The missing docs for mbot on a Windows PC

By Selwyn Polit, 25 August, 2021

My eight year old recently got his Mbot robot from http://makeblock.cc Unfortunately there are pretty much no docs so this is my first effort to document what I learned.

 

Install mbot 3.x

click Connect, install arduino driver

plug in usb,

click connect, serial port, COM3 (might be a different # than 3 on your system)

Look for the check mark next to connect, serial port, com3


click Edit, Arduino Mode.  This will show a new panel on the right side with c code which will be generated as you drop blocks onto the center panel.


Always start with mbot program block

create loop with control block: forever (or similar)

Put robot blocks inside the loop eg run forward at speed 100

Don’t forget to stop the movement with a run forward at speed 0

Don’t forget to put a delay in so the motors can run for a bit otherwise there will be no movement



When you want to try your program on the robot, click the “upload to arduino” button.  This will cause the c code to get compiled - you will see files flying by on the lower right panel,  Then the compiled program will get transferred to the mbot.

If you see, “please connect the serial port” then you may have missed the connect step above.  I found one of my computers showed com3, com4, com5.  Only com5 worked on that computer.  If I tried com3 or com4, I had to restart the mbot program to make it work on com5.  

I was able to get connected via bluetooth but it doesn’t seem like it is possible to upload programs that way.


Also it is possible to double click the mbot program block and that block will start executing immediately on the mbot.  Sometimes lots of numbers and letters start rolling around in the lower right of the screen




eg.

mbot program

forever

run forward speed 100

wait 1 second

run forward speed 0


For using the button:

mbot program

forever

if [button pressed] then

run forward speed 100

wait 1 second

run forward speed 0


Use the button to make mbot stop

This will cause the robot to start running and it will stop when you click it’s button.  To restart it, click the reset button.


make a Block called “go”


define “go”

set led on board all to red: pick random 1-100 green: random 1-100 blue: random 1-100

run forward at speed 70


mbot program

repeat until [button pressed] {

 [go block]

}

set led [led on board][all] red:0 green:0 blue:0

run forward at speed: 0

 

Noah wanted a program allowed us to control the robot with the remote - kinda like program A which causes the program to move in the direction the arrows but the mbot stops when you stop pushing the buttons. We made a cool program that causes the mbot to go in a direction you push and keep going after you release the button. I've attached a screenshot of the program.