# MindCuber - build your own LEGO Rubik's Cube solver



## IAssemble (Nov 15, 2011)

I recently published a video of my latest LEGO Rubik's Cube solving robot that can be built from a single LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit.

It may not be as fast as CubeStormer II but it is much cheaper! 






EDIT: I'm thrilled to announce that MindCuber is now available to download as a bonus model on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website 

EDIT: If you do build your own MindCuber please share your experiences with others on MindCuber's facebook page
Enjoy!


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## TheAwesomeAlex (Nov 15, 2011)

nice. do you have instructions?


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## IAssemble (Nov 15, 2011)

TheAwesomeAlex said:


> nice. do you have instructions?


 
Yes, I will be sharing instructions and software in the near future. I'll update the video description and post a bulletin on my YouTube channel when I do.


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## TheAwesomeAlex (Nov 16, 2011)

ok


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## Ranzha (Nov 16, 2011)

I'd LOVE to make one of these. Can't wait for the instructions!


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## 2020doctors (Feb 22, 2012)

How soon on the instructions? My son is wanting to build this for a science project. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


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## IAssemble (Feb 22, 2012)

2020doctors said:


> How soon on the instructions? My son is wanting to build this for a science project. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


 
Sorry for the delay. I've been working with a "publisher" to make them available soon. I should have more information about the timescale in the next few days. Thanks for your patience.


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## Sarahjdes (Feb 22, 2012)

That's awesome! I love it. Genius. Really.


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## IAssemble (Mar 15, 2012)

*MindCuber Instructions*



2020doctors said:


> How soon on the instructions? My son is wanting to build this for a science project. Any help would be greatly appreciated!


 
I'm thrilled to announce that MindCuber is finally available as a bonus model on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website 


Thanks for your patience


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## Kirjava (Mar 15, 2012)

Oh wow.

Do you get commission?


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## IAssemble (Mar 16, 2012)

Kirjava said:


> Oh wow.
> 
> Do you get commission?



Thanks 

I designed MindCuber for fun with the intention of making it freely available


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## antoineccantin (Mar 16, 2012)

How about the program...


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## IAssemble (Mar 16, 2012)

antoineccantin said:


> How about the program...


 
The executable (pre-compiled) code is available here on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website as part of the bonus model.

I will publish the source code some time in the future on http://mindcuber.com


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## kirtpro (Mar 16, 2012)

does it work with the original NXT model?


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## pkvk9122 (Mar 16, 2012)

Hi!

:O i do robotics too! (nxt stuff...) but then again school is gonna say its a waste of time... 
Im participating in the Senior Rescue in NSW 

pkvk9122


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## IAssemble (Mar 16, 2012)

kirtpro said:


> does it work with the original NXT model?


 
I haven't tried to create a version of MindCuber that could be built with just the original MINDSTORMS NXT but I suspect the basic mechanical principle could be adapted. The combination of pieces is different between the two sets, including different gears. Also, the original kit has a monochrome light sensor rather than a color sensor which would mean software changes to make it only consider grey levels and might need some of the stickers on the cube replacing to make the brightness levels more distinct.

In summary I suspect the design could be adapted and the software modified to work. Perhaps I should try to do this myself and publish that too?


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## kirtpro (Mar 16, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> In summary I suspect the design could be adapted and the software modified to work. Perhaps I should try to do this myself and publish that too?


 
I sure hope so!


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## Schmidt (Mar 17, 2012)

Now we just need a way to link it to PPT to make it the "Lazy Cubers Ultimate Scramble Device"
Maybe some other words to make a cool a.c.r.o.n.y.m.


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## xcuber123 (Mar 17, 2012)

there's already instructions. it's called tilted twister if u have the nxt 1 and twilted twister 2 if u have nxt 2.0. instructions here. btw its different but similatr to the one in the vid http://tiltedtwister.com/robots.html u have to click on download in the top left 4 instructions


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## Michael Womack (Mar 17, 2012)

xcuber123 said:


> there's already instructions. it's called tilted twister if u have the nxt 1 and twilted twister 2 if u have nxt 2.0. instructions here. btw its different but similatr to the one in the vid http://tiltedtwister.com/robots.html u have to click on download in the top left 4 instructions


 
i had trouble with that one and im trying this one just finished mine about to program it


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## BrainOfSweden (Mar 17, 2012)

Schmidt said:


> Now we just need a way to link it to PPT to make it the "Lazy Cubers Ultimate Scramble Device"
> Maybe some other words to make a cool a.c.r.o.n.y.m.


What's wrong with "LCUSD"? 
And if that becomes reality, I might actually buy a NXT set to buy that robot.


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## IAssemble (Mar 17, 2012)

Schmidt said:


> Now we just need a way to link it to PPT to make it the "Lazy Cubers Ultimate Scramble Device"
> Maybe some other words to make a cool a.c.r.o.n.y.m.


 
Cool idea - how about calling it "MindScramble" 



Michael Womack said:


> i had trouble with that one and im trying this one just finished mine about to program it


 
Cool - it would be great to hear how it goes...


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## Michael Womack (Mar 17, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Cool - it would be great to hear how it goes...


 
trying to get it to work but the cube rotating arm sometimes fails to grab the cube


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## IAssemble (Mar 17, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> trying to get it to work but the cube rotating arm sometimes fails to grab the cube


 
A few thoughts....

Can you describe this more completely?
Do you mean it sometimes lets go of the cube as it is pulling it to tilt it?
Or does the arm fail to drop completely flat after the previous tilt?
Or something else?

Did you carefully align the turntable as described in the "How to..." before the solve? Are you using a standard Rubik's Cube or another brand?


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## Michael Womack (Mar 18, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> A few thoughts....
> 
> Can you describe this more completely?
> Do you mean it sometimes lets go of the cube as it is pulling it to tilt it?
> ...


 
I dose not grab the cube the arm just slides over the top of the cube


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> I dose not grab the cube the arm just slides over the top of the cube


 
Thanks for providing more information.

Does the arm always drop completely flat so the bar is over the edge of the cube before it tries to pull it back?

Are you using a regular Rubik's Cube or is it a different brand with more rounded edges?


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## Michael Womack (Mar 18, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Thanks for providing more information.
> 
> Does the arm always drop completely flat so the bar is over the edge of the cube before it tries to pull it back?
> 
> Are you using a regular Rubik's Cube or is it a different brand with more rounded edges?


 
ya it drops well and using a rubikis brand


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> ya it drops well and using a rubikis brand


 
Does the cube start to tilt at all before the arm slides over the top?

Would you be able to share a video with me via your YouTube channel showing a few examples of the failure so that I can see it to try to help work out what might be the problem?


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## Michael Womack (Mar 18, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Does the cube start to tilt at all before the arm slides over the top?
> 
> Would you be able to share a video with me via your YouTube channel showing a few examples of the failure so that I can see it to try to help work out what might be the problem?


 
the cube works the same way as your video


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> the cube works the same way as your video


 
I was suggesting that if you upload a video showing some examples of the arm sliding over the cube during an attempted solve I might be able to see a reason why it isn't working as well as it should and maybe suggest a way to improve it.


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## Michael Womack (Mar 18, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> I was suggesting that if you upload a video showing some examples of the arm sliding over the cube during an attempted solve I might be able to see a reason why it isn't working as well as it should and maybe suggest a way to improve it.


 
i think i fixed it now


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> i think i fixed it now


 
Great news! 

Please can you describe how you fixed it so I could consider adding the information to an FAQ or something to help others overcome the problem too?


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## Michael Womack (Mar 18, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Great news!
> 
> Please can you describe how you fixed it so I could consider adding the information to an FAQ or something to help others overcome the problem too?


 
i had the wrong part in


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> i had the wrong part in


 
Well spotted and thanks for letting me know. It's great to hear another MindCuber is working


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## Michael Womack (Mar 18, 2012)




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## Gredore (Mar 18, 2012)

Does it use an optimal method ,a method used by cubers or a method that is small in memory as too fit onto the NXT?


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

Thanks for uploading this video of the problem you are having with MindCuber. Your modification is interesting but should be unnecessary.

I can see at least one tilt that it still misses which would explain why the cube is not solved at the end.

I'll try to work out why it was originally failing and leave comments on the video itself if I see anything...


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

Gredore said:


> Does it use an optimal method ,a method used by cubers or a method that is small in memory as too fit onto the NXT?


 
Thanks for asking.

It is certainly not optimal as there is not enough memory on the NXT for tables to make this practical in a reasonable time.

I will make the source code available on mindcuber.com at some point but here's a brief description that I wrote in response to a question on YouTube about whether it was using "a non-color neutral Petrus":

It is overall color neutral in that it solves the cube up to 24 times starting in all 4 orientations of all 6 faces and picks the shortest of these solutions (or stops early if it finds a good one). It is one of my own table-driven algorithms. I have just read about Petrus and it does sound somewhat similar. Essentially it has 9 stages (9 "looks"?) - two get to 2x2x2, next two to 2x2x3, next three to F2L, next does 4 LL corners and last does 4 LL edges.

I hope this makes sense?

In tests it averages around 42 moves.

So it is a method I developed myself to fit into the limited memory of the NXT (the lookup tables total about 12K bytes I recall compared with around 300M bytes for CubeStormer II ) and produces shorter solutions than typical human algorithms I believe.


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


>



Thanks for sharing this video of my MindCuber design to try to diagnose the problem you are seeing.

Your modification is cool but should be unnecessary and in fact I think it might cause extra problems with reliability.

I think I can see the cause of the problem at 0:08 The levers under the tilt mechanism are connected to the wrong holes with the wrong type of peg. Please check the steps on page 100 and 101 of the instructions carefully and let me know how it goes.

I hope this helps 

Thanks


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## samehsameh (Mar 18, 2012)

Would the 8527 set have the right parts for this model?


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## IAssemble (Mar 18, 2012)

samehsameh said:


> Would the 8527 set have the right parts for this model?


 
The earlier NXT kit you mention only has a monochrome light sensor rather than a color sensor. I also believe has different gears and other parts so it will need a re-design and either a color sensor bought separately or modified software.

I may consider re-designing MindCuber for the earlier NXT kit myself if there is enough interest (unless someone else does it first )


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## TinyLei (Mar 21, 2012)

Thank you for your sharing,I completed MindCuber following your instructions and downloaded the MindCuber.rxe to NXT yesterday,but It worked abnormally,the cuber can not be turned,the turntable and arm is too biger than the cube,I measured my cube is 5.7cm*5.7cm,but the turntable is 6.3cm*6.3cm,what is your cube size?I'm your CubeStormer's fans from China,my English is limited,ask for your help,expect for your reply!


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## IAssemble (Mar 21, 2012)

TinyLei said:


> Thank you for your sharing,I completed MindCuber following your instructions and downloaded the MindCuber.rxe to NXT yesterday,but It worked abnormally,the cuber can not be turned,the turntable and arm is too biger than the cube,I measured my cube is 5.7cm*5.7cm,but the turntable is 6.3cm*6.3cm,what is your cube size?I'm your CubeStormer's fans from China,my English is limited,ask for your help,expect for your reply!


 
Thanks for deciding to try out MindCuber  It is designed to work with standard 5.7cm cubes even though the turntable is bigger than this. Software turns the turntable a little more than 90 degrees and back each time to compensate for the difference. The main requirement physically is that your cube must be smooth and easy to turn. If it is too stiff MindCuber may not be able to complete each turn properly.

Please would you have a look at a few of the "Problem" videos that people have posted on YouTube - look at the "MindCuber" playlist on my YouTube channel to see if any of them help. If not, please let me know and I will try to help. The easiest way to do this will probably be for you to post a video on YouTube showing the failure so I can see it and try to work out what might be going wrong.

I hope this helps.


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## TinyLei (Mar 21, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Thanks for deciding to try out MindCuber  It is designed to work with standard 5.7cm cubes even though the turntable is bigger than this. Software turns the turntable a little more than 90 degrees and back each time to compensate for the difference. The main requirement physically is that your cube must be smooth and easy to turn. If it is too stiff MindCuber may not be able to complete each turn properly.
> 
> Please would you have a look at a few of the "Problem" videos that people have posted on YouTube - look at the "MindCuber" playlist on my YouTube channel to see if any of them help. If not, please let me know and I will try to help. The easiest way to do this will probably be for you to post a video on YouTube showing the failure so I can see it and try to work out what might be going wrong.
> 
> I hope this helps.


 
Thank you for your reply,I'm sorry to tell you about the "Problem" videos,in our country,youtube is forbidden to log in,so I can not get your help in that way,I may describ my problem incorrectly before because of my bad English level,my problem is MindCuber's arm can not turn-over the cube,It is not the turntable's turn-problem,I guess my cube is too small,I measured the turntable and the arm's "hand",so I asked you the size of your cube,I'll take a video and post it to www.youku.com tomorrow,It is the video sharing website in our country like youtube,I'll give you the link later,Thank you for helping me again!


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## cannon4747 (Mar 21, 2012)

so it does some form of f2l then a single ll algorithm? wow if a speedcuber could do that the wr would be like 3 seconds


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## GlowingSausage (Mar 21, 2012)

cannon4747 said:


> so it does some form of f2l then a single ll algorithm?


 
You can read my mind. lol I was going to ask the EXACT SAME thing 



cannon4747 said:


> wow if a speedcuber could do that the wr would be like 3 seconds


 
I don't agrea with that. feliks uses some zbll algs (1lll) and the WR is 5.66 so.....


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## benskoning (Mar 21, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> i had trouble with that one and im trying this one just finished mine about to program it


 
me to.


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## StachuK1992 (Mar 21, 2012)

The link is not working to access the LEGO MindCuber site.


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## benskoning (Mar 21, 2012)

StachuK1992 said:


> The link is not working to access the LEGO MindCuber site.


 
Same here it goes to the lego site and says it does not exist.


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## Michael Womack (Mar 21, 2012)

benskoning said:


> Same here it goes to the lego site and says it does not exist.


 
I thing lego.com is down cause of overload web traffic


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## IAssemble (Mar 21, 2012)

TinyLei said:


> Thank you for your reply,I'm sorry to tell you about the "Problem" videos,in our country,youtube is forbidden to log in,so I can not get your help in that way,I may describ my problem incorrectly before because of my bad English level,my problem is MindCuber's arm can not turn-over the cube,It is not the turntable's turn-problem,I guess my cube is too small,I measured the turntable and the arm's "hand",so I asked you the size of your cube,I'll take a video and post it to www.youku.com tomorrow,It is the video sharing website in our country like youtube,I'll give you the link later,Thank you for helping me again!


 
Thanks for letting me know. I look forward to seeing your video on youku. I'll try and see if I can work out what is wrong when I see it.



Michael Womack said:


> I thing lego.com is down cause of overload web traffic


 
No - LEGO changed the link slightly today  I'll update the links everywhere I can find but I think it is now here.



cannon4747 said:


> so it does some form of f2l then a single ll algorithm? wow if a speedcuber could do that the wr would be like 3 seconds


 
I described the algorithm in summary here


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## Damien Porter (Mar 21, 2012)

Wow, that looks awesome.

Can't wait to try it out

Thanks


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## IAssemble (Mar 21, 2012)

Damien Porter said:


> Wow, that looks awesome.
> 
> Can't wait to try it out
> 
> Thanks



You're welcome - have fun!


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## TinyLei (Mar 22, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Thanks for letting me know. I look forward to seeing your video on youku. I'll try and see if I can work out what is wrong when I see it.


 
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzY5Nzg3MTY0.html It is the video of my MindCuber,please help me,thank you!


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## IAssemble (Mar 22, 2012)

TinyLei said:


> http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzY5Nzg3MTY0.html It is the video of my MindCuber,please help me,thank you!


 
Thanks for uploading this video. It is difficult to see from this angle but I think that the L shaped pieces in the middle of the tilt arm are connected the wrong way round so the beam across the tilt arm is too close to the cube.

Please look at page 98 of the instructions and check the L-shaped beams are connected correctly.

I hope this helps. Please let me know


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## Michael Womack (Mar 26, 2012)

I recently saw the video of the Void cube solve I just tried it. It scanned the cube 3 times before giving up. Is there a program change so it can solve the void cube or just the currant one to solve the 3x3?

Edit:


IAssemble said:


> MindCuber needs different software to solve the Void Cube. It is not supported by the existing executable program and I am not planning to release a new executable program either.
> 
> Instead, I am hoping that when I release the source code that some people will try modifying it for themselves as a challenge!


 
Ok thanks.


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## IAssemble (Mar 26, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> I recently saw the video of the Void cube solve I just tried it. It scanned the cube 3 times before giving up. Is there a program change so it can solve the void cube or just the currant one to solve the 3x3?


 
MindCuber needs different software to solve the Void Cube. It is not supported by the existing executable program and I am not planning to release a new executable program either.

Instead, I am hoping that when I release the source code that some people will try modifying it for themselves as a challenge!


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## Damien Porter (Mar 29, 2012)

I have built mine and almost have it working, but it has trouble scanning white cubes so I need a black one.

On a side note when you release the code, I am thinking of making a racing version. Use the touch sensors as a stackmat and have human vs robot.


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## TinyLei (Mar 29, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Thanks for uploading this video. It is difficult to see from this angle but I think that the L shaped pieces in the middle of the tilt arm are connected the wrong way round so the beam across the tilt arm is too close to the cube.
> 
> Please look at page 98 of the instructions and check the L-shaped beams are connected correctly.
> 
> I hope this helps. Please let me know


 
Thank you for your help!Now,It works well,but sometimes it may scan error(I always caliberate it),expect the source code!Thanks again!


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## IAssemble (Apr 1, 2012)

Damien Porter said:


> I have built mine and almost have it working, but it has trouble scanning white cubes so I need a black one.
> 
> On a side note when you release the code, I am thinking of making a racing version. Use the touch sensors as a stackmat and have human vs robot.


 
Does it have trouble with white cubes even when you calibrate? I have one white cube here that works reasonable well although it often has to scan twice.

I love your idea of adding touch sensors for a stackmat style start to compete against humans! Would you allow MindCuber more than 15 seconds of "inspection" and race just the solve? ;-)


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## IAssemble (Apr 1, 2012)

TinyLei said:


> http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzY5Nzg3MTY0.html It is the video of my MindCuber,please help me,thank you!



This link gives an error now... Did you remove the video?

And more importantly, have you managed to re-build it so that it works now? Thanks


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## TinyLei (Apr 10, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Does it have trouble with white cubes even when you calibrate? I have one white cube here that works reasonable well although it often has to scan twice.


yes,white!

yes,I had removed the video,Thank you for your help again


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## IAssemble (Apr 10, 2012)

TinyLei said:


> yes,white!
> 
> yes,I had removed the video,Thank you for your help again


 
Did you get your MindCuber working?

Have you uploaded another video? If you have, please post the link here as I'd love to see it


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## TinyLei (Apr 14, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> Did you get your MindCuber working?
> 
> Have you uploaded another video? If you have, please post the link here as I'd love to see it


 
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzgxMTI1Mjky.html
It is the video,It works very well,Thank you for your help!


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## IAssemble (Apr 16, 2012)

TinyLei said:


> http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzgxMTI1Mjky.html
> It is the video,It works very well,Thank you for your help!



Thanks for sharing the video. It's great to see your MindCuber working well


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## Joël (Apr 20, 2012)

Hey IAssemble,

I just bought an NXT just for the purpose of making this... And if I like doing this, maybe I'll do more with this in the future.

Anyway, I just finished building the whole thing, and it was a lot of fun to do! After I finished building it, I had a little trouble getting it to work, but it's working now! 

Putting this together made me realize how much detail there is in building something like this. I really think you did a great job designing it.

I'd be interesed in the source code.

So thanks a lot for sharing this!


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## IAssemble (Apr 21, 2012)

Joël said:


> Hey IAssemble,
> 
> I just bought an NXT just for the purpose of making this... And if I like doing this, maybe I'll do more with this in the future.
> 
> ...


 
Thanks for a very flattering comment 

I'm glad that you enjoyed making MindCuber and that you got it working ok. Please let me know if you decide to upload a video of it to YouTube and I'll add it to my MindCuber playlist.

I'm sure you'll have great fun making other models now that you have an NXT set!

Thanks for appreciating what went into its creation. I think I spent more time on the mechanics for this than for any of my other designs. I wanted to create it from a single kit to make it easy for others to build and I kept running out of pieces so had to redesign sections of it many times before I found a way to do it.

I will be publishing the source code on http://mindcuber.com some time in the near future when I can find time to finish making it presentable.

Thanks again.


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## Joël (Apr 21, 2012)

Hi David,

I have a few questions.. How did you write the program? The software provided with the NXT seems a bit impractical for solving cubes. I've seen some alternatives, and I am wondering what you used.

Also, do you know if there's a way to use power from a power socket? (I am afraid the batteries will die rather quickly).

I am new to this, so If you can give me a few hints to point me in the right direction, that would be great!


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## IAssemble (Apr 21, 2012)

Joël said:


> Hi David,
> 
> I have a few questions.. How did you write the program? The software provided with the NXT seems a bit impractical for solving cubes. I've seen some alternatives, and I am wondering what you used.
> 
> ...


 
Yes, it would have been a real challenge to write a Rubik's Cube solver in NXT-G! I used a C-like language called NXC see http://bricxcc.sourceforge.net/

One way to power the NXT from a socket is to buy a rechargeable battery pack and charger from LEGO - http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/NXT-DC-Rechargeable-Battery-9693 and http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/LEGO-Power-Functions-Transformer-10VDC-8887 although this is quite expensive. The charger can be connected while running the NXT so you have the option to run with or without a mains connection.

The motors seem to be extremely efficient and in my experience, MindCuber will run continuously for about 3 hours on a single charge of this rechargeable battery pack.


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## EJi (May 27, 2012)

hey IAssemble,

My name is Elias, and I'm working on my thesis. It's about the Rubik's Cube 
And I was thinking to make a robot that can solve the cube. I saw your design and I made it, but now I want to program it.
The only problem is that the .rxe file (the code) is rather complicated. Do you maybe have a version with more information. I am not so best in C++ or NQC.
Or can you maybe help me program my own version.
Sorry for the English, I live in Belguim.

Thanks anyway 
Elias


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## IAssemble (May 28, 2012)

EJi said:


> hey IAssemble,
> 
> My name is Elias, and I'm working on my thesis. It's about the Rubik's Cube
> And I was thinking to make a robot that can solve the cube. I saw your design and I made it, but now I want to program it.
> ...


 
I'm not quite sure that I understand exactly what you are asking...

You have built MindCuber and now want to program it?

MindCuber.rxe is a pre-compiled executable program that can be downloaded to the NXT using the LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT software - see the instructions in the README.txt file in the .zip archive that contains the .rxe

This is enough to make your MindCuber work.

Alternatively, if you want to modify the code or perhaps use the algorithm for your own design, I hope to publish the source code (which I wrote using NXC) for a slightly later version of the software in a couple of weeks on http://mindcuber.com

I hope this helps.
David


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## EJi (May 28, 2012)

Hey David,

Thanks for your reply, and maybe I wasn't clear enough in my last post.
Well, I'm 18 and my thesis is about Rubik's cubes. In my last trimester/semester I want to program a robot that could solve the Rubik's cube. 
So I thought I make a Lego robot that was already made/schematized so the only thing that was left for me to do is to program it.
I've built the MindCuber and I've put your software on it so that's not the problem.

I want to program it but I need some help... and not only for the algorithms. I thought looking at your code was enough to help me create my own program. But now i read your code isn't published and I would like to program it this week. Or at least know I can program it. So can you help me with programming?
If you want to discuss this on e-mail or maybe skype, let me know.

greetings,
Elias


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## rceditor (Jun 26, 2012)

I just built the mindcuber from a Lego Education NXT set for a magazine project. The education set did not come with the color sensor so i purchased a Hi Technic one. I downloaded the software to the brick and when I start it I get a message that says "Remove Cube...." and it will not go away no matter what I do. Does this have to do with the color sensor? Or is it the ultrasonic sensor that detects this? I am stuck with this project. I've tried everything. 

I hope someone can help

Thanks


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## IAssemble (Jun 26, 2012)

rceditor said:


> I just built the mindcuber from a Lego Education NXT set for a magazine project. The education set did not come with the color sensor so i purchased a Hi Technic one. I downloaded the software to the brick and when I start it I get a message that says "Remove Cube...." and it will not go away no matter what I do. Does this have to do with the color sensor? Or is it the ultrasonic sensor that detects this? I am stuck with this project. I've tried everything.
> 
> I hope someone can help
> 
> Thanks



Thanks for building MindCuber. I assume when you said you used the Education NXT set that you also obtained extra parts to build it mechanically exactly as the shown in the build instructions?

The released executable mindcuber.rxe only supports the LEGO color sensor (i.e. not the original monochrome LEGO light sensor or either of the HiTechnic color sensors).

The message about removing the cube is the result of whether the software detects the presence/absence of the cube via the ultrasonic sensor. Please make sure the ultrasonic sensor is connected to the port shown in the build instructions. (However, I wonder if the software might be confused by trying to communicate with the HiTechnic sensor when it expects a LEGO color sensor...)

Please feel free to send direct messages to me via my YouTube channel http://youtube.com/IAssemble or leave comments on the original MindCuber video and I will try to help further.

Thanks
David


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## Gareth (Jul 2, 2012)

Hi David,

Just started a school holiday project with my daughter to build a MindCuber and hopefully a design of her own. I am very interested in the source code to look at so I can help her. Is it possible that you will publish the code on your website in the next few days or perhaps be able to send me a copy.

Thanks,
Gareth


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## IAssemble (Jul 2, 2012)

Gareth said:


> Hi David,
> 
> Just started a school holiday project with my daughter to build a MindCuber and hopefully a design of her own. I am very interested in the source code to look at so I can help her. Is it possible that you will publish the code on your website in the next few days or perhaps be able to send me a copy.
> 
> ...



Thanks for your interest. I am still trying to make time to make the source code fit for distribution and have replied to your private message to discuss this further.

David


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## CubeRoots (Jul 2, 2012)

how much does this cost in total? I want one for speedcubing society


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## IAssemble (Jul 2, 2012)

CubeRoots said:


> how much does this cost in total? I want one for speedcubing society



It can be built from a single LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 kit - see http://shop.lego.com/en-GB/LEGO-MINDSTORMS-NXT-2-0-8547

I suspect if you shop around online you can find it cheaper than the LEGO Shop.


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## Corky (Jul 10, 2012)

Help please. I am 78 and have just built the Mindcuber. I don't know how to post a question here but here is the problem.
A couple of times it turned the cube over and scan alright but then said sacan error. Now it just scans once and stops.Red light keeps 
flashing and on the nxt brick it just shows a titleMindcuber.com by David Gilday.
Have deleted and downloaded mindcuber.rxe to the brick 3 times. No help. tried 2 diffrent cubes . no help.
HELP what is wrong ?


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## IAssemble (Jul 11, 2012)

Corky said:


> Help please. I am 78 and have just built the Mindcuber. I don't know how to post a question here but here is the problem.
> A couple of times it turned the cube over and scan alright but then said sacan error. Now it just scans once and stops.Red light keeps
> flashing and on the nxt brick it just shows a titleMindcuber.com by David Gilday.
> Have deleted and downloaded mindcuber.rxe to the brick 3 times. No help. tried 2 diffrent cubes . no help.
> HELP what is wrong ?



Thanks for building MindCuber. Sorry you're having problems. I'll do my best to help. I have sent a private message with a couple of questions to try to work out what is the problem.


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## krisstto (Aug 9, 2012)

Hi David:

Great job. Very nice idea. Thanks for sharing your efforts. I leave my video:
[video=youtube_share;BEk37yFpq88]http://youtu.be/BEk37yFpq88[/video]

Greetings from Spain.
Jesus

Note: Any day you will share some of your other creations with us ?. Any machine that uses a smartphone as the brain.
Congratulations again.


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## IAssemble (Aug 9, 2012)

krisstto said:


> Hi David:
> 
> Great job. Very nice idea. Thanks for sharing your efforts. I leave my video:
> ...
> ...



Thanks Jesus for sharing your video of MindCuber. I like your NXT-G program and the mechanical improvements!

I am always thinking about the possibility of sharing one of my smartphone-based designs, perhaps even Android Speedcuber. But at the moment I am focusing on another project ;-)

David


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## krisstto (Aug 9, 2012)

We are waiting impatiently to see this new project !!!:confused:

Best Regards.
Jesus


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## IAssemble (Aug 9, 2012)

krisstto said:


> We are waiting impatiently to see this new project !!!:confused:
> 
> Best Regards.
> Jesus



I do intend to share more of my designs in the future but please be patient. I'm expecting my current project to take quite a while.

Kind regards
David


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## ToastyKen (Aug 10, 2012)

I have an original older NXT that I never got around to playing with. This would totally get me to finally bring it out of storage, so if you can adapt your design to it, that would be awesome! 

It does sound difficult without a color sensor though.. How do you plan to deal with that?


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## Michael Womack (Aug 10, 2012)

Hey David i'm wandering where I can get a lego NXT camera like the one use on this




thanks for your help.


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## IAssemble (Aug 10, 2012)

ToastyKen said:


> I have an original older NXT that I never got around to playing with. This would totally get me to finally bring it out of storage, so if you can adapt your design to it, that would be awesome!
> 
> It does sound difficult without a color sensor though.. How do you plan to deal with that?



I have already created a version from the original MINDSTORMS NXT kit #8527 

However, it will require a color sensor that you can purchase separately from LEGO as I was unable to make it work reliably with just the original monochrome light sensor...

I hope to publish the build instructions and executable code for this on http://mindcuber.com in the near future.


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## IAssemble (Aug 10, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> Hey David i'm wandering where I can get a lego NXT camera like the one use on this
> ...
> thanks for your help.



The camera I used for this version of MultiCuber is from the LEGO MINDSTORMS Vision Command set produced in about 2000. I had one that I bought when the set was first out 

Perhaps you could find a second hand one on eBay or bricklink.com? But please be aware that drivers may not be available for current versions of Windows and I suspect LEGO stopped supporting it some time ago.


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## Michael Womack (Aug 10, 2012)

IAssemble said:


> The camera I used for this version of MultiCuber is from the LEGO MINDSTORMS Vision Command set produced in about 2000. I had one that I bought when the set was first out
> 
> Perhaps you could find a second hand one on eBay or bricklink.com? But please be aware that drivers may not be available for current versions of Windows and I suspect LEGO stopped supporting it some time ago.



Thanks
would any webcam work the same?


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## IAssemble (Aug 10, 2012)

Michael Womack said:


> Thanks
> would any webcam work the same?



I expect you could make it work with any webcam provided you can find drivers and write the rest of the software.


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## Vladimir Burnin (Dec 25, 2012)

When will you be posting the source code for mindcuber? I wan't to try to modify it to work with the HiTech color sensor.


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## IAssemble (Dec 27, 2012)

Vladimir Burnin said:


> When will you be posting the source code for mindcuber? I wan't to try to modify it to work with the HiTech color sensor.



Thanks for asking. I cannot give a definite date but I will try to do so in the near future.

It would be great if you can make it work with the HiTech color sensor for people who do not have the LEGO color sensor!


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## corrosif (Jan 13, 2013)

Thanks a lot for giving us the building instructions of the mindcuber... I built one today, and I must say that mechanically and motorwise, it works like a charm (I really had fun playing with it!).
Especially, motor adjustments in the software are really well calibrated (I'm used having to fine-calibrate variables as I'm using the NXT DC Rechargeable Battery, which does not give exactly the same conditions as the AA-batteries, but in the case of your mindcuber it worked directly).

The only problem so far is with the standard logo color-sensor which comes with the NTX2 kit... I don't know if it comes from the fact that my rubick's cube has glossy stickers, but half of the time, it confuses some colors (yellow and orange for instance).
So I get regularly scan errors (although it works from time to time...).

I also possess the hitech color sensor, which is WAY more reliable and powerful... can't wait until you release your NXC source code, so that I could integrate support for it.
Of course, I'll keep you informed if I manage to adapt the hitech color sensor; it seems I am not the only one interested


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## IAssemble (Jan 13, 2013)

Thanks for building MindCuber.

With regard to your observations about the scan reliability... Are you using the latest version of MindCuber.rxe from http://mindcuber.com or are you using the original version that was published on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website? The later version (v2.0) has improved color discrimination for red/orange. Also, have you tried calibrating the color sensor using the white face of the cube as described in the "How To..." document in the .zip file on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website that contained the original software as this should significantly increase reliability? Note that the later version of MindCuber.rxe saves the calibration on a file in the NXT so that it does not need to be repeated every time the program is run, but only when the lighting conditions change significantly. Please let me know.

It is interesting that you say that the HiTechnic color sensor is more reliable. It would be interested to see how you get on when I do finally make time to release the source code. Please be patient.

Thanks for your interest.


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## god of rubic 2 (Jan 14, 2013)

I'm quite interested in making one of these.

How much will a Lego Mindstorm set cost?

And how much does the cube stormer II cost?

Thanks.


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## IAssemble (Jan 14, 2013)

god of rubic 2 said:


> I'm quite interested in making one of these.
> 
> How much will a Lego Mindstorm set cost?
> 
> ...



Thanks for asking. The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT 2.0 kit is available from many places online including the LEGO online shop. You may be able to find it cheaper elsewhere.

CubeStormer II uses four of these sets, a number of other LEGO pieces and a Samsung Galaxy SII smartphone so the parts cost considerably more! 

If you do decide to build MindCuber it would be cool to hear about your experience if you do either here or on the MindCuber facebook page

I hope you have fun.


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## robdylanivo (Jan 14, 2013)

Dear

With my classmates, I made ​​the mindcuber. We have the software installed, but when scanning gives the nxt a scan error. how can we fix this error?
My apologies for the poor english.
I hope to hear from you soon


kind of regards Rob


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## IAssemble (Jan 14, 2013)

robdylanivo said:


> Dear
> 
> With my classmates, I made ​​the mindcuber. We have the software installed, but when scanning gives the nxt a scan error. how can we fix this error?
> My apologies for the poor english.
> ...



Thanks for building MindCuber. I'm sorry that you are having problems getting it to scan.

There are quite a few things which may make the scan unreliable. In particular:

1) have you downloaded the latest version of MindCuber.rxe (v2.0) to the NXT from the MindCuber website?
2) if you are using the latest version of MindCuber.rxe, does the NXT say "Scan error..." or "Cube error..." and what color does the color sensor flash after the scan?
3) have you tried calibrating the color sensor using the white face of the cube? This is described in the "How to..." document on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website
4) are you using a standard Rubik's Cube with the official colored Rubik's logo? If not, is it a black cube with white, yellow, red, orange, blue and green faces?

Please look at the MindCuber facebook page and read some of the comments there for further suggestions.

If you are still unable to make it scan, please leave me another message here or on the facebook page and I will try to help further. Thanks


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## corrosif (Jan 15, 2013)

IAssemble said:


> Thanks for building MindCuber.
> 
> With regard to your observations about the scan reliability... Are you using the latest version of MindCuber.rxe from http://mindcuber.com or are you using the original version that was published on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website? The later version (v2.0) has improved color discrimination for red/orange. Also, have you tried calibrating the color sensor using the white face of the cube as described in the "How To..." document in the .zip file on the LEGO MINDSTORMS website that contained the original software as this should significantly increase reliability? Note that the later version of MindCuber.rxe saves the calibration on a file in the NXT so that it does not need to be repeated every time the program is run, but only when the lighting conditions change significantly. Please let me know.
> 
> ...



I used the latest version of MindCuber.rxe from http://mindcuber.com, but did not know about the calibration (thanks for the tip).
After 3 sessions of scan errors, I pressed the orange button, removed the cube and then placed it again with white face on top.
After calibration, it's in fact working a lot better.

But it won't prevent me from trying to implement the hitech sensor... will be fun and interesting to see how it will perform!

Thanks for your help and your amazing robot!


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## robdylanivo (Feb 18, 2013)

Dear sir/madam,

We have build the robot and it works, but our question is if we could get the program codes in a file we can access?
i hope it is possible because our teachers want to know this?
I hope to hear from you soon

Regard Rob


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## IAssemble (Feb 18, 2013)

robdylanivo said:


> Dear sir/madam,
> 
> We have build the robot and it works, but our question is if we could get the program codes in a file we can access?
> i hope it is possible because our teachers want to know this?
> ...



Hi Rob,

Sorry, but I have not yet published the source code for MindCuber.

Is this for a school project? Are your teachers aware that the software was written by someone else?

Instead of showing my source code, do you think you could write your own code to perform some of the tasks required for MindCuber and use that instead?

Perhaps you could create a simple program yourself that performs a short, fixed sequence of moves to turn one or two faces of the cube?

Could you also describe the other tasks that the robot has to perform to solve the cube as part of your project?

I think this would be a good way to demonstrate your understanding of what is involved in creating and programming a robot like MindCuber!

Thanks
David


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## robdylanivo (Feb 25, 2013)

hi

our teacher is aware that it is written by someone els. But we have to explain the codes and explain how it works. So could you send us the codes that we can read them? We only have to explain how the robot works. otherwise our project doesn't count. Our teacher said that the project was good if we could just explain how it works with the original codes. Bilding our own small codes wasn't good.

regards rob, dylan, ivo


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## IAssemble (Feb 25, 2013)

robdylanivo said:


> hi
> 
> our teacher is aware that it is written by someone els. But we have to explain the codes and explain how it works. So could you send us the codes that we can read them? We only have to explain how the robot works. otherwise our project doesn't count. Our teacher said that the project was good if we could just explain how it works with the original codes. Bilding our own small codes wasn't good.
> 
> regards rob, dylan, ivo



Thanks for asking again about the MindCuber source code for your project. I have just sent you a private message about this.


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## Gizmo92 (May 10, 2013)

*Source code*

Hi. I've previously built the mindcuber and its great! But for my Bachlor thesis I was thinking of programing two industrial robots to solve rubiks cubes. I was wondering if I could get the source code for the MindCuber, and possibly the CubeStormer II, so that I can get a better understanding of the algoritms you use and how you get it to work with outside features like a mobile camera.

Regards, Svein Morten from Norway.


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## IAssemble (May 10, 2013)

Gizmo92 said:


> Hi. I've previously built the mindcuber and its great! But for my Bachlor thesis I was thinking of programing two industrial robots to solve rubiks cubes. I was wondering if I could get the source code for the MindCuber, and possibly the CubeStormer II, so that I can get a better understanding of the algoritms you use and how you get it to work with outside features like a mobile camera.
> 
> Regards, Svein Morten from Norway.



Thanks for your complimentary remarks and request for source code.

I have not yet published the source code for MindCuber and will make it available publicly to everybody at the same time. You will be free to use this for your project if you wish but unfortunately I cannot commit to a particular timescale for this.

As far as CubeStormer II software is concerned, I hope you will understand that I currently have no plans to publish this.

May I ask what is the focus of your Bachelor thesis? For example would it be more appropriate to develop your own implementations of algorithms for image recognition and solving the cube from your own design or research rather than basing them on existing implementations?

Feel free to continue this conversation via private messages if you would prefer.

Thanks
David


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## IAssemble (Jun 22, 2013)

robdylanivo said:


> Dear sir/madam,
> 
> We have build the robot and it works, but our question is if we could get the program codes in a file we can access?
> i hope it is possible because our teachers want to know this?
> ...



You and others may like to be aware that I have finally published the MindCuber Program Source Code

Apologies for the long delay...

Thanks


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## Blubmanful (Mar 19, 2014)

I wish you could buy one of those fully assembled.


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## SinglePaperPro (Oct 18, 2015)

*Doesn't do anything*



IAssemble said:


> I recently published a video of my latest LEGO Rubik's Cube solving robot that can be built from a single LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT kit.
> 
> It may not be as fast as CubeStormer II but it is much cheaper!
> 
> ...



I make those robot and he doens't do it!

I got:

Mindstorms NXT 2.0
Firmware 1.31

And it doens't work! He try's to do anything but it's blockt. I don't know what the trouble is!

Do you know it? I <3 to hear it


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