LEGO MINDSTORM Session 1 Setup Brick Sound Brick Status Light Brick Display Brick Buttons Large Motor

SETUP Your EV3 brick has already been configured for the lesson today. Pair up with a friend and find a suitable space to work. You will need a laptop and an brick with a large motor

BRICK SOUND Switch on the EV3 brick and wait for it to boot. Open the LEGO Mindstorm software on your computer. Start a new program. Save the program as “Brick_sound_your name” Build the following sound blocks…

BRICK SOUND Now try a different combination… Spend a few minutes playing around with different sounds and combinations. You could attempt to use the keyboard as well. It be very useful to know a musician right now… Remember to save your programs.

BRICK STATUS LIGHT Let’s use the EV3 brick status light to indicate program status… Build the light blocks and save the program as “brick_lights_your name” Have a go and change the pulse colour from orange to green. Save…

BRICK DISPLAY You can use the EV3 brick display to show images and text. Build the blocks and save as “brick_display_your name” Your turn now. Try using different images and move the text to different locations on the display. Save…

BRICK BUTTONS You can also operate the EV3 brick by using the built-in buttons… Build the blocks and save as “brick_buttons_your name” Remember to press “down” – “centre” – “up” in the right order. Change the third block’s “action” parameter from “pressed” to “released”, what happens? Save…

LET THE FUN BEGIN! Now that we have done the basics we can look at motors and sensors.

THE LARGE MOTOR We are now going to explore with different ways of controlling a large motor. Build the blocks and save it as “large_motor_your name” Pay close attention to the direction and power functions. You will need to create a page in your Mindstorm diary (powerpoint presentation) explaining how the large motor works. Change the power of one of the motors and double the duration of another. What happens? Save…

REFLECTION Keep a Mindstorm diary by creating a powerpoint presentation. Start by making an interactive cover slide and then create your first slide – “The large motor” Add an image and explain how it works. You could explain the different features on the motor block. Look at the example on the website www.digitaltechmrn.weebly.com