SPIKE Prime Robotics Camp — Setup & Firmware Guide

This camp uses Pybricks, which runs in a web browser over Bluetooth. There is nothing to install on student laptops — but each hub needs a one-time firmware install over USB before the first session, and there are a few device requirements to check ahead of time. Do this setup the week before camp, not the morning of.

Device & browser requirements

  • Use Chrome, Edge, or Chromium with Web Bluetooth. This works on Windows laptops and Chromebooks (ChromeOS).
  • iPads and iPhones do NOT work — iOS Safari and Chrome-for-iOS don’t support Web Bluetooth. Firefox does not work on any platform. If a student brings a tablet, it can’t connect; have a spare laptop available.
  • Test the connection flow on the actual camp laptops at least once before Day 1.

One-time hub firmware install (per hub, over USB)

Do this once for each of the 3 hubs. You need a micro-USB cable and a Chrome/Edge browser.

  1. Charge the hub and connect it to the laptop with the micro-USB cable.
  2. (If the hub is brand new or was used with the LEGO app) update it to the latest official LEGO SPIKE firmware first, using the LEGO SPIKE app.
  3. Open code.pybricks.com.
  4. Click the Bluetooth/settings firmware installer, choose the SPIKE Prime hub, and follow the prompts to install the Pybricks firmware over USB.
  5. When it finishes, the hub light shows Pybricks is installed. After this, the hub connects over Bluetooth — the USB cable is only needed if you ever reinstall firmware.

Full official steps: Installing Pybricks firmware.

Reinstalling the official LEGO firmware (to use the LEGO app again) is also done from the same installer over USB. The Pybricks firmware does not erase the hub permanently.

Name and label each hub

In the Pybricks settings, give each hub a distinct name (animals or city names work well — “Lansing,” “Otter,” “Capitol”). Put a matching physical label on the hub. With 3 hubs connecting over Bluetooth, students need to pick the right one out of the list quickly — names + labels prevent a lot of confusion.

Pre-build the robots

Robots are pre-built before Day 1 using the standard two-motor driving base so Day 1 can go straight to connecting and driving. Build all three (or build them with a helper the night before).

For each robot, record on a sticky note taped to the robot:

  • Which port each motor is plugged into (e.g., A and B)
  • The Direction each motor needs (CLOCKWISE or COUNTERCLOCKWISE) so it drives forward, not backward — this depends on how the motors are mounted
  • Which ports the color sensor and distance sensor use (added for Sessions 4–5; the base set includes both)

These per-robot values are not universal — they depend on the build, and students will verify/adjust them in code. Recording them up front saves time.

Calibration is part of the curriculum (don’t pre-solve it)

Several values look like they should be constants but are measured on the actual robot and surface. Let students measure them — that’s the learning:

  • wheel_diameter / axle_track (Day 1) — start near 56 / 112 mm, then drive straight(1000) and turn(360) and adjust
  • Maze cell size (Day 2)
  • Gyro turn fudge, e.g. turn(357) vs turn(362) for a true 360° (Day 3)
  • Obstacle trigger distance (Day 4)
  • Line-following BLACK / WHITE thresholds and GAIN (Day 5)

The starter and solution .py files use example numbers clearly labeled as starting guesses. Don’t present them as correct answers.

Block coding vs. Python

Pybricks supports both in the same editor. Younger or newer students can use the block mode; students ready to type use Python. Each session has a resources/block-coding-guide.md that mirrors the Python step by step. You can mix tracks within a team — the concepts are identical.

Day-of checklist

  • All 3 hubs flashed with Pybricks firmware, named, and labeled
  • Robots pre-built; motor ports/directions and sensor ports noted on each robot
  • Laptops charged, on Chrome/Edge, tested against code.pybricks.com
  • Micro-USB cable on hand (in case a hub needs a re-flash)
  • Hubs charged
  • Tape, poster board, cardboard, rulers, and whiteboards staged for the day’s session

Troubleshooting

A hub doesn’t appear in the Bluetooth list. Make sure the hub is on and not already connected to another laptop (only one connection at a time). Refresh the browser. Confirm the laptop’s Bluetooth is on.

“Bluetooth not available” or no pairing prompt. Confirm the browser is Chrome/Edge/Chromium (not Firefox, not Safari) and that it’s a laptop/Chromebook, not an iPad. On managed Chromebooks, Web Bluetooth may need to be enabled in admin policy — check before camp.

The robot drives backward / turns the wrong way. The motor Direction is wrong for how it’s mounted. Flip the Direction on that motor (CLOCKWISE ↔ COUNTERCLOCKWISE) in the code. This is expected per-build tuning, not a hardware fault.

A while True: program won’t stop. Click Stop in the Pybricks editor, or briefly disconnect. Teach students where the stop button is before running loop programs in Day 4.