Using the VEX Classroom App to Troubleshoot Your VEX GO Robot

It can be helpful to understand the values that a VEX GO robot's sensors and other devices are reporting, so that you can better understand how and why your robot's behaviors occur in a project. Within the Classroom App, the Device Info section can be used to see a visual representation of your robot's sensor data. Device info will show the robot's sensor values as they are being reported in real time, so that you can use that information to help you better understand your robot's functionality, and have an additional troubleshooting tool to use if you suspect something is not working as expected.

VEX Classroom App with a GO Brain's menu opened and the 'Show Device Info' button highlighted below.

To view a robot's device info, first select the robot's Brain you wish to view. Then select, 'Show Device Info.'

Devices Plugged into Ports on the VEX GO Brain

VEX Classroom App with a GO Brain's menu opened and the 'Show Device Info' button selected to open the sensing data. The Smart Port data is highlighted and lists four sensing values: Motor heading, Bumper pressed, Magnet, and Motor heading.

When the Device Info window is open, the first section of data seen concerns devices plugged into ports on the robot's Brain, including motors, the bumper sensor, and the electromagnet.

Sensing Data in the VEX Classroom App with two of the columns highlighted, named Port and Type respectively.

The 'Port' column indicates the number of the port an individual device is plugged in to, and the 'Type' indicates the type of device. The default configuration of the type column is set for the GO Code Base Robot.

Sensing Data in the VEX Classroom App with the arrow next to the Smart Port type highlighted, indicating that it can be used to change the expected sensing type.

To change the type of device plugged into a port, select the dropdown arrow.

Sensing Data in the VEX Classroom App with a Smart Port's type dropdown menu opened and the port type being changed from Motor to Bumper.

Then, select the radio button for the desired device.

VEX Classroom App with a GO Brain's menu opened and the 'Show Device Info' button selected to open the sensing data. The Smart Port data is highlighted and lists four sensing values: Motor heading, Bumper pressed, Magnet, and Motor heading.

Motor information is reported in positive and negative degrees. This information shows the direction the motor is rotating - if the number is getting higher, the motors are rotating clockwise, and if the numbers are getting lower, the motors are rotating counterclockwise. This information can be helpful when making sure the robot is moving and turning correctly.

The Bumper switch information displays as "released" until the switch is pressed. It will then display as "pressed". This information can help you to be sure the sensor is pressed when troubleshooting a coding project using the bumper switch.

The electromagnet will read as N/A, as no data is returned from this device.

Eye Sensor Data

VEX Classroom App with a 123 Robot's menu opened and the Eye Sensor data highlighted. The Eye Sensor data lists four sensing values: Brightness, Color, Hue, and Proximity.

The Eye Sensor reports the brightness of ambient light, the color the sensor is detecting (red, blue, green, or N/A), the hue value being detected in degrees, and the proximity of the object being detected (near or far).

This information can be used to see what the robot is detecting, so that you can make adjustments if necessary to achieve the desired behavior, like changing the ambient light in the room, or the color of the object you are trying to detect.

Inertial Sensor Data

VEX Classroom App with a 123 Robot's menu opened and the first three Inertial Sensor data rows highlighted. The first three Inertial Sensor values include values for: Acceleration X, Acceleration Y, and Acceleration Z.

The built-in Inertial Sensor reports two sets of data – the first is the acceleration on the X, Y, and Z axes. Even when the robot is sitting still, these values will appear to be continually fluctuating. This is an expected behavior when the Inertial Sensor is functioning properly, as it is reporting values based on the forces acting on the robot, including gravity.

VEX Classroom App with a 123 Robot's menu opened and the last three Inertial Sensor data rows highlighted. The last three Inertial Sensor values include values for: Pitch, Roll, and Yaw.

The built-in Inertial Sensor also reports the pitch, roll, and yaw of the robot. These values change based on how the robot is being rotated in three dimensional space. When the it is sitting still, the pitch and roll should report 0 degrees. The yaw value may change depending on the angle to which the robot is rotated.

This information can be useful to learn more about how or why your robot drives and turns accurately. You can move the robot by hand, and watch how these values change, to see how the Inertial Sensor is reporting data.

Hide Device Info

VEX Classroom App with a GO Brain's menu opened and the 'Hide Device Info' button highlighted above.

To hide the device information, select the 'Hide Device Info' button.

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

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