Extreme NXT: Extending the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to the Next Level (Technology in Action) [Paperback]

Philippe E. Hurbain (Author), Michael Gasperi (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1590598180 | ISBN-13: 978-1590598184 | Publication Date: March 21, 2007 | Edition: 1

Extreme NXT: Extending the LEGO MIDSTORMS NXT to the Next Level is for intermediate-level users of NXT who would like to advance their capabilities by learning some of the basics of electronics. Plenty of examples are provided, and easy-to-follow instructions are included for building over 15 different sensors.

This makes a great reference for the NXT hardware interfaces. Examples even come complete with multiple, alternative NXT languages. The book is also abundant with illustrations.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Philippe Hurbain got his first Mindstorms kit in 2000, and soon his electronics background pushed him to build new and original sensors for the RCX. His web site shows how to build these sensors and includes a lot of technical information on the original Mindstorms kit. In 2006, he was selected as a beta tester for the new NXT that he received several months before the official release.

Michael Gasperi has been an expert in LEGO Mindstorms sensors since they were first introduced in 1998. His popular web site and contributing chapters to Extreme Mindstorms (Apress, 2000) have guided many people through the process of building their own extensions to the kit.

Product Details

• Paperback: 312 pages
• Publisher: Apress; 1 edition (March 21, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1590598180
• ISBN-13: 978-1590598184
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #768,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

When I was growing up in the 1960s and '70s it made sense to build things, such as a computer, from component parts. In fact, you could build all kinds of electronic products, including television sets, this way. Not only does this not make any economic sense now, it is also physically impossible to deal with the tiny electronic components. Back then, magazines such as Popular Electronics provided all kinds of projects for the electronic hobbyist to experiment with. One of the regular columns was written by Forrest Mims, and I eagerly anticipated reading his latest monthly installment. I always thought, "What a cool job this guy has; someday I'm going to do something like that."

I went to Purdue University, earned an engineering degree, and ended up doing industrial research at Rockwell Automation in Milwaukee, WI. However, a part of me still yearned for the dream job of cooking up interesting projects and telling people how to do them. Back in 1998 LEGO introduced the MINDSTORMS Robotic Invention System. I naively bought a kit for my 10 year old daughter Audrey, but quickly got swept up in the network of adult hackers trying to unlock the product's real potential. Through a simple personal web page I started publishing how the LEGO sensors worked and how to build new ones. This led to being invited to appear at MIT's MindFest and eventually to authoring and coauthoring several books on the subject.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent!, May 6, 2007

By 

J. Doubek (Salt Lake City, Ut) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Extreme NXT: Extending the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to the Next Level (Technology in Action) (Paperback)

I bought this book to get a better idea of how to safely interface my own circuits to the Lego Mindstorms NXT. In my opinion, you can't find a better book for this purpose. "Extreme NXT" contains the pinouts and proper usage of the NXT motor and sensor ports. It also provides a large number of the most useful homebrew sensor implementations, right down to parts lists containing part numbers for common component suppliers like Digikey and Radio Shack.

My background is in engineering, with an emphasis in control systems. The first book I read in the field of hobbiest robotics was "Mobile Robots: Inspiration to Implementation" (Jones and Flynn). In those days, the 6811's were king for these sorts of projects. I spent many a happy day with my MIT Handyboard (a simple 6811 robot controller board). Things have come a long way. Nowadays NXT is available, and this book is the modern day equivalent to that excellent text for those who want to dig in and find out what the NXT is capable of. The book is written in a format that is easy to understand for the novice, but also supplies plenty of content to allow the more advanced user to be able to push the NXT envelope. The organization is superb, commonly used charts and tables are easily found. I have been finding myself referring most often to the pinout tables for the NXT connectors, and these are very conveniently found towards the front of the book.

Chapters are broke down into sensor and output types, starting with the more basic and easily contructed passive sensors up to more advanced and expandable I2C sensors. Motor control, h-bridges, etc are also covered in detail. Both the construction of the circuits, and the NXT code to run them, are covered. Code is provided in it's most basic form first, NXT-G, which every NXT user will be familiar with. Examples proceed to more complex compilers, such as NBC, for sensors or circuits that are better suited to those implementations.

The appendix provides complete source code listings, useful websites and links categorized by chapter. There is also a great tutorial on prototyping with breadboards and perfboard for the uninitiated. With this book, any skill level in electronics should be enough to do some cool things with the NXT kit.

This book will become a very useful addition to any hobby robotics library. For me, it will be the goto book for designing circuits to safely interface to the Lego NXT. Highly recommended!

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Best Available!, July 6, 2007

By 

Littlehorn "Christopher R. Smith" (Houston, Texas, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Extreme NXT: Extending the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to the Next Level (Technology in Action) (Paperback)

Reviewer J. Doubek, said it best - "I bought this book to get a better idea of how to safely interface my own circuits to the Lego Mindstorms NXT. In my opinion, you can't find a better book for this purpose."

And that is very true! I cannot add much more to his review... This book is the 'Make' book for the NXT. The authors have explained everything so any builder of any age or skill level can understand the processes. It teaches several techniques that can be developed into viable career skills. Including soldering, electronics knowledge and usage, and handy-tech projects that will also get one's mind flowing with other ideas. If you are a 'Maker' or tinkerer or would like to learn some inside knowledge of the NXT and how to build outside of the box you will find no better starter book.

Grab it, read it, and use it to expand your NXT knowledge!

Chris
MDP, MCP
USA - NASA

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book saved my robot, February 24, 2008

By 

J. Strout (Downers Grove, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Extreme NXT: Extending the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT to the Next Level (Technology in Action) (Paperback)

This book is excellent -- clear, detailed, and well-organized. And it always seems to have just the information I need.

To give a specific example: I was recently trying to prepare a robot for a local fire-fighting contest, and was counting on using a HiTechnic interface board to connect up one or more Sharp analog distance sensors. But the HiTechnic board didn't work for me, and the deadline was looming. I flipped through Extreme NXT, and there in Chapter 8 was the solution: a simple circuit for that does exactly what I need.

The NXT is a great robot controller, and this book effectively converts it from a closed to an open platform. I can't recommend it highly enough.