Mindstorm Rig

Aug 16, 2013 by OneMindstorm

Originally designed by Leon Overweel, OneMindstorm modified the Mindstorm Rig to provide iPhone compatibility. The rig uses two motors, therefore the rig can tilt and pan in different angles.

The rig can be controlled using another Mindstorm. The remote control is quite simple and can easily control the rig without issues.

 

This rig performs extremely well, and we expect that future software on the upcoming Mindstorm Ev 3 would provide even more features, such as a direct bluetooth connection between the iPhone and the Mindstorm.

You may control this robot using NXT-G, Leon mentioned:

The tilting motor needs to run at 1/7th the speed in the same direction of the panning motor at all times to compensate for that so you can run the rig in one dimension without effecting the other (you can then increase/ decrease the speed to actually tilt).

Building and Programming Mindstorm Rig

We built this using the NXT 1.0 set, however additional pieces were needed.

1. 2X Double Angular Beam 3X7 45
2.  4X Cross Blok 3M
3. 2X 1/2 Bush
4. Cross Axle, Extension 2M (However this piece can be easily substituted with a small grey piece in the 1.0 set)
5. Sever Chain Links

Instructions can be found at Leon Overweel‘s site. However below we additionally have a LDD slightly modified along with building instructions for the remote, therefore the rig works properly with the iPhone. Several pieces aren’t correctly colored on the LDD. You’ll need Robot C in order to download the program onto the NXT.

• Rig (LDD) 1 / Rig (LDD) 2 
• Remote (LDD) 1 / Remote (LDD) 2

Connections on Rig:

• Pan (Port A)
• Tilt (Port C)

Connections on Remote:

• Right Motor (Port C)
• Left Motor (Port B)

For help and support, you may contact us or Leon Overweel the original creator of this robot.