LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Essential is the cross-curricular STEAM solution for elementary education. SPIKE Essential engages students in hands-on investigation of STEAM concepts while contributing to literacy, math, and social-emotional development. Standards-aligned STEAM learning units use everyday themes, relatable Minifigures with different personalities and familiar LEGO® building elements to solve problems through storytelling.
For the app, have the students use the web version at https://spike.legoeducation.com/essential/lobby/ not the app that is on their Chromebook taskbar (in apps) that was installed from the google Play Store. We could not get the Chromebook app to connect to the Lego hub. It connects great with the web version. There is no student login for the web version so we don't have to worry about student data privacy with the online version.
Spike has an internal battery that requires charging and can be charged via the supplied USB cable.
After setting up your Spike, we recommend charging your Spike for approximately 3 hours.
Connect the USB cable provided to the micro USB charging port on the bottom of your Spike.
Connect the other end of the USB cable to any device that can charge USB devices (e.g. computer, wall charger, etc). The LED indicator will flash white while charging.
The LED indicator will turn green when the Spike is fully charged. Disconnect the USB cable and store in a safe place.
All hubs come with the same default name, that has to be changed internally. Giving each Hub a unique name before using the robots is critical to differentiate between multiple Hubs (e.g., when using Bluetooth communication). Rename with only one hub turned on (or in proximity to your device) at a time to avoid connecting to multiple/wrong hubs. When connecting to a Hub that hasn't yet been renamed, the SPIKE App will automatically ask you to rename it. Be sure to also write the assigned name on the actual device/hub.
Ensure Bluetooth is enabled by your IT department.
Open the app on device and click the Connect button in the app. It will prompt you to press and release the button on the hub (one time).
The light should flash white.
The Spike hub will appear in the right side of the screen. Click connect.
A green check mark will show on your screen on the hub and the LED on the device should be blue solid.
To turn on the hub, press and release the button . To turn off, press and hold the button for 10 seconds.
The Light is flashing orange.
The Hub’s battery is running low. Connect the Hub to your device via the USB cable to begin charging the battery.
The Light is flashing red.
There’s an extended load on the Hub. Turn off the Hub and let it cool down for 15 minutes.
The Light is blue.
The Hub is connected to your device using BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy).
The Light is white.
The Hub is connected to your device using a USB cable.
The Light is flashing white.
The Hub is waiting to be connected.
The Light is flashing violet/green/blue.
The Hub OS has been updated, and it’s restarting.
Store the battery at 59-78° F and 20-70% RH (relative humidity). For long-term storage separate battery from hub.
Charge battery every 6 months (minimum).
If the hub isn’t going to be used for an extended period, we suggest charging the battery before storing it. Storing the hub with a drained battery is not recommended.