Editing Lego Mindstorms (section)

===Scout===
Lego also released a blue computer called the Scout, which has 2 sensor ports, 2 motor ports (plus one extra if linked with a Micro Scout using a [[fiber-optic cable]]), and a built-in light sensor, but no PC interface. It comes with the Robotics Discovery Set. The Scout can be programmed from a collection of built-in program combinations. In order to program the Scout, a user must enable "power mode" on it. The Scout can store one program.

The Scout is based on a [[Toshiba]] microcontroller with 32&nbsp;KB of ROM and 1&nbsp;KB of RAM, where about 400 bytes are available for user programs. Due to the extremely limited amount of RAM, many predefined subroutines were provided in ROM. The Scout only supports passive external sensors, which means that only touch, temperature and other unpowered sensors can be used. The [[analog-to-digital converter]]s used in the Scout only have a resolution of 8 bits, in contrast to the 10-bit converters of the RCX.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mindstorms.lego.com/products/rds/hackers.asp|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010210104326/http://mindstorms.lego.com/products/rds/hackers.asp|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 February 2001|title=Robotics Discovery Set: Info for Hackers|date=10 February 2001}}</ref>

There was a plan for Lego to create a booster set that allows programming the Scout from a computer with software such as RCX code. However, due to the complexity of this project, it was abandoned.

The RCX can control the Scout brick using the "Send IR Message" program block. The RCX does all of the controlling, and therefore can be programmed with the PC, while the Scout accepts commands. The Scout brick must have all of its options set to "off" during this process.