Getting started with your mBot – It’s not straightforward for a newbie!
So there are 4 methods of working with the mBot (maybe more but that’s what I’ve figured out so far!)
- Use the remote
- Program the remote
- Upload Arduino via mBlock and the USB cable
- Use mBlock and 2.4G wireless serial dongle or Bluetooth, and control the mBot from the keyboard on your computer
I have used number 4 so far. There isn’t much info out there for this way.
The kids started off with mBlock on the laptops, before they got to see the mBot’s. So I continued on in the same vein, so to speak. The reason being to keep some consistency as this is what they knew and we had time limits.
Prior to getting going you need to complete some steps, I will put up a pdf on those soon.
Then each time you open mBlock, there are 4 steps to connecting your mBot.
- Insert your dongle into the USB port on your computer
- Turn on the mBot via the on/off switch on the top of the mBot itself
- Go to Connect > Serial 4.5g > Connect
- Check the green light is on, this is seen in the top of the section under Robots
If your mBot is acting a bit wierd, you can always hit RESET, on the top to the rear near where you attach the USB cable.
Here is a link to where I have the first programs we used to get our mBots moving.
When you click the link above, you will be in GitHub where the programs are stored. In GitHub, click the green Clone or Download button and you can download the zip file for use in mBlock.
When you load them in mBlock, you will see some comments in the programs to help.