What is the difference between the Lego Mindstorms 1.0 and 2.0

Question

I am thinking about buying a mindstorms kit (I don't currently own one but I have used 1.0 at university) and I am a bit unsure as to the benefits of 2.0 over 1.0. I have seen other posts on the subject all saying generally 2.0 is better but I have some more specific questions about this that I can't seem to find any answers on.

Apart from the different lego pieces and sensors you get with the 2.0 kit, is there any difference between a 1.0 nxt brick and 2.0 nxt brick? From what I can determine from other sources, they are the same except for the firmware installed. Am I right in saying I could buy a 1.0 kit and install the same firmware that comes with the 2.0 kit and the bricks would be the same or is the 1.0 brick not compatible with the 2.0 firmware???

Also, I plan to use a different programming language like c or java so I need to install specific firmware for that anyway like librcx or lejos right? So if using c or java as opposed to the provided lego coding methods it doesn't matter if I am using 1.0 or 2.0 (except for the lego pieces in the kit) am I right?

In a nutshell, assuming I am using librcx or lejos and I don't care about the sensors and lego pieces included, is there any benefit to buying a 2.0 kit over the 1.0 kit?

Thanks in advance

Answer 1

I've done a bit more research and from what I can determine there is no difference in the NXT hardware from the 1.0 and 2.0 kits.

The NXT provided with the 2.0 kit uses firmware v1.28 which can be downloaded from the Lego website for free and can also be installed on the NXT which comes with the 1.0 kit making them identical.

If using something like librcx or lejos then this will replace the firmware anyway so again the 1.0 and 2.0 bricks are interchangeable.

In a nutshell, the only apparent difference between the 1.0 and 2.0 kits is the Lego pieces and sensors which can always be bought separately if required. 1.0 kits are generally about £40-£50 cheaper on eBay so you can save yourself some money by buying an older kit and purchasing the extra parts although the new colour sensor supplied with 2.0 is about £40 any way so if you want that then you may be as well just getting 2.0 anyway.

Hope this helps!

Answer 2

I think it also depends on whether you have a retail or educational kits. Educational kits come with rechargeable battery cells which are different between 1.0 and 2.0. The battery packs have different sized connections and thus have different power adapters for recharging.

Here is a tidbit of information, Lego will be releasing a new Mindstorm EV3 late this year http://mindstorms.lego.com/en-us/News/ReadMore/Default.aspx?id=476243