VEX Coder Card Reference Guide

Coder cards are used with the Coder to code a 123 Robot. Each Coder card represents a command, and when inserted into the Coder, it will instruct the 123 Robot to complete a behavior.

There are seven different categories of Coder cards, and each category is color-coded. The categories are:

  • Motion - The blue Motion cards drive and turn the 123 Robot.
  • Sound - The pink Sound cards control sounds from the 123 Robot.
  • Looks - The purple Looks cards control the color that the indicator light in the center of the 123 Robot will glow.
  • Control - The orange Control cards control the flow of the project and allow the 123 Robot to make decisions.
  • Event - The red Event cards start or stop a 123 project.
  • Action - The green Action cards enact a series of movements and sounds from the 123 Robot.
  • Time - The gray Time cards control a focused amount of time for the 123 Robot to wait until the following action is executed.

Motion

Card Behavior Count per Kit
VEX 123 Drive 1 Coder card. 123 Robot will drive forward for 1 robot length. 4
VEX 123 Drive 2 Coder card. 123 Robot will drive forward 2 robot lengths. 1
VEX 123 Drive 4 Coder card. 123 Robot will drive forward 4 robot lengths. 1
VEX 123 Turn left Coder card. 123 Robot will turn in place 90 degrees to the left. 4
VEX 123 Turn right Coder card. 123 Robot will turn in place 90 degrees to the right. 4
VEX 123 Turn random Coder card. 123 Robot will turn right or left a random number of degrees. 1
VEX 123 Turn around Coder card. 123 Robot will turn in place 180 degrees to the right from its starting position. 1
VEX 123 Drive until object Coder card. 123 Robot will drive forward until the Eye Sensor detects an object. 1
VEX 123 Drive until crash Coder card. 123 Robot will drive forward until it has crashed into an object or wall. 1
VEX 123 Drive until line Coder card. 123 Robot will drive until it detects a line on the surface it’s driving on. 1

Sound

Card Behavior Count per Kit
VEX 123 Play honk Coder card. 123 Robot will play a sound similar to a car horn. 1
VEX 123 Play doorbell Coder card. 123 Robot will play a sound similar to a doorbell chime. 1
VEX 123 Play crash Coder card. 123 Robot will play a sound similar to a collision. 1
VEX 123 Play random Coder card. 123 Robot will randomly select and play a sound effect. 1

Looks

Card Behavior Count per Kit
VEX 123 Glow purple Coder card. The indicator light in the center of the 123 Robot will glow purple. 1
VEX 123 Glow green Coder card. The indicator light in the center of the 123 Robot will glow green. 1
VEX 123 Glow blue Coder card. The indicator light in the center of the 123 Robot will glow blue. 1
VEX 123 Glow off Coder card. The indicator light in the center of the 123 Robot will not glow a color. 1

Control

Card Behavior Count per Kit
VEX 123 If object Coder card. Uses the Eye Sensor to check if an object is detected directly in front of it. 1
VEX 123 If no object Coder card. Uses the Eye Sensor to check if an object is not detected directly in front of it. 1
VEX 123 If red Coder card. Uses the Eye Sensor to check if the color red is detected. 1
VEX 123 If green Coder card. Uses the Eye Sensor to check if the color green is detected. 1
VEX 123 If blue Coder card. Uses the Eye Sensor to check if the color blue is detected. 1
VEX 123 If bright Coder card. Uses the Eye Sensor to check if bright ambient light or a bright object is detected. 1
VEX 123 If dark Coder card. Uses the Eye Sensor to check if no ambient light or a dark object is detected. 1
VEX 123 If right button Coder card. Checks if the right button is pressed on the 123 Robot. 1
VEX 123 If left button Coder card. Checks if the left button is pressed on the 123 Robot. 1
VEX 123 If move button Coder card. Checks if the move button is pressed on the 123 Robot. 1
VEX 123 If sound button Coder card. Checks that the sound button is pressed on the 123 Robot. 1
VEX 123 If crash Coder card. Checks if the 123 Robot runs into an object. 1
VEX 123 Else Coder card. Used together with an ‘If’ Coder card. The ‘Else’ Coder card will run Coder cards under the ‘Else’ if the condition of the ‘If’ Coder card is not met. 1
VEX 123 End if Coder card. Ends a sequence of ‘If’ and ‘Else’ Coder cards. 1

Event

Card Behavior Count per Kit
VEX 123 When start 123 Coder card. Starts the project when the ‘Start’ button on the Coder is pressed. 1
VEX 123 Go to start Coder card. The Coder will loop back to the ‘When Start 123’ Coder card and continue running the project. 1
VEX 123 Stop Coder card. Stops and ends the project. Any cards following the ‘Stop’ card will not run. 1

Action

Card Behavior Count per Kit
VEX 123 Act happy Coder card. 123 Robot turns right 360 degrees and plays a laughing sound to mimic a happy behavior. 1
VEX 123 Act sad Coder card. 123 Robot drives in reverse, turns left then right, plays an ‘uh oh’ sound, and then drives forward to mimic a sad behavior. 1
VEX 123 Act crazy Coder card. 123 Robot turns left in a circle, and then turns right in a circle, all while playing a ‘loopy’ sound to mimic a crazy behavior. 1

Time

Card Behavior Count per Kit
VEX 123 Wait 1 second Coder card. 123 Robot will wait one second before moving on to the next Coder card in the project. 1
VEX 123 Wait 2 seconds Coder card. 123 Robot will wait two seconds before moving on to the next Coder card in the project. 1
VEX 123 Wait 4 seconds Coder card. 123 Robot will wait four seconds before moving on to the next Coder card in the project. 1

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

Last Updated: