Buying and Selling the Lego Mindstorms RCX Everything you need to know!

See my full guide to reconditioning the Lego Mindstorms RCX
• How to fully reconditi...
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Lego RCX Firmware
pbrick.info/index.html-p=74.html
Testing the I/O ports using Brickx CC
• Testing Lego 9v and Mi...
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[@codingwithculp]

I still have a fondness for the RCX, despite the fact they are now going on 24 years old….dang, I’m getting old!

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

For sure. I never went farther than the NXT and even then I only use them when I have to 😅. David Koudys on KZbin has some pretty sweet Classic Space builds and he still uses the RCX for anything with motion. Glad to know I'm not the only one that has such fondness and nostalgia 😀

[@codingwithculp]

@@BatteryPoweredBricks I pretty much skipped the NXT generation. I got started with the RCX because I started a robotics club at the middle school I was teaching at in 1999 and participated in a contest called Botball and they used the RCX as one of their controllers, I thought it was the neatest thing. We used Interactive C to program them. The Botball competition never transitioned to the NXT, they used a custom controller after the RCX phased out. That custom controller was way better than the NXT. And although Botball never went back to a Lego branded controller I did get really into the EV3. That thing was a marvel at the time. Running full blown Linux, 4 motor ports, 4 sensor ports, LCD screen, USB host port, microSD card slot, amazing device and it still is, I’ve got 14 of them….. My opinion is still out on the new hub controller. In one respect I really like it because it runs micropython on the inside, but on the other hand I think some aspects of it are a step back from the EV3.

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

@@codingwithculp I just picked up my first EV3 from a thrift store auction online, after cleaning up some battery leakage it is working. Eventually I'll get around to playing with it, I need to source a motor for it and clean the bricks that came with it. I want to go through the official Lego builds to see how they wanted users to learn about the system. I have don't have the newest Mindstorms hub, I'll wait till I can find one used at a decent price (Usually after the next generation launches). I do have some of the Technic and train hubs, I do like how they use the same plugs for motors and such but I'm not a fan of coding from a phone or tablet. I've done some experimentation with PyBricks but still have a lot to learn there. Thanks for sharing your stories, I have so much envy for kids who get to join robotics clubs or learn about them in school. I was always stumbling in the dark as a kid, and it shows in adulthood 😅 Cheers!

[@drewo.127]

I was first introduced to LEGO Mindstorms and the RCX in a robotics club at my middle school as well! For my first year we used the RCX for everything! But once I went to the tournament I saw some teams working with sleeker gray models, and I was like: “WOAH! THERE’S ANOTHER MINDSTORMS ROBOT!?” Eventually, I came to learn that the yellow robot was the RCX and the gray was the NXT! A few years later I joined the club a few more times and the second time we were transitioning from the RCX to the NXT, but we still had more RCX bricks and parts than NXT parts. And my third year I think we were using 50% NXT robots and 50% RCX robots. And eventually my parents and I were finally able to buy me my very own Mindstorms set that I still have to this day! At the time I wanted to buy an official Johnny 5 NXT set, but unfortunately it didn’t exist, and I’d have to buy regular NXT kits to build J5. and I think they only had a few sensors available as full NXT sets were sold out. However, the cashier mentioned that a new 2.0 NXT set was releasing soon, and put us on I think a waiting list or something? But long story short…I was one of the first owners of the then brand new NXT 2.0 and while just like my “new” RCX set, I can’t really install the software (as far as I know) on any computer we have, even though I still have the physical CD ROMs for both sets, I still love my NXT 2.0 robot (whom I named WALL-E 5) Just as much as my RCX robot! I might see if I can install both software on a computer: the RCX for controlling via remote, and maybe the NXT for full on programming and stuff!

[@jimlewis1]

Great Lego quality, these things are generally solid, as long as they've not had batteries rot inside them!

[@jimlewis1]

and if you have a hard time finding an AC adapter for the RCX 1.0, a DC adapter is fine

[@acs-system6452]

5:23 my NXT made that sound i needed to install a driver for the laptop and install the firmware to the nxt

[@alexeykostyuchenko6848]

i have a question about 1.0 with jack. There were talks on forums that simple 9v adapter is not good option because it was designed with special "impulse" type 9v source, and using generic 9v can cause issues when motors are under load. Do know if this is true? Thanks in advance!

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

I've never had a problem with any adapter I've used. I'm guessing by "impulse" they mean AC current? For the last few years I've only used AC sources since it spreads the load between all 4 diodes instead of just 2 from a DC source. I've heard of people burning up RCXs but there are a lot of factors for what could have gone wrong. Beyond that there are several different internal revisions of the RCX 1.0 so they are not all the same. If you want to play it safe look for a transformer that says 12VAC on it. I've picked up tons from thrift stores over the years

[@alexeykostyuchenko6848]

@@BatteryPoweredBricks awesome, thanks for the reply, cheers!)

[@drewo.127]

Should I download the Brickx Command Center and the RCX firmware? Also, for Brickx, where should I click to download?

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

For Bricx CC use the "download" link in the description then click the 3. 3. 8. 9 folder then download bricxcc_setup_3389.exe. The firmware version I use is 3.32 version "firm0332.lgo" the link is about 1/4 of the way down the page

[@drewo.127]

@@BatteryPoweredBricks Alrighty! I did it!!! I was a bit nervous for the possibility of unwelcome m@lware, but it looks like everything is working as intended! Now I just gotta buy an adapter to actually use the darn thing😂 But it’s now on a laptop, and looks like everything is going good!

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

Awesome!

[@acs-system6452]

by the way what is the difference between the RCX 1.0 1.5 2.0 ?

[@BatteryPoweredBricks]

Not much besides the 1.0 can have a power jack. But even then some don't have it. There are a few internal differences but they are pretty much negligible. The 2.0 does have the capability to talk to the Spybotics controllers but I haven't really seen that used very much