Lego Mindstorms EV3 Race Gate Timer for Micro Drones

Guten Tag! Today I'm going to show you how design a racing gate for whatever micro FPV drone you have. All I used was Lego Mindstorms EV3 and its companion software. You might feel a little ripped off because there are no specific instructions here. And also the odd method I used to capture the program. I apologize. But anyway, this opens up an opportunity for you to get your creative juices pumping and DIY! That's what Instructables is about, right?

Step 1: Start Block

Here are some pictures of my start block. If you are using a Rakon 3.5 mm Cockroach frame, then great, you can just copy mine! Otherwise, design one specifically for your frame and flying style. Make sure it won't flip over too.

Step 2: Visual Aids

These gate thingies are to make the end gate more visible in my room clutter. If you have a ton of these wing pieces, I guess you could make some gates out of them, but I don't.

Step 3: End Gate

The end gate I will leave up to you. You should have a touch, color/light, and infrared sensor at your disposal. I found that it was easiest to use the infrared sensor by flying up to it and getting a distance reading below a certain level, but others might have different preferences.

Step 4: Program

Here is the program for the gate system. Sorry about the odd method I used to capture it, I don't have a screenshot software. If you want to program your own, here is how it works:

1. Clear screen, display message.

2. Wait for brick button to be pressed, make a noise, then wait a few seconds.

3. Play starting noise, reset timer, then measure time.

4. Display object.

5. Wait for sensor to reach a certain threshold, then take a timer reading, display it, and make a file to store it.

6. Restart program after a few seconds.

You can see your times either after you finish your run or by accessing the brick files on the EV3 software.

If you have any questions or improvements, be sure to let me know. Also, don't forget to click I Made It! to show off.