So I would go with the EV3.

Here are some reasons:

The kids will be excited by the new robot.

The new software is backward compatible so you can program the NXT with it.

The idea that there will be a NXT bonus/EV3 penalty seems low. There was a RCX bonus but I think is generally acknowledged that it was not necessary. Some of the new features of the EV3 may not be allowed this time, specifically the fourth motor port but that is hardly it's only advantage.

You said you will be passing the robots on. Passing on a EV3 will be better for the new kids and is a better long term investment of the sponsors money.

People are not taking into account the new non-electric parts that will come with the EV3.

Here are the specs from Lego Education

http://aux.legoeducation.us/sharedimages/resources/45544Mindstormstopcard.pdf

http://aux.legoeducation.us/sharedimages/resources/45560Mindstormstopcardback.pdf

You could use the NXT for attachment development easily so you are not going to have just one robot if you get an EV3.

I have looked at many of the new programing blocks and they are simply improved versions of NXT-G so this is not the Robolab to NXT-G debate again. Yes, there are new blocks and the "# to text" block is just gone but that is because it is no longer needed.

Either way do something fun like have a welcome to the team party for the new robot and maybe have a naming contest or vote.

On 2013-07-03 21:25, Jeff Lavezzo wrote:

Hi All,

My team's sponsors are offering to buy us an additional robot this year.  It'll be our second year as a team and this would be our second robot.   We have to choose between getting a second NXT2 or getting the new EV3.  The pros of getting the NXT2 is that we'd then have to of the same kits that we could use in parallel and interchangeably. The pros of getting the EV3 is getting the latest and greatest and setting us up for future work.

 

Can anyone with more experience in FLL than we have come up with a good reason to go either way?  Is it really that great a benefit to have two robots to work with?  Is the EV3 so much better?

 

One other point to consider: our team is pretty much 13 and up so probably winding down our time as an FLL team, but  our equipment will probably be passed to a younger team at some point.

 

Thanks for any advice

 

Jeff Lavezzo

Charlottesville

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