mBlock5 for mBot

marcopic · 2018-01-10 10:04:59 UTC

I installed mBlock5 on my Windows 10 laptop. It sounds like amazing but… when for mBot?

tech_support · 2018-01-11 03:27:57 UTC

Hi marcopic,

Temporarily, we can not provide a clear estimate time, probably in mid-year.

forti · 2018-04-16 20:02:02 UTC

Hi
the mBot and mBot Ranger are now in MBlock and it is possible to update a firmware.
Still, there is no Bluetooth connection and I cannot control the bot directly (with USB).

Best Regards

tech_support · 2018-04-18 02:11:55 UTC

Hi forti,

The Bluetooth connection hasn’t been supported currently unless using theMakeblocl Bluetooth dongle which will transfer the Bluetooth connection to a COM Port.

For controlling the mBot online, you need upgrade firmware for the mBot first.

When you want to run online program, you need to open the test switch.

jbarker · 2018-05-14 05:11:44 UTC

Is the 2.4Ghz dongle supported?
I can only seem to be able to use the USB cable.

bigeyex · 2018-05-14 08:27:30 UTC

Not yet. It will be supported in the future.

H20zzz · 2018-05-17 18:12:31 UTC

Will the mBlock Starter kit (Orion board) be supported in the future? I would love to use the Python functionality with my students.

tech_support · 2018-05-18 09:03:43 UTC

Hi H20zzz,
Sorry for the wrong info posted here, there is no plan to add starter to mblock 5 support list currently. Sincerely sorry for that.

mbotfanatic · 2018-05-30 16:57:12 UTC

Hi, any updates on when mblock5 will be able to connect to mbot with bluetooth?

rojoamigo · 2018-05-31 02:30:26 UTC

Will starter (orion) be supported with mblock 5 ? The post here says yes and other posts say no.

goa · 2018-09-02 08:26:27 UTC

Hi. Do you plan on adding bluetooth support for the mbot without using a dongle? I’m really hoping you are as it would be crazy if we have to buy a bluetooth dongle when a laptop already has bluetooth, especially when I have bought a number of these mbots for use in school.

tech_support · 2018-09-03 03:04:43 UTC

I am afraid currently we won’t make any update on this issue. The new Bluetooth module doesn’t support computer built-in Bluetooth and a Bluetooth dongle is necessary. We’ll keep forwarding this feedback.

bigeyex · 2018-09-04 02:03:30 UTC

Actually, the developers are researching on this topic. It is possible in the future that Windows 10 and recent Mac users will be able to use internal Bluetooth on some devices; but Bluetooth will not come to Windows 7 or early OS.

goa · 2018-09-05 00:36:50 UTC

Hi. I’m not sure I totally understand you.

My five mbots (which I only purchased earlier this year) all have the bluetooth module that works with mblock 3 through my laptops internal bluetooth connection. It should be fairly easy enough to get it going with mblock 5 without an additional dongle.

If its a case of you guys just not wanting to do it - could you open source the mblock 5 software (like you have with mblock 3) so others can add it?

bigeyex · 2018-09-05 03:52:22 UTC

The mBlock 3 Bluetooth connection method doesn’t support all later mBots (with Bluetooth 4.0). So it’s a matter of luck that it works with your laptop.

By the way, what OS are you using? Windows 10? Mac?

There is no concrete open source plan for mBlock 5 in the near future. mBlock 3 did a very poor job in working with the community (mostly because of the complexity of the software). Makeblock is moving to open sourcing parts that easier to work with first (such as libraries or Swift Playgrounds)

goa · 2018-09-05 09:13:34 UTC

I have 3 different windows 10 laptops (varying in age up to 9 years old) and they all work with the mbots (v1.1 bluetooth) using mblock 3 and the laptop’s inbuilt bluetooth. But it sounds like you saying that there are different versions of mbot and that’s the problem?

I really like the look of mblock 5 - so I do very much hope support is added for using built in bluetooth.

I am disappointed and frustrated that potentially my very recent purchase (of 5 units) is effectively already outdated and potentially I will have to buy dongles for something that is obviously already possible to achieve. Well actually, will buying a dongle even work for my version of mbot?

bigeyex · 2018-09-05 09:22:02 UTC

Glad to hear that you are using Windows 10 laptops!

Not a promise - but very likely that before the end of this year a Bluetooth 4.0 support that works with all Bluetooth modules will be up for download. The only downside is that it needs Windows 10.

Buying a general Bluetooth dongle won’t connect new mBots to mBlock 3. You need the ones from Makeblock that converts Bluetooth to Serial Ports like these:
https://store.makeblock.com/bluetooth-dongle-en

Please search “Makeblock Bluetooth Dongle” in Google and find if you can find a reseller selling these.