Making Mindstorms RCX Work Again : 7 Steps (with Pictures) - Instructables - Search This Blog
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RCX USB tower support – LEGO Engineering - Introduction: Getting a LEGO RCX to Work Again
Version 1 used a tower that was attached to the computer using the old serial port RS while version 2 used a USB tower. The later is much easier to use these days since most computers still have plugs that are compatible with USB1. For this tutorial you will need:. Another problem you might encounter is that the cables used to connect the sensor and actuators to the RCX have become brittle and the isolation comes off easily.
You can still buy some new cables from Bricklink. Virtual Box is a free software to run virtual machines on any host computer. I am running a Mac and had to run Windows XP. With Virtual Box this is no problem. Virtual machines are pretty versatile. Give your virtual machine a name and select WindowsXP bit as your Version. Then press continue. The wizard will walk you though a couple more steps and I selected the default options for all of them. Those are still hard to come by. Click on "Start" to start the process.
Download the RIS version 2 and mount the disk into the virtual machine by clicking on the DVD icon at the bottom of the screen. Select the RIS2. This will mount the disk and the install wizard will automatically start. Do not yet plug in your USB Infrared tower. That will be part of the RIS setup wizard. The installer will also ask you to keep your more up to date ActiveX version select yes and it will also install QuickTime.
You do not need to enter any registration number for QuickTime, just click on "Next" once you are at that step. In the last step the installer will ask you to restart your computer. Go right ahead, it will only reboot your virtual machine. Hopefully you have the USB tower. Select it and click on "Forward". The wizard will ask you to plug your tower directly into the computer. When you do this, it will not yet show up in your virtual machine. Install Virtual Box Virtual Box is a free software to run virtual machines on any host computer.
Run the Virtual Box installer Double click on the downloaded installer to run the process. Create a new virtual machine Click on "New" to start a new virtual machine.
Run through the Windows XP installation process. Follow the wizard The wizard will start with the setup of your infrared tower. Click on "Forward". Mount the USB tower to your virtual machine The wizard will ask you to plug your tower directly into the computer. Go through the new hardware wizard The previous step will trigger the new hardware wizard.
You can use all the default options. Insert the batteries into the RCX and place it in front of the tower. Install 2. Check the firmware status Your RCX should look like this after the firmware was installeced correctly. Complete the setup wizard and start programming You are all ready to go. Just build a robot you desire and program it in the RIS.
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