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Topics Covered

  • Motors and Sensors Setup
  • Configuring Motors
  • Lesson Links

    Check Your Understanding:
    1. 1. True or False: ROBOTC Programs are configured with the Clawbot IQ as the default robot model.
    2. True: The VEX IQ Clawbot is set as the default robot model.
      False: The default robot model needs to be set everytime a new program is created.
    3. 2. Which window in ROBOTC allows you to configure where motors and sensors are plugged in on the VEX IQ Brain?
    4. The Device Configurator Window
      The Motors and Sensors Setup Window
      The VEX IQ Fireware Updater
      The Robot Configurator
    5. 3. True or False: You must give your motors and sensors custom names.
    6. True: Naming is required for individual motors and sensors.
      False: It’s just a good practice to give them more memorable names.
    7. 4. What are the rules for the custom names you can give motors and sensors?
    8. They must be all one word
      They can only be made up of letters, numbers, and underscores
      They cannot be a word already reserved by ROBOTC
      All of the above
    9. 5. Why is it important to set the “Drive Motor Side” for motors on the drive train in ROBOTC?
    10. It is not important
      It allows commands like forward, backward, turnRight, and turnLeft to work with custom robots
      The robot is able to conserve energy, providing longer battery life
      It prevents the robot from spinning in circles when it should move forward
    Try It!
    Try it! 1

    Removing Configuration

    Open the Motors and Sensors Setup and remove unused sensors. Try it!
    This is the robot that appeared in this lesson's video.
    By default, this robot uses 4 motors to operate, so the sensors configured by default are not necessary. Also, when you download a program to your robot, ROBOTC may warn you about any sensors that are configured but not physically connected.
    Open the Motor and Sensor Setup by clicking on the "Motors and Sensor Setup" button at the top of ROBOTC.

    Note: This button is visible only when you have a program open.
    On the Motors and Sensors Setup window, click and open the "Devices" tab.
    On the Devices tab, look for sensors that you do not need.

    For example, to remove the Touch LED, click on "Touch LED" in the dropdown menu, listed under 'Sensor Type'.
    Then, select No Sensor.


    Repeat this for other sensors that are not connected on your robot.
    Try it! 2

    Changing Default Configuration

    Open the Motors and Sensors Setup and
    configure a sensor in a non-default port. Try it!
    Touch LEDs would be a valuable addition to the Conveyorbot.

    Touch LEDs can be set to output many different colors. You can use them to show which part of the program your robot is running!

    Complicated robot designs often restrict you physically from attaching sensors freely. In cases like this, changing the sensor's default port can be useful.

    In the Devices tab of the Motors and Sensor Setup window, look for sensor name "touchLED". You will see that it is configured in port 2.

    Multiple of the same type of sensor, including the Touch LED, can be connected to a robot, but we will move the configuration from port 2 to another open port.

    You wouldn't want to replace to a port that is already occupied.

    Look for ports that are empty (marked as "No Sensor") or ports using sensors that you do not need.
    Choose port 9, which is empty, type "touchLED" as name of the sensor, and select "Touch LED" from the dropdown menu.
    Make sure port 2 is now empty and set as "No Sensor". Click on the Apply button on the Setup window to complete the change.
    Try it! 3

    Changing Arm Motor Ports

    Configure the conveyor belt motor on the correct port,
    with the Drive Motor Side set to "None". Try it!
    On Motors and Sensors Setup window, click and open the "Motors" tab



    Configuring a motor on a non-default different port is similar to configuring a sensor on a non-default port.

    On the Clawbot IQ, the arm and claw motors are in ports 10 and 11. On Conveyorbot, the conveyor belt motor is in port 3. Configure the conveyor belt motor on motor port 3 by typing the name "conveyorMotor", and selecting "VEX IQ Motor" from the dropdown menu.

    Remove the configuration for the arm and claw motors, by selecting "No Motor" from the dropdown menu on ports 10 and 11.


     

    Any time you configure a motor that is part of a robot arm, set the motor's Drive Motor Side to "None". This will prevent that motor from being controlled by drivetrain-specific blocks like Forward, Backward and TurnRight.