This quick start guide assumes you will be running mBlock, the software to program the robot, locally installed on your computer. You can also run mBlock in a browser. We have a different quick-start guide for that.
When you use mBlock in the browser, you must download and install mLink. mLink is necessary because it acts as a bridge between your web browser and the physical hardware of the mBot robot, bridging the gap between web-based software and physical hardware.
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Some school laptops are prevented from installing software. If so, you should contact the people in charge of your school’s IT to address this.
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Here, we will install mBlock for Windows. If you think this has already been done, you can skip to Step 2 and come back as needed.
mBlock PC version and click Download for Windows. This will download the installer to your computer.
A view of the installer running.
Finish.
Run mBlock, the window below will pop up. This shows that mBlock was successfully installed.
In this step, we will ensure the robot runs the default firmware. The box below explains why we do this. This step is optional if you are sure the default firmware is running on the robot. However, if you are not sure, we recommend working through this step to ensure the robot is running the correct firmware to run the example program.
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When you upload a program to the mBot, it replaces the robot's original firmware—the built-in software that lets it communicate with the mBlock app and respond to live commands. If you want to switch back to Live Mode (like driving it with your phone or computer), you must restore the original firmware. The mBlock app calls this "updating the firmware"—even though it’s just reinstalling the original software. This step is necessary because the custom code you uploaded takes over the robot, blocking live commands and resetting (or "updating") the firmware, bringing back the ability to control the mBot in real-time.
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