Configuring a 4-Motor Drivetrain in VEXcode IQ (2nd gen) – VEX Library

Using VEX IQ (1st generation)? See this article.

When starting to program with VEXcode IQ (2nd gen), blocks from the Drivetrain category will not appear in the Toolbox until a Drivetrain has been configured.

You can only configure one Drivetrain per project.

Adding a Drivetrain

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

To configure a Drivetrain, select the Devices icon to open the Devices window.

VEXcode IQ Devices menu with the IQ Robot Brain generation setting shown and highlighted.

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 Drivetrain 4 motor option is highlighted.

Select 'Drivetrain 4-Motor.'

Note: To configure a 2-Motor Drivetrain, see this article.

Two screenshots side by side that show the process of selecting Ports for the 2 Left Motors and the 2 Right Motors.

Select which ports the Left Motors and Right Motors are 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 Drivetrain Ports and with the Gyro device option screen shown. The Brain Inertial option is highlighted.

The IQ (2nd gen) Brain has a built in gyro that is referred to as the "Brain Inertial" to distinguish it from the external Gyro that is added when configuring for an IQ (1st gen) Brain. To configure this gyro, select 'Brain Inertial'.

Note: the 'Brain Inertial' gyro built into the (2nd gen) Brain turns clockwise- while the (1st gen) gyro turns counter-clockwise.

VEXcode IQ Devices menu after selecting the Drivetrain Ports and with the Drivetrain Settings screen shown. Above, the Brain Inertial icon is highlighted. Below, the Done button is highlighted.

You will notice that the Brain Inertial icon appears in the upper right corner of the Devices window. Once the Drivetrain has been configured, 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 Drivetrain’s Port Numbers

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Drivetrain Settings menu shown. Above, the icons of the Left Motor and Right Motor Ports are highlighted.

You can change the port numbers for the Left Motors and Right Motors in the Drivetrain by selecting a plug icon in the top right corner of the Options screen.

Three screenshots side by side that show the Port Selection menu being used to change already set Port numbers for the Motors. Previously selected Ports will show green, and after selecting the new ones the user can press Done to save the changes.

Select a different port on the Port Selection screen and the port number will turn green.

Then, select Done to submit the change.

Changing a Drivetrain’s Wheel Size

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Drivetrain Settings menu shown. The Wheel Size dropdown menu is highlighted.

You can change the wheel size for the Drivetrain by selecting the drop down menu under “Wheel Size.”

Changing a Drivetrain’s Gear Ratio

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Drivetrain Settings menu shown. The Gear Ratio options are highlighted. There is an input field and an output field, and a symbol indicating that the numbers represent a ratio.

You can change the gear ratio for the Drivetrain by entering values in the “Input” and “Output” boxes.

Reversing a Drivetrain

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Drivetrain Settings menu shown. The reverse arrow has been selected to change the Drivetrain's direction.

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

Deleting a Drivetrain

VEXcode IQ Devices window with the Drivetrain Settings menu shown. Below, the Delete button is highlighted.

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