Beyond the Basics...

[simoncav]

Hi all,
My Kids and I have just the standard Mindstorms 2.0 8547 kit and have made all the models in the standard guide plus a few more in various books.

So my question is; Where do we go from here?

If we want to build more complex models, should we buy another 8547 box for the extra parts or should we just buy up various bits that appear on eBay, and if so, what parts should we look for?

Thanks in advance,

Simon Cavill

[tcwan]

You can try alternative sensors, there are several manufacturers, including HiTechnic http://www.hitechnic.com/.

LEGO Education sells a box of Technics parts to expand the NXT http://www.legoeducation.us/eng/product ... e_set/2214. However, I don't know if it is easy to obtain if you're not in an educational institution.

[dimasterooo]

What I would do (and what I did) was buy some really big technic sets (the yellow bulldozer, the black and red towtruck, etc.) and get most of my parts from there. They really have A LOT of stuff in them, and there's a lot of variety too.

[mattallen37]

You can try alternative sensors, there are several manufacturers, including HiTechnic

I agree here. There is a huge variety in sensors you can buy for the NXT. In addition to HiTechnic, several great companies are mindsensors and Dexter Industries. There are several other companies as well, but not that seem to specialize in NXT stuff.

Obviously what you will need depends on what you want to be able to do. Here are a couple of my favorite types of robots to make, with links to my choice of sensors:

NXT based RC vehicles. I highly recommend the PSP-Nx from mindsensors.
NXT segway type robots. The HT Gyro works well, but I prefer the dIMU (which has a 3 axis gyro, as well as a 3 axis accelerometer).

Extra parts is a very necessary thing for people who like to build. There are many ways to get parts, but some of the best ways are Technic sets, eBay, and Bricklink.

LEGO Education sells a box of Technics parts to expand the NXT. However, I don't know if it is easy to obtain if you're not in an educational institution.

That looks like a really good expansion set, and It's actually very easy to order (no harder than Lego Shop At Home).

I also totally agree with dimasterooo. I think I have around 25 technic sets (of which probably only 5-6 are "big"). That is a really great way to got lots of common parts, as well as some special parts.