Configuring 3-Wire Devices in VEXcode V5

When starting to program with VEXcode V5, Sensor and 3-Wire device blocks will not appear in the Toolbox until they have been configured.


Adding a 3-Wire Device

Diagram illustrating the configuration options for V5 robots, showcasing various components and their arrangement within the robot structure, relevant to the V5 Category Description under the Robot Config section.

To configure a device, select the Devices button to open the Devices window.

Select “Add a device.”

Diagram illustrating the configuration of a VEX V5 robot, showcasing various components and their arrangement, relevant to the V5 Category Description under the Robot Config section.

Select the 3-wire Devices.

Diagram illustrating the V5 Robot Configuration, showcasing various components and their arrangement for optimal performance in robotics applications.

Select the 3-wire Device that you are using. This example shows a Limit Switch.

Note: 3-wire Devices include the Limit Switch, Bumper Switch, Encoder, Range Finder, Line Tracker, Light, Potentiometer, LED, Gyro, Motor-393, Servo, Accelerometer-2G, and Accelerometer-6G. All devices follow the same configuration process with an additional step for Motor-393. See the bottom of this article for more details. 

Select which port the device is attached to on the VEX V5 Brain. Ports that are already configured for other devices will be unavailable. Once the port has been selected, select “Done” to submit the device to the configuration or “Cancel” to return back to the Devices menu.

Note: Selecting “Cancel” will undo any changes you have made to the device and will not be a part of the configuration.


Changing a 3-Wire Device’s Port

You can change the port number for the 3-Wire Device by selecting the 3-Wire Device in the Devices window.

Select a different port on the Port Selection screen and the port number will turn green. Then select "Done" to submit the change.


Renaming a 3-Wire Device

You can also rename the 3-Wire Device by changing the name in the text box at the top of the Port Selection screen. If you select an invalid name, the text box will highlight red to indicate. Then select "Done" to submit the device changes to the configuration.

If you change the name of 3-Wire Device that is already being used in your project, you will need to update the device's name in the Block to the new name using the drop down.


Deleting a 3-Wire Device

3-Wire Devices can also be deleted by selecting the “Delete” option at the bottom of the Port Selection screen.

Note: If you delete a 3-Wire Device that is already being used in your project, your project will generate an error if you try to download it until you also delete the blocks that were using the deleted device.


Configuring a VEX Motor-393

Diagram illustrating the V5 Robot Configuration, showcasing various components and their arrangement for optimal performance in robotics applications.

Select the VEX Motor-393 from the list of devices.

Select a port for the Motor-393.

After selecting the port, this option screen will let you configure Motor-393 further by:

  • Changing the name
  • Changing the port
  • Changing the direction

For more information on these additional configurations, see the options below.

Changing the name of Motor-393.

Changing the port of Motor-393.

Changing the direction of Motor-393.

For more information, help, and tips, check out the many resources at VEX Professional Development Plus

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