, I mean a near historical chronicalling, the book even includes glossy color photos... I guess it is nice to know what the guys who created the Arduino project, but why is this in the book?
Other oddities in the book come when you find yourself reading pages of external resources...
This book is a sincere, thorough effort by the authors to educate readers on building combined Lego-Arduino projects. To enjoy it, you must have no fear of sourcing MANY parts from different sources, and getting creative on the parts you will inevitably not find. The authors do a very good job of describing the parts and their sources, but few of us are going to order every darn part for most of these projects. In addition, you must be ready to write Arduino programs for robots and machines. Make no mistake, this is a fairly high hurdle for many people coming in from causal Lego robotics.
Here's a test: If you have a Lego Mindstorms kit, AND lots of other Lego parts, AND have built at least half a dozen robots with it, AND are comfortable writing your own programs for it, AND you have an Arduino Uno and know what it does, AND you are prepared to buy the author's Bricktronics Shield card and many other parts, you are ready for this book. You will be challenged, but that is a good thing.
If you do not pass the test above, here are some books that will help you master and enjoy your Lego Mindstorms kit
The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Discovery Book: A Beginner's Guide to Building and Programming Robots A great starting point for all ages.
The Unofficial LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 Inventor's Guide One step up, awesome reference.