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Author/s : Brian Bagnall
Publisher : Prentice Hall
Category : Other
Review by : David O'Meara
Rating : 8 horseshoes</pre>
This book is much more than I expected. I thought it was going to be a chapter on Lego Mindstorms, a chapter on
Java, then a chapter on Java and Lego together followed by a bunch of projects giving a step-by-step trail to lead you from the Java world into the Mindstorms-with-Java world. You get this in the book, but in addition you also get a description of each piece including the item I thought was a pedal, several useful small constructions including gear trains, an introduction to robotics and behavior control, and electronics projects for anyone who isn't afraid of burning their fingers. All this before we get into the chapter on advanced topics! My favorite part was definitely the electronics projects. It gives numbskull instructions on how to assemble the electronic, Lego and Java components as well as excellent instructions on solving any problems you are likely to run into. If all you want is to get leJOS (the JVM for Lego Mindstorms) onto your RCX block and get it running, the first 4 chapters will be useful but the rest will be wasted. Maybe just check the resources on the net. If, on the other hand, you want your little yellow brick to be all that it can be and you aren't afraid of petty injuries or mangling a few Lego blocks, this book will serve you well. There are even instructions to control your robot via a web page!
More info at Amazon.com More info at Amazon.co.uk