Mindstorms EV3, am I missing something?

[Michael Butts]

Hello,

In late 2016, I got a Mindstorms 31313 kit that I had to put on the shelf (children, work, night school, etc.).  Kids are now all grown up and have left home, I'm retiring in about 9 months, and I have finished my degrees.  It took me about two months of searching the house to locate the Mindstorms container.

After an initial Internet search, I was a bit disappointed.

• Oh, no! It was discontinued years ago!
• Searching for "what can you do with Mindstorms" results in unimpressive official Lego videos with young children driving robots with a cell phone
• No more Labview software

Where is a good source for someone like me, a newbie that expected to build something a bit more complex than a model that I can move using a crude IR remote?

Thanks!

 

 

 

 

Edited April 5, 2024 by Michael Butts
Remove of unintended file attachment

[vascolp]

You could try pybricks 

[Toastie]

2 hours ago, vascolp said:

You could try pybricks 

Sure, that will work!

BUT: Why not installing the full TLG EV3 software suite and have fun??? Just because some newbies or whatever that generation is called, call it old, outdated, whatever? These folks have certainly missed out I am a true boomer - and for me, an EV3 is a performance monster, hardly being challenged by many to the extent that it chokes or fails. There are some here on EB and maybe elsewhere (I am not elsewhere, so correct me if I am wrong) who came to that barrier, but mostly it is: "There is more. There is always more." as in PUp, Spike and Prime. Who cares? Do your EV3 experience. Enjoy it.  

Just get out the original software - it installs on modern computer hardware. Then play around. Once you feel that what TLG has provided is not enough - dive into alternatives, like pybricks. Make sure you have ideas for what you want to do with the EV3 power brick first. Then go nuts.

Have fun and all the best,
Thorsten

[dr_spock]

You could try ev3dev.  It boots off a micro SD card. It doesn't alter the EV3 firmware. You can still boot the original EV3 firmware and the original EV3 software will still work with it.

https://www.ev3dev.org/

[2GodBDGlory]

Yeah, you can definitely go deep with Mindstorms! The stock programming interface should be good if you prefer block-based programming, while the ev3dev/Pybricks (I think they're the same thing) is better for text-based programming (Python).

One other thing you could look at is the multitude of books on the topic--here's a quick search I did with lots of options available! https://www.amazon.com/s?k=minstorms+ev3+idea+book&crid=8L84OPXY76PD&sprefix=minstorms+ev3+idea+book%2Caps%2C165&ref=nb_sb_noss

I definitely wouldn't worry about it being obsolete or unsupported--I set my EV3 up this year, and it seems to be the strongest all-around Mindstorms generation of them all!

[ninoguba]

Shameless plug 😏 if you want to be something complex…

This MOC is a bit old now but still interestingly relevant.  I’ll be revisiting the design and programming soon to make improvements.

 

Other recommendation I have for you are the EV3 mocs of Antons Mindstorms https://www.antonsmindstorms.com/product-category/digital-downloads2/. 

Another recommendation is Dimi’s EV3 creations, you can check it out here - https://youtube.com/@DimitriDekyvere?feature=shared

[hollielucas]

Hi. Do not give up on the EV3, it is closer to a small computer than a (simple) motor controller. Just because it is "unsupported" does not mean it will not work (the Amstrad 464 has been unsupported for decades, but it still works).

I can't get on with block programming and did not use my EV3 for a long time, then I discovered ev3basic - a set of functions for the much derided BASIC language, and, joy of joys, it supported threading. Ok ev3basic is now officially unsupported, but my EV3 does not seem to know as it runs all its programms like a dream. Pybricks is very good and uses the "more modern" Python language, but does not handle theading - essential in my view for sensor monitoring. Interrupts should be possible but require a deeper knowledge of computing.

Try drag and drop blocks, and Pybricks, and ev3basic, them persevere with your choice (that's YOUR choice, not the naysayers and outdaters and unsupproters choice). The joy of pressing the start button and seeing your creation come to life through your programming is a wonderful thing.

[Michael Butts]

Thanks everyone for the replies.  I was doing my usual overthinking and just needed a nudge to get moving.  I've downloaded EV3 Home and I'll give that a try.

I'll also take a look around at the links posted.

[Malek83]

14 hours ago, Michael Butts said:

Thanks everyone for the replies.  I was doing my usual overthinking and just needed a nudge to get moving.  I've downloaded EV3 Home and I'll give that a try.

I'll also take a look around at the links posted.

Hello Michael,

I am also planning to dust off my Mindstorms EV3 set which sits safe in the closet for a very, very long time...longer than it should be.

So You are not alone with EV3 :-)

Have a nice day :-)

[Pybricks]

> I've downloaded EV3 Home and I'll give that a try.

Since you've found the original software now, you could also get one of several books about EV3, which have tons of fun activities and things to learn. I wrote the EV3 Discovery Book, but there are plenty of others too :)