Designing For FLL With Lego - Hints and Tips - 2017

Designing for FLL
with Lego Mindstorms

Hints and Tips
Presented by:
Sharon Youth Robotics Association
sharonrobotics.org
We acknowledge the efforts and copyrights of FIRST,
LEGO Education and LEGO with regards to the contents
of this workshop. Without their generosity, the FIRST
LEGO League would not exist!
Introduction
 FLL season basics

 LEGO Mindstorms system basics
 LEGO Mindstorms chassis design
 LEGO Mindstorms navigation issues
 LEGO Mindstorms manipulator design
 Questions & Wrap-up
 Coding is beyond the scope of this workshop
2017/18 Building for FLL with LEGO - Hints and Tips Workshop
FLL Challenges
 Each fall, a new themed challenge

 2017 FLL challenge : Hydro Dynamics
 Past challenges
 2016 - Animal Allies
 2014 – World Class
 2013 – Nature’s Fury
 2012 – Senior Solutions
 2011 – Food Factor
 2010 – Body Forward
 2009 – Smart Move
 2008 – Climate Connections
 2007 – Power Puzzle
 2006 – Nano Quest
 2005 – Ocean Odyssey
 2004 – No Limits
 2003 - Mission Mars
 2002 – City Sights
 2001 – Arctic Impact
 2000 – Volcanic Panic
 1999 – First Contact
FLL Challenges
 Challenges include a series of robotic missions

 Carried out on a custom mat on top of a 4 x 8’ playing
table, bordered by 2"x3" board borders
 Read all FLL Challenge documentation thoroughly!
 Usually 8+ individual missions
 Missions goals scored by object positions at end of 2.5
minute competition round
 Technical presentation about the teams approach to the
challenge and their robot
 Research Project presentation, as assigned
 Core Values, as presented and/or demonstrated
2016 FLL Accounting
 Team Registration - $225.00 for 2017 season

 http://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll/cost-and-
registration
 Hydro Dynamics Field setup kit - $75.00
 Basic LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit - $439
 Can use retail or educational kit, reuse each season
 Useful, not required
 Extra EV3 DC battery – $84.95
 EV3 Gyro sensor – $29.95
 EV3 Large Servo Motor - $26.95
 EV3 Medium Servo Motor - $19.95
 EV3 various duplicate sensors – 23.95 and up
 Each tournament will have a team registration fee
LEGO Mindstorms EV3 kit
 The home and education versions are somewhat different

 Both versions include:
 1 Intelligent EV3 Brick
 2 large and 1 medium servo motors
 7 connection cables of various lengths
 500+ LEGO elements
 EV3 programming software
 1 USB computer to EV3 Brick cable
 Home version includes:
 1 touch, 1 color and 1 infrared sensors, plus infrared remote
 Education version includes:
 2 touch, 1 color, 1 ultrasonic and 1 gyro sensors
 1 rechargeable battery and charger
Can order education version at team registration
LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 kit
 This essential and reusable core set is the recommended

package for teams who are newcomers to FIRST® LEGO® League.
 NXT/G Software
 1 Intelligent NXT Brick
 3 Interactive servo motors (rotation sensor built in)
 2 touch, 1 sound, 1 light and 1 ultrasonic Sensors
 1 USB computer to Brick cable
 7 connection cables of various lengths
 500+ LEGO elements
 Recommended additions
 2 rechargeable DC batteries
 1 DC battery charger
Useful Building Resources
 Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms NXT

 David Astolfo, Mario Ferrari, Guilio Ferrari
 Great overall reference for LEGO robotics
 Winning Design! LEGO Mindstorms NXT
 Winning Design! Lego Mindstorms EV3
 James J. Trobaugh
 More specific to addressing challenges
 https://www.firstinspires.org/robotics/fll
 https://techbrick.com/fll-resources/fll2017
 www.sharonrobotics.org – links and resources
 Many LEGO and FLL web resources available
 Use Google keyword searches
Recommended “Textbooks” for our teams
 These books have guided this presentation

 Winning Design! LEGO Mindstorms NXT
 Winning Design! Lego Mindstorms EV3
 Author - James J. Trobaugh
 Experienced FLL coach from Georgia
 Book oriented to FLL activities
These books are

recommended
solely on their
merits – SYRA has
no financial interest.
LEGO Mindstorms components allowed
 LEGO electrical parts limited to :

 One EV3, NXT or RCX microcontroller
 Only 4 motors!
 Total quantity brought to the competition table!
 Cannot add in extra motors in detachable modules!
 We really mean it!
 Also, no pull-back mechanical motors
 Any number of LEGO-manufactured sensors
 Touch, light, color and ultrasonic sensors
 LEGO cables allowed as needed
 All LEGO non-electric components are allowed
 In any quantity – BrickLink Marketplace is a source
 LEGO pneumatics are allowed
NXT Brick, motors & sensors
 NXT (NeXT)
 4 Sensor inputs (plus rotation sensors on motors)
 3 Motor outputs
 LCD and control buttons
 Sensors
 Touch
 Light
 Sound
 Ultrasonic
 Motors
EV3 Brick, motors & sensors
 EV3 (3rd Evolution)

 4 Sensor inputs (plus rotation sensors on motors)
 4 Motor outputs
 LCD and control buttons
 Sensors
 Touch
 Color
 Gyroscopic
 Ultrasonic
 Motors
 Large & Medium
Robot systems block diagram
 Chassis
 Computer
(microcontroller)
 Motors
 Power
 Sensors
 Communications
and control
Robot systems – EV3 Controller
 Sensor ports - four input ports to

attach sensors - 1, 2, 3 & 4.
 Motor ports - 4 output ports to
attach motors - A, B, C & D
 USB port – for code loading
 EV3 Buttons
Orange button : On/Enter /Run
Light grey arrows: Used to move
left & right in the NXT menu Specifications
Dark grey button: Clear/Go back 32-bit ARM9 microcontroller
16 Mbytes FLASH, 64 Mbytes RAM
 LEGO attachment points Bluetooth wireless (V2. DER)
USB 2.0 port, 489 Mbits/sec
Supports WiFi dongle
 Loudspeaker 4 input ports, 6-wire cable digital
4 output ports, 6-wire cable digital
178 x 128 pixel LCD graphical display
Micro-SD card reader (32 GB max)
Power source: 6 AA batteries or LiIon
Robot systems – NXT Controller
 Sensor ports - four input ports to

attach sensors - 1, 2, 3 & 4.
 Motor ports - 3 output ports to
attach motors - A, B & C
 USB port – for code loading
 NXT Buttons
Orange button : On/Enter /Run
Light grey arrows: Used to move
left & right in the NXT menu Specifications
Dark grey button: Clear/Go back 32-bit ARM7 microcontroller
256 Kbytes FLASH, 64 Kbytes RAM
 LEGO attachment points 8-bit AVR microcontroller
4 Kbytes FLASH, 512 Byte RAM
Bluetooth wireless (Class II V2.0)
 Loudspeaker USB full speed port (12 Mbit/s)
4 input ports, 6-wire cable digital
3 output ports, 6-wire cable digital
100 x 64 pixel LCD graphical display
Loudspeaker - 8 kHz sound quality.
Power source: 6 AA batteries
Robot systems – NXT motors
 Your robot is able to move

using up to 3 servo
motors.
 Rotation ~ 170 rpm, 20
N/cm
 NXT servo motors have an
integrated rotation sensor
 Two motors can be
synchronized so that your
robot will move in a
straight line
Robot systems – EV3 motors
 Your robot is able to move

using up to 4 servo motors.
 Rotation ~
 Large 160 rpm, 20 N/cm;
axle to either side
 Medium 240 rpm, 8 N/cm;
axle to front
 EV3 servo motors have an
integrated rotation sensor
 Two motors can be
synchronized so that your
robot will move in a straight
line
Robot systems – NXT & EV3 power
 Batteries are placed inside of the NXT microcontroller

 Flash memory – programs not lost when battery removed
 6 AA cells or 1 Lithium Ion rechargeable battery
 Two different battery packs, AC or DC charger
Robot systems – NXT sensors
 Sensors are used to provide Light

information about the environment
to the microcontroller
 Light sensor – used for line tracking, a
color with filter
Touch
 Touch sensor – used to sense collisions
 Ultrasonic sensor – sense proximity
(distance without touching)
 Color sensor – sense colors, line
tracking
Color
Ultrasonic
Robot systems – EV3 sensors
 EV3 sensors are similar to NXT

 Touch sensor – used to sense contact Touch
 Color sensor – used to sense colors and
track lines
 Gyroscopic sensor – used to estimate
robot motion
Color
 Ultrasonic sensor – used to sense
proximity (distance without touching)
 Infrared sensor – used for homing on
beacons and remote control
Gyro
Infrared Ultrasonic
Bricks & Beams
 Standard LEGOs – bricks, hold together by friction only

 LEGO Technics – standard beams, hold together by
friction and/or pins
 LEGO Technics – studless beams, hold together by pins
Liftarms & Pins
 Studless beams also

come in “bent” shapes
 Some connectors are
crossed for axles,
others round
 Pins are different
lengths & tightness –
the light grey ones will
rotate in the holes
Axles & Angle Connectors
 Axles can be used for more

than just connecting
wheels.
 With angle connectors, light
frameworks can be built
Gears & Drive Trains
 Gears are designated by # of teeth

 Motor speed starts at ~ 125 rpm
 Smallest (8t) & largest (40t) give a 5 to 1 ratio
 Gearing down (small to large) increases torque (power) and
decreases speed
 Gearing up (large to small) decreases torque and increases
speed
Spur Gears
40 24 16 8
Technic Gears
 Spur gears
 8t, 16t, 24t, 40t
 Crown gear
 Double bevel gears
 Single bevel gears
 Worm gear
 Clutch gear
Technic Gear trains
 Gear up/gear down

 Up for speed
 Down for torque
 Idler gears
 Only first and last gear
affect ratios
 Single stage gearing
 Ratio between # of teeth
 Multi stage gearing
 Multiplicative
 3:1 plus 3:1 becomes 9:1
Worm Gears, Bevel Gears & Pulleys
 Worm gear w/gear rack –

equivalent of 1st gear
 High torque
 Difficult to back drive!
 Crown & Bevel gears
 Use to change angle of
rotation (90°)  Pulleys bridge distance
 Low torque capacity (bands slip)
LEGO Wheels
 Avoid tracks
 Low friction/high slippage
 Motion/turns not easily reproducible
 Large wheels go farther per revolution
 Friction varies with different tires
 Consider how well they pivot for turns, as well as straight
forward motion
 Wheel-axle support
 More support – less wiggle/sag
 Support from both sides is best
Wheel Stability
1. Not Stable
3. More Stable
2. Stable 4. Most Stable
Robot Design and Construction
 Planning – what does the team want to achieve and

how will they achieve it? Let the kids do it!
 Design iteration
 Brainstorm (what to build)
 Design (how to build it)
 Build it!
 Test it!
 Repeat until it’s perfect (or good enough)
 Trade-offs: Good, Quick, Cheap – pick two (at most)!
 Quality – Schedule – Budget
Robot Design Considerations
 Size – navigate obstacles on board, motor power

 Ruggedness – maintain structural integrity
 Center of Gravity – avoid tipping with slopes, sharp
turns or stops, or in collisions
 Chassis style
 2 wheel
 Balancing skid is usually fine if no ramps to climb
 3 wheel
 Caster wheel can change robot course (supermarket carts)
 4 wheel
 Usually one pair is without tires to slide while pivoting)
 6 wheel
 Larger than most FLL robots, consider size of the base
General Robot Chassis Design
 The chassis (body) of the

robot is built using LEGO
Technic components.
 It should be stable and
rugged, so it does not fall
apart under use.
 Remember – after it is built,
you still need to get to the
battery compartment on the
bottom of the
microcontroller.
General Robot Chassis Design
 Two basic designs (many that are more complex)

 Differential Drive
 “Tank-like” steering, one motor connected to each side
 Powerful, easy to turn in place
 Can be a challenge to go straight
 Steering Drive
 “Car-like” steering, one motor to drive a pair of wheels,
another motor to steer
 Less power (steering motor doesn’t add drive power), hard to
turn in place
 Not often used in competition
Robot systems – NXT motors
 Each motor has a built-in Rotation

Sensor to control the robot’s
movements precisely. Rotations
are measured in degrees or
rotations [+/- one degree].
 1 rotation = 360 degrees, if you
set a motor to turn 180 degrees,
it will make half a turn.
 Slack in the internal gear-train
makes precise movements difficult
to reproduce exactly
 The built-in Rotation Sensor in
each motor also lets you set
different speeds for your motors
[set different power parameters in
software].
Robot Chassis Design
Differential Drive - dual wheel pivot
Robot Chassis Design
Differential Drive - single wheel pivot
Navigation – Design Issues
 Wheelbase – narrow turns easily, wide goes straighter

 Like fighter jets, stability is less maneuverable
 Weight – heavy yields less tire slip
 Weight placement affects balance, ability to turn
 Wheel support – flexing of axles makes erratic motion
 Support from both sides, if possible
 Batteries – constant power levels are key
 Replacement batteries are important
 Match motors for performance
 Build jig to compare rotation speeds
 Works best if you have many motors to choose from
Navigation – Design Issues
 Wall following
 Horizontal guide wheels, approach wall at shallow angle
 Line following
 Use the light generated by the light sensor itself
 For greatest accuracy, box light sensors to eliminate (as
much as possible) ambient light
 Calibration can help to reduce the effect of changes in
external lighting, but is hard to eliminate
 Light sensors tend to hunt – pivoting on one wheel (instead
of two) tends to be less jittery and make faster progress
 Take advantage of knowing the proper course for the
mission – not a general-purpose line follower
Navigation - Design Issues
 Uncalibrated light ranges from ~30 to ~70, 50 is a good

center of the midrange
 Look for a range, look for < & >, not equal to a single value
 Single light sensor line following
 Following a grey value between the black line and the
white border
 Dual light sensor line following
 One follows the black line, the other follows the white
border
 Triple light sensor line following
 The middle one follows the black line, the outer ones
follow the white borders
Navigation - Design Issues
 Reorientation after turns

 Squaring against walls can restore a known angle
 Push for a time, or use twin touch sensors
 Contact surface of robot and wall must be smooth
 Movement to a fixed point should be careful not to base only on
rotations – a timer can save the robot from never arriving at the
final distance value
 Dual light sensors can be used to align along a line on the mat
 Arrival
 Touch sensors can detect impact
 Ultrasonic sensor can detect an approach without contact
 Successful designs tend to use a combination of movement
controlled by rotations and timers and sensor-based movement
Demo robot from “Winning Design” book
used for examples
Demo robot enhancement
 Adding an attachment connection

 Snap-on or slip-on
 Use long black friction pins 0
 They don’t pull out easily when the
attachment is removed
Demo robot enhancement
 Adding a third motor on reverse end

 Snap-on / snap-off
 Cable to motor port A
Robot Manipulator Design - no motors
 Simple pusher design – “bulldozer”

 Flat surface
 Snap-on or slide-on
 Move game elements independently or in a container
Robot Manipulator Design - no motors
 Simple plow design –

“cowcatcher”
 Angled surfaces
 Snap-on or slide-on
 Move game elements out
of robot’s path
Robot Manipulator Design – motors optional
 Fork and Hook

attachments
 Can be combined with
power assist
 to lift or sweep
Robot Manipulator Design – motors optional
 Object trap
 Box opens only inward
 Capture objects to return
to base
Robot Manipulator Design - with motors
 Only four motors

allowed in FLL
 Two are used for
propulsion
 Additional motors can be
attached to chassis or to
attachments themselves
 If on the chassis,
attachments would be
designed to connect to
the fixed motor
 NXT controller has only 3
motor ports, EV3 has 4
 Carabineer arm
 Passive clip open/close
 Spring or band tensioned
 Principle can be used for grabbers. etc.
 Powered arm to raise/lower
attach to motor
with axle
 Lifting hook attachment

 Vertical pivot from
attached motor
 Similar design could
pivot horizontally as a
grabber
 Forklift attachment
 Uses worm gear, resists being back-driven
 Gearing is often used in powered attachments
 Can provide extra torque or slower motion
 Simultaneous motion (grabber arms coming together)
 Can redirect angle of motion
Testing FLL Robots
 Test robots in mission environment

 Table/mat/mission objects
 Properly oriented and secured
 Time missions
 Speed is important, but consistency is even more critical
 Only 2.5 minutes total, include in-base time
 Modify design one change at a time
 Too many variables can confuse issues
 Don’t change code before you verify battery strength
 Weak batteries cause performance issues
Practicing with FLL Robots
 Practice in mission environment

 At first, just the individual mission
 Then, in combination with others
 Time in base for change-over is critical
 Best to practice in assigned pairs
 Plan for contingencies
 When to grab robot and try again (or move on)
 One of pair can follow robot down-field (quick grabs)
 Alternate plan in case of difficulties
 Murphy’s Law (and its many corollaries)
 Whatever can go wrong will go wrong, and at the
worst possible time, in the worst possible way
 Murphy was an optimist!
Questions & Wrap-up
 Resources linked at our Sharon Youth

Robotics Association website
 Including this presentation
sharonrobotics.org/resources.html

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Designing for FLL

with Lego Mindstorms

 FLL season basics

 Coding is beyond the scope of this workshop

 Each fall, a new themed challenge

 Challenges include a series of robotic missions

 Team Registration - $225.00 for 2017 season

 The home and education versions are somewhat different

Can order education version at team registration

 This essential and reusable core set is the recommended

 Building Robots with LEGO Mindstorms NXT

 These books have guided this presentation

These books are

 LEGO electrical parts limited to :

 EV3 (3rd Evolution)

 Sensor ports - four input ports to

 Sensor ports - four input ports to

 Your robot is able to move

 Your robot is able to move

 Batteries are placed inside of the NXT microcontroller

 Sensors are used to provide Light

 EV3 sensors are similar to NXT

 Standard LEGOs – bricks, hold together by friction only

 Studless beams also

 Axles can be used for more

 Gears are designated by # of teeth

 Gear up/gear down

 Worm gear w/gear rack –

2. Stable 4. Most Stable

 Planning – what does the team want to achieve and

 Size – navigate obstacles on board, motor power

 The chassis (body) of the

 Two basic designs (many that are more complex)

 Each motor has a built-in Rotation

 Wheelbase – narrow turns easily, wide goes straighter

 Uncalibrated light ranges from ~30 to ~70, 50 is a good

 Reorientation after turns

 Adding an attachment connection

 Adding a third motor on reverse end

 Simple pusher design – “bulldozer”

 Simple plow design –

 Fork and Hook

 Only four motors

 Lifting hook attachment

 Test robots in mission environment

 Practice in mission environment

 Resources linked at our Sharon Youth

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