Build and Program Your Own LEGO Mindstorms EV3 Robots

3. Comparing the EV3 and NXT

You might have an NXT 2.0, or see one for sale on eBay. You might wonder whether you should upgrade or what you could do with your old NXT 2.0 now that you live in an EV3 world. Can you combine the two systems? This chapter answers those questions.

The Original MINDSTORMS

In 1998, LEGO released the first version of the LEGO MINDSTORMS, the RCX. It used a yellow programmable Brick that was compatible with both some Technic pieces and LEGO System pieces. The brick itself was somewhat less compatible with sensors, however, which used a different connection system.

Although current software doesn’t officially support RCX, you can use an older version of ROBOTC to program it, which you can download from www.robotc.net/download/rcx/ ...