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Getting Started With EV3 Programming: Tom Bickford Maine Robotics © 2016

The document provides an overview of programming with the LEGO EV3 system. It discusses the history and software for EV3 programming, creating projects and programs, basic blocks for actions like sounds and motors, and downloading programs to the EV3 brick.

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Diego Ceballos Garza
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59 views18 pages

Getting Started With EV3 Programming: Tom Bickford Maine Robotics © 2016

The document provides an overview of programming with the LEGO EV3 system. It discusses the history and software for EV3 programming, creating projects and programs, basic blocks for actions like sounds and motors, and downloading programs to the EV3 brick.

Uploaded by

Diego Ceballos Garza
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Getting Started with EV3

Programming
Tom Bickford
Maine Robotics
© 2016
Mindstorms for the EV3
Programming was originally a collaborative project between

- The LEGO Group


- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Media Lab)
- And the Tufts University - Center for Engineering Education and Outreach
(CEEO)

Now the software is a collaboration between the LEGO Group and LabView.
Changes over the years
Some major revisions to the software, mostly mimicking the changes in hardware:

- Robotic Invention System (RIS, 1 and 2)


- RoboLab (1, 1.5, 2, 2.5, 2.9)
- Mindstorms for NXT
- Mindstorms for EV3

As well as a number of other products out there (some free, some not)

And at least 7 others that run on the EV3 and 18 that run on the NXT brick.
Projects and Programs
With the EV3, which is running a version of Linux, you can now have an almost
unlimited number of grouped programs.

PROJECT

- Program 1
- Program 2
- Etc

NOTE: It’s easy to change the name of the programs, a little harder to change the
name of the project. The project is the FOLDER and the programs are the FILES.
Starting a program
You will start up with the basic
Mindstorms window.

Windows and Apple screens may look


slightly different, but all of the functionality
is the same.

Note the tutorials on the side

(File/QuickStart/Teacher’s/Robot
Educator/Model Instructions)
Start a Project
Use

File > New Project > Program

Note: Project will be called “Project”


unless you later use the “Save As”
option to give it a new name
Other way to start up
Use the “+” sign at the second level
menu and it will start your first “Program”
as an empty program.

NOTE: the icon next to the Project/+ tab


will bring you back out to the main
screen.
Your first Project & Program
Okay, you hit the + button or told it to start a new
project…

This is what your next screen will look like. Couple


of things:

You can close the CONTENT EDITOR (more on that


in a different presentation) by clicking the
uppermost right button (mouseover will say “close
content editor”) This will free up a lot of real estate
on your screen.

You can also use the zoom in/zoom out buttons up


top as well.
Your empty programming palette
We are now ready to program

The “Play” block is showing on your


screen. Anything you attach to this will
become your program

If you lose it (delete it, etc) we’ll tell you


later how to get it back

All of the pieces that make up the


program are called “blocks”
The Block Menu at the Bottom of the Page
- ACTION
- FLOW CONTROL
- SENSOR
- DATA OPERATIONS
- ADVANCED
- MY BLOCKS

Most simple robot programs only use


the ACTION and FLOW CONTROL menu
items. So let’s click on the green
ACTION menu tab at the bottom.
Blocks found in the ACTION menu
1. Action Blocks:
a. Motor Controls:
i. Medium Motor Control
ii. Large Motor Control (single)
iii. Large Motor Control (dual - steering drive)
iv. Large Motor Control (dual - tank drive)
b. Display
i. Display block (text, objects, files)
c. Sound
i. Sound block (tones, notes, files)
d. Brick Status Light
i. Brick Status Light block (on/off,
red/orange/green)
Adding a Sound Block
One of the simplest programs is
to just get the robot to make a
noise. So let’s add a Sound
Block. It can be found on the
ACTION menu at the bottom

Just drag it until it drops next to


the PLAY/START block.
Each Block Has Variables
The Sound Block:

- Main block options


- Action:
- Stop
- Play File
- Play Tone
- Play Note
- Volume
- End Control
- Wait for completion
- Play once (but don’t wait)
- Play over and over (you select the number)
- If you select “Play File” you then use the upper empty window
(says “Hello” in example), to select from a wide range of files.
Connecting to your EV3
- EV3 is turned on
- EV3 is plugged into your computer using a
USB cable
(note, you can also connect via Bluetooth if
that is available, and turned on, on the EV3
and computer. Pairing is required)
- First time users may have to update Firmware,
but it is a simple “follow the directions” task.
The EV3 Connection
There are three tabs on the left of the EV3 area
NOTE: an EV3 is called a brick... Think LEGOs

- Brick information
- Port information (values)
- Available bricks
Communicate with the EV3
You can do the following:

- Rename the EV3 (you try keeping 10 “EV3”


straight. Would be like having 10 Kevins in
the same classroom

- DOWNLOAD your program


- Download and RUN your program
- RUN selected blocks
- Note shown is STOP, which would show if
your robot was running
You’re all done!
You can either run your program from the computer, or
download and run from the EV3
A simple Motor Block program
Turn the motors on

- Forward, 50% power, for 1


rotation, then stop

- Turn to the right, 50% power, for


0.75 rotations, then stop

- Play a note, A5 note, 1 second,


100% power, wait for completion

- Program ends

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