LEGO Education EV3 Kits

The LEGO Education kits are unable to build the Jimmy-Kyle model, but luckily they come with an alternative build option that will still work well with the Gigabot program. The build takes place in several parts to get everything properly attached.

  1. Build the base model. (To make assembly and battery access easier, replace the top blue and black connectors in steps 37 and 40 with outside red connectors, as shown in the image below.)
  2. Add the ultrasonic vision sensor.
  3. Add the color sensor in a downward-facing orientation.
  4. Add the touch sensor.
  5. Add the lift gate and create the cube.
  6. Insert the wi-fi card and memory card.
Replace the blue and black connectors at the top of the strut between the EV3 brick and the chassis on each side with red outer connectors for ease of access.

I have found that it is easiest to fully assemble the bot and then put in all the wires, instead of putting them in during each step. The small motor in the center easily removes with the 4 pegs to allow for wiring at the very end, in this configuration (which is taken from each instruction sheet):

  • Left motor connects to output port B with a 14″ wire.
  • Right motor connects to output port C with a 14″ wire.
  • Vision sensor connects to input port 4 with a 10″ wire.
  • Color sensor connects to input port 3 with a 10″ wire.
  • Touch sensor connects to input port 1 with a 10″ wire.
  • Lift gate / small motor connects to output port A with a 10″ wire.

A Note on Batteries

The educational kits come with a rechargeable battery that takes 3-4 hours to fully charge. To charge the battery, plug in the battery with the included cable and wait until the light turns green before disconnecting.

While I’m still running tests to see how long the devices go on a single charge with the educational kit battery packs, I have found information that the battery packs are able to maintain charge longer than using AA rechargeable batteries. With the 6 AA batteries, we were able to use the Gigabots for approximately 3-5 hours, depending on amount of constant use.