Bot Bench I'd Rather Be Building Robots
Give it up for my main man Andy Milluzzi who, with some help from John Hansen, created the world’s first NXT-G block that leverages the NXT’s RS485 communication abilities! Well done.
What does that mean? Well now you can connect two bricks, back-to-back with a cable connected between their S4 ports and communicate at a blinding 921600 bps! That’s quite a bit faster than regular Bluetooth and without the overhead of those mailboxes.
This opens up a whole new world of possible sensors! One of them being the new Dexter Industries NXTBees. How cool is that?
You can download the block from here: [LINK]. You will need at least version 1.05 of the LEGO NXT firmware to use this.
Will this work with a standard NXT data/motor cable or does it require a specially made cable?
It works fine with a normal cable.
Wow! Never thought this day would come! A couple questions. Is the baud rate changeable? And wouldn’t you need an enhanced version of the firmware? Or does the Lego Firmware 1.05 have RS-485 capabilities? Many thanks goes to Andy Milluzzi, John Hansen and Xander Soldaat!
This works with the standard 1.05 firmware (that was the fun part) and does not have a changeable baud rate.
I have posted somewhat formal release notes on mindboards.net in the software section.
The URL for this is: http://goo.gl/Iaz6t
This is great!!! Thanks Andy Milluzzi with some help from John Hansen!
So you can just use a normal sensor/motor cable in your NXT kit? WOW! I can’t wait to get another NXT so I can use this!
[…] I know this is ‘old news’ now, but Andy Milluzaj has created a RS485 NXT-G block. If you don’t know what RS485 is, it is a way of two NXTs communicating through their Sensor Port 4 with a normal cable that you can find in any NXT set! You can download a mortified version of this block with new icons created by haydenstudios, or you can get the original version from Xander’s Blog. […]
i have found another one, built by a different person.
That person says its impossible without special type of firmware, and he created a firmware to do it.
I tried his firmware [which doesn’t change how the normal NXT firmware is [1.29, strictly with a special module in the firmware specially built for it.]
it worked but yours didn’t in NXT-g [he had for both Labview and NXT-g]
i wonder why, i’m only good at taking old broken things apart and making them into things.
[for example, a soon to be built NXT controlled solar lamp built out of old garden solar powered lamps with a special ambient light sensor for the NXT]
I think i posted the vi’s that i used i tested his in Labview.
i prefer Labview to NXT-G, because it has more control over the NXT, along with the direct control, where you can directly control [almost] every aspect of the NXT from your computer
Plus its better at parallel data flow, as NXT sequence beams are the worst idea ever [unless you’re an 8 year old building simple one task programs]
it helps to have 2 NXT’s [no, its necessary!]
plus you can change the speed of transmissions manually, or have a nxt built program do it for you.
Jared,
Do you have a link to the site where you saw this?
– Xander
[…] If you don’t know what RS485 is, it is a way of two NXTs communicating through their Sensor Port 4 with a normal cable that you can find in any NXT set! Usually this has only been available in third party languages like NXC and LeJOS NXJ. It is way better then Bluetooth for short distance because it communicates way faster, it does not run your battery down and you do not have to bother with mailboxes. You can download a modified version of this block with new icons created by haydenstudios, or you can get the original version from Xander’s Blog. […]
[…] If you don’t know what RS485 is, it is a way of two NXTs communicating through their Sensor Port 4 with a normal cable that you can find in any NXT set! Usually this has only been available in third party languages like NXC and LeJOS NXJ. It is way better then Bluetooth for short distance because it communicates way faster, it does not run your battery down and you do not have to bother with mailboxes. You can download a modified version of this block with new icons created by haydenstudios, or you can get the original version from Xander’s Blog. […]
[…] If you don’t know what RS485 is, it is a way of two NXTs communicating through their Sensor Port 4 with a normal cable that you can find in any NXT set! Usually this has only been available in third party languages like NXC and LeJOS NXJ. It is way better then Bluetooth for short distance because it communicates way faster, it does not run your battery down and you do not have to bother with mailboxes. You can download a modified version of this block with new icons created by haydenstudios, or you can get the original version from Xander’s Blog. […]