51-09795.pdf

1
2
PAGE 56
SECTION 6
STUDENT JOB SHEET 5A
Copymaster for use with 9795
GROUP DATE
Programming the Home
of the Future
Make your Home of the Future more “futuristic” by controlling some of the RCX functions over
the Internet. The programs you write can be downloaded to an RCX located near a computer
running ROBOLAB that is linked through the Internet.The two computers can be in the same
room or almost anywhere in the world!
Note: you need two computers and an Internet connection with a known IP address. One
computer must have the IR Transmitter and RCX set up and ready to go. If you have not tried
this before, see the online documentation, Internet Control of the RCX.You can download it
from http://www.lego.com/dacta/robolab/. Click on Resources then Downloads.
First set up the ROBOLAB Server computer and the RCX with the Home of the Future model
you want to control.To start the ROBOLAB Server software, navigate to the ROBOLAB/Extras
folder and double click on ROBOLAB Server.After starting the ROBOLAB Server, the computer
and RCX are ready to receive programs over the Internet.
Now you can use the Internet sub menu of the Programmer - Inventor Level 4 or in the
Investigator - Program Level 5 to create programs for controlling your Home of the Future.
You can create new programs or adapt existing programs to the Internet mode. Every program that
you to send over the Internet to an RCX must use the Internet Begin and End commands.
The Internet Begin command is used instead of the standard Begin command in ROBOLAB
programs.The IP address of the remote computer that will be transmitting the program to
the RCX must be specified. The remote computer must be running ROBOLAB Server.
The Internet End command is used at the end of every Investigator or Inventor Internet program
that begins with the Internet Begin Command.