Title: Book Review: Learning LEGO Mindstorms EV3
Slug: Book-Review-Learning-LEGO-Mindstorms-EV3
Date: 2015-02-05 00:37:27
Author: Kartones
Lang: en
Tags: Reviews, Books, Robotics
og_image: https://images.kartones.net/posts/screenshots/book_learning_lego_mindstorms_ev3.jpg
Description: A review of the book 'Learning LEGO Mindstorms EV3', by Gary Garber.

<p>Note: I've been <a href="https://portfolio.kartones.net/content/packt_learning_lego_mindstorms_ev3_book.jpg">one of the technical reviewers</a> which finally has been published. This means that I also got a free evaluation copy provided by the publisher.</p>

<h3>Review</h3>

<p><img alt="Learning LEGO Mindstorms EV3 book cover" src="https://images.kartones.net/posts/screenshots/book_learning_lego_mindstorms_ev3.jpg"></p>
<p><b>Title</b>: <a href="https://www.packtpub.com/hardware-and-creative/learning-lego-mindstorms-ev3" rel="nofollow">Learning LEGO Mindstorms EV3</a></p>
<p><b>Author</b>: Gary Garber</p>
<p>First chapters include general mechanics knowledge, intro to how to create
assembly instructions using LEGO Digital Designer or LDraw and some basic chasis
using both the retail and educational kits. Not bad info, but we've already
"eaten" more than 1/4 of the book. 4th chapter gives an overview of all EV3
sensors, which includes 3rd party ones, all with how to use them with the
official LEGO EV3 software blocks. A chapter about how to interact with the
brick (using the buttons and screen, wifi, bluetooth...), really basic stuff.
Follows a chapter about types of output the EV3 (sounds, screen, lights), which
is kind of introductory again (except the details of how to load custom
images).</p>
<p>Chapter 7 is where the non-basic stuff appears, and from here onwards
we see quite bigger examples (block schemas) and the book gets
more interesting. Explanations are good, images help and we learn more
interesting concepts like course corrections, triangulation and other navigation
options. Chapter 9 includes data logging, but as is only available to the
educational kit this restricts the possible interest (other than generating
envy). The remaining chapters cover an introduction to RobotC, LabView,
Bluetooth communication between two EV3 bricks and another education only
chapter, a detailed explanation of the Gyro Boy robot.</p>

<p>The book is a mixed bag: Some chapters are quite interesting and the
descriptions and theory behind are excellent, but others are either too basic or
exclusively for the education kit. For a 263 pages book, this leaves out around
half the pages as "interesting for everyone". Another complain is that some of
the block images are really hard to read in PDF ebook; I still have to receive
the printed copy, but I fear that without color it might be even harder to
distinguish individual blocks in the complex diagrams.</p>