legoev3

Connection to LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 brick

Add-On Required: This feature requires the MATLAB Support Package for LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Hardware add-on.

Description

This object represents a connection to a LEGO^® MINDSTORMS^® EV3 brick. To interact with peripherals on the EV3 brick, such as the speaker, LCD, buttons, or status light, use this object with the functions listed in Object Functions. To connect to sensors and motors, use this object with the following sensor objects: touchSensor, irSensor, gyroSensor, colorSensor, sonicSensor, or motor.

Creation

Syntax

myev3 = legoev3

myev3 = legoev3(communicationtype)

myev3 = legoev3(communicationtype,ipaddress,id)

myev3 = legoev3(communicationtype,comport)

Description

myev3 = legoev3 creates a connection to an EV3 brick, myev3, that uses the same settings as the previous connection.

myev3 = legoev3(communicationtype) creates a connection to an EV3 brick using a specified connection type. communicationtype sets the CommunicationType property of the connection object.

myev3 = legoev3(communicationtype,ipaddress,id) creates a connection to an EV3 brick using a type of connection that requires the IP address and ID of the EV3 brick.

myev3 = legoev3(communicationtype,comport) creates a connection to an EV3 brick using a type of connection that requires a COM port number.

Input Arguments

comport — COM port

character vector

COM port or serial device on host computer, specified as a character vector.

Example: 'COM3'

Example: '/dev/tty.EV3-SerialPort'

Data Types: char

Properties

FirmwareVersion — EV3 firmware version

character vector

This property is read-only.

EV3 firmware version, returned as a character vector.

Example: 'V1.03E'

Data Types: char

HardwareID — Unique hardware ID

character vector

This property is read-only.

Unique hardware ID, returned as a character vector. You can set this property when you create the object. After you create the object, this property cannot be changed. This value is available in the EV3 interface under Brick Info.

Example: '00165340e49b'

Data Types: char

IPAddress — IP address

character vector

This property is read-only.

IP address when connecting over a wireless network, returned as a string. You can set this property when you create the object. After you create the object, this property cannot be changed. This value is available in the EV3 interface under Brick Info.

Example: '192.168.1.2'

Data Types: char

CommunicationType — Communication type

USB | WiFi | Bluetooth

This property is read-only.

Connection type, returned as a character vector. You can set this property when you create the object. After you create the object, this property cannot be changed.

Example: 'USB'

Data Types: char

BatteryLevel — Percentage of battery power remaining

integer in the range [0, 100]

This property is read-only.

Percentage of battery power remaining, returned as an int8 value.

Example: 68

Data Types: int8

ConnectedSensors — List of connected sensors

'' | 'color' | 'infrared' | 'touch' | 'gyro' | 'sonic' | 'unknown'

This property is read-only.

List of connected sensors, returned as a cell array of character vectors. '' means no connected sensors.

Example: {'touch' 'infrared' 'color' 'sonic'}

Object Functions

clear	Remove items from workspace, freeing up system memory
writeLCD	Write characters to LCD on EV3 brick
clearLCD	Clear characters from LCD on EV3 brick
playTone	Play tones from speaker on EV3 brick
beep	Play beep from speaker on EV3 brick
readButton	Read whether button on EV3 brick is being pressed
writeStatusLight	Control color and mode of status light on EV3 brick

Examples

Reconnect to an EV3 Brick

If you have connected to the EV3 brick previously, you can reconnect without specifying any details.

myev3 = legoev3;

Connect to EV3 Brick with USB Cable

You can communicate with the EV3 brick over a USB cable.

Using the supplied USB cable, connect the host computer to the EV3 brick.

In the MATLAB Command Window, connect over USB.

myev3 = legoev3('USB');

Connect to EV3 Brick Over a Wireless Network

You can communicate with the EV3 brick over a wireless network connection.

Set up and configure a wireless network connection.

In the Command Window, connect using a wireless network. Specify the IP address and ID of the EV3 brick.

myev3 = legoev3('WiFi','192.168.1.2','00165340e49b');

Connect from Windows to EV3 Brick Over Bluetooth

You can communicate with the EV3 brick over a Bluetooth^® connection.

Set up and configure a Bluetooth connection.

In the MATLAB^® Command Window, create a connection from a host computer running Windows^® to an EV3 brick over Bluetooth. Specify the COM port number.

myev3 = legoev3('Bluetooth','COM3');

Connect from macOS to an EV3 Brick Over Bluetooth

You can communicate with the EV3 brick over a Bluetooth connection.

On macOS, Set up and configure a Bluetooth connection to the EV3 brick.

Open Terminal in macOS and enter:

ls /dev/tty*

/dev/tty.EV3-SerialPort

The command response gives the name of the Bluetooth connection from macOS to the EV3 Brick

In the MATLAB Command Window, create a connection from a host computer running macOS to an EV3 brick over Bluetooth. Specify the COM port number.

myev3 = legoev3('Bluetooth','/dev/tty.EV3-SerialPort');