Rhodes LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT ZOO! User manual

THE LEGO®
MINDSTORMS®NXT
ZOO!
an unofficial, kid-friendly guide to building
robotic animals with LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT
fay rhodes

5
spiderbot: an NXT spider
Spiderbot is a walking eight-legged spider that avoids objects, turns, and runs in forward or reverse.
Figure 5-1: Spiderbot!
The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!

building spiderbot
The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!

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2
The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
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4

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
Place two beams on the long pins at the bottom.
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6

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
7
flip!
8

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
Place two beams on the long pins at the bottom.
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10

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
Attach #7 axles to the motors.
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12
flip!
bottom view

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
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14
flip!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
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16

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
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18
flip!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
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20

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
Note that the pins are placed differently on this side than the other side.
N O T E These pictures are only a guide. You might need to rearrange the place-
ment of these pieces on your robot to get smooth motion.
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22
flip!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
23

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
In step 24, insert an axle pin (any color) at the end of the beam. Turn it at a
right angle to slide it through the supporting “shoulder” beam. The pin will keep the
beam from coming out of the shoulder piece.
24

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
Insert an axle pin (any color) at the end of the beam. Turn it at a right angle
to slide it through the supporting “shoulder” beam. The pin will keep the beam from
coming out of the shoulder piece.
pause now to test your robot’s legs
Now is the best time to test Spiderbot’s legs. Turn the spider on its back and remove
the driving gears (the small gears on the motor axles). Now you can spin all the gears
both ways to discover problem areas and make adjustments. When all the legs and
gears move freely, reinsert the driving gears and move on to the next step.
N O T E Keep in mind that you might need to change the placement of the legs to
find the best arrangement for your robot.
25
flip!

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
26

The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT Zoo! © Fay Rhodes, isbn 978-1-59327-170-1. Available at fine bookstores everywhere!
Step 28 shows you where these parts will go. Wait to assemble them with the
Ultrasonic Sensor in the next step.
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