Bot Bench I'd Rather Be Building Robots
If you have an NXT set but have lost your CD, you can now legally download a copy of the ISO image of NXT-G 2.0 (retail, not edu) from the LEGO website. Why this is only available now and not earlier is a mystery to me but it’s here now so grab it while you can. If you have an NXT 1.0 kit, this is your chance to obtain a copy of the NXT-G 2.0 software without needing to download it from dubious torrent sites. Instructions on how to use this ISO file are in the article.
About Xander
Thanks for the link. However this is the NXT 2.0 software, not NXT-G 2.0. (so I still can’t use the temperature sensor Lego sold me).
NXT-G 2.0 comes in two flavours, retail and education. The LEGO article even mentions the box number for the NXT 2.0 set. I am not sure why you thought you were downloading the education version of NXT-G 2.0? There are other ways to access that temperature sensor from NXT-G using MyBlocks. Brian Davis wrote something for it, which you can download from this page: http://www.teamhassenplug.org/NXT/NXTGAdditions.html
Just to clarify: NXT is the robot, NXT-G is the programming language and environment. Both of these come in a retail and education variant. The NXT education set has a different collection of bricks and sensors than the retail variant and does not come with software.
Thank you for the clarification.
In my defense, Lego itself doesn’t consistently call the development software NXT-G (no G anywhere on that download site, the file name, nor in the software’s About file…) And I don’t see any explanation of retail vs educational versions of the software on the Lego sites or download pages. Perhaps I should have known 8547 was codeword for “Retail version, temperature sensor won’t work!” Yes the temp sensor order page mentioned “LME NXT Software 2.0 or higher is required! ” (note no G) but then the color sensor order page says “Requires LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education NXT Software 2.1. ” which is so wrong on multiple levels. (no G, and it works fine with my {apparently retail} version 2.0).
Sorry, my rant isn’t directed at you; you’ve been very helpful. Lego has a close to great product but so many details are maddening.
I will try to get the sensor working via the link you gave. But this appears to require programming at the internal serial port level which is probably beyond the fifth graders I am coaching.
Hey Ken,
The whole Retail vs Edu thing flares up quite often on the MCP forums, trust me. A lot of us MCPs thinks it’s confusing and unnecessary.
The nice thing about the MyBlocks is that they’re fairly easy to use and don’t require a lot of knowledge about the sensor’s internals. Btw, it’s not a serial port, the NXT and sensor communicate through I2C, which is a different protocol than standard serial. Port 4 is the only sensor port capable of communicating over RS485 (a serial protocol). The other ports are all either digital or analogue (or both if you know what you’re doing).
One of the reasons the temp sensor is not part of retail is that it is not very suitable for unsupervised play. The long metal probe makes it quite a health risk, should the kid decide to shove it in a power socket.
You have no idea how often we get questions from parents and educators about the retail vs education versions 🙂 You’re not the first and I highly doubt you’ll be the last.
what is the difference between nxt and nxt-g. I have nxt 2.0 but cannot import hitech blocs for their motor controller. Is that why? thanks
NXT is the name of the robotics line, NXT-G is the name of the programming language. Which motor controller are you talking about?
Je ne trouve pas le lien de telechargement –‘
It is right here: http://en-us.kb.lego.com/ics/support/DLRedirect.asp?fileID=123364
I can not find the download link – ‘
Click on this link and it should take you there. It is an ISO file. It is right here: http://en-us.kb.lego.com/ics/support/DLRedirect.asp?fileID=123364
le lien ne marche pas : sur la page il y a marquer ” Invalid deptID in URL. Please make sure you have the entire, correct URL.”
I have downloaded it from there today to test and it works fine. Make sure you set your region to USA on the main LEGO page.
moi non plus je ne peux pas aller sur le lien
Maybe you should contact LEGO helpdesk to try and figure out what the issue is. There might be a problem with people coming in from the French site.
why is it so long to download it???
I have no idea. It’s a big file and maybe their servers are very busy.
Hello. I don´t speak english well, sorry.
I have nxt v1. what can i do to up version 2?
and if i can´t, could you say me what i can make a block for rc?
thanks
Did you try downloading it from the link I have in this article?
Yes.
Works in Mac?
I have no idea, but seeing as there are instructions for installing it on a Mac, I can only assume that it does.
http://en-us.kb.lego.com/ics/support/default.asp?deptID=5622
that’ll get you to ISO download Xander mentioned above.
in my lego 2.0 programmer there is no option to use a temperature sensor,how could i use a temperature sensor
That sensor is from LEGO Education, so it is only supported in the LEGO Education version of NXT-G. I am not sure how to use it, but you should ask on the Mindboards forums, I am sure someone will know there. http://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/mindboards/index.php
Hi,
With NXT-G, can you create a network with a computer as the master, sending and receiving Bluetooth messages to and from 1, 2, or 3 NXT bricks?
I think you can, but I am not all that familiar with NXT-G and Bluetooth. The fine folks on the Mindboards forums might be of more help. You can find those forums here: https://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/mindboards
Thanx!
Can any one help me? I am an educator using the education version 2 nxt software. When I open the programing software to design a controll program I get an I/O error 6 message and to move the blocks I have to close the error box first. This happens every time I sellect an icon. It is getting tobe trying to write a program.
If you are an educator using the education version of NXT-G, you can simply contact LEGO to help you. LEGO education gives support on all the products you buy from them. That is why you pay the big bucks for the education version 🙂
iwant to download NXT-G programme
What is stopping you? Just follow the link in the article.
Do you know any other software programs other than the NXT-G that beginner mindstorm programmers can use.
You could try ROBOTC with the Natural Language mode. It makes programming your robot fun and it’s not as hard as using full-blown ROBOTC. Check it out: http://www.robotc.net/NaturalLanguage/
After putting the Mindstron driver software from the original CD ( 2.0 ) on my sons pc I was confronted with the famous eror 1003 . Previous PC didn’t created this problem .
Cleaned up the registers of the PC ( 7 ) but problem was still there . Downloaded the web version…. still there ..
OK what next ?
Does any one has a answer hoe to go forward !?
thanks
Harm
Did you contact the LEGO helpdesk about this? You could also consider asking on the Mindboards forums (https://sourceforge.net/apps/phpbb/mindboards/), someone there might be able to help you.
Hi
My 10 year old son is working with the Lego robots (NXT?) at school. He wants to practice over the school holidays as he’s fallen behind the group a bit. I was wondering if there is a cost effective way to work through the programming with him?
Thanks
Laurens Valk’s Discovery Book is a great way to learn programming and building, I usually recommend that to people. Another great resource for programming is http://www.stemcentric.com/nxt-tutorial/
Xander,
I already have the CD (and also downloaded the ISO image), I have a MacBook Pro with MacOSX 10.7.4, i have installed everything, and followed the tutorials to fix the problem in Lion, have downloaded and installed the patches following the instrucions, deleted Flash and reinstalled, almost everything, but, the error is still there.
The error I have is 1003 when NXT-G is loading. What do you recommend. I need to install it as soon as possible, my kids have a tournament next week.
Thanks in advance,
You may need to contact LEGO helpdesk, I am really not familiar with anything OSX related. I know there are issues with it and there are solutions for them but I simply don’t know them.
where can i download lego mindstrom nxt
The link is provided in the article.
Thanks
i need a NTX_G2.0 software,could you send me an one .thks
I am not going to send it to you, you can simply download it from the links in the article.
i love nxt robot
xander Greetings, I am very interested in the EV3, if excess of EV3? because I teach in the field of robotics using Lego NXT education. when entering into Indonesia could at what price?
I am not sure, to be honest. The release date for EV3 is sometime in the second half of 2013, no specific date has been released yet.
I have an original Mindstorms NXT set (8527) which hasn’t been used for several years. I’d like to get it going again: is this the best software to use? Do I need to update the firmware too?
Hi Richard, for beginners I would definitely recommend this. Updating the firmware can be done through this software and is very easy. Once you get more into it and advance beyond NXT-G, you can always switch to ROBOTC, Lejos or NXC.
What I really meant to ask was whether it was the best version of NXT-G to use with the original NXT set, rather than how it compared with alternative software. Anyway, I’ve installed it (and the current firmware) and at first glance it seems to work a lot better on my Mac than the original version, which often had trouble communicating with the robot and would get into a state where the interface became unusably slow. Thanks!
Oh, I would always use 2.0, not 1.0. The bricks for the NXT 2.0 are functionally identical to the NXT 1.0 bricks.
Hola, tengo ox 10.8 and nxt , but not run!!!
could you help me?
Sorry, i can´t write english
I am not familiar with OSX, so your best bet may be to contact LEGO Customer Service, they’re super helpful and will be able to provide you with whatever fixes or work-arounds you may need to get this working.
thank you so much for the link
How Long Have you been with the Lego Mindstorms product, Xander?
I bought my first NXT set back in 2008. I became an MCP (Mindstorms Community Partner) in 2009.
WOW!
thannks…!!!
Thanks for the download
I have lost the program because i got i new computer, thanks for the link
Thank you
jeg er bare en ny bruger der mangler programmer til nxt;
You could have a look at some of the cool projects and programs at http://nxtprograms.com/
Tá, mais eu quero o cracked, no site eu não consigo baixar o programa.
It’s right here: http://service.lego.com/en-us/helptopics/products/themes/mindstorms/mindstorms-nxt/nxt-software-download
= Xander
Hi
I have a very neglected original nxt 8527 kit which came with 1.1 software. The 1.1 software includes the tutorials and models to go with the 8527 kit. However my new laptop doesn’t like it so I downloaded the 2.0 software (8547) Is there a way to get the old models onto the new software?
Or is my only option to program using 2.0 software and have my old slow, very slow, laptop open with the instructions / tutorials?
Hi Sandra,
I don’t think there is a way to import the models from one version into the other. What issues are you having with the old software on your new laptop?
= Xander
It was more the laptop was getting slow generally. It was never that great at bluetoothing the nxt either which I think was part of the reason I never really got into it at the time it was bought.
Reports seen to say the 2.0 software is much more stable and the new laptop has Bluetooth built in so it seems logical to try using it.
Hi Sandra,
Had the same problem. If you’re on a mac, go to HD/Programs/LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT/engine/EditorVis
There you see a folder Academy Content. Move it from there to a different place. Now copy the same folder from your old mac to this folder.
This worked for me. Only when you save a program, you have to do a Save as to go to the correct path for your program files.
sorry the web page is not found and I need the software important and thanks
You can download it here: https://mega.nz/#!m1AABZSS!qT6UPnZwmOwjAP8z8dhFXdq0jpQvuWqapBzyvjsZw0Y
I have put it on my MEGA drive, while LEGO fixes the issue 🙂
= Xander