Subject:
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Re: Porting LEGO Robotics Kit.
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Tue, 5 Aug 2003 02:15:01 GMT
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Original-From:
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Steve Baker <SJBAKER1@AIRMAIL.stopspamNET>
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Viewed:
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1000 times
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ayian@telecom.ece.ntua.gr wrote:
> Dear sir/madam,
>
> During the last week at our laboratory at the National Technical University
> of Athens, Greece, we have become interested in using the LEGO Robotics Kit,
> in order to allow students that take the course of "Computer Vision &
> Robotics" to have a general idea on programming for automation.
>
> However, we use only C/SDL for programming purposes, plus we use a project
> management system, developed by us, that keeps track of the projects (i.e.
> who has booked it out/in, backups,...), allow compilation of the project
> depending on the nature of the project (dll, lib, exe, module, driver,
> system, interface, test case, package, protocol, ...)
So if your students already know C, why not program the Lego robots in
C ? You could either use 'NQC' (which is a C subset specially designed
to run on the standard Lego firmware) - or you could replace the standard
Lego firmware with BrickOS (formerly known as LegOS) and write programs
in full C or C++ using 'gcc'.
> The issue that we want to resolve, before proceeding, is how we can
> integrate the Robotics programming kit to our environment. Currently, I have
> downloaded the MindStorms SDK 2.0 and I had a look at the pdf files that
> explain what has to be done in order to program the RCX. Nevertheless, what
> it's not mentioned in these documents, is what compiler we should use, in
> order to create the firmware, how we can download executables to the Robot
> Microcontroller.
Using Lego's programming environment, you "write programs" by building things
like flow charts using a graphical drag-and-drop paradigm. There is no compiler.
It generates 'byte code' which is downloaded to the RCX using an infra-red link
that plugs into a standard PC.
This only works under MS Windows.
The NQC system is OpenSourced and not from Lego. It's a more or less conventional
compiler that generates the same kind of byte code that the Lego graphical
environment generates - so it can be downloaded in the same way. NQC runs under
Linux - and probably several other OS's as well as MS Windows.
The RCX has downloadable 'firmware' - provided by Lego - that interprets the
byte code and drives the robot.
The BrickOS environment replaces that firmware with a more conventional (but
very tiny) operating system that allows you to run raw machine code in the RCX.
Thus, an appropriate version of 'gcc' can be used to compile machine code for
the RCX.
Using BrickOS is a lot harder - because of the setup hassle - but the result
runs much faster than byte-code and leaves much more space for code and variables.
NQC is a LOT easier to use - I recommend it strongly (at least until you run out
of space or time and NEED to switch to BrickOS).
The Lego graphical programming environment is OK for people who don't know how
to program - but most programmers quickly get frustrated with it - so stick with
NQC.
> Additionally, we need to know how the LEGO built-in events
> (like timeouts) can map onto SDL signals, and vice-versa how SDL timers can
> map to in some way to LEGO timers.
SDL runs on the PC - but the RCX is a separate, autonomous controller. The
RCX can communicate with the PC - but I have no idea how you could make it
talk to SDL. The data from the RCX would appear as either serial port or
USB data coming from the InfraRed 'tower' that you connect to your PC.
You couldn't run SDL on the RCX.
> What we need from you, is to provide us with as much information as
> possible, for the afore mentioned issues.
Feel free to ask more questions.
---------------------------- Steve Baker -------------------------
HomeEmail: <sjbaker1@airmail.net> WorkEmail: <sjbaker@link.com>
HomePage : http://www.sjbaker.org
Projects : http://plib.sf.net http://tuxaqfh.sf.net
http://tuxkart.sf.net http://prettypoly.sf.net
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | Porting LEGO Robotics Kit.
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| Dear sir/madam, During the last week at our laboratory at the National Technical University of Athens, Greece, we have become interested in using the LEGO Robotics Kit, in order to allow students that take the course of "Computer Vision & Robotics" (...) (21 years ago, 4-Aug-03, to lugnet.robotics)
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