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Load the Red Disk

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Facilitating the Load the Red Disk page

What the Teacher Will Do:

  • Instruct students that they will be working together in their groups to follow the steps on this page.
  • Circle the classroom as students work through these steps and answer any questions that arise.
  • As groups check in, ensure they have built their project correctly before moving on. Guidance for this check in is provided in a Teacher Toolbox at the bottom of this page.

Now that you have tested the movement of the conveyors and the diverter, you will now combine those movements to divert a red disk off of the Workcell.

The red disk, acting as a faulty package or product, will move through the following path:

  • Red disk begins at the entry conveyor. The entry conveyor spins for a set amount of time so that the red disk is moved onto the transport conveyor.
  • The diverter spins to the 90 degree position to divert the red disk off of the conveyor.
  • The red disk travels through the transport conveyor.
  • The red disk is diverted onto the exit conveyor. 
  • The exit conveyor spins for a set amount of time so that the red disk is moved off of the exit conveyor.

Lab 9 - Red Path_4

On this page, you will code the entry conveyor to load the red disk onto the transport conveyor, and then spin the diverter to the 90 degree position.

Remove the [Spin to position] blocks, and then add a [Comment], [Spin], [Wait], and [Stop motor] block to the project to create the stack of blocks shown in this image.

These blocks will code the entry conveyor to spin for a set amount of time so that the red disk is moved onto the transport conveyor.

entry motor callout

Load a red disk onto the entry conveyor and download and run the project.

The entry conveyor will spin forward for two seconds before stopping to move the red disk onto the transport conveyor.

Once the entry conveyor has stopped spinning, stop the project.

If the entry conveyor on your Workcell did not move the red disk onto the transport conveyor, notify your teacher.

Lab 9 - RedTransport_3

Add a [Comment] and [Spin to position] block to the project to create the stack of blocks shown in this image.

These blocks will code the diverter to spin to the 90 degree position to divert the red disk off of the conveyor.

Diverter callout_1

Load a red disk onto the entry conveyor and download and run the project.

The entry conveyor will spin forward and move the disk onto the transport conveyor, then the diverter will spin to the 90 degree position.

Once the diverter has stopped spinning, stop the project.

If the diverter on your Workcell did not spin to the 90 degree position, notify your teacher.

Lab 9 - RedTransport_2

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Troubleshooting

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 images 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 are paying close attention to the parameters of the blocks.
        parameters
      2. Ensure the [Spin to position] block for the diverter is set to 90 degrees. Students may accidentally leave it at 0 degrees or 9 degrees, which would not spin the diverter enough to divert a disk onto the exit conveyor.
        diverter parameter
  2. 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.

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox - Check in

Review the following with the group 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 and the diverter spins to the 90 degree position.
    • If groups are noticing that the entry conveyor does not move the red disk onto the transport conveyor, consider adjusting the time in the [Wait] block. The time can be increased or decreased depending on the Workcell.
      wait block
    • If groups noticing the entry conveyor 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. 
      Velocity blocks
  • Ask students to explain the intended path of the red disk. What steps do they still need to code to divert the disk off of the exit conveyor?
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