R J McNamara.com

LEGO Mindstorms NXT Stair Climbing Robot
Published June 12, 2013 - No Comments
After seeing this LEGO Mindstorms EV3, Stair Climbing Robot on ‘The NEXT Step Blog‘, I decided to build my own NXT Version. I had attempted a couple before several years ago, but they weren’t overly successful. Now with lots of IMU Sensor add-ons for the Mindstorms NXT, i ...
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LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bug Bot
Published May 16, 2013 - One Comment
I originally built this LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bug Bot Robot as part of a display at the TAZ-Brick (www.tazbrick.com) Collector Clubs Brixhibition North. The robot proved a hit with the under 10, LEGO Fanatics. Since then I’ve been playing around with the design of my Mindstorms NXT Bug ...
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BrickPi: Raspberry Pi for Mindstorms Robots
Published May 10, 2013 - 6 Comments
BrickPi turns your Raspberry Pi into a LEGO® Robot. Your credit card sized computer enters the physical world. BickPi is a system that converts Raspberry Pi into a robot. The project is a board and case that connects LEGO® Mindstorms Sensors, motors, and parts to turn your credit c ...
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Holonomic Platform for 125mm Rotacaster Omniwheels
Published April 16, 2013 - One Comment
I’ve been working on a very solid, Holonomic Platform to be used with the large 125mm Rotacaster Omniwheels as part of my display for the TAZ-Brick Collector Club’s Brixhibition to be held on the weekend of 20-21 April 2013. LEGO Technics Compatible 125mm Rotacaster Omniwheel T ...
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Breakthrough in Rechargeable Batteries for Mindstorms
Published April 11, 2013 - 4 Comments
There has been a Breakthrough in Rechargeable Battery technology which is very applicable to powering you LEGO Mindstorms Robots. The new 1.6 Volt Nickle-Zinc (NiZn) have reached the market place. Unlike other rechargeable battery types, a set of six NiZn batteries gives an output of 9.6 v ...
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The Raspberry Pi gets NXTified
Published April 3, 2013 - 4 Comments
Dexter Industries are currently working a LEGO Mindstorms NXT Interface/ Shield for the Raspberry Pi. The Raspberry Pi is a credit-card sized computer that plugs into your HDTV. Add a mouse and a keyboard and you have a capable little PC which can be used for many of the things that your d ...
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LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bin Emptying Robot – Mark III
Published March 14, 2013 - No Comments
This is a LEGO Mindstorms NXT "Bin Emptying Robot Mark III". It is part of a larger project I have been working on, my "Ball Sorting Factory". A forklift delivers full Bins of balls to be emptied. The Emptied bins are then taken away to the processing facility to be ref ...
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Power the Mindsensors SensorMUX from a 9V Battery
Published February 28, 2013 - No Comments
The is a multiplexer to connect 4x NXT sensors to single NXT port. The multiplexer can connect any sensor designed for Mindstorms NXT, both LEGO and/or third party sensors. The is requires an external battery source supplying a voltage range between 6 and 8.4 volts to operate. Mindsensors& ...
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What’s inside your Mindsensors GlideWheel-M
Published February 7, 2013 - No Comments
My decided to die on me at a most in convenient time whilst building the Mark II version of my 'Bin Emptying Robot'. I was forced to use limit switches instead. After talking to Deepak Patil from , he suggested I take a knife in hand and disassemble it. The process was straight for ...
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LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bin Emptying Robot – Mark II
Published February 6, 2013 - One Comment
This is a LEGO Mindstorms NXT "Bin Emptying Robot Mark II". It is part of a larger project I have been working on, my "Ball Sorting Factory". A forklift delivers full Bins of balls to be emptied. The Emptied bins are then taken away to the processing facility to be refi ...
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LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bin Emptying Robot – Mark I
Published January 30, 2013 - One Comment
This is Mark I of my LEGO Mindstorms NXT Ball Sorting Factory, which I have been working for a number of weeks. The whole project consists of three main parts. Firstly there is the 'Ball Sorting Factory', made up of Gantry System with 3-Axis: Front-Back, Left-Right, and Up-Down for ...
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NXT Tower Defense Programmed with Urbi
Published January 24, 2013 - No Comments
I came across the NXT Tower Defense project while cruising the web and felt compelled to share it. NXT Tower Defense is a system that lets you build, develop and play with your own robot. This robot is designed with Lego Mindstorms NXT for hardware and uses URBI, Qt and OpenCV for the soft ...
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The New LEGO Mindstorms ‘EV3′ Announced
Published January 7, 2013 - 2 Comments
The third generation of LEGO's programmable robotics platform, the 'EV3' has been shown at the Los Vegas International Consumer Electronics Show. The EV3 is aimed at both enthusiasts, young and old, and educators. The EV3 has a long list of new features that add speed and power ...
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Mindstorms NXT Forklift Truck & Bin Emptying Machine
Published December 21, 2012 - No Comments
I'm currently working on a Sorting Factory, complete with LEGO Mindstorms NXT Forklift Truck and Bin Emptying Robot. Part of a larger project I'm currently working on (partly visible in the upper-left corner of photographs). The Forklift is used to deliver full Bins of balls to be ...
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Tweeting Data with NXT2WiFi Webserver Module
Published December 3, 2012 - No Comments
In this Tutorial we will go through the steps required to have your LEGO Mindstorms NXT Data sent to Twitter using the NXT2WiFi Miniature Web Server Module. In this Tutorial, the code used to program the LEGO Mindstorms NXT is . You will also need a Twitter Account, if you don't alread ...
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Connecting the NXT2WiFi Webserver to a WLAN
Published December 2, 2012 - No Comments
The simplest way to connect to the NXT2WiFi Mini-Webserver Module is via an Ad-hoc Network, also called WiFi Direct network where devices communicate only peer to peer (P2P). There is no base and no one gives permission to talk. But this method is limited to the fact you can only have acce ...
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NXT2WiFi: Using Webpage Sliders to Control Motors
Published November 29, 2012 - No Comments
This tutorial follows on from my previous NXT2WiFi Articles. In this example is used to program the NXT. Using Webpage Sliders to Control LEGO Mindstorms NXT Motors with your is relatively easy. You will need to have the latest Custom Webserver Source Code in order to ...
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RobotC: NXT Beach Buggy Controlled via NXT2WiFi
Published November 26, 2012 - No Comments
This LEGO Mindstorms NXT Beach Buggy is controlled via an Internet Browser Interface using a LEGO Mindstorms NXT . This is my first project using one of Daniele Benedettelli's . Any Internet Browser capable device can control it. The NXT2WIFI is a miniature Webserver Module f ...
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RobotC & Logitech F710 Joysticks with Windows7 amd64
Published November 24, 2012 - No Comments
ROBOTC has Joystick Controller stations built into the interactive debugger. "Joystick Control – Simple" is a debugger window to control the NXT via a Logitech USB remote control. "Joystick Control – Game" is a full featured Controller Station which is used ...
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LEGO NXT Thermometer using CatCan SmartSensor Lite
Published November 20, 2012 - No Comments
I decided to put my CatCan SmartSensor Lite's Temperature measuring capabilities to use by constructing a simple LEGO Mindstorms NXT Mechanical Linear Display Thermometer. The Thermometer is graduated in 1 Degree Celsius increments. The Display pointer is driven via a NXT Motor connect ...
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Technics & Mindstorms Compatible ‘MinuteBot Baseplate’
Published November 19, 2012 - One Comment
I had a package arrive today from Soren Jensen, in Copenhagen, Denmark containing a pair of LEGO Technics & Mindstorms Compatible 'MinuteBot Baseplates'. The [MinuteBot] Base is a thick, very robust base plate that is a must have for your Technics Models and LEGO Mindstorms Rob ...
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LEGO NXT Beach Buggy Controlled via Web Browser
Published November 19, 2012 - 3 Comments
This LEGO Mindstorms NXT Beach Buggy is controlled via an Internet Browser Interface using a LEGO Mindstorms NXT . This is my first project using one of Daniele Benedettelli's . Any Internet Browser capable device can control it. The NXT2WIFI is a miniature Webserver Module featuring a ...
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LEGO Mindstorms NXT Forklift – Mark II (Follows Line)
Published November 16, 2012 - One Comment
My Original Forklift was part of my NXTLog FoodFactor Competition Entry, which needed a method to transport models of the large open top pallet type bins used to transport vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbages and pumpkins. I decided on a Forklift Truck to do the job. I felt that the orig ...
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NXT2WiFi, Webserver Sensor – Getting Started Guide
Published November 2, 2012 - One Comment
My NXT2WiFi, Webserver module for LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT robots arrived a couple of weeks ago from Daniele Benedettelli. I finally got around to unpacking this new sensor today. In fact the weather here today made the decision very easy. You can use the NXT2WIFI adapter to control e ...
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Sink Your Teeth into a Well Baked ‘Raspberry Pi’!
Published October 4, 2012 - One Comment
I've brought myself a 'Raspberry Pi' and I am planning to attached an external Hard-drive to it, in order for it to be used as a Stand-alone Media Server. I will use it to serve music to my Sony CMT-MX750Ni Mini Hi-Fi System. Unfortunately the Sony Hi-Fi can' access a ...
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Streaming FLAC Audio to MP3 Enabled Devices
Published September 14, 2012 - No Comments
I purchased myself a Sony CMT-MX750Ni Mini Hi-Fi System. It is a fantastic home audio device that plays from the following media: CD, USB, Audio In, iPod/iPhone, FM Tuner, DAB Tuner, Home Network (Windows Media Streaming), Internet Music Services via wireless and wired connection. The Sony ...
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Gripper (Claw) for Small 2×2 & 2×4 LEGO Bricks
Published August 14, 2012 - One Comment
Here's a Gripper for Small LEGO Bricks I've developed for a larger project. It is designed to pick-up standard 2×2 and 2×4 LEGO Bricks. The gripper is opened and closed via a with a 24-tooth Clutch in the drive train to take care of the need for limit-switches and encoder ...
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Using LEGO Mindstorms RIS (RCX) KIT with Windows7
Published August 13, 2012 - 24 Comments
Installing LEGO Mindstorms Robotics Invention System (RIS) on to a Windows7 PC is frustrating to say the least, as I've just discovered this while setting up my son's computer to allow him to program my old RCX's. After dusting off the RIS 2.0 Disc, everything installed properl ...
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High Volume Pneumatic Compressor
Published July 31, 2012 - 2 Comments
Here are the Instructions to build a LEGO Technic, High Volume Pneumatic Compressor. The Compressor uses 2x Large Pneumatic Pumps to fill the Air tank. A large Pneumatic Cylinder is used to drive a Pole Reversing Switch which turns the Compressor off when the system is fully pressurised. A ...
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LEGO Mindstorms NXT X-Y Plotter
Published July 27, 2012 - 4 Comments
I’ve have built my first LEGO Mindstorms NXT Plotter (printer) which is programmed with RobotC. The plotter draws pictures by drawing whole lines, known as vectors. An X–Y plotter is a plotter that operates in two axes of motion ("X" and "Y") in order ...
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Rotacasters: Big, Bigger, Biggest!
Published July 19, 2012 - No Comments
Yes it 's another Holonomic Platform Robot, but this ones special. I built this Robot to celebrate a package that arrived in the post today from Australia. Yes, more omni-wheels to' Beta Test'. But these are monsters compared to the original 48mm (2") Rotacaters. These new ...
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RobotC: Autonomous Holonomic Platform using 4x Sonars
Published July 9, 2012 - 3 Comments
This Autonomous Tri-Drive Holonomic Platform is fitted with and uses 4x Ultrasonic Sensors for navigation. The RobotC Code is based on my previous post on using multiple Sonar Sensors in RobotC. The main challenge is to use all 4 Ultrasonic Sensors without them interfering with each other, ...
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RobotC: Using Multiple Ultrasonic (Sonar) Sensors
Published July 6, 2012 - 2 Comments
When using Multiple Ultrasonic (Sonar) Sensors together, you need to configure the Sensors to use ‘Single Shot Mode’, so only ONE Sensor is taking a measurement at any time. If you have all the Ultrasonic Sensors on at once they interfere with each other and give incorrect read ...
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Celebrating 50 Years of LEGO in Australia
Published June 29, 2012 - No Comments
While the LEGO Group was founded in 1932 in Denmark, it wasn’t until 1962 that the first LEGO brick landed on our shores in Australia. It arrived in a suitcase carried by a Mr John Peddie, all the way from England. He flew over land and sea, in fact he had to take eight different [.. ...
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PS2 Controlled Holonomic Platform Using RobotC
Published June 28, 2012 - 7 Comments
Yes, another Holonomic Platform. My son, Anthony requested a Holonomic robot to take to school for show-and-tell. So here it is with a few scholarly extras, including the code. A Holonomic platform is one of the many types of Holonomic drive trains — it can move forward and backward ...
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‘Melon Factor’ – Conclusion
Published June 1, 2012 - No Comments
This was to be Part 4/5 of my Melon Factor Project, for the NXTLog FoodFactor Competition for May 2012. It's unfortunate, but time has not been kind. I had more important real life issues that dragged me away from the project.
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Mindsensors GlideWheel-M PF Motor Controller
Published May 29, 2012 - No Comments
I have received a pair of Mindsensors' GlideWheel-Ms, Motor Controllers to Beta-Test. The GlideWheel-M is a motor controller for (PF) Motors that allows you to connect Motors to NXT Motor Ports. Using the built in encoder, the GlideWheel-M, allows rotational control of Motors. The Glid ...
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Melon Factor – Part 3
Published May 22, 2012 - No Comments
This is Part 3 of my Melon Factor Project, which is part of my NXTLog Food Factor Competition Entry for May 2012. In Part 1 of my project, involved transportation of the Melons using a Forklift Truck to transport the boxes of melons from the delivery depot to the processing plant. Part 2 o ...
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Melon Factor – Part 2
Published May 21, 2012 - No Comments
This is Part 2 of my Melon Factor Project, which is part of my NXTLog FoodFactor Competition Entry for May 2012. In Part 1 of my project, for the transportation of the Melons I had them in 'Bottom Drop' Boxes. I used a Forklift Truck to transport the boxes of melons from the ...
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World’s First Robotic Rotary Dairy
Published May 15, 2012 - No Comments
As a lover of all things Robotic, and an Ex: "Professional Tit Puller(Dairy Farmer)". I found this announcement brought back all those sentimental memories of getting up at 5:00 am to milk and again at 6:00pm. And through all weathers, 7 days a week, 12 months of the year! IN A q ...
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Drop Bottom Container for Forklift
Published May 10, 2012 - No Comments
As mentioned in the previous post, I've been working on building my contribution to the May 2012, NXTLog Competition. I decided to build a 'Line Following Forklift Truck' for goods transportation to the factory. Here is the LEGO® Model of the large open top, pallet ty ...
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LEGO® Mindstorms NXT Forklift Truck
Published May 9, 2012 - 4 Comments
I've been working on building my contribution to the May 2012, NXTLog Competition. Part of my project needs a method to transport models of the large open top pallet type bins used to transport vegetables, such as potatoes, cabbages and pumpkins. I decided on a 'Line Following Fork ...
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WifiBlock for Lego Mindstorms NXT
Published May 5, 2012 - No Comments
Yet another Wi-Fi Add-on for the Lego® Mindstorms NXT development environment has become available. You can control your Lego® Mindstorms NXT creations from a computer, or from your smartphone. In control from a few meters away, or from across the other side of the world, is a real ...
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NXT2WiFi – Mindstorms NXT Webserver
Published May 2, 2012 - No Comments
NXT2WIFI – Webserver Module for LEGO® MINDSTORMS® robots by Daniele Benedettelli Introduction: is a miniature web server module featuring a fully integrated 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi interface, giving your LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT creations access to any Wi-Fi network. Daniele ...
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NXTLOG Food Factor Building Challenge
Published April 27, 2012 - No Comments
To help celebrate the 2012 FIRST LEGO League (FLL) World Festival in St Louis, Mo., USA this April. This NXTLOG challenge theme is 'FOOD FACTOR'! With requires you too develop a robot that can be used in an innovate way for the food industry. You can choose anything from grow and p ...
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Purchase a NXT LASER Sensor
Published April 17, 2012 - One Comment
with Free Postage! Cost Including P&P Australia $65.00 USD International $70.00 USD NOTE: There may be a short delay processing 'Laser Target Sensor Orders', as I build them on a as needed basis. Usually less than 72hrs. Please Enquire on Availability……… ...
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NXT Quad Drive Holomonic Platform
Published April 5, 2012 - No Comments
I've been working on a new LEGO Mindstorms NXT Dual Drive, Quad Holomonic Platform. This Robot uses dual on each of the four axis's. The Robot also uses four NXT between each of the four axis's. The four work in 'MODE 3: Event Capture Mode'. The are cycled through one-a ...
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My NXTLOG ‘Crazy Contraption’ Entry
Published March 20, 2012 - One Comment
Many robots are designed to do simple tasks in an efficient way to make our lives easier. But what if robotic machines did simple tasks in an over-complicated way? This is the type of Machine that 'Rube Goldberg' envisaged for his weird world. Below is an example of a 'Rube Gol ...
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Quad Track: IR-Ball Seeking Crane
Published March 12, 2012 - No Comments
This is my LEGO Mindstorms NXT Quad Caterpillar Track Crane, which uses my 'Ultimate Grab' to pick-up and retrieve a Hitechnic Infra-Red Electronic Ball. The Chassis houses 2x NXT Motors to drive the Left and Right pairs of Tracks. A third NXT Motor is used to raise and lower the c ...
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Extending the NXT Wifi Sensor’s Range
Published February 2, 2012 - No Comments
The Dexter Industries Wifi Sensor allows your Lego Mindstorms NXT robots to connect to the internet and send and receive data via a local Wifi network. The I found that the Wifi Sensor had issues with signal levels, which is primary cause is my homes design. Laptops have issues as well in ...
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LEGO Mindstorms NXT Stair Climbing Robot

Published June 12, 2013 at 3:58 pm - No Comments

After seeing this LEGO Mindstorms EV3, Stair Climbing Robot on ‘The NEXT Step Blog‘, I decided to build my own NXT Version. I had attempted a couple before several years ago, but they weren’t overly successful. Now with lots of IMU Sensor add-ons for the Mindstorms NXT, it makes the task a lot easier. A [...]

LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bug Bot

Published May 16, 2013 at 8:12 pm - 1 Comment

I originally built this LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bug Bot Robot as part of a display at the TAZ-Brick (www.tazbrick.com) Collector Clubs Brixhibition North. The robot proved a hit with the under 10, LEGO Fanatics. Since then I’ve been playing around with the design of my Mindstorms NXT Bug Bot. In this new version I have [...]

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LEGO Mindstorms NXT Stair Climbing RobotPublished June 12, 2013 at 3:58 pm
LEGO Mindstorms NXT Bug BotPublished May 16, 2013 at 8:12 pm
BrickPi: Raspberry Pi for Mindstorms RobotsPublished May 10, 2013 at 12:26 am
Holonomic Platform for 125mm Rotacaster OmniwheelsPublished April 16, 2013 at 11:18 pm
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