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EV3 · Component tutorials

How to code each part.

Every EV3 lesson builds a different model, but the programming behind them comes from the same small set of ideas. Each one below is a short tutorial you can read on its own — how to drive a Medium Motor, how to read the Touch Sensor, how a loop works. Lessons pull these in as they need them, so anything you meet in a lesson can be revised here.

38 tutorials

6 categories

Level 1–4 coverage

Motion Output Sensing Control Data Mechanics

Motion

Making things turn — one motor, two motors, and how far each one goes.

Level 14 minOne motor, on and offStart one motor, let it run, and stop it again.start motorstop motorwait () seconds
Level 15 minThe Medium MotorThe small, fast motor that drives arms, gates, jaws and winches.run for () rotationsrun for () degreesset speed to () %
Level 14 minThe Large MotorThe big, strong motor used for wheels and heavy lifting.run for () rotationsset speed to () %
Level 16 minDriving with two motorsDrive a robot in a straight line, and turn it, using two Large Motors.set movement motors to [B] and [C]move [forward] for () rotationsmove for () rotations at () () % speed
Level 15 minRotations and degreesMeasure how far a motor turns, so the same movement repeats exactly.run for () rotationsrun for () degrees
Level 14 minSpeed and powerMake a motor go faster or slower.set speed to () %
Level 24 minBrake or coastStop a motor dead, or let it roll to a halt.stop motorbrake vs coast
Level 35 minMoving to an exact angleSend a motor to an exact position instead of a distance from here.run to position ()reset position

Output

How the robot tells a person what it is doing.

Level 15 minThe Brick displayShow a picture or write text on the Brick screen.clear displaydisplay [Eyes]write [EV3] at line ()
Level 15 minSound and beepsPlay a sound or a beep, and choose whether the program waits for it.play sound until donestart soundplay beep () for () seconds
Level 13 minThe Brick status lightChange the colour of the light around the Brick buttons.set status light to [green]set status light to [red]

Sensing

How the robot finds out about the world around it.

Level 15 minThe Touch SensorTell when the red button is pressed, released or bumped.<is pressed?>wait until <is pressed?>when [bumped]
Level 16 minThe Ultrasonic SensorMeasure how far away something is.(distance in [cm])wait until <(distance) < ()>
Level 26 minThe Colour SensorRead a colour, or read how bright a surface is.(color)(reflected light intensity)<is color [red]?>
Level 26 minThe Gyro SensorMeasure how far the robot has turned.(angle)reset angle
Level 14 minThe Brick buttonsUse the five buttons on the Brick itself as an input.when [center] button pressed<is [center] button pressed?>
Level 35 minReading a motor's positionEvery motor is also a sensor — read how far it has actually turned.(degrees counted)reset degrees counted(speed)

Control

Waiting, repeating and deciding — the shape of a program.

```
wait (1) seconds :: control
```
Level 14 minWaitingPause for a length of time, or until a sensor says so.wait () secondswait until <>
```
repeat (10) :: control
```
Level 15 minRepeatingDo something a set number of times, or over and over for ever.repeat ()foreverrepeat until <>
```
if <> then :: control
```
Level 26 minMaking a decisionDo one thing or another, depending on what a sensor reports.if <> thenif <> then else
```
<(x) > (50)> :: operators
```
Level 25 minComparing and combiningCompare two numbers, and join two conditions with and / or.() > ()() < ()<> and <>
```
(timer) :: sensors
```
Level 24 minThe TimerMeasure how long something has taken.(timer)reset timer
```
when program starts :: events hat
```
Level 35 minTwo things at onceRun more than one stack at the same time.when program starts (one per stack)

Data

Remembering numbers, and letting one part of a program talk to another.

```
set [count v] to (0) :: variables
```
Level 36 minVariablesGive the robot a number it can remember and change as it works.set [count] to ()change [count] by ()(count)
```
add [thing] to [List v] :: variables
```
Level 36 minListsStore several readings in order, so the robot remembers them all.add [thing] to [List](item (1) of [List])delete all of [List]
```
broadcast [message1 v] :: events
```
Level 35 minBroadcasting a messageLet one stack of blocks tell another stack to start.broadcast [message1]broadcast [message1] and waitwhen I receive [message1]
```
define turn (degrees)
```
Level 36 minMy BlocksName a group of blocks so it can be reused instead of copied.define [my block]
```
(pick random (1) to (10)) :: operators
```
Level 34 minRandom numbersMake the robot behave unpredictably on purpose.(pick random (1) to (10))

Mechanics

Builds with no electronics at all, where the physics is the lesson.

Level 14 minMechanisms without motorsHow to investigate a build with no electronics in it, and where each idea lives.
Level 15 minGearing up and gearing downTrade turns for force, or force for turns — you cannot have both.
Level 24 minChanging the direction of a turnReverse a turn, restore it with an idler, or send it round a 90° corner.
Level 25 minPulley systemsFixed, movable and combined — how rope pulled trades against force needed.
Level 15 minLevers — effort, load and pivotWhere the pivot sits decides the force you need and the distance you get.
Level 15 minElastic and stored energyStretch a band, store energy, let it go — and find where more stops helping.
Level 34 minScissor mechanismsCrossed links that extend and retract, and why the last bit is the hardest.
Level 24 minOscillatory motionTurning a rotation into a back-and-forth, and what sets the rhythm.
Level 24 minCentre of gravityWhy a robot tips, and how to build one that does not.
Level 45 minBiomimetic mechanismsLinkages that copy how animals move — turning a rotation into a step.

These tutorials are the same ones embedded in the lessons — there is one copy of each, so a correction here reaches every lesson that uses it. Back to the EV3 course.