nxtdevices – NXT Devices¶

Use LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT motors and sensors with the EV3 brick.

NXT Motor¶

This motor works just like a LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 Large Motor. You can use it in your programs using the Motor class.

NXT Touch Sensor¶

class TouchSensor(port)

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Touch Sensor.

Parameters: port (Port) – Port to which the sensor is connected.
pressed()

Checks if the sensor is pressed.

Returns: True if the sensor is pressed, False if it is not pressed. bool

NXT Light Sensor¶

class LightSensor(port)

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Color Sensor.

Parameters: port (Port) – Port to which the sensor is connected.
ambient()

Measures the ambient light intensity.

Returns: Ambient light intensity, ranging from 0 (dark) to 100 (bright). percentage: %
reflection()

Measures the reflection of a surface using a red light.

Returns: Reflection, ranging from 0 (no reflection) to 100 (high reflection). percentage: %

NXT Color Sensor¶

class ColorSensor(port)

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Color Sensor.

Parameters: port (Port) – Port to which the sensor is connected.
color()

Measures the color of a surface.

Returns: Color.BLACK, Color.BLUE, Color.GREEN, Color.YELLOW, Color.RED, Color.WHITE or None. Color, or None if no color is detected.
ambient()

Measures the ambient light intensity.

Returns: Ambient light intensity, ranging from 0 (dark) to 100 (bright). percentage: %
reflection()

Measures the reflection of a surface.

Returns: Reflection, ranging from 0 (no reflection) to 100 (high reflection). percentage: %
rgb()

Measures the reflection of a surface using a red, green, and then a blue light.

Returns: Tuple of reflections for red, green, and blue light, each ranging from 0.0 (no reflection) to 100.0 (high reflection). (percentage: %, percentage: %, percentage: %)

Built-in light

This sensor has a built-in light. You can make it red, green, blue, or turn it off.

light.on(color)

Turns on the light at the specified color.

Parameters: color (Color) – Color of the light. The light turns off if you choose None or a color that is not available.
light.off()

Turns off the light.

NXT Ultrasonic Sensor¶

class UltrasonicSensor(port)

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Ultrasonic Sensor.

Parameters: port (Port) – Port to which the sensor is connected.
distance()

Measures the distance between the sensor and an object using ultrasonic sound waves.

Returns: Distance. distance: mm

NXT Sound Sensor¶

class SoundSensor(port)

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Sound Sensor.

Parameters: port (Port) – Port to which the sensor is connected.
intensity(audible_only=True)

Measures the ambient sound intensity (loudness).

Parameters: audible_only (bool) – Detect only audible sounds. This tries to filter out frequencies that cannot be heard by the human ear. Sound intensity. percentage: %

NXT Temperature Sensor¶

class TemperatureSensor(port)

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® NXT Temperature Sensor.

Parameters: port (Port) – Port to which the sensor is connected.
temperature()

Measures the temperature.

Returns: Measured temperature. temperature: °C

NXT Energy Meter¶

class EnergyMeter(port)

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education NXT Energy Meter.

Parameters: port (Port) – Port to which the sensor is connected.
storage()

Gets the total available energy stored in the battery.

Returns: Remaining stored energy. energy: J
input()

Measures the electrical signals at the input (bottom) side of the energy meter. It measures the voltage applied to it and the current passing through it. The product of these two values is power. This power value is the rate at which the stored energy increases. This power is supplied by an energy source such as the provided solar panel or an externally driven motor.

Returns: Voltage, current, and power measured at the input port. (voltage: mV, current: mA, power: mW)
output()

Measures the electrical signals at the output (top) side of the energy meter. It measures the voltage applied to the external load and the current passing to it. The product of these two values is power. This power value is the rate at which the stored energy decreases. This power is consumed by the load, such as a light or a motor.

Returns: Voltage, current, and power measured at the output port. (voltage: mV, current: mA, power: mW)

class VernierAdapter(port, conversion=None)

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Education NXT/EV3 Adapter for Vernier Sensors.

Parameters: port (Port) – Port to which the sensor is connected. conversion (callable) – Function of the format conversion(). This function is used to convert the raw analog voltage to the sensor-specific output value. Each Vernier Sensor has its own conversion function. The example given below demonstrates the conversion for the Surface Temperature Sensor.
voltage()

Measures the raw analog sensor voltage.

Returns: Analog voltage. voltage: mV
conversion(voltage)

Converts the raw voltage (mV) to a sensor value.

If you did not provide a conversion function earlier, no conversion will be applied.

Parameters: voltage (voltage: mV) – Analog sensor voltage Converted sensor value. float
value()

Measures the sensor voltage() and then applies your conversion() to give you the sensor value.

Returns: Converted sensor value. float

Show/hide example

Example: Using the Surface Temperature Sensor.

#!/usr/bin/env pybricks-micropython
from pybricks.parameters import Port
from pybricks.nxtdevices import VernierAdapter

from math import log

# Conversion formula for Surface Temperature Sensor
def convert_raw_to_temperature(voltage):

# Convert the raw voltage to the NTC resistance
# according to the Vernier Adapter EV3 block.
counts = voltage/5000*4096
ntc = 15000*(counts)/(4130-counts)

# Handle log(0) safely: make sure that ntc value is positive.
if ntc <= 0:
ntc = 1

# Apply Steinhart-Hart equation as given in the sensor documentation.
K0 = 1.02119e-3
K1 = 2.22468e-4
K2 = 1.33342e-7
return 1/(K0 + K1*log(ntc) + K2*log(ntc)**3)

# Initialize the adapter on port 1
thermometer = VernierAdapter(Port.S1, convert_raw_to_temperature)

# Get the measured value and print it
temp = thermometer.value()
print(temp)