Quick Reference
Power
Data In
Data Out
Pass Through
Essentials
Attaching MOSS Blocks
Build with MOSS by snapping steel spheres between the corner magnets of MOSS blocks.
Connection Types
The number of spheres connecting two blocks determines the connection type:
Try it out!
Power
Blocks need power to work. Green faces route power from a battery throughout a MOSS robot.
Turn the MOSS battery on. The green LED should illuminate.
If the battery is low or the green light does not illuminate, charge using the included micro USB cable and any USB port.
Power up a block by connecting one of its green faces to a green face on the battery. Once a block is powered its other green faces will power more blocks.
Data
Data flows from sensors to action blocks to control how your robot acts.
Red faces broadcast data about what a block senses. Brown faces listen for data to tell that block what to do.
Power and Data must flow through your construction without mixing. If they mix you won’t hurt MOSS, but your robot may misbehave.
When you connect the red face of a proximity block to a brown face of a Motor Block, the motor will drive according to what the proximity sensor sees.
Remember, each block needs both power and data to function properly. Try it Out!
You can think of data as a percentage. When the proximity sees nothing close it broadcasts 0%. When something is up close it broadcasts 100%.
Action blocks like the Motor listen for this percentage and react in their own way.
Pass-Through
Blue pass-through faces can conduct either Power or Data, but not both at once.
Use blocks with Pass-Through faces to connect two faces that can’t be arranged to touch.
Hub blocks connect all faces together. This simple block not only helps you build, but unlocks the ability to combine sensors and action blocks.
Using the hub block, one red face of a sensor block can be split to control several action blocks.
You can also combine two or more sensors to control action blocks. The result is the average of all the connected input blocks.
With so many faces on the Hub Block it’s easy to mix power and data unintentionally. Use the blank face to strategically block off one direction.
Instruction Manuals
Download a PDF copy of your MOSS instruction manual by clicking the corresponding buttons.
