Subject:
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Re: The Scout vs. the RCX
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Tue, 21 Sep 1999 22:29:54 GMT
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Viewed:
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920 times
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In lugnet.robotics, lego-robotics@crynwr.com (Tilman Sporkert) writes:
> I played with a Scout over the weekend, and build two of the models.
>
> Summary: If you like the RCX, skip the Scout. For $50 less, you get half as
> many parts, and a not really programmable controller with only two motor
> outputs, and no external light sensor. The Scout is the big brother of the
> Micro-Scout in the R2-D2 set, but not the little brother of the RCX. On the
> other hand, if you just want to build a little bug that runs around, avoid
> ostacles, and chases a flashlight, go for the Scout. No hooking up IR
> transmitters, installing software, mastering the RCX programming
> environment, or downloading software.
<Scout feature description snipped>
I second this review. The Scout is definitely easier to program, but so much
more limited as to make it almost useless for any real robotics project. The
programming commands are so grainy that it would be a miracle if one of the
Scout's pre-defined behaviors actually worked at solving a real problem. (By
"real problem", I mean any pre-defined goal which is any more specific than
"make a robot that runs around somewhat randomly while making chirping
noises.")
In my (not-so-humble) opinion, RDS is to RIS what Town Junior is to Town.
TLG has managed to make it so a 9-year-old can easily "program" the Scout, but
the problem is that this thing would bore a 6-year old in ten minutes. By
eliminating the programmability of the brick, they've managed to also
eliminate at least 80% of the intellectual stimulation that comes from playing
with it. As I see it, the cool thing about the RIS is that it has such
amazing potential. The bad thing about the Scout is that they've taken out
the potential and replaced it with presets. You can still build whatever kind
of robot you want out of Lego, as long as it can be controlled by one of the
3600 possible permutations of Scout code. Good luck!
I have a robotics challenge for the group: Build anything useful or
interesting using only the parts in the Robotics Discovery Set. (I think this
will prove to be more difficult than Joel Shafer's Coke Can Challenge.) Jeez,
there are only 4 wheels (2 different sizes) in the entire set!!! I'm
seriously attempting to do this, and I would welcome any feedback from anyone
else out there who manages to do this.
Please don't read my tone as misplaced customer dissatisfaction. The RDS
turned out to be pretty much exactly what I expected it to be, and I would
certainly return it to the store if I was truly disappointed. (The fact is, I
really can't resist a good challenge.) But I did want to warn folks that the
RDS is not a good inexpensive alternative to the RIS. If you were thinking
robotics, (or even "stimulating educational toy for my child") step right up
to the Robotics Invention System instead. It is absolutely, without question
worth the extra $50.
Oh, one last gripe. The RDS comes with Lego pieces that are both green and
teal. Blech!!! Those two colors shouldn't even be in the same room together!
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Message is in Reply To:
 | | The Scout vs. the RCX
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| I played with a Scout over the weekend, and build two of the models. Summary: If you like the RCX, skip the Scout. For $50 less, you get half as many parts, and a not really programmable controller with only two motor outputs, and no external light (...) (25 years ago, 20-Sep-99, to lugnet.robotics)
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