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Hello,
Over in k12.ed.science a poster wanted to perform an experiment where he
would time how long it took various objects to fall when dropped inside
a long tube. He was looking for information regarding timing circuits,
how to build one, where to get the parts, how to read the time values,
etc. It's an experiment I've thought of doing myself using the RCX to
do the timing. I recommended he look into getting a Mindstorms kit and
using the RCX. As an added bonus once he done with the experiment he
still has the RCX and Mindstorms.
Lately I've been looking at non-robotic uses of the RCX. One experiment
we did over the summer was timing a persons reflexes. We connected a
pushbutton to the RCX, programed the RCX to play a tone after a random
delay and then recorded the time it took for a person holding the
button to press it. The kids had a great time with that one trying to
beat each other. It might even lead to a science fair project.
Anyway I was wondering how many of you are using the RCX in this way?
While robots are great both for fun and learning the RCX presents a
great many other possibilities.
So what else is the RCX being used for?
regards
--
Frank Caggiano "The best education for the best
caggiano@crystal-objects.com is the best education for all."
http://www.crystal-objects.com/ Robert M. Hutchins
Logo Users Ring
http://www.crystal-objects.com/logo/logoring.html
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In lugnet.robotics.rcx, Frank Caggiano writes:
> Hello,
snip...
> Lately I've been looking at non-robotic uses of the RCX. One experiment
> we did over the summer was timing a persons reflexes. We connected a
> pushbutton to the RCX, programed the RCX to play a tone after a random
> delay and then recorded the time it took for a person holding the
> button to press it. The kids had a great time with that one trying to
> beat each other. It might even lead to a science fair project.
...snip
Frank, ROBOLAB provides some great datalogging possibilities, complete with
calculation and charting capability. But then, you have to buy the sensors,
offered through Pitsco LEGO Dacta and elsewhere. For example, with the
temperature sensor you can data-log your refrigerator and freezer. Do you
*really* know how cold your ice-cream is?
Jerry
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I calculated the acceleration of gravity once with a light sensor, touch sensor
(for timing purposes), a ruler, and ROBOLAB 2. It didn't involve a whole lot
of data so it didn't make it into the Sample Projects of ROBOLAB Investigator,
but some other ones that did are:
1) Calculating the speed of a LEGO motor (both with angle sensor and light
sensor and spinning black and white wheel), 2) graphing temperature and light
overnight outside my apartment window, 3) "reaction time" (like you described),
and 4) "doorway" (monitoring who comes in and out of your room with the light
sensor). All of them are fully functioning examples with graphs, programs,
calculations, etc.
Incidentally, in my book "Creative Projects with LEGO Mindstorms" there are
several non-robotic projects, including 4 kinetic sculptures, a bird feeder
that automatically takes a picture of a bird that lands on it, and various
science experiements like a repeat of the doorway experiement, taking data
inside the refrigerator (light and temperature), and calculating speed and
acceleration of a robot, and calculating speed of a motor.
other things in the book that aren't the standard robot: Decoder, tickle-me
lego robot, elevator, and "painter" (robot that drives around and drips paint
on the ground at programmed intervals and places)
In lugnet.robotics.rcx, Frank Caggiano writes:
> Hello,
>
> Over in k12.ed.science a poster wanted to perform an experiment where he
> would time how long it took various objects to fall when dropped inside
> a long tube. He was looking for information regarding timing circuits,
> how to build one, where to get the parts, how to read the time values,
> etc. It's an experiment I've thought of doing myself using the RCX to
> do the timing. I recommended he look into getting a Mindstorms kit and
> using the RCX. As an added bonus once he done with the experiment he
> still has the RCX and Mindstorms.
>
> Lately I've been looking at non-robotic uses of the RCX. One experiment
> we did over the summer was timing a persons reflexes. We connected a
> pushbutton to the RCX, programed the RCX to play a tone after a random
> delay and then recorded the time it took for a person holding the
> button to press it. The kids had a great time with that one trying to
> beat each other. It might even lead to a science fair project.
>
> Anyway I was wondering how many of you are using the RCX in this way?
> While robots are great both for fun and learning the RCX presents a
> great many other possibilities.
> So what else is the RCX being used for?
>
> regards
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Hi,
I just remembered that just pressing the "respond" button doesn't work
with this list, because you also have to change the address, so sorry Frank,
you read the following already... OK, now for the message:
I used it to generate a Minimum Spanning Tree out of a given graph...
of course an application without real use, I just did it to
demonstrate it worked and was portable. I had a graph like this:
O--O
|\/|
|O |
|/\|
O O
(with the Os representing vertices, and the lines edges. The edges
were numbered so I they'd be distinguishable.) I had the
user press a button any number of times for every edge, so it would
have an associated weight. Then I simply compiled the result using
Kruskal's algorithm and displayed the number of the 4 chosen edges
(for an interconnected graph with n vertices, a MST generator chooses
n-1 edges). It was for a school project, and I got an A for it. Also
ported it to my calculator... was great fun. I still have the .nqc
file somewhere.
Bye: Andi S. mailto:ash@jadzia-dax.de
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My daughter's science fair project last year used an RCX and 3 light
sensors to time a LEGO sled sliding down a metal ramp with a LEGO
light on the opposite side of the ramp from each light sensor, she had
a primitive break-beam sensor. She used the first sensor to start timing
and then recorded the time in the datalog for the sled passing the second
and third light sensors.
The biggest problem was the response time, if the "hill" was too steep
the light sensors wouldn't register the passage of the sled.
She got some very interesting data and learned a lot about accelleration,
etc.
-Peter
Frank Caggiano <caggiano@crystal-objects.com> wrote in message
news:3B8042E5.8AA71E46@crystal-objects.com...
> Hello,
>
> Over in k12.ed.science a poster wanted to perform an experiment where he
> would time how long it took various objects to fall when dropped inside
> a long tube. He was looking for information regarding timing circuits,
> how to build one, where to get the parts, how to read the time values,
> etc. It's an experiment I've thought of doing myself using the RCX to
> do the timing. I recommended he look into getting a Mindstorms kit and
> using the RCX. As an added bonus once he done with the experiment he
> still has the RCX and Mindstorms.
>
> Lately I've been looking at non-robotic uses of the RCX. One experiment
> we did over the summer was timing a persons reflexes. We connected a
> pushbutton to the RCX, programed the RCX to play a tone after a random
> delay and then recorded the time it took for a person holding the
> button to press it. The kids had a great time with that one trying to
> beat each other. It might even lead to a science fair project.
>
> Anyway I was wondering how many of you are using the RCX in this way?
> While robots are great both for fun and learning the RCX presents a
> great many other possibilities.
> So what else is the RCX being used for?
>
> regards
>
>
> --
> Frank Caggiano "The best education for the best
> caggiano@crystal-objects.com is the best education for all."
> http://www.crystal-objects.com/ Robert M. Hutchins
>
> Logo Users Ring
> http://www.crystal-objects.com/logo/logoring.html
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Hello,
Sounds like it was an interesting project. Could you tell me what grade
was your daughter in and did she use the standard RCX/Lego Software or
something else?
thanks
--
Frank Caggiano "The best education for the best
caggiano@crystal-objects.com is the best education for all."
http://www.crystal-objects.com/ Robert M. Hutchins
Logo Users Ring
http://www.crystal-objects.com/logo/logoring.html
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"Frank Caggiano" <caggiano@crystal-objects.com> wrote in message
news:3B90E72C.5208348E@crystal-objects.com...
> Hello,
>
> Sounds like it was an interesting project. Could you tell me what grade
> was your daughter in and did she use the standard RCX/Lego Software or
> something else?
>
> thanks
She was in 4th grade, she used ROBOLAB and the datalogging capabilities, but
we moved
the raw data to excel for analysis, though it could have been done in
ROBOLAB, it was
just easier for her in Excel.
-Peter
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