nxt minibot

[mpreston]

HI I am from team 3585. I was wondering how teams connected and programmed the nxt controler to work the minibot.

[MattC9]

Just a head's up lots of team's arn't using the NXT on there mini-bot, for various reasons. You can wire directly from motor to battery (thats what we did along with other teams).

Heres a few quick tutorial that will answer all of your questions http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/products/getting_started_tetrix/nxtg/testbed/tetrix_testbed.html

[Jin Hayashi]

Our team team was probably one of the few teams to use the NXT module with the minibot. It was probably the slowest minibot on the field, but only about 8-10 teams were able to successfully deploy a minibot at our regional.
Maybe half of those teams were able to reliably launch a minibot.

We used the documents and videos downloaded from
http://www.tetrixrobotics.org/MINDSTORMS_Controlled/Downloads/default.aspx?aid=42 for ideas on how to create our minibot with the NXT brick.

We programmed with the software package that comes with the NXT Mindstorms.

Videos of our minibot can be found at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DboK1ZZbQ3o&feature=mfu_in_order&list=UL and
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W26bP8jl9ak&feature=autoplay&list=ULlv-jRzqKS14&index=1&playnext=7

[Tommy F.]

Just a head's up lots of team's arn't using the NXT on there mini-bot, for various reasons. You can wire directly from motor to battery (thats what we did along with other teams).

Heres a few quick tutorial that will answer all of your questions http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/products/getting_started_tetrix/nxtg/testbed/tetrix_testbed.html

We also didn't use an NXT. But, from my experience with FTC this year, you need a motor controller connected to the NXT, and have your motors hooked up to the motor controller. Then you need the FTC version of LabView to program the NXT.

[Mike Betts]

We also didn't use an NXT. But, from my experience with FTC this year, you need a motor controller connected to the NXT, and have your motors hooked up to the motor controller. Then you need the FTC version of LabView to program the NXT.

Do not confuse FTC with FRC. The programs each have their own rules...

[davidalln]

Let me repeat what people are trying to say nicely: The fastest minibots this year do not use NXT. There are more efficient ways of solving the problem.

That said, MattC9's video/slideshow is an excellent start if that's the route you want to take.

[AcesJames]

176's first minibot has an NXT brick on it. It was used because the person making the minibot did not know how to wire limit switches and household switches to change the polarity and/or stop the current to the motors as he desired. That minibot weighs 7 pounds now, and climbs in 9 seconds.

I would advise against using the NXT. You don't need it. If you've created a minibot that is so complicated it needs an NXT brick, you've done it wrong.

Our second minibot is 2 motors, with direct drive to the FTC wheels, and a batter strapped to the back with a few switches to control the polarity and on/off. This minibot weighs about 3 pounds and climbs in roughly 3 seconds. It's not a super fast minibot, but it took less time to make than the far more complicated NXT bot, and is much faster.

[chemipanda]

Let me repeat what people are trying to say nicely: The fastest minibots this year do not use NXT. There are more efficient ways of solving the problem.

That said, MattC9's video/slideshow is an excellent start if that's the route you want to take.

Where may I find that video/slidshow at?

[nitneylion452]

http://www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu/products/getting_started_tetrix/nxtg/testbed/tetrix_testbed.html

MattC9 posted it above