What are the limitations of LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3?

[ADVANCESSSS]

So I discovered LEGO MINDSTORMS EV3 and am amazed at how simple coding can be and at the fact that it seems to have all the capabilities c++ offers. It even gives me something I couldn't get easily - sensory AND motor input/output. It's a dream come true for my AI discovery I'm going to try in different robot bodies. And I'm very eager to soon spend 500$ on this.

But I keep hearing of "limitations".

What.

What limitations.

Name a few big ones.

If you want, name them all, and I advise you to since it be worth my and anyone else's time.

[Dsun]

That's a pretty general question.  Any kind of application you have in mind with certain specifications you need to be wary about?

[ADVANCESSSS]

While everything looks like it's being coded fine, today I will have to figure out how I will link a number to another positive/negative number plus link the first number to a another number in arrays so that when it finds a match in a array it finds the linked items.

[Dsun]

Are you using the LEGO MINDSTORMS software or LabVIEW?

[ADVANCESSSS]

Isn't the software the labview? ------- I'm using the software BUT it says labview at top right......It is the brick programming software for EV3.

Btw I figured out how to do the above task I mentioned! What else can't be done now!!!!

[Dsun]

Ah, well the brick programming software is a very intuitive and straightforward environment to program in.  However, there are some general limitations.  You can only use a specified range for some of the block values.  Only simple speed settings may be used.  No nested loops or branch structures such as "if" and "switch" statements.

Other than some limitations regarding the full range of programming capabilities, the brick software is pretty comprehensive.  Moreover, you can always use the LabVIEW Module for LEGO MINDSTORMS if you want something a little more powerful.

[ADVANCESSSS]

"You can only use a specified range for some of the block values. "

Give an example of this I don't understand. Value blocks? Array blocks? What? Your statement meant nothing to me I don't understand.

"Only simple speed settings may be used. "

What would be "not" simple??

"No nested loops or branch structures such as "if" and "switch" statements."

But I have put a loop inside a loop duuuude dude dude!!?? And there is a switch statement and many ways to do if statements.

[Dsun]

For setting motor speeds or sensor measurements, you can only use a certain level of discreet values.  As for simple speed settings, you can't implement more complicated methods of control such as PID.

As for the loops and if/switch statements, it looks like I was wrong.  It certainly has those capabilites.  I was refering to older software which did not have those features.  My bad!

[ADVANCESSSS]

Huh that's a relief! Like a grey ghost leaving my chest. Well a little overexagerated. So all that's left is sensor/motor #limit & motor speeds PID hmm....................................Are you saying that a camera's pixels can intake all possible colors/brightness 1s&0s whereas EV3's is limited to a set limit being 0-100 or 0-1023 or something like that for some sensors? This is ok for my project, even wanted!..............................Next, PID, looking it up, does it boost the motor if touched so it stays at the same speed going around hitting the little sensors inside at the expected times? I don't need that. Also I think I could code that in the EV3 blocks too.

[Dsun]

After a bit of research, it looks like you can in fact do PID.

http://bricks.stackexchange.com/questions/4382/code-for-pid-for-ev3-g

I guess the capabilities of the environment are more robust than what I previously thought!  You should be perfectly fine with whatever application you have in mind then.  No other jarring limitations come to mind.