Some guidance needed...Please?

[tomnolan.x]

Hi,
I am new here and yes, I have read your 'Beginner' sticky. But I am still in need of some help.

I want to get into robotics. I AM A COMPLETE BEGINNER!. I am looking to purchase the LEGO NXT robotics kit to get me started. Is this a good move?

Now I know you can code the NXT with certain types of languages but what ones? Also, when I move further on from the NXT, into more advanced things (I am looking to do a degree in robotics and AI), what language should I use?

Please bear in mind i am a beginner with this, well in fact not even that, just pondering on the idea, so talk to me as if im an idiot. Thanks!

[Gertlex]

My belief is that the $50 robot is probably a great project for you to start with.  If you think otherwise, let us know

LEGO/NXT are great, but somewhat limited, too, and definitely a larger initial investment.

[harpo]

C/C++ are good for most things. Look into "c++ hello world"
to get started.

[newInRobotics]

I'm not sure about C++. I'd say C, ASM and BASIC are the ones mainly used in uC programing. Other languages that are useful to know for AI related projects are Prolog and MatlabScript appart form generic programming knowledge in any UI/GUI capable languages.

[tomnolan.x]

My belief is that the $50 robot is probably a great project for you to start with.  If you think otherwise, let us know

LEGO/NXT are great, but somewhat limited, too, and definitely a larger initial investment.

I dont think i like the look of the $50 robot project. Not yet anyway. Forgetting the price issue, is the lego nxt worth getting> Will it teach me anything or will i just be following a set of instructions?

[charlie_ehler]

hi!

I'm a beginner too and I have some advice on the $50 robot project.  If you have to buy batteries, the AVR programmer and need to expand your tool kit in order to build the robot it can quickly become a $200+ project.   I'm also thinking the shipping charges weren't factored into the cost of the robot.  While the 'ghetto' portions of the robot save money, in reality they save relatively little compared to the servos and micro-controller board parts.

In terms of tools, For instance I have an el cheapo Weller soldering iron that is useful for soldering extension cords together and little else so I'm replacing it as soon as I get my next paycheck.  A competent temperature controllable unit starts in the $80 price range and just goes astronomical from there.  A breadboard for prototyping would be great and they start at $9 for a mini one you could place on a robot for testing.  For bigger projects I would get a trainer kit , but they start in the $150+ range, unless you happen to find a used one that a school is selling off.

I did some guessing and while I'm glad I have 'most' of what I need to get started, a good kit consists of a tool box full of stuff that you don't find in your mechanic's tool box.  Along with that, a decent breadboard, temperature controllable soldering iron, small multimeter and you can be in business for around $200-$300 if you watch what you buy and buy good stuff no matter what.   Later, an O-scope, electronics trainer, a decent Dermmel, and a home built CNC machine should be on the wish list.

Having said that, the next robot project would be fantastically cheap to build if you go through the pain of the first one; I'm guessing as little as $15-$20. I even see the possibility of eventually building one at no cost if re-use of parts is considered.

I've also begun to embrace the idea of scrapping junk appliances and electronics for the components as the potential to save is considerable.  Just a CD-RW drive can yield a couple dozen caps, a micro-switch, micro-audio plug, and 2-4 motors depending on the model and suitability of the motors used.  And let's not forget that older is better for scrapping purposes since the new stuff is mostly surface mount these days.

So, the real question is, do you want plug-and-play for the speed of development and low risk of massive failure, or do you want to really learn how this stuff works?

Charlie

[bobthefirst1]

I own a nxt 2.0 and I build custom robots. Even as an 11 year old (and i know a lot of adults feel the same way dont laugh at me for saying this) I think the nxt is kinda fun. But it doesn't really get u started in custom robots; aside from teaching u how to assemble things from only a limited # of sizes of parts. I hope this helps!