Getting the SBrick app.
For iOS users…
Using your device, go to the App Store. In the search box enter “Sbrick,” and then hit the “Install” button. The app should start downloading immediately.
For Android users…
Using your device, go to Google Play. In the search box enter “Sbrick,” and then hit the “Install” button. The app should start downloading immediately.
For Windows Phone users…
Using your device, go to the Windows store. In the search box enter “Sbrick,” and then hit the “Install” button. The app should start downloading immediately.
Quick Setup
We have endeavoured to make the SBrick as simple to set up as possible. Take a look at this short video which runs through how to set-up the app.
http://youtu.be/peMXsXgRbLU?list=UUUAiWDzgI8pJ3cm___5lL6A
4.1 Creations menu (main menu)
This is the heading beneath which you will find your sets/creations. You will also be able to add new creations and applications here which you will then be able to control with SBrick. You can do this in two ways;
To add a new creation, click on the “New Creation” button. This will take you to the New Creation menu.
If you’ve already imported a creation, by clicking on the “+” icon in the top right hand corner to reach the “New Creation” menu.
If you tap on an already existing creation, you will be taken to that creation.
To delete a creation, swipe left on the creation to bring up the option to delete it.
4.2 New creation menu
Within this menu you can make new creations and edit existing creations.
When setting up a New Creation, the first thing you will be asked is to give a name to your creation. Whichever name you select will feature in the top menu if the creation is being used or edited.
The next step is to select an image which will be associated with your creation. Click on the “Select Image” button and find the image you want to use.
The next step is to connect a profile to the creation. If you already have a profile you want to use, you can select it here. If there is no profile in the app yet, you will need to set one up by clicking on “Add Profile.” (more on this later)
Finally, you need to select an SBrick which will be linked to the creation.
The order is important. You have to add a profile before you link it to an SBrick.
If you want to remove an SBrick from the list, simply swipe left on the select SBrick to delete it.
Once an SBrick has been linked to a creation, tap on an SBrick to get taken to the Port Settings.
4.2.1 “Add profile”
After clicking on Add Profile you will have the option of looking through the profiles already available through the app. We have provided four basic profiles to get you started;
Gamepad
Joystick
Steering Wheel
Steering Wheel 2.
To the top right you will see the word “Market.” Tapping here will take you to the https://social.sbrick.com market. Here you can look through profiles created by the SBrick community. Almost all of these are available for free.
At the top there are three options - ALL, STARRED, and MY PROFILES. Choosing ALL will make every profile visible, while choosing STARRED will make only those profiles that you have starred visible. There is a star icon before each profile in the list view; to add a profile to your Starred list, click on the star icon. Finally, tapping on MY PROFILES will display only those profiles you have created.
Tapping on the Profile’s name will take you to the Creations Settings Screen, while the chosen Profile will be added automatically to the Creation selected.
Profile Page
Every profile has a page associated with it. Here you will be able to see the following;
Profile icon
Profile name
A short description of the profile
Image associated with the profile
Rating of the profile (1-5 stars)
Within the page you will be able to either go back to the previous menu, or rate the profile. Rating the profile simply entails tapping on the number of stars you wish to give the profile; 5 stars is the highest rating you can give.
Profile Market
This is a listing of all the available profiles, updated in real-time. You will only be able to access the Profile Market if you have registered on the social.sbrick.com site, as the real-time listing can only be accessed through an authenticated session. If you have yet to register or login, you will be prompted to do so throgh a User Login screen.
Once logged in, you will be able to search through the profiles, access each and every profile page, as well as download profiles to your app. If you haven’t logged in, you will be prompted to do so here.
The app has been created to ensure that you have the latest version of any profile already downloaded. If your app has an older version of a profile, you will receive a push notification informing you that a newer version is available to download. Getting the latest profile onto your app requires nothing more than an affirmative response to the push notification.
You will be able to narrow the Profile Market listing from the standard listing where ALL are shown to only the latest profiles available by tapping on the NEW button.
Profile Settings
This will show the settings associated with the selected profile. These settings can vary from profile to profile, so every profile you set up can be customized in exactly the way you want.
SBrick Settings
This will allow you to configure and test how the SBrick ports function. Tapping on a port through this screen will acticate the port, allowing you to test exactly which port is doing what. Like before, the ports are listed alphabetically from A to D.
You can configure each port to control a specific LEGO motor or LED by entering the specific LEGO item number, as well as choosing its associated function. This will be derived from the Profile. These are listed in a 4x2 table to enable you to check things at a glance.
SBricks screen
This screen will show you the SBricks in your vicinity. Specifically, you can see the following.
SBrick icon. If this is a public SBrick then this is a default icon, while if the SBrick is linked to a user you will see their profile picture.
SBrick name. This is set-up by the owner of the SBrick and can be saved locally and in the cloud even if the SBrick is public.
Security status. Symbolized by a padlock, the SBrick is locked if the padlock is closed and open if the padlock is open.
Online status. If the SBrick has been picked up by the app you will be able to see it and select it here. Once selected, it will jump to the top of the list.
Select SBrick. Tap here to add the SBrick to your creation.
You will also be able to jump to the SBrick screen here as well as delete SBricks with a simple swiping action.
If an SBrick has been security-enabled, you will only be able to add it to your creation once the app has confirmed via the cloud that you are allowed to access the brick.
Sbrick Screen
Each SBrick has a unique screen which will list the following information for the SBrick selected.
SBrick name
Icon (identicon)
Firmware version
Power supply voltage
Temperature
When the SBrick was registered
Time spent online (minutes/hours/days)
Counter showing the number of commands the received so far
Security status (public/secured, users have been granted access)
Firmware version
Rename button, allowing you to change the SBrick’s name
Lighting up or down the Identify LED.
Port testing button, allowing you to jump to the Port Testing screen
Firmware Update
Tapping here will display the current Firmware version on the SBrick, as well as displaying the latest Firmware version available. You will also be able to access the changelog for the latest version. When updating the Firmware, the latest version will first be downloaded onto your smartphone and stored there locally. We have set it up this way as in many cases there will be several bricks which need to be updated.
Once the latest Firmware has been downloaded a pop-up window will appear asking for your permission to update the SBrick. You will be reminded to start the update online with a fully charged battery connected to the SBrick, as well as a fully charged mobile or tablet device.
Port Tester
We have designed this Port Tester to enable you to manually play around with the SBrick. Within the Port Tester you will see the selected SBrick, its ports together with their respective sliders. If you tap on a port, it will “shake” the selected port to test whether it works. Using the sliders you can adjust the power one way or the other. The reset button will return the slider to the middle (neutral) position.
About Screen
The about screen is a static page which contains a short description about the app, together with the current version number of the app. It also has a link to EULA which describes our privacy policy.
Updates Screen
This screen will summarize the various push notifications you will receive, namely:
there is a new version of one of the Profiles
a new SBrick firmware is available
Updates from the Social site; these will also show up on the Social site if accessed through a browser, together with links to the respective updates.
Settings Screen
You can set your general settings here as well as being able to:
Go to the Login/Sign up screen, in those cases where the user has yet to login to the app.
Sign out out of the app.
Help Screen
Tapping here will take you to the Wiki located on social.sbrick.com
Drawer Menu
The drawer menu that slides in from the right side of the screen will allow for easy navigation to the following screens.
About (about screen)
My Creations (creations screen)
Sbricks (sbricks screen)
Settings (settings screen)
Help
