Testing Movement

In this Play section, groups will be introduced to conveyor systems. They will build a project to move a red disk through a conveyor system. 

What the Teacher Will Do:

• Bring students together for whole class instruction.
• Introduce the Lab to the students.
  • In this Lab, students are introduced to conveyors. Explain to students that in previous Labs they explored how to move the arm on the Workcell in 3D space and also how to successfully pick up and move disks. Eventually, students will use both conveyors and the arm to move disks along the conveyors and sort them by using the arm to pick them up and move them off of the conveyor. In order to do this, they first need to get the conveyors to move and learn how to code individual motors.
  • Tell students that first, they will code each of the individual motors of the conveyors and divert to spin. This will ensure that the Workcell is built correctly, and also give students the experience of coding individual motors and observing how they move.
  • Tell students that once they have tested all the conveyors and the diverter, they will then combine all of those movements in order to code a red disk to be loaded onto the entry conveyors, travel through the transport conveyor, and then be diverted off the exit conveyor.
  • Explain to students that they will be introduced to using blocks from the ‘Motion’ category in VEXcode V5 in their project to control the diverter and different conveyors with their associated motors. 
• Tell students that they will begin the activity by opening the ‘Arm Workcell - No Sensors’ example project.

What the Teacher Will Do:

• Keep students together for a whole-class discussion about the activity.
• Instruct students that they will be working together in their groups to follow the steps on this page.
• Ensure each group of students has their devices to run VEXcode V5 and to view this page in the Lab.
• Tell students to check in with you once they have completed the steps on this page.
• Break students off to work within their groups. Walk around the room as students are working to answer any questions if they arise.
• As groups check in, ensure they have built their project correctly before moving on. Guidance for the check in is provided in a Teacher Toolbox at the bottom of this page.

For more information about how to facilitate this activity, go to the V5 Workcell Educator Certification.

• Saving a VEXcode V5 project may look different depending on the device that your students are using. For more information on how to save on a specific devices, view the Save a Blocks Project (iPad, Chromebook, Windows, macOS) articles from the Knowledge Base.
• For more information on opening example projects, view this article from the Knowledge Base.
• Remind students that their mastering values will be different than the one shown in the video. Students should be using their values, and not the values from the video.
• If the diverter is not spinning properly (getting stuck or not spinning the full 90 degrees) try adding an additional rubber band to the build. 
  
• For additional tips, go to the V5 Workcell Educator Certification. 

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.
2. Check the build. 
   1. There may be a mechanical issue with your Workcell. Instruct students to look at the Lab build instructions first and verify that the additions to their Workcell match.
      1. Can you hear the motor spinning and see the shaft moving, but the conveyor is not moving? Chances are that students have the wrong gear insert in the sprocket. Check the Lab 9 build instructions for specific part numbers to see which inserts should be high strength and which should be metal.
      2. Are all of the motors in the correct ports? Have students check their Smart Ports. 
         1. Entry Conveyor Motor: Smart Port 7
         2. Transport Conveyor Motor: Smart Port 8
         3. Exit Conveyor Motor: Smart Port 9
         4. Diverter Motor: Smart Port 10
      3. If your motor is not running, it may also be the Smart Cables. Check that your cable is working as intended by going to the Devices screen on the Brain and seeing if the motor appears in the correct slot.
         
      4. Use this Knowledge Base article for reference to see if your cables may be assembled incorrectly.
   2. Have students go back to the Lab 9 build instructions for a complete look at the build and check that all elements match.

Review the following with the group during their check in:

• Ensure their project contains the correct mastering values.
• Check with students that all of their conveyors moved as intended. If any did not move as intended, follow the steps in the Troubleshooting Teacher Toolbox above.