Configuring Smart Motors in VEXcode IQ – VEX Library

When starting to program with VEXcode IQ, Motor blocks will not appear in the Toolbox until a motor has been configured.

Adding a Motor

VEXcode IQ Toolbar with the Devices icon highlighted in between the Code Viewer and the Help icons.

To configure a motor, select the Devices window icon to open the Devices window

VEXcode IQ Devices menu with the IQ Robot Brain generation setting shown. This setting is highlighted and it is set to the 1st gen option.

Select the generation that you are working with.

VEXcode IQ Devices menu with the Add a device button highlighted.

Select “Add a device.”

VEXcode IQ Devices menu after the Add a device button has been selected. The Motor option is highlighted.

Select “Motor.”

VEXcode IQ Select a Port menu where the specific port for the Smart Motor can be selected.

Select which port the motor is attached to on the VEX IQ Brain. Ports that are already configured for other devices will be unavailable.

VEXcode IQ Devices menu after selecting the Smart Port and with the Motor options shown. Below, the Done button is highlighted.

Once the motor has been configured, select “Done” to submit the device to the configuration.

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

Note: To configure the motor further, see the additional options below.

Changing a Motor’s Port Number

VEXcode IQ Devices menu with the previously added Motor highlighted.

You can change the port number for the Motor by first selecting the Motor in the Devices window.

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Motor options shown. Above, the icon of the Motor Port is highlighted.

Then, select the plug icon in the top right corner of the Options screen.

VEXcode IQ Devices Port Selection menu being used to change already set Port numbers. Selected Ports will show green, and after selecting the new ones the user can press Done to save the changes.

Select its port on the Port Selection screen, and the port number will turn green. Then select Done to submit the change.

Naming Motor Directions

Screenshots show the Motor options menu being used to rename the Motor's directions. Next, the Spin block's direction dropdown menu is shown and the new Motor direction name is available in the menu.

The Motor Options screen allows you to rename the directions the motor spins from their default of “forward” and “reverse”. For example, if configuring the Arm Motor of a VEX IQ Clawbot, you can rename the directions to “Up” and “Down”. Then select Done to submit the device changes to the configuration.

Renaming a Motor

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Motor options shown. Above, the Motor's name is highlighted to indicate that it can be renamed.

You can also rename the motor by changing the name in the text box at the top of the Options 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.

VEXcode IQ Spin block is shown with the Motor dropdown menu open. The Motor's new name is shown in the menu and in this example it is named ArmMotor.

If you change the name of a motor that is already being used in your project, you will need to update the motor name in the Block to the new name using the drop down.

Reversing a Motor

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Motor options shown. Below, the Reverse Motor option is selected and highlighted. This button can be used to reverse the Motor's spin direction.

The Options screen also allows the direction of the motors to be reversed.

Deleting a Motor

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Motor options shown. Below, the Delete button is highlighted.

Motors can also be deleted by selecting the “Delete” option at the bottom of the screen.

Note: If you delete a motor that is already being used in your project, the project will not work until the blocks using that motor have also been deleted.