Subject:
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Re: RIS SDK - Comments and questions
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Wed, 28 Feb 2001 13:40:01 GMT
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Original-From:
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Steve Baker <sjbaker1@SAYNOTOSPAMairmail.net>
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Reply-To:
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SJBAKER1@AIRMAILspamcake.NET
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Viewed:
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582 times
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Matt Silver wrote:
>
> I have just started to try this - is it ever cool.
> I notice that the Brick options are RCX, Scout and MicroScout
> - Does this mean that I can program the MicroScout using the RIS Tower ?
No. The Microscout doesn't have an IR detector.
The microscout really is a piece of junk. The business of having the
motor inside the computer makes it hard to build into things, the
pre-built programs are not at all well thought out (where is the "Go forwards
forever" option for example?), it's programmability is limited to essentially
stringing eight (I think it's eight) of the preprogrammed commands together
with a lot of annoying beeping and time wasting in between. You can't send
it commands via IR link like the Scout and RCX - it uses a different
protocol (VLL - Visible Light Link).
To program it, you need a Scout to send the VLL commands. Unfortunately,
to get the Scout to send the VLL commands you want, you have to program
the Scout to make it send them.
Unfortunately, the RDS set that includes the Scout doesn't include an IR
tower - so you need an RIS set as well (or at least you need to have
bought the tower separately from shop@home or something).
So, to review: We have an unweildy motor that we can't really control
all that well (because of the beeping) and only a minimial amount of
programmability. In order to program it, we need not one but BOTH of
the more expensive Lego Mindstorms sets. By the time you have both of
those, you already have four motors and two perfectly good computers...
tell me why I want the Microscout again?
> We were out on Sunday and found the DDK at a good price ($40 / Toy-R-Us)
> It seemed worth it if just for the Lego parts with the added bonus of the
> MicroScout,
> as well as a fast non-programming jump into the robot world for him.
I think the parts are worth having - but the Microscout is just a waste of
time. I'd have preferred a standard Lego motor, a battery box and some
switches.
If you want to get your kids into making simple robots without programming
effort, use the regular Scout - you can do quite a lot of interesting things
with it even without programming it because it's built-in logic is well
thought out.
Also, get a Lego remote control...those work *great* with small kids and
either Scout or RCX (but *not* with MicroScout)
--
Steve Baker HomeEmail: <sjbaker1@airmail.net>
WorkEmail: <sjbaker@link.com>
HomePage : http://web2.airmail.net/sjbaker1
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | RIS SDK - Comments and questions
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| I have just started to try this - is it ever cool. I notice that the Brick options are RCX, Scout and MicroScout - Does this mean that I can program the MicroScout using the RIS Tower ? - If so, do I use LASM ? - I assume that I put it in P-mode ... (...) (24 years ago, 28-Feb-01, to lugnet.robotics, lugnet.robotics.rcx)
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