LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0: The King's Treasure »

James Floyd Kelly is a freelance writer living in Atlanta, Georgia, with degrees in English and Industrial Engineering. He is editor-in-chief of the world’s most popular LEGO NXT robotics blog, thenxtstep.com, which continues to draw an estimated 50,000+ readers monthly, and is the author of three Apress LEGO robotics books including his latest, LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0: The King’s Treasure. James has also written on topics including building custom computers and free software, and he just completed Build Your Own CNC Machine, which shows readers how to build their very own computer controlled machine that cuts, drills, etches, and more. He and his wife have a 3 year old son and have another little boy on the way.

LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0: The Kings Treasure is sequel to one of the most popular books on the market about LEGO robotics programming, one that has sold well over 7000 units: LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT: The Mayan Adventure. This sequel continues the successful and engaging formula from the first book, and applies it to the process of learning the next generation, MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 robotics kit due this fall.

About the Author ix

About the CAD Reviewer x

About the Technical Reviewer xi

Acknowledgments xii

Introduction xiii

Chapter 1 Turns and Tricks 1

Day 1: King Ixtua's Treasure Repository, 2:13 p.m. 1

The Maze Challenge 4

Evan's Solution 6

Chapter 2 Mazerunner-Planning and Design 9

The MazeRunner 9

The Robot Description 11

The Task List 12

Limitations/Constraints 13

Mindstorm 15

Sketches 17

Chapter 3 MazeBot-Build It 19

Never Be Afraid to Experiment 20

Step by Step CAD Instructions-MazeBot 21

Chapter 4 MazeRunner-Program It 41

Some Experience Required 41

Into the Maze 46

Out of the Tunnel 55

Left Turn and Right Turn Calculations 58

Simulating the Challenge 59

Chapter 5 Swing and Switch- 61

Day 4: King Ixtua Treasure Repository, 9:14 a.m. 61

Don't Look Down 62

The Monkey's Swing Challenge 63

Evan's Solution 64

Chapter 6 RopeSwinger-Design and Planning 65

Getting Started 65

The Robot Description 65

The Task List 66

Limitations and Constraints 68

Mindstorm 68

Sketches 70

Chapter 7 RopeSwinger-Build It 73

Never Be Afraid to Experiment 74

Step by Step CAD Instructions-RopeSwinger 75

Chapter 8 RopeSwinger-Program It 113

Swing Swing 113

Pulling the Lever 117

Chapter 9 Hook and Pull 125

Day 5: King Ixtua's Treasure Repository, 8:39 a.m. 125

Watch Your Step 126

Tricky Tupaxu 127

The Four Warriors 128

Hooks and Doors 129

Evan's Solution 131

Chapter 10 RingTosser-Design and Planning 133

The RingTosser 133

The Robot Description 133

The Task List 134

Limitations and Constraints 136

Mindstorm 136

Sketches 138

Chapter 11 RingTosser-Build It 141

Step by Step CADInstructions - RingTosser 143

Chapter 12 RingTosser-Program It 179

It Starts with Rolling 179

Building the Challenge Area 187

Chapter 13 Rock and Roll 201

Day 6: King Ixtua Treasure Repository, 9:27 a.m. 201

The Story Wall 202

An Uphill Battle 202

The Ramp of the Warriors 203

The Ramp Room 205

Evan's Solution 206

Chapter 14 RampRider-Design and Planning 207

The RampRider 207

The Robot Description 207

The Task List 209

Limitations and Constraints 210

Windstorm 210

Sketches 212

Chapter 15 RampRider-Build It 213

Step by Step CAD Instructions - RampRider 217

Chapter 16 RampRider-Program It 235

Multiple Statues 235

The Ramp Challenge Setup 244

Chapter 17 Grab and Release 247

Day 7: King Ixtua's Treasure Repository, 8:41 a.m. 247

Tupaxu's Story 248

The King's Throne 250

Evan's Solution 251

Chapter 18 ZipUner-Design and Planning 253

The ZipLiner 253

The Robot Description 253

The Task List 254

Limitations and Constraints 256

Mindstorm 256

Sketches 258

Chapter 19 ZipLiner-Build It 261

Step by Step CAD Instructions-ZipLiner 263

Chapter 20 ZipLiner-Program It 291

Hold On! 291

The Zip Line Challenge Setup 295

Chapter 21 Treasure and Discovery 303

Day 8: King Ixtua Treasure Repository, 7:02 a.m. 303

Qau's Challenge 304

The King's Legacy 304

Qau's Teacher 305

Design Journal 307

Index 317