How

to connect Lego Mindstorms EV3 to Open Roberta

(IMPORTANT: If you are lending the EV3 robots from SEP, you will not need to do this
procedure. Robots borrowed from SEP are already set up to run Open Roberta. Use
this procedure only if you are purchasing your own EV3 robots and would like to use
Open Roberta.)

Required Materials:
• Lego Mindstorms EV3
• Device with an internet connection (iPad, Chromebook, laptop, desktop
computer, etc.)
• WiFi dongle (1/EV3 robot plugged into USB port)
o Recommended: Edimax EW-7811Un 150Mbps 11n Wi-Fi USB Adapter
• MicroSD card (1/EV3 robot plugged into SD port)
o Recommended: SanDisk 4GB MicroSDHC Memory Card with SD Adapter
• An SD card reader that fits in your computer
o (most computers/laptops have a card reader built in on the side)
• WiFi router (one per classroom or set of robots)
o Please note: EV3s will not connect to “hotspot” internet. Must connect to
WiFi router with password and without a login ID.

The following three-step procedure (preparing the micro SD card, installing Lejos, and
connecting the EV3 to the WiFi) must be completed for each EV3 robot. If you are having
trouble with any of the following steps, please contact Jessica Allen at
jessica.allen@ucsf.edu, 415-476-6431.


Step 1: Preparing the micro SD Card
To connect the Lego Mindstorm EV3 to Open Roberta, you must first download a
program called Lejos on the each EV3. This is done by downloading Lejos onto a
microSD card and creating what’s called a “bootable SD card.”

1. Format your microSD cards to FAT32 (note: Formatting on macs may require an
additional program download.)
a. Put your micro SD card into the SD card adapter, then the adapter into the
card reader of your computer. Connect the card reader to your computer.
b. Click format in the drop-down menu
c. Select “FAT32” as the file system and format
2. Add the Lejos files to the formatted microSD card to make a “bootable SD card”.
a. Download the zip file from https://ucsf.box.com/v/lejos
b. Add all the files found inside the zip file to your micro SD card (You must
unzip the folder before loading all the files on to your SD card. Do not unzip
ejre-7u60-fcs-b19-linux-arm-sflt-headless-07_may_2014.gz).
c. Check that the files on your micro SD card match with those shown in the
image.

d. Finally, remove the micro SD card adapter (safely) from your computer and
then take out the micro SD card.


Step 2: Installing Lejos on the Lego Mindstorm EV3
Now that you have created a “bootable SD card”, you will need to insert this SD card
into the Lego Mindstorms EV3. Note that if you ever want to uninstall Lejos from your
EV3, simply remove the micro SD card and reboot the robot.

1. Make sure that the EV3 robot is switched off

2. Insert the micro SD card into your robot EV3 (there is a port labeled SD on one
side).
3. If you wish to connect your robot using a wireless network while operating the
Open Lab Roberta in step 4, we recommend that you insert the WiFi USB
Adapter into the side USB port of your robot EV3.
4. Now, start the EV3 robot by pressing the middle dark gray button.
5. The operating system will be installed automatically in the next 8 minutes and
restart. You will know that the installation is complete when you hear a short
melody. You should now see the main menu on the screen of your robot (see
below).

After the operating system is installed on your EV3 robot subsequent starts will start
faster. Normally the robot is ready for use 1-2 minutes after switching on.

If you do not see the main menu screen (above), but instead see the normal Lego
Mindstorm menu, the SD card is likely formatted incorrectly. Contact Jessica at
jessica.allen@ucsf.edu for help.

See a video of the installation process here: https://youtu.be/Gd9MduSPurY
Step 3: Connect your EV3 to the WiFi
We recommend maintaining a dedicated WiFi router for EV3s using Lejos and Open
Roberta. This will save you time as you will not need to reset the WiFi each time you use
the EV3’s. Please note that the programming device (computer, laptop, iPad, etc.) does
not need to be connected to the same WiFi network to connect to the EV3s with Open
Roberta. It is recommended to have students connect to Open Roberta using a
firewalled school internet while the EV3s are connected via a dedicated WiFi router.

School WiFi with Dedicated WiFi
Firewall router

Computer running
Open Roberta

1. Set up your dedicated WiFi router so that it has a password

2. Navigate to the WiFi menu on your EV3 robot (the navigation is done with the
left / right buttons on the EV3-brick)

3. When you find the WiFi menu, select it by clicking on the dark gray (Enter)
button.
4. Now choose the name of your WiFi network with the up/down buttons on the
EV3 brick and click again on the Enter button (In the example below, “roberta"
is the only available WiFi network).

 5. Enter the password using the on-screen keyboard on your EV3 robot.
o Uppercase letters can be selected with the "U" and lowercase letters
can be selected with the "l"
o Use the "x" to delete the previous letter
o The bottom line shows which letters you have already entered
o To confirm the password, you need to select the "D"

6. If a WLAN connection is successfully made the EV3 brick will return to the main
menu with a second IP address (third row from the top, the numbers are likely
to be different), and a WiFi icon will appear on the top right.

The EV3 will retain this WiFi configuration until you enter a new configuration.
Therefore, each time you switch on the EV3, you will not need to re-enter the WiFi
information.