1. Exercise 1: Install PC Software & NXT Firmware
Install FTC Software 2010 CDs
(LabVIEW + MINDSTORMS software + FTC Toolkit)
Upgrade NXT firmware to 1.28
(LabVIEW >> Tools >> NXT Tools >> NXT Terminal >> Update Firmware)

2. LabVIEW: NXT & Tetrix Training & Exercises

3. Overview NXT Review NXT-G  LabVIEW General Programming LabVIEW (NXT)
LabVIEW (Tetrix)
Resources
Learn More
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

4. NXT Hardware Inputs (to NXT Brick) Outputs (from NXT Brick)
Touch Sensor
Motor
Sound Sensor
Sound
Light Sensor
Display
Ultrasonic Sensor
Lamp (Legacy)
Rotation Sensor
Write Bluetooth Messages
NXT Buttons
(Write Files)
Temperature Sensor (Legacy)
Read Bluetooth Messages
(Read Files)
NEW: IR Sensor
What happens in between?  Processing ….which is what I will talk about most of the time
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

5. NXT-G Environment Palettes Workspace Block Download Options
Configuration Panel
Help
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

6. LabVIEW Environment Constants (Inputs) VI (Block) Block Diagram
Workspace
Palettes
Block
Download Options
Configuration Panel
Help
NXT Toolkit Palette
(NXT : LabVIEW)
Workspace : Block Diagram
Configuration Panel : Block Diagram (constants)
Palettes : Palettes
Download Options : NXT Terminal Window
Move Block : Move VI
Help Window : Context Help Window
Context Help Window
NXT Terminal Window
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

7. General Programming Data Types Dataflow Loops Numeric Boolean String
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

8. Data Types: Numeric Whole Numbers (0,2,-10, …)
Decimal Numbers (2.2, 12.3, -15.1, …)
Which takes up more memory?
Will be creating most controls and constants by right-clicking and creating; therefore, not going into great detail here.
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

9. Data Types: Boolean For Example: On/Off Yes/No True/False NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

10. Data Types: String Grouping of Characters NXT-G  LV Gen. Prog. LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

11. Data Types: Ring List of Predefined Items User Can Select NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

12. Dataflow Sequence Beam Sequence Flow In/Out NXT-G  LV Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

13. Loops Repeat Code NXT-G  LV Gen. Prog. LV NXT LV Tetrix NXT Review
Resources

14. LabVIEW (NXT) Context Help Window User Documentation Constants
Case Structures
Variables
Real Time User Interaction with Brick
Program Download Options
Debugging
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

15. Context Help Window Help >> Show Context Help Terminals Required
Recommended
Optional
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

16. User Documentation Labels (attached) Free Labels (unattached)
Right-click >> Show >> Label
Free Labels (unattached)
Double click
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

17. Constants Configuration Panel Block Diagram NXT-G  LV Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

18. Case Structures Switch (NXT-G) Case Structure NXT-G  LV Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

19. Variables Variable (NXT-G) Local Variable NXT-G  LV Gen. Prog. LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

20. Exercise 2: (NXT) Motor Task:
Move robot in a square using Move Motor and Timing VIs
Open Feedback Example
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

21. Exercise 3: (NXT) Motor + Light Sensor
Task:
Move robot inside a square outlined by tape using Light Sensor
Closed Feedback Example
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

22. Real Time User Interaction with Brick
Front Panel
Controls
Indicators
Plotting Data
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

23. Program Download Options
NXT Terminal (Tools >> NXT Tools >> NXT Terminal)
Compile and Download
Compile, Download, and Run
Debug
Front Panel linked to running code
Abort
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

24. Exercise 4: (NXT) Motor + Light Sensor + Front Panel
Task:
Alter Exercise 3: (NXT) Motor + Light Sensor
Put light detection threshold value on Front Panel
Put turn degrees on Front Panel
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

25. Debugging Debug (download option) Broken “Run” Arrow in LabVIEW
Context Help
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

26. Demo 3: Direct Commands Task: Scan for all Available NXT Bricks
User Selects One Brick to Connect
Query Brick for All of Its Files
Remotely Start One Program
Remotely Stop the Program
How do you interact with a program running on the Brick? (debug mode, direct commands)
Sometimes we don’t want to be inside the code itself. We want to work with it.
How to get data off of the NXT onto your computer? (debug mode won’t let you – you’re peeking at the code on the Brick)
Wii-Mote control example (NI Week 08)
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

27. LabVIEW (Tetrix) New Hardware Items Tetrix VIs Additional Need-to-know
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

28. New Tetrix Hardware Items
DC Motors
Motor Controller
Servos
Servo Controller
Touch Mux
Compass
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

29. Tetrix VIs (formerly FTC)
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

30. FTC Tools

31. Additional Need-to-know
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

32. Exercise 5: 4 Tetrix Motors + 2 NXT Motors
Task:
Move Robot in a Square
Open/Close Claws Every 5 seconds
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

33. Demo 4: ConstantSpeedGodz
Task:
Constant Speed
Dead Zone Implementation
Sound File
Controller Station
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

34. Resources “If You Forget Everything Else” Help Examples
Big Differences
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

35. “If You Forget Everything Else”
When in doubt, Right-click.
Constants = Inputs (on Block Diagram)
Controls = Inputs (on Front Panel)
Indicators = Outputs (on Front Panel)
Palettes (Right-click on Block Diagram, Front Panel)
Context Help (“?”, CTRL + H, Help >> Show Context Help)
NXT Terminal (Tools >> NXT Tools >> NXT Terminal)
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

36. Help
Right-click
Context Help (“?”, CTRL + H, Help >> Show Context Help)
LabVIEW Help (Help >> Search the LabVIEW Help… >> Search: “NXT”)
PDF Manuals (C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2009\manuals)
NXT_Getting_Started
NXT_Advanced_Programming_Guide
FTC_Getting_Started
LabVIEW for LEGO MINSTORMS NXT (by Michael Gasperi)
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

37. Examples NXT Tetrix www.ni.com >> Search: “nxt example”
C:\Program Files\National Instruments\LabVIEW 2009\examples\FTC Toolkit
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

38. Big Differences: NXT-G & LabVIEW
Sequence Beam vs. Sequence Flow In/Out
Front Panel
Debug in Real Time (download option)
Direct Commands
Data Logging
Arrays, Clusters
Numeric, Boolean, String Manipulation
Mathematical Processing …
Questions?
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources

39. Learn More Tool Selection Window Arrays Clusters Write/Read to File
Graphs
Clusters
Write/Read to File
Flat Sequence Structure
How to Remotely Control your NXT with LabVIEW
Latching/Switching Booleans
NXT-G  LV
Gen. Prog.
LV NXT
LV Tetrix
NXT Review
Resources