Introduction: EV3 Tricycle Figure 8 Rider

By Cesar Jung-Harada
About: Education: Makerbay.org - contact@makerbay.org Sailing robots: Protei Inc & Scoutbots CEO Personal: contact@cesarharada.com

A lot of people want to get into Lego Mindstorm EV3, but it is intimidating to a lot of people. Also the "basic" EV3 models are time-consuming to make, so I wanted to make a super simple tricycle that anyone can build in a few minutes and start "coding" and see their robots move around. In this Instructable I will show you how to build that simple EV3 Tricycle (hardware), how to program it (software) and how to document it (using Lego Digital Designer) and how to EXPLODE your design in separate steps. Let's do this!

By the way, thank you to Autodesk Pier 9 for hosting me!

Step 1: Pieces You Will Need

  • P-BRICK (x1pc)
  • T-BEAM 3X3 W/HOLE Ø4.8 (x1pc)
  • WEDGE-BELT WHEEL Ø24 (x2pcs)
  • RIM WIDE W.CROSS 30x20 (x2pcs)
  • TYRE NORMAL WIDE Ø43,2 X 22 (x2pcs)
  • CABLE 250 MM (x2pcs)
  • MS 2013 ENGINE (x2pcs)
  • MS-EV3 (x2pcs)
  • 1/2 BUSH (x2pcs)
  • CONNECTOR PEG W. FRICTION (x2pcs)
  • CROSS AXLE 4M (x2pcs)
  • CROSS AXLE 5M (x2pcs)
  • DOUBLE CROSS BLOCK (x2pcs)
  • BEAM 3 M. W/4 SNAPS

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Step 2: Hardware Time!


If you prefer the Lego style instructions:


You can also download the HTML instruction guide attached as a zip file.

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Step 3: Software

You will need to download the EV3 Home Edition. https://www.lego.com/en-us/mindstorms/downloads/do...

You can use it from your MAC, PC, IOS or Android Device.

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Step 4: Drive the Figure 8!

Step 5: Document and Share Your Work!

It is a nice thought to share your work so other people can learn from your findings, mistakes and build on top of your work :)

Step 6: Learning How to Make a Lego in 3D Using Lego Digital Designer

I downloaded the software to design Lego in 3D and Lego Instructions called Lego Digital Designer here (free for both MAC and PC): http://ldd.lego.com/en-us/download

This free software is so cool, you can even EXPLODE your virtual designs!
There is a simple explanation of how to use the software by Lego: file:///Applications/LEGO%20Digital%20Designer.app/Contents/Resources/Help/en-manual/en-manual.html#buildingTools

But I learnt how to use the Lego Digital Designer watching this short video:

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Step 7: Wait! There Is an Explode Function!!!???

Step 8: How to Make a Cool Thumbnail for Your Instructable

I used Photoshop and several layers, you can have the original .psd file here and make your own too!

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