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RCX
2.0 Beta Software Developers' Kit
We
are proud to launch the new RCX 2.0 Beta Software Developers' Kit.
Included in this SDK is a new firmware for the RCX. This firmware will
be used in the new Vision
Command™ product from LEGO MINDSTORMS™ that will be launched on
a global scale in September 2000.
The RCX 2.0 Beta SDK contains many new things in the LEGO MINDSTORMS
universe. The contents have progressed significantly since we published
the RCX 2.0 Pre-Alpha SDK. Aided by your feedback, we now have a stable
and (we believe) bug-free and much-enhanced firmware.
Dear Pre-Alpha firmware testers,
During the test phase we received many hundreds of replies with useful
comments and suggestions, all of which we have studied carefully. We also
received a handful of genuine (confirmed) bug reports that we have fixed,
so we are proud to announce that the winners of the five LEGO MINDSTORMS
Robotics Invention System 2.0 sets are:
1) JP for being the first to discover that clearing the data log
was not possible from downloaded programs in the new firmware.
2) Dave Baum for discovering that command replies were not always
sent back by the new firmware when a missing reply caused the PC to resend.
3) David Duke for discovering a bug in data logging in the new
firmware.
4) Dick Swan for discovering a bug in handling remote commands
and for noticing that the SetWatch commands changed the LCD display.
and
5) Axel T. Schreiner for discovering an error in the variable allocation
in the MindScript compiler.
A LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention System 2.0 set will be sent to the
winners when it becomes available in stores. (Planned global launch is
Spring 2001.) However, the winners will have the option to exchange the
price for a set of the forth-coming LEGO MINDSTORMS Vision
Command product plus a the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics Invention
System 2.0 Upgrade Kit
The winners have been contacted by e-mail for shipping addresses and have
given their permission to having their names published.
Finally, honorable mention goes to
6) Philip Taylor for discovering a hardware-related sensor reading
problem.
Even though that's strictly speaking not related to the firmware functionality,
we've decided to award Philip a set of the LEGO MINDSTORMS Ultimate Accessory Set™.
On behalf of the LEGO MINDSTORMS development team, congratulations to
the winners and a big THANK YOU to all the testers who participated
in the pre-alpha test phase.
RCX 2.0 BETA SDK
Since
we made a few small changes and additions to the firmware after we published
the last pre-alpha patch (#4), we thought you should have the opportunity
to work with the next official RCX firmware now. In addition we
would like to direct your attention to our high-level programming language
called MindScript™ (called LEGO Script in the earlier releases).
New powerful features in the RCX 2.0 Beta SDK:
1) The
main item is a new and much enhanced firmware for the RCX. You can
look at the technical details in the "LASM Byte codes" document. We have
tried very hard to ensure backwards compatibility while still being able
to put in powerful new features, some of which will be recognisable from
the Scout brick from the LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics
Discovery Set™.
2) The MindScript programming language. MindScript is going to
be the ASCII text-based program format that the forthcoming LEGO MINDSTORMS
Robotics Invention System 2.0 uses for the graphical RCX Code programs.
This means that you can create RCX Code programs and then examine the
resulting MindScript programs and experiment with them.
3) Support for the Scout from LEGO MINDSTORMS Robotics
Discovery Set -- both in LASM and MindScript.
The most noticeable new features in the new RCX 2.0 firmware (version
03.28) are:
1) Event monitoring on physical and a number of virtual sensors
(timers, IR message and counter variables).
2) Priority-based access control to shared resources.
3) Local variable tasking, for example, safe parameter passing
to subroutines that execute within the environment of the calling task.
4) Global motor and sound control.
5) Play tones with the frequency taken from a variable.
6) Display and track the value of internal RCX data with or without
the program running. (Great for demonstrating or debugging.)
7) The ability, under program control, to switch to another program
slot and start it running -- just as you can with the LEGO MINDSTORMS Remote
Control Unit.
8) Simple support for data arrays/variable pointers.
...and probably quite a few more that we forgot in all the excitement.
We kindly ask you to read the license agreement and warranty disclaimer
before using this document.
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