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Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Activity Outline

This exploration will introduce students to basic drive forward, reverse, and waiting programming behaviors. These basic skills will help them to succeed in the next activity and in the Strike Challenge at the end of this STEM Lab, when they will compete in bowling by using the Speedbot.

Using the V5 Speedbot (Drivetrain 2-motor, No Gyro) template project enables the students to program the Speedbot to move forward by just using one instruction.

The Speedbot is ready to move!

This exploration will give you the tools to be able to program your Speedbot for simple movements. At the end of this activity, you will engage in the Basketball Drills Challenge using forward, reverse, and waiting behaviors.

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Here is an overview of the User Interface of VEXcode V5. Students will be introduced to these tabs/buttons during the activities in this Momentum Alley STEM Lab. Links are also provided throughout the STEM Lab to provide more information about these tabs/buttons.

Image of the VEXcode V5 Workspace with the Help Notes open for the Drivetrain drive for command

  • VEXcode V5 instructions that will be used in this exploration:
    • Drivetrain.driveFor(1, inches);
    • wait(1, seconds);

  • To find out more information about the instruction, select Help and then select the question mark icon next to a command to see more information.

    Image of the VEXcode V5 Workspace with help notes open for the Drivetrain Drive For command

     

  • Make sure you have the hardware required, your engineering notebook, and VEXcode V5 downloaded and ready.

Teacher Tips icon Teacher Tips

If this is the student’s first time using VEXcode V5, they can reference the Tutorials at any time during this exploration.

Tutorials

Materials Required:
Quantity Materials Needed
1

Speedbot Robot
1

Charged Robot Battery
1

VEXcode V5
1

USB Cable (if using a computer)
1

Engineering Notebook

Teacher Tips icon Teacher Tips

Model each of the troubleshooting steps for the students.

Step 1:  Preparing for the Exploration

Before you begin the activity, do you have each of these items ready? Check each of the following:

Step 2:  Start a New Project

Complete the following steps to begin the project:

  • Open the File menu and select Open Examples.

    VEXcode V5 Toolbar with the File menu open and Open Examples highlighted in a red box. Open Examples is the fourth menu item beneath New Blocks Project, New Text Project, and Open.

     

  • Select and open the Speedbot (Drivetrain 2-motor, No Gyro) template project. The template project contains the Speedbot's motor configuration. If the template is not used, your robot will not run the project correctly.

    Image showing the Example projects with a red box around the Speedbot (Drivetrain 2-motor, No Gyro) Template Project

     

  • Since you will be working on moving the Speedbot forward and reverse, you will name your project Drive. Select the Project Name, Type in 'Drive' and then select 'Save.'

 

Image showing the project name being changed to drive

 

 

 

Teacher Tips icon Teacher Tips

  • Project Names can have spaces between or after the words.

    Rename V5

  • You can ask students to add their initials or the name of their group to the project name. This will help differentiate the projects if you ask the students to submit them.

  • Because this is the first activity with programming your students may attempt, you should model the steps, and then ask students to complete the same actions. The teacher should then monitor the students to ensure that they are following the steps correctly.

  • Make sure that the students have selected Open Examples from the File menu.

  • Make sure that the students have selected the Speedbot (Drivetrain 2-motor, No Gyro) template project.

  • You can point out to the students that there are several selections to pick from on the Examples page. As they build and use other robots, they will have a chance to use different templates.

  • Check to make sure the project name Drive is now in the window in the center of the toolbar.

    Image showing the project name changed to drive

     

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Saving Projects

  • Point out that when they first opened VEXcode V5, the window was labeled VEXcode Project. VEXcode Project is the default project name when VEXcode V5 is first opened. Once the project was renamed Drive and saved, the display was updated to show the new project name. Using this window in the toolbar, it is easy to check that the students are using the correct project.

  • Tell the students that they are now ready to begin their first project. Explain to the students that by just following a few simple steps, they will be able to create and run a project that will move the Speedbot forward.

  • Remind students to save their projects as they work. The C++ sections from the VEX Library explains saving practices in VEXcode V5.

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Stop and Discuss

This is a good point to pause and have the students review the steps that were just completed on starting a new project in VEXcode V5 individually or in groups. Ask the students to reflect individually before sharing within their group or to the whole class.

Step 3:  Drive Forward

You are now ready to begin programming the robot to drive forward!

  • Before we begin programming, we need to understand what an instruction is. There are three parts to an instruction. For more information on what an instruction is, view this article.

    A screenshot of C++ code in VEXcode, showing the main function. The code includes a command 'Drivetrain.driveFor(200, mm);' with annotations indicating 'Device,' 'Command,' and 'Parameters.' The annotations are connected by red arrows pointing to the corresponding parts of the code.

  • Add the instruction to the project:

    A screenshot of C++ code in VEXcode with the main function initializing the robot configuration. The command, Drivetrain.driveFor(100, mm) is highlighted with a red border, indicating the robot is programmed to drive forward for 100 millimeters

Teacher Tips icon Teacher Tips

You may notice an autocomplete function as you start to type the instruction. Use your “Up” and “Down” keys to select the name you want, then press “Tab” or (Enter/Return) on your keyboard to make the selection. For more information on this feature check out the C++ article.

  • Select the Slot icon to choose one of the eight available slots on the Robot Brain and select slot 1.

    Image of VEXcode V5 Slot options, with a red box around Slot 1

     

  • Connect the V5 Robot Brain to the computer using a micro USB cable and power on the V5 Robot Brain. The Brain icon in the toolbar turns green once a successful connection has been made.

    Screenshot of the Toolbar in VEXcode V5 with a red box around the green Brain icon

     

  • Select Download to download the project to the Brain.

    Image of the Toolbar in VEXcode EXP with a red box around the download icon

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  • Remind the students to disconnect the USB cable from the Robot Brain. Having the robot connected to a computer while running a project could cause the robot to pull on the connection cable.

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Stop and Discuss

Ask the students to predict what they think will happen when this project is downloaded and run on the Speedbot. Tell the students to record their predictions in their engineering notebooks. If time allows, ask each group to share their prediction

  • Check to make sure your project has downloaded by looking at the Robot Brain’s screen. The project name Drive should be listed in Slot 1.

    Image of the VEX V5 Robot Brain Screen with a red box Around the Drive project

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Model First

  • Model running the project in front of the class before having all the students try at once. Gather the students in one area and leave enough room for the Speedbot to move if it is placed on the floor.

  • Tell the students it is now their turn to run their project. Make sure that they have a clear path and that no Speedbots will run into each other.

  • Run (C++) the project on the robot by making sure the project is selected and then press the Run button on the Robot Brain. Congratulations on creating your first project!

    Image of a red box around the Run button on the Robot Brain screen

Step 4:  Drive Reverse

Now that you have programmed your robot to drive forward, let us program it to now drive in reverse.

  • Change the parameter in the drive instruction to display -100.

  • Select the Project Name to change it from Drive to Reverse.

     

  • Select the Slot icon to choose a new slot. Select slot 2.

     

  • Download (in C++) the project.

    VEXcode V5 Toolbar with the Download button highlighted by a red box on the right side. The Download button is located to the right of a green Brain icon and to the left of the Run and Stop buttons.

  • Check to make sure your project has downloaded (in C++) by looking at the Robot Brain’s screen. The project name Reverse should be listed in Slot 2.

  • Run (in C++) the project on the robot by making sure the project is selected and then press the Run button on the Robot Brain.

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Completing Step 4

  • To change the driveFor command from forward to reverse, simply change the first parameter to -100. This will have the motors in the drivetrain move in the opposite direction.

  • The number of mm can be changed, but for this example we will leave them at 100 mm as set in the previous step.

  • Remind them to disconnect the USB cable from the Robot Brain before running the project.

  • Remind students to save their projects as they work. The VEX Library has sections for C++ that explains saving practices in VEXcode V5.

ound slot 4"

arStep 5:  Wait then Drive in Reverse

Now that we have programmed the robot to drive forward and then in reverse, we can now add a wait instruction so that the robot waits a certain amount of time before driving in reverse.

  • Add a wait instruction as shown. This tells the robot to wait three seconds before driving in reverse.

    A screenshot of C++ code in VEXcode within the main function, where the robot configuration is initialized. The command wait(3, seconds) is highlighted with a red border, indicating the program will pause for 3 seconds before executing the next command, Drivetrain.driveFor(-100, mm)to drive the robot backward for 100 millimeters

  • Select the Project Name to change it from Reverse to WaitReverse.

    Screenshot showing the project name changed to WaitReverse

     

  • Select the Slot icon to choose a new slot. Select slot 3.

    Image showing the slot options in VEXcode V5 with a red box around Slot 3

  • Download (in C++) the project.

    Image showing the VEXcode V5 Toolbar with a red box around the download icon

  • Check to make sure your project has downloaded (in C++) by looking at the Robot Brain’s screen. The project name WaitReverse should be listed in Slot 3.

    Image of the VEX V5 Robot's Brain Screen with a red box Around the WaitReverse project

  • Run (in C++) the project on the robot by making sure the project is selected and then press the Run button.

    Image of a red box around the Run button on the Robot Brain screen

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Completing Step 5

  • Using a wait command will not end the project, it only pauses the robotic movement.

  • If the students are using a computer, remind them to disconnect the USB cable from Robot Brain before running the project.

  • Remind students to save their projects as they work. The VEX Library has sections for C++ that explains saving practices in VEXcode V5.

Step 6:  Complete the Basketball Drills Challenge!

A top-down view of the Basketball Drills Challenge containing a robot positioned at the starting line of a course. The course includes three black lines labeled '10 cm,' '20 cm,' and '40 cm,' marking distances from the start

Basketball Drills Challenge layout

In the Basketball Drills Challenge, the robot must be able to navigate a series of lines at different distances. The robot will travel forward to the first line which is 10 cm from the starting position, wait 1 second, and then travel backwards returning to that same line. The robot will then repeat the action by driving forward 20 cm to the second line, wait 1 second, and then drive backward to the original starting line. The robot will drive forward to the third line with a distance of 40 cm, wait 1 second, and then finally return to the starting line to finish the challenge.

Before programming the robot, plan out the robot's path and behaviors in your engineering notebook.

After completing the Basketball Challenge, you will be able to combine forward and reverse movements with additional robot behaviors to complete even more advanced challenges.
Keep in mind when programming that 1 cm = 10 mm.

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Stop and Discuss

Ask the students to share their solutions in pairs before discussing them as a whole class. Facilitate the discussion by asking:

  • Did you face any difficulties while programming this challenge?

  • Did your robot behave like you expected based on your project? Why or why not?

  • If you could do the challenge over, is there anything that you would have done differently?

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Solution

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