An output light has endless possibilities. Small LED lights are everywhere on computers, appliances, stereos, TV remotes, and more. They are often used as an alert that an object is running or something is going wrong. Building an output light for a MINDSTORMS kit will allow an even wider range of lessons or projects to become more realistic.
Parts:
LED (looks
like a small light bulb), Resistor, 2x2
LEGO® Brick,
Tools:
Wire Cutters, Solder, Soldering Iron, Exacto Knife, LEGO®
Cutting
Guide, Pliers,
Glue, Helping Hands, RCX
(LEGO®
cutting guide is made up of 2 '2x4 plates' & 2 '1x2 plates')
Steps:
·
One
group will need to turn off their computer’s monitor and unplug it (this is
not true for all sets of tables).
· Put the soldering iron stand together by unscrewing the wing nut and attaching the metal coil holder.
·
Plug
the soldering iron in where the monitor plug was located --- BE CAREFUL
the soldering iron will start to become hot immediately).
·
Wet
the small sponge and place it on the soldering iron stand.
1.
Need: LEGO®
Cutting Guide, Exacto Knife,
Metal Plate
*This step involves cutting the LEGO®
metal plate to size to allow for a perfect fit on the 2x2 LEGO®
brick.
·
Place the metal plate inside the cutting guide so that on one side a 2x2
plate is sticking out.
·
Cut the 2x2 amount off the rest of the plate.
Using the guide allows us to have a perfectly cut plate.
·
Set this piece aside for later use.
2.
Need: 2x2
LEGO®
Brick, Cutters, Pliers
*This
step involves removing the cylinder from the inside of the LEGO®
brick. This will create space in
which to place the wires.
·
A hole should have already been drilled in your 2x2 LEGO®
brick. If there is not already a hole, ask a lab assistant to drill a hole into
the LEGO®
brick.
·
If you
look at the bottom of the LEGO®
brick you will see a cylinder inside of the
brick.
Take the cutters and clip slits around the cylinder.
Use a pair of pliers to pull out the cut sections.
3.
Need: cutters, homemade 2x2 LEGO®
metal plate
*This
step involves making room to place the wires onto the metal plate.
·
If you look at the bottom of the metal plate, you can see that the metal
plate is split into two sections. This
is to make sure that one wire receives voltage and the other receives ground.
·
Take the metal plate and, with the cutters, peal back the plastic on the metal
bump and
trim it away. Make sure that you removed enough plastic so that some metal
shows. Cut off the excess plastic.
·
Do this again on the bump that is diagonal from the one you just did.
4.
Need:
LED, resistor, solder, soldering iron
*This
step involves soldering the resistor and LED together
·
FOR
THIS STEP YOU MUST WEAR THE GOGGLES!
·
You may need to trim your wires before soldering.
·
You may want to place the resistor in one helping hand and the LED in the
other. They will get hot.
·
Place the wires so that they are touching.
Heat up one wire with the soldering iron and put some solder on the wire;
this should cause the solder to bond the wires together.
·
You do not need to use very much solder.
5.
Need:
enhanced 2x2 brick, LED/resistor
*This step involves placing
the LED/resistor inside the brick.
·
Place
the LED/resistor wires through the precut hole in your 2x2 brick.
·
Make sure that the resistor has made it through the hole, and is inside
the LEGO®
brick.
·
The LED should be completely
up against the brick. Also make
sure that the wires are spread apart (not touching).
6.
Need: solder, soldering
iron, enhanced brick, metal plate, helping hands
*This step involves soldering everything together.
·
FOR
THIS STEP YOU MUST WEAR THE GOGGLES!
·
For the following steps you may want to use the helping hands by placing
the brick in one and the metal plate in the other.
·
Place one wire on a bump that has the metal showing and the other wire on
the other metal-showing bump.
·
When placing the wires, make sure that the cut edge of the metal plate
lines up with the face of the LEGO®
brick that the LED is on.
·
You may need to trim your wires before soldering so that they fit inside
of the brick.
·
Solder the wires to their corresponding metal bump.
Heat up the wire or the metal bump (be careful not to melt the LEGO®)
with the soldering iron and put some solder on the wire; this should cause the
solder to melt, binding the wire to the metal bump.
·
You do not need to use very much solder.
·
Be careful not get the solder anywhere but the bump, or you will not be
able to close your sensor.
·
Once you are finished with the soldering iron wipe it off on the wet sponge
and unplug it.
·
Plug the monitor back in.
7.
Need:
RCX, The Almost Finished LEGO®
Sensor, glue
*This step involves testing the sensor to see if it works.
·
Before gluing your sensor together, test it.
It is very important that we test each sensor.
·
Remember the bottom of the metal plate is split into two, so you need to
make sure the LED is facing the same direction as the infrared port.
This allows the sensor to receive ground and voltage correctly.
·
In order to test the sensor you need to turn the output light on by
programming the input port as a sensor that requires voltage, such as a light
sensor. By using this method the
output light will always be on.
SetSensor(SENSOR_1,SENSOR_LIGHT);
·
Another way the output light can be used is as a motor.
OnFwd(OUT_A); //turns the light on
Off(OUT_A);
//turns the light off
·
Don’t forget to run the program to change the sensor type.
·
Once the wires are in place and everything works okay, close the sensor
and apply some glue.
You
have now finished your sensor, CONGRATULATIONS!