Extreme Mindstorms

• Authors: Dave Baum;Michael Gasperi;Luis Villa
• Venue: Extreme Mindstorms
• Year: 2000

From the Publisher:- The four contributing authors, Dave Baum, Michael Gasperi, Ralph Hempel, and Luis Villa, are well-known authorities on LEGO MINDSTORMS- Discusses advanced programming techniques using RCX 2.0 firmware, pbForth, and legOS with lots of sample programs - Includes lots of projects and clear step-by-step instructions for building custom sensors Extreme Mindstorms is for LEGO MINDSTORMS enthusiasts of all ages who are interested in special projects and new programming methods. Through the construction and programming of two demonstration robots, readers will learn advanced MINDSTORMS programming techniques. The book covers the use of RCX 2.0, pbForth, and legoOS. Each author has written a section of the book based on that author's specialty. Dave Baum is the creator of NQC and Ralph Hempel is the creator of pbForth. Luis Villa has maintained an extensive collection of information on legOS, and Michael Gasperi is an authority on constructing custom Mindstorms sensors. Numerous sensor assembly projects are presented with simple systematic instructions, and though the topics covered are advanced, readers should be able to assemble the projects and understand how they work without any prior knowledge of electronics. Author Biography: Dave Baum is the creator of NQC, a powerful language for programming Mindstorms robot. He is also the author of Dave Baum's Definitive Guide to LEGO MINDSTORMS, a book that has appealed to a wide audience of readers from children to adults. Baum is currently a Principal Staff Engineer at Motorola. He holds a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Ralph Hempel is a professional engineer who specializes in embedded systems design. Ralph holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo. LEGO had been a part of Ralph's life since the late 1960s, but when he bought a set for his son Owen in 1997, the flame was rekindled. Besides building original Technic and Town models with his family, Ralph enjoys snowboarding, mountain biking, and playing blues harmonica. Luis Villa is an undergraduate at Duke University studying Computer Science. He rediscovered Lego and became an expert in legOS while preparing to become a Teacher's Assistant for a Duke course that used LEGO Mindstorms. Luis writes and maintains the legOS HOWTO which can be found on the web at http://legOS.sourceforge.net/HOWTO. Besides maintaining the legOS HOWTO, Luis spends his spare time studying political theory and attending lots of Blue Devil basketball games. Michael Gasperi works as a Principal Engineer with the Advanced Technology division of Rockwell Automation. He became involved with homebuilding custom sensors for LEGO MINDSTORMS shortly after it was introduced in 1997. Since then his web site has become the central depository for sensor ideas and plans. During his 22 years of experience as a professional engineer he has developed many industrial electronic products as well as published hobbyist articles in the fields of model rocketry, amateur radio, pinhole photography and crystal radio.