4 ms·

Makers, does EV3 offer any significant advantage in the world of ARM dev boards? When I was kid, I always wanted a mindstorm but couldn't afford one; now I can

Makers, does EV3 offer any significant advantage in the world of ARM dev boards? When I was kid, I always wanted a mindstorm but couldn't afford one; now I can afford it but not sure whether it's worth the time for serious tinkering. I understand that the brick interfaces and bootable OS from sd card makes EV3 special. The LeJOS from OP looks interesting, the community has worked hard to support java for these devices; probably because Java was very hot during late 90's. Now that EV3 is capable of running full fledged linux, python scene with mindstorm seems to be picking up as well.

wslh 9y ago
I think the EV3 removes the need to understand electronics at the expense of offering few and more expensive motor and sensor options. It also make it easier to build mechanical functionality using the Lego pieces. It is good for educational purpose where you want to "quickly" illustrate concepts.
- Nullabillity 9y ago
  Also, it's very easy to make prototype "cases" using Lego, without having access to expensive special equipment like 3D printers. For example, see all the various Lego CD changers on YouTube, such as [1]. Someone even managed to make a Lego pick-and-place machine![2] [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7mzVTIYmXk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7mzVTIYmXk [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4neo4fRw2M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4neo4fRw2M
yardie 9y ago
I bought a EV3 Kit just the week before. I've wanted one for a long time but could never justify the price. One came up on CL for less than retail ($350) so I went for it and I've been pleased so far. The Technics/Mindstorm community is really deep at this point. Mindstorms have been out for over 15 years and there have been lots of customizations and hacks in that time.
blacksmith_tb 9y ago
There's a middle way, too[1] - I am tempted, as my son was just given a mostly-complete Mindstorms NXT (the previous generation), with a somewhat-flaky 'brick'. 1: http://www.mindsensors.com/stem-with-robotics/13-pistorms-v2-base-kit-raspberry-pi-brain-for-lego-robot http://www.mindsensors.com/stem-with-robotics/13-pistorms-v2...

wslh 9y ago

I think the EV3 removes the need to understand electronics at the expense of offering few and more expensive motor and sensor options. It also make it easier to build mechanical functionality using the Lego pieces. It is good for educational purpose where you want to "quickly" illustrate concepts.

Nullabillity 9y ago
Also, it's very easy to make prototype "cases" using Lego, without having access to expensive special equipment like 3D printers. For example, see all the various Lego CD changers on YouTube, such as [1]. Someone even managed to make a Lego pick-and-place machine![2] [1]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7mzVTIYmXk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7mzVTIYmXk [2]: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4neo4fRw2M https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y4neo4fRw2M

yardie 9y ago

I bought a EV3 Kit just the week before. I've wanted one for a long time but could never justify the price. One came up on CL for less than retail ($350) so I went for it and I've been pleased so far. The Technics/Mindstorm community is really deep at this point. Mindstorms have been out for over 15 years and there have been lots of customizations and hacks in that time.

blacksmith_tb 9y ago

There's a middle way, too[1] - I am tempted, as my son was just given a mostly-complete Mindstorms NXT (the previous generation), with a somewhat-flaky 'brick'. 1: http://www.mindsensors.com/stem-with-robotics/13-pistorms-v2-base-kit-raspberry-pi-brain-for-lego-robot http://www.mindsensors.com/stem-with-robotics/13-pistorms-v2...