VEX Workcell - Using an End Effector - Lab 6

Teacher Toolbox - Introduce the Play Section

In this Play section, groups will store (x, y, z) coordinates in a 2D list in order to code the arm to draw two triangles on the whiteboard.

What the Teacher Will Do:

Bring students together for whole-class instruction.
Introduce the Lab to the students.
- Tell students now that they have explored coding the arm using variables to draw a square, they will use a 2D list to code the arm to draw two triangles on the whiteboard.
- They will first create a project to explore how the arm needs to move up and down the z-axis by drawing two points on the whiteboard.
  - Explain to students that understanding movement along the z-axis is important, because as they expand on their project, they will need to code the arm to draw one triangle, pick the marker up, and then place it back down to draw the second triangle.
  - This is also important, because the motion along the z-axis that they will observe in this Lab, will be used in later Labs when the arm will pick up and drop objects.
- Tell students once they have explored movement along the z-axis, they will modify their project to manually move the arm and obtain the ten points that they need to draw two triangles.
- Tell students that once they have all ten points, they will then create a 2D list to store the coordinates of those ten points. Students will code the arm to move to all ten points using linear movements. Explain to students that a 2D list functions similarly to variables, but is used to store multiple values.
Tell students that in their groups, they will create the 'Triangles' project in VEXcode V5. This project will code the arm on the Workcell to move to two points. First, by drawing the first point and then picking up the marker and placing it back on the whiteboard for the second point.

Teacher Toolbox - Facilitating the Triangles Example page

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.

In this Play section, now that we have explored coding the arm using variables to draw a square, you will expand on that by using a 2D list to code the arm to draw two triangles on the whiteboard.

You will first create a project to explore how the arm needs to move up and down the z-axis by drawing two points on the whiteboard. As you expand on your project, you will need to code the arm to draw one triangle, pick the marker up, and then place it back down to draw the second triangle. Understanding how z-values change and affect the movement of the arm is important, because this will be used in later Labs when the arm will pick up and drop objects.

Once you have explored movement along the z-axis, you will modify your project to manually move the arm and obtain the ten points that they need to draw two triangles. Once you have all ten points, you will then create a 2D list to store the coordinates of those ten points. You will code the arm to move to all ten points using linear movements.

Materials Required:

Quantity	Materials Needed
1 per group	V5 Workcell
1 per group	VEXcode V5
1 per group	Engineering Notebook
1 per group	Device to run VEXcode V5
1 per group	Micro-USB cable
1 per group	Dry-erase marker

In order to code the arm to draw triangles, you first need to build the 'Lab 6- Triangles' project.

In VEXcode V5, follow the steps in this video to open the 'Arm Display Position' example project, input your mastering values, adjust the tool, name, and then save the project as 'Lab 6- Triangles.'

Ensure you are using your mastering values, and not the ones displayed in this video.

Once you have named and saved your project, check in with your teacher.

Teacher Tips

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.
For additional tips, go to the V5 Workcell Educator Certification.

Teacher Toolbox - Check in

Review the following with the group during their check in:

Ensure their project contains the correct mastering values and the tool plate is set to 'marker.'