When starting to program with VEXcode V5, motor group blocks will not appear in the Toolbox until a motor group has been configured. A motor group will allow you to link two motors together in a VEXcode V5 project.
There are a number of reasons for creating a motor group, for more information on building with VEX V5 motor groups, view this article from the VEX Library.
Adding a Motor Group
To configure a motor group, select the Devices button to open the Devices window.
Select “Add a device.”
Select “Motor Group.”
Select which ports the motors in the motor group are attached to on the V5 Brain. Ports that are already configured for other devices will be unavailable.
Once the motor group 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.
To configure the motor group further, see the additional options below.
Changing a Motor Group’s Port Number(s)
You can change the port number of a motor by first selecting the motor group in the Devices window.
Then, select the plug icon of the port you want to change in the top right corner of the Options screen.
Select its port on the Port Selection screen, and the port number will turn green. Then select “Done” to submit the change.
Naming Motor Group Directions
The motor group Options screen allows you to rename the directions the motor spins from their default of “forward” and “reverse.” For example, if configuring an arm motor group, you can rename the directions to “Up” and “Down.” Then select “Done” to submit the device changes to the configuration.
Renaming a Motor Group
You can also rename the motor group 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.
Note: for more information about naming rules for variables and devices, view this article from the VEX Library.
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(s) in a Motor Group
The Options screen also allows the direction of the motors to be reversed.
Once a motor has been reversed, select “Done” to submit the changes to the configuration.
Note: if two motors in a motor group are facing one another, such as when two motors share a single shaft, one of the motors will need to be reversed or the two motors will be fighting against one another. For more information on building with VEX V5 motor groups, view this article from the VEX Library.
Deleting a Motor Group
A motor group can also be deleted by selecting the “Delete” option at the bottom of the screen.
Note: if you delete a motor group that is already being used in your project, the project will not work until the blocks using that motor group have also been deleted.
Changing a Gear Cartridge
The Options screen also allows the gear cartridge to be changed.
Note: changing the motor's gear cartridge will also change the color indicator on the motor, and motors in a motor group both need to have the same gear cartridge.
Using a Motor Group with a Controller
If you have both a controller and a motor group configured, you can configure the buttons on the controller to control the entire motor group, instead of a single motor.