Building plans

On this page you can find building instructions for models that I did not design myself. Visit this page to see my own models, presented in such a way that you should be able to copy them if you wish.

HERE are the building instructions for the RileyRover (see photo), a simple vehicle which we will use in class. The page has a link to download a PDF file with the instructions, if you wish.

HERE are the building plans for the 17 'official' Lego models that can be constructed with the Home version of the EV3 (but not with the Education version).

HERE is a PDF with the instructions for building the official Lego EV3 'driving base' or 'educator vehicle' as referred to in the Education version of the EV3 kit. On this page you can find instructions for building a version of the educator vehicle that can be made with the home (retail) version of the EV3 kit. HERE is a page on the robotsquare.com site with links to building plans for the EV3 and NXT.

This page shows dozens of interesting EV3 designs - I assume building instructions are available for many of them.

I like this very simple rover called Botticelli made by Yaya Lu who I assume is a student of Dr. Graeme. Botticelli really needs a third wheel which you can add by converting Botticelli into LucyBot.

The book Instant Lego Mindstorms EV3, has a nice model which is simpler, lower and wider than the RileyRover in the photo above. There are instructions for making it HERE.

HERE are instructions for a simple rover called the Harvester. Not so different from the Lego Driving Base or the RileyRover, it's certainly a simple design.

Here below are video instructions for making a VERY simple rover called GenBot:

BALANC3R (left) and Gyro Boy (right)

If you have the Home Edition of the EV3 and are willing to also buy a gyro sensor then visit this page for plans for making Balanc3r, a Segway-like robot that can balance on two wheels (left in the photo). If you have the Education Version of the EV3 then build Gyro Boy - one of the standard models for which instructions are provided with the Lego software or which can be downloaded HERE (right in the photo).

HERE are the building plans for the 'Ultimate Hill Climber' below, kindly offered by roboticengineering.nl.

The same site also kindly offers build instructions for the robotic arm demonstrated below. Many more build instructions for other models are available from this site.

Builderdude35 also has a robot arm (more precisely: a claw and lift mechanism), as seen below, but it seems the build instructions are only available in video form. Builderdude35 offers build instructions for other models HERE, especially robots designed to participate in First Lego League (FLL) competitions.

The instructions below are for the NXT rather than the EV3 but it should be possible to adapt them to make them work for the EV3.

thenxtstep.blogspot.be/p/building-instructions.html

Check out nxtprograms.com for more plans.

The section below refers to the Lego Digital Designer program (LDD) which is free to download HERE (be sure to get the latest version which is 4.3 or later since earlier version don't include the EV3 parts). Assuming you have 4.3 or later you can get the EV3 parts by choosing the Mindstorms theme and then clicking the 'Filter bricks by boxes' button at bottom left and then choosing the EV3 set that you have.

LDD is a CAD (Computer Aided Design) program that lets you assemble virtual Lego parts in a 3D environment that feels like Blender but which is much simpler. Once the model is built the program can generate a sequence of building instructions - everything looks smart but the program is far from perfect, with the building instructions often showing pieces floating in mid air, for example, or coming together in an impossible order. On my first attempt at using the program I made this model of the RileyRover (without its cables) in two or three hours. With a bit more experience it think it could be done in 30 minutes.

The format of LDD files is called LXF and some sites let you download files in this format. HERE is such a site and at the bottom of this page you can download my LXF file for the RileyRover. I couldn't put the worm gear into position because the program would not let me - maybe there is a trick I haven't learnt yet?