High-Tech LEGO Projects

Book description

High Tech LEGO® hijacks the MINDSTORMS EV3® revolution, showing you how to build creative technical inventions with practical applications. Youâ??ll learn to build a dynamic array of working devices for outdoor research, home security, spycraft, and more.

Among the bookâ??s 16 fascinating projects youâ??ll find a motion-activated animal cam, a Morse code transmitter, a laser security fence, a motion-sensing radar detector, an automated insect trapper, and a heat-seeking infrared cannon. Welcome to a whole new world of building!

Every project brings together science, mechanics, electronics, optics, and software to create complex instruments for studying and measuring the world around you, all while maintaining the playfulness of LEGO. Each easy-to-follow model combines illustrated instructions with step-by-step guidance on the engineering methods at play.

As you build, youâ??ll learn:

â?¢â??Illegalâ?� modding techniques (that may include drilling, cutting and soldering â?? Shh!)

â?¢Different ways to work with diode laser modules

â?¢Tricks for modifying EV3 sensors and motors

â?¢The joy of hacking LEGO light bricks to make a flickering fireplace

â?¢How to use MINDSTORMS to build your own contraptions!

Experiment on your own, and expand on your finished creations. Make a few adjustments so the Critter Cam triggers an alarm to scare away pests, or modify the Doppler radar to detect flammable gases. The possibilities are endless!

REQUIREMENTS: LEGO® MINDSTORMS® EV3 Home Edition � Windows Vista or higher � macOS 10.14 or earlier

Table of contents

  1. Cover Page
  2. Title Page
  3. Copyright Page
  4. about the author
  5. about the tech reviewer
  6. acknowledgments
  7. brief contents
  8. contents in detail
  9. introduction
    1. what is MINDSTORMS EV3?
    2. what is Technic?
    3. what you’ll need to build the projects in this book
    4. who this book is for
    5. who i am
    6. the projects
    7. online bonus projects
  10. 1 the motion-activated critter cam
    1. building the motion-activated critter cam
    2. using the motion-activated critter cam
    3. ideas for going further
    4. what you learned
  11. 2 the LEGO-compatible laser
    1. the diode laser module
    2. what you’ll need
    3. mounting the laser module
    4. powering the laser module
    5. securing the laser and wiring
    6. adding a cover to the laser structure
    7. what you learned
  12. 3 the laser security fence
    1. building the laser security fence
    2. writing the software
    3. using the laser security fence
    4. ideas for going further
    5. what you learned
  13. 4 Morse code transmitters
    1. what you’ll need
    2. building a manual message transmitter
    3. building an automated message transmitter
    4. what you learned
  14. 5 infrared message transmitters
    1. working with infrared light
    2. what you’ll need
    3. the covert Morse code transmitter
    4. infrared Morse code receiver
    5. what you learned
  15. 6 the automatic insect trapper
    1. building the automatic insect trapper
    2. writing the software
    3. connecting the automatic insect trapper
    4. using the automatic insect trapper
    5. what you learned
  16. 7 the motion-sensing radar
    1. building the motion-sensing radar
    2. writing the software
    3. using the motion-sensing radar
    4. ideas for going further
    5. what you learned
  17. 8 the tower of Eratosthenes
    1. understanding Eratosthenes’s discovery
    2. building the tower of Eratosthenes
    3. understanding the angle of the sun
    4. measuring with the tower of Eratosthenes
    5. ideas for going further
    6. what you learned
  18. 9 hacking LEGO light bricks
    1. what you’ll need
    2. changing the colors of LEGO light bricks
    3. performing infrared and UV light brick experiments
    4. building a light brick that remains on
    5. creating a light beam
    6. what you learned
  19. 10 the flickering fireplace
    1. what you’ll need
    2. programming the BlinkM
    3. holding the BlinkM
    4. powering the BlinkM
    5. finishing the fireplace
    6. ideas for going further
    7. what you learned
  20. 11 the laser light show
    1. what you’ll need
    2. front-surface mirrors
    3. the law of reflection
    4. building the laser light show
    5. building the EV3 Intelligent Brick mount
    6. writing the software
    7. using the laser light show
    8. ideas for going further
    9. what you learned
  21. 12 the infrared thermometer and cannon
    1. working with infrared radiation
    2. what you’ll need
    3. the remote sensing thermometer
    4. the heat-seeking cannon
    5. what you learned
  22. index

Product information

  • Title: High-Tech LEGO Projects
  • Author(s): Grady Koch
  • Release date: December 2020
  • Publisher(s): No Starch Press
  • ISBN: 9781718500259