Weekly Activities

Week 1:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chap. 1)

Lego Building Tutorial (Chapter 1, pp. 1-6)

·        Introduction: Course description, course web page exploration, software download and setup

·        Team formation questionnaire

·        Robot demonstrations: Line follower/shooter robot; color sorter robot.

·        Introduction to the Lego Robotics Invention System: RCX micro-controller, sensors, IR tower, gears, and other Kit Components (Page1,  P2,  P3,  P4)

·        Introduction of programming software and other tools: NQC, BricxCC, firmware, etc.

·        The RCX: Output ports, input ports, Lego connectors, motors and sensors, downloading a simple NQC program to configure sensors, reading the RCX display [Baum’s book (Chap. 1); Lego Building Tutorial (Chapter 1, pp. 1-6)]

·        Tankbot assembly (watch movie) [Baum’s book (Chap. 5, pp. 94-98)] Construction steps: 1, 2, 3, 4.

 

Week 2:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chap. 2 and 3, pp. 35-44, 58-60)

BricxCC Manual (pp. 1-5)

NQC Tutorial (pp. 5-13)

·        Quiz 1 (covers topics from week 1)

·        BricxCC (BricxCC Manual, pp. 1-5) & NQC programming (NQC Tutorial, pp. 5-13)

·        Experimenting with Tankbot. Adding a light sensor to avoid obstacles.

·        RCX display control [Baum’s book (Chap. 3, pp. 58-60)]

·        Program RCX to display counts (in seconds). Download program

 

Week 3:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chap. 3, pp. 45-57; Chap 4, pp. 66-71)

Ferrari’s book (Chap. 1)

NQC Tutorial (pp. 14-18)

·        Quiz 2 (covers topics from week 2)

·        Introduction to web hosting (setup student & team webpages)

·        Construction skills Part I [Baum’s book (Chap 4, pp. 66-71), Ferrari’s book (Chap. 1)]

·        NQC programming: Control structures (NQC Tutorial, pp. 14-18)

·        Experimenting with Tankbot (continued)

 

Week 4:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chap. 4, pp. 72-79, Chap. 7)

Ferrari’s book (Chap. 2, pp. 17-35)

NQC Tutorial (pp. 19-22)

·        Quiz 3 (covers topics from week 3)

·        online student progress reports due

·        Construction skills Part II [Baum’s book (Chap 4, pp. 72-79), Ferrari’s book (Chap. 2, pp.17-35)]

·        NQC programming: Tasks, functions and subroutines (NQC Tutorial, pp. 19-22)

·        Bugbot [Baum’s book (Chap. 7)] Teams take kits home to finish assembling Bugbot.

 

Week 5:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chap 4, pp. 80-89; Chap. 7)

Ferrari’s book (Chap. 2, pp. 36-40; Chap. 3)

BricxCC Manual (pp. 5-6)

NQC Tutorial (pp. 25-26)

·        Quiz 4 (covers topics from week 4)

·        online student progress reports due

·        online TEAM web page due

·        Bugbot [Baum’s book (Chap. 7)] Programming and testing: tasks vs. functions (synchronous/asynchronous operation)

·        NQC programming: More about motors [NQC Tutorial (pp. 25-26); Ferrari’s book (Chap. 3)]

·        Construction skills Part III: The Differential [Baum’s book (Chap 4, pp. 80-89), Ferrari’s book (Chap. 2, pp. 36-40)]

 

Week 6:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chap. 2, pp. 22-30)

Ferrari’s book (Chap. 4)]

NQC Tutorial (pp. 27-28)

·        Quiz 5 (covers topics from week 5)

·        online student progress reports due

·        The RCX and advanced sensing (sensor port circuits): Active vs. passive sensing

·        Rotation sensor, bend sensor, tilt, photocell, and other sensors [NQC Tutorial (pp. 27-30); Ferrari’s book (Chap. 4); Baum’s book (Chap. 3, pp. 22-30)]. Table: RAW passive sensor readings,  Motor rpm/rotation sensor (NQC program).

·        Assigned Bonus Mini Projects (due next week)

 

Week 7:

Reading Assignment:

problem solving & helpful hints

Baum’s book (Chapter 8)

Ferrari’s book (Chap. 12)

·        Quiz 6 (covers topics from week 6)

·        online student progress reports due

·        Bonus Mini Project Demonstrations (brief reports/ movies should be posted on the team webpage by end of week)

·        RCX Math and the Maping of Passive Sensor Readings

·        Demonstration of LineFollowerBot (pic, movie, Linebot1  Linebot2  Linebot3_modified)

·        Work on Midterm project (problem solving, helpful hints)

 

Week 8:

Reading Assignment:

Ferrari’s  book (Chap. 7)

BricxCC Manual

·        Quiz 7 (covers topics from week 7)

·        online student progress reports due

·        BricxCC: Some Helpful Features (BricxCC Manual)

·        Work on Midterm Project

·        Midterm project presentations and demonstrations

 

Week 9:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chap. 10 & Chap. 18, pp. 306-312)

NQC Tutorial (pp. 29-30, 34-38)

NQC Programmer’s Guide

·        Quiz 8 (covers topics from week 8)

·        online student progress reports due

·        online TEAM web page due (Midterm report posted)

·        IR Communication (RCX IR–based proximity sensor) [NQC Tutorial (pp. 29-30, 34-36)]

·        Datalogging (graphing data using a spreadsheet) [Baum’s book (Chap. 18, pp. 306-312); NQC Tutorial (pp. 38)]

·        Example uses of repeat, for, and switch instructions: Application to sonar sensor and dataloging [NQC Programmer’s Guide, pp. 14-15]

·        Communication & Datalog files (zip)

·        Scanbot [Baum’s book (Chap. 10)] Teams take kits home to assemble Scanbot.

 

Week 10:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chapters 10 & 13)

Ferrari’s  book (Chapter 4, pp.75-79 & Chapter 9, pp. 170-174)

NQC Tutorial (pp. 28-29)

·        Quiz 9 (covers topics from week 9)

·        online student progress reports due

·        Scanbot [Baum’s book (Chap. 10)] Programming & testing (continued). scanbot1   scanbot2   scanbot3

·        Solving RCX I/O port limitations; sensor tips and tricks [Ferrari’s  book (Chap. 4, pp.75-79 & Chap. 9, pp. 170-174); NQC Tutorial (pp. 28-29)]

·        Steerbot [Baum’s book (Chap. 13)] Teams take kits home to assemble Steerbot.

 

Week 11:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chapters 13& 15)

Ferrari’s  book (Chap. 12, pp. 218-228)

NQC Programmer’s Guide (pp. 11)                                              

·        Quiz 10 (covers topics from week 10)

·        online student progress reports due

·        Steerbot [Baum’s book (Chap. 13)] Programming and testing. Download modified Programs: program 1, program 2

·        RCX math: Averaging [Ferrari’s book (Chap. 12)]  (Download NQC programs)

·        Arrays [NQC Programmer’s Guide, pp. 11, Ferrari’s Book, pp. 218-228]

·        Brick Sorter [Baum’s book (Chap. 15)] Teams take kits home to assemble Brick Sorter.

·        Final Contest specifications

 

Week 12:

Reading Assignment:

Baum’s book (Chapter 15)

[NQC Programmer’s Guide, pp. 41-42]

·        Quiz 11 (covers topics from week 11)

·        online student progress reports due

·        online TEAM web page due

·        Brick Sorter [Baum’s book (Chap. 15)] Programming and testing. Sorter Program

·        More on Timers & Counters [NQC Programmer’s Guide, pp. 41-42]

·        Final Contest preliminary (informal) presentations by teams

 

Weeks 13 – 14:

Reading Assignment:

Ferarri’s book (Chapter 18: Becoming Mobile & Chapter 11: Finding and Grabbing Objects)

Basics of Engineering Design

Ideal vs Real Systems

NQC Programmer’s Guide

 

Designing & Building Lego Robots for Final Contest Challenge