Divert the Red Disk

What the Teacher Will Do:

• Instruct students that they will continue to work in their groups to follow the steps on this page.
• Circle the classroom as students work through the steps on this page and answer any questions that arise.
• Students will let you know when they are ready for their check in. Guidance for this check in is provided in a Teacher Toolbox at the bottom of this page.
• Once all groups have finished testing their projects, bring the groups together for a whole-class discussion. Guidance for this discussion is provided in a Teacher Toolbox at the bottom of this page.

If groups are finding issues with their conveyors and diverter moving, try the following troubleshooting techniques.

1. Check the VEXcode V5 project.
   1. Have students compare their project to the video on this page and ensure the order of the blocks match. Make sure students are re-downloading their project each time they make a change and before they run the project.
      1. Ensure students have adjusted the parameters accordingly after they have duplicated a set of blocks.
         
      2. Ensure students have removed the second [Spin to position] block after they have duplicated the stack of blocks used to code the entry conveyor.
         
2. Check the diverter.
   1. Ensure students are manually moving the diverter back to the starting position before re-running their projects.
      
3. Check the build.
   1. There may be a mechanical issue with your Workcell. Instruct students to look at the Lab 9 build instructions first and verify that the additions to their Workcell match.
      1. If the disk is falling off of the transport conveyor as it moves, add additional standoffs along the sides. Go to the V5 Workcell Educator Certification for more information on how to add these to your Workcell.

Review the following with groups during their check in:

• Ensure groups have built their project correctly based on the images on this page. Note that the mastering values will vary depending on the group.
• Ensure that the red disk moves onto the transport conveyor, the diverter spins to the 90 degree position, the disk moves along the transport conveyor, and then is diverted off of the exit conveyor.
  • If groups are noticing that the transport or exit conveyors do not move the red disk far enough, consider adjusting the time in the [Wait] block. The time can be increased or decreased depending on the Workcell.
    
  • If groups noticing the conveyors and the diverter are not spinning properly, consider adjusting the speed of the [​​Set motor velocity] blocks. These blocks can be adjusted to lower or increase the velocity of the motors. 
    
  • Ensure that the diverter spins to the 90 degree position before the red disk moves along the transport conveyor. If the diverter spins to position too late, the red disk will pass through it, instead of it being diverted onto the exit conveyor.

After groups have finished testing the project and moved the red disk from the entry conveyor to the exit conveyor, engage the class in a discussion about their experience using conveyors on the Workcell system and their observations.

• Begin by asking groups to share their projects with one another. If time allows, have groups run their project for the class.
• Then ask groups to share any observations they had while creating and testing the project and conveyors and diverter. Ask students questions such as:
  • Did your group need to adjust any of the [Wait] blocks? Students should explain if the disk did not travel on the conveyors long enough, or if it traveled too long, that the [Wait] block can be adjusted to lengthen or shorten the amount of time that the conveyors spin. This length of time corresponds to how far the disk travels along the conveyor.
  • How did your group change the position of the diverter? Students should explain that the diverter position was set using the [Spin to position] block in VEXcode V5. To divert the red disk to the exit conveyor, the diverter was spun to the 90 degree position.
  • How did your group control the conveyors in this project? Students should explain that the conveyors were controlled using the [Spin], [Wait], and [Stop motor] blocks in VEXcode V5. The [Spin] block was used to begin spinning the conveyor, then after a set amount of time in the [Wait] block, the conveyors would stop spinning when the project moved to the [Stop motor] block.