Using 3-Wire Digital In/Digital Out Devices – VEX Library

VEXcode V5 has a 3-wire Digital In device and a 3-wire Digital Out device.

What Is Digital In/Digital Out

V5 Brain is shown with its eight 3-wire ports highlighted. These ports are labeled alphabetically from A to H.

Digital In/Digital Out refers to a digital input signal being received into the 3-wire ports of the V5 Robot Brain and a digital output signal being sent out from a 3-wire port of a V5 Robot Brain.

V5 Brain is shown with the Digital In device connected to one of its 3-wire ports.

Digital Input: A digital input detects if a voltage is above/below of a specific threshold. If the voltage is higher, the V5 Robot Brain will detect the digital input as high. If the voltage is lower, the V5 Robot Brain will detect the digital input as low.

Diagram of a Voltage reading of Time. The diagram shows the voltage alternating between 5 volts and 0 volts, with the 5 volt peaks labeled as 1, and the 0 volt valleys labeled as 0.

Digital Output: A digital output allows you to control a voltage with the V5 Brain. If the V5 Brain instructs the output to be high, the output will produce a 5 volt voltage. If the V5 Brain instructs the output to be low, it outputs no voltage.

Close up of the Digital In device to view its three different wires. The device has three individual rubber wires, color coded black, red, and white.

Color Code:

Data table of the cable's three pin numbers and their corresponding colors. The first pin is numbered 1, it is called Ground and it is colored black. The second pin is numbered 2, it is called Power Supply, and it is colored red. The third pin is numbered 3, it is called Control Signal, and it is colored white.

Using Digital In

Digital In icon as seen from the Add a Device menu in VEXcode V5.

The VEXcode V5 Digital In device is intended for use by advanced users.

Two V5 Brains are shown, with the Digital In device connected to a 3-wire port on each of them.

One use of the Digital In device would be for Digital In/Digital Out communication between two V5 Robot Brains.

V5 Brain with a Digital In device connected to one of its 3-wire ports, connecting the Brain to another device labeled Aftermarket Microprocessor.

The Digital In device could also be used for Digital In/Digital Out communication with an aftermarket microprocessor.

All of the digital sensors which are available for the VEX V5 system have a sensor device provided in the VEXcode V5 device configuration window. These sensors should use their specific VEXcode V5 sensor device and not the Digital In device.

Using Digital Out

Digital Out icon as seen from the Add a Device menu in VEXcode V5.

The VEXcode V5 Digital In device is intended for providing control of a 5 volt logic level to external devices or supplying a communication signal out for Digital In/Digital Out communication.

Pneumatic solenoid with a V5 Digital Out device connected to its controller.

The VEXcode V5 Digital Out device can be used to activate a pneumatic solenoid valve which will control the airflow for a VEX pneumatic system.

For more information about Configuring a Digital In and Digital Out device in VEXcode V5, view this article from the VEX Library.