Robot-Specific Blocks#

Introduction #

The V5RC 21-22 Tipping Point Playground features blocks exclusive to the build designed for this Playground, including a motor group, Optical Sensor, Rotation Sensor, and Game Positioning System (GPS) Sensor.

All standard VEXcode VR Blocks are available for use in the V5RC 21-22 Tipping Point Playground.

Below is a list of all available Playground-specific Blocks:

Motion – Move and track the robot’s motors.

Actions
- spin motor – Spins the selected motor or motor group indefinitely.
- spin motor for – Spins a motor or group for a specific distance in degrees or turns.
- spin motor to position – Spins a motor or motor group to a set position.
- stop motor – Stops a specific motor or motor group from spinning.
Settings
- set motor velocity – Sets the speed of a motor or motor group as a percentage.
- set motor timeout – Limits how long a motor block waits before giving up if movement is blocked.
Position
- motor position – Returns the motor’s current rotational position in degrees or turns.
- set motor position – Sets the encoder value of a motor or motor group.
Values
- motor is done? – Returns a Boolean indicating whether the motor is no longer spinning.
- motor is spinning? – Returns a Boolean indicating whether the motor is currently spinning.
- motor velocity – Returns the motor’s current velocity in %.

Sensing – Utilize the robot’s various sensors.

Optical
- Optical found an object? – Returns whether an object is detected.
- Optical detects color? – Returns whether a specific color is detected.
- Optical brightness – Returns brightness in %.
- Optical hue – Returns hue of the detected color.
- when Optical – Executes attached blocks when the Optical Sensor detects or loses an object.
Rotation
- set Rotation Sensor position – Sets the current position of the Rotation Sensor to a specific value.
- Rotation Sensor angle – Returns the current angle of the sensor between 0 and 359.99 degrees.
- Rotation Sensor position – Returns the total rotational position in degrees or turns.
GPS
- GPS position – Returns the X or Y position from the GPS Sensor.
- GPS heading – Returns the heading the robot is currently facing.

The examples on this page use the default Playground start position.

Motion #

Actions #

spin motor #

The spin motor block spins a selected motor or motor group in a specified direction using the current motor velocity.

spin [ForkMotorGroup v] [down v]

Parameters

Description

direction

The direction to spin:

down
up

Example

cuando empezó
[Spin the Fork Motor Group forward and then stop.]
spin [ForkMotorGroup v] [up v]
esperar (1) segundos
stop [ForkMotorGroup v]

spin motor for #

The spin motor for block spins a selected motor or motor group for a specific amount of rotation using the current motor velocity, measured in degrees or turns.

spin [ForkMotorGroup v] [up v] for (90) [degrees v] ▶

Parameters	Description
direction	The direction to spin: down up
distance	The rotation amount, as an integer or decimal.
unit	The unit of measurement representing the distance: degrees turns
expanding arrow	By default, this is a waiting block, so the motor will finish moving before running the next block. To make the motor start moving and immediately run the next block right away, expand the block to say and don’t wait.

Example

cuando empezó
[Spin the Fork Motor Group forward and then stop.]
spin [ForkMotorGroup v] [up v] for [1] [turns v] ▶

spin motor to position #

The spin motor to position block spins a motor or motor group to a specific absolute position using the current motor velocity and motor position.

spin [ForkMotorGroup v] to position (90) [degrees v] ▶

Parameters	Description
position	The target position to spin the motor group to.
unit	The unit of measurement: degrees turns
expanding arrow	By default, this is a waiting block, so the motor will finish moving before running the next block. To make the motor start moving and immediately run the next block right away, expand the block to say and don’t wait.

Parameters

Description

position

The target position to spin the motor group to.

unit

The unit of measurement:

degrees
turns

expanding arrow

By default, this is a waiting block, so the motor will finish moving before running the next block. To make the motor start moving and immediately run the next block right away, expand the block to say and don’t wait.

Example

cuando empezó
[Spin the Fork Motor Group forward and then stop.]
spin [ForkMotorGroup v] to position [270] [degrees v] ▶

stop motor #

The stop motor block immediately stops the selected motor or motor group.

stop [ForkMotorGroup v]

Parameters	Description
	This block has no parameters.

Example

cuando empezó
[Spin the Fork Motor Group forward and then stop.]
spin [ForkMotorGroup v] [up v]
esperar (1) segundos
stop [ForkMotorGroup v]

Settings #

set motor velocity #

The set motor velocity block sets the default spinning speed of a motor or motor group as a percentage for all subsequent Motor blocks in the project.

set [ForkMotorGroup v] velocity to [50] [% v]

Parameters	Description
velocity	Sets the default movement velocity from 0 to 100 as a percent.
unit	The unit that represents the velocity: %

Parameters

Description

velocity

Sets the default movement velocity from 0 to 100 as a percent.

unit

The unit that represents the velocity:

Example

cuando empezó
[Spin the Fork Motor Group forward and then stop.]
set [ForkMotorGroup v] velocity to [75] [% v]
spin [ForkMotorGroup v] [up v] for [1] [turns v] ▶

set motor timeout #

The set motor timeout block sets a time limit for how long a Motor block will wait to reach its target. If the robot cannot complete the movement within the set time, it will stop automatically and continue with the next block.

Note: The Motor’s time limit is used to prevent Motor blocks that do not reach their target position from stopping the execution of other blocks in the stack.

set [ForkMotorGroup v] timeout to [1] seconds

Parameters	Description
time	The maximum number of seconds a Motor block will run before stopping and moving to the next block.

Example

cuando empezó
[Spin the Fork Motor Group forward and then stop.]
set [ForkMotorGroup v] timeout to [2] seconds
spin [ForkMotorGroup v] [up v] for [3] [turns v] ▶

Position #

motor position #

The motor position block returns the total distance the selected motor or motor group has rotated.

([ForkMotorGroup v] position in [degrees v])

Parameters	Description
unit	The unit of measurement: degrees turns

set motor position #

The set motor position block sets a specific position value to a motor or motor group, which updates the encoder reading.

set [ForkMotorGroup v] position to (0) [degrees v]

Parameters	Description
position	The encoder position value to set.
unit	The unit of measurement: degrees turns

Parameters

Description

position

The encoder position value to set.

unit

The unit of measurement:

degrees
turns

Example

cuando empezó
[Spin the Fork Motor Group forward and then stop.]
set [ForkMotorGroup v] position to [90] [degrees v]
spin [ForkMotorGroup v] to position [0] [degrees v] ▶

Values #

motor is done #

The motor is done? block returns a Boolean indicating whether the motor or motor group is not spinning.

True – The motor is not spinning.
False – The motor is spinning.

<[ForkMotorGroup v] is done?>

Parameters	Description
	This block has no parameters.

motor is spinning?#

The motor is spinning? block returns a Boolean indicating whether the motor is spinning.

True – The motor is spinning.
False – The motor is not spinning.

<[ForkMotorGroup v] is spinning?>

Parameters	Description
	This block has no parameters.

Example

cuando empezó
[Take a ring onto the Forks.]
spin [ForkMoorGroup v] [up v] for [90] [degrees v] ◀ and don't wait
while <[ForkMotorGroup v] is spinning?>
spin [ForkMotorGroup v] to position [1000] [degrees v] ◀ and don't wait
fin

motor velocity #

The motor velocity block returns the current rotational speed of the motor or motor group in a range from -100% to 100%.

([ForkMotorGroup v] velocity in [% v] :: custom-motion)

Parameters	Description
unit	The unit that represents the velocity: %

Sensing #

Optical #

Optical found an object?#

The Optical found an object? block returns a Boolean indicating whether the Optical Sensor has detected an object.

True – The Optical Sensor has detected an object.
False – The Optical Sensor has not detected an object.

<[Optical v] found an object?>

Parameters	Description
	This block has no parameters.

Optical detects color?#

The Optical detects color? block returns a Boolean indicating whether the Optical Sensor has detected a specific color.

True – The Optical Sensor has detected the specified color.
False – The Optical Sensor has not detected the specified color.

<[Optical v] detects [red v]?>

Parameters	Description
color	Which color to check for: red green blue yellow orange purple

Parameters

Description

color

Which color to check for:

red
green
blue
yellow
orange
purple

Optical brightness #

The Optical brightness block returns the amount of light detected by the Optical Sensor in a range from 0% to 100%.

([Optical v] brightness in %)

Parameters	Description
	This block has no parameters.

Optical hue #

The Optical hue block returns the hue value of the color detected by the Optical Sensor.

Hue values range from 0 to 359 degrees, corresponding to positions on the color wheel shown below.

A circular color wheel displaying a full spectrum of hues labeled with degree values around the perimeter, increasing in 30-degree increments from 0° at the top to 360°.

([Optical v] hue in degrees)

Parameters	Description
	This block has no parameters.

when Optical #

The when Optical block runs its stack when the Optical Sensor detects or loses an object. You can have multiple when Optical blocks to run multiple stacks of blocks at once.

when [Optical v] [detects v] an object

Parameters	Description
action	Which action to trigger the hat block: detects loses

Parameters

Description

action

Which action to trigger the hat block:

detects
loses

Rotation #

set Rotation Sensor position #

The set Rotation Sensor position block sets the current position of the Rotation Sensor to a value in degrees.

set [Rotation v] position to [0] degrees

Parameters	Description
position	The position to set the Rotation Sensor to.

Rotation Sensor angle #

The Rotation Sensor angle block returns the current angle of the sensor between 0 and 359.99 degrees.

([Rotation v] angle in degrees)

Parameters	Description
	This block has no parameters.

Rotation Sensor position #

The Rotation Sensor position block returns the total rotational position in degrees or turns.

([Rotation v] position in [degrees v] :: custom-sensing)

Parameters	Description
units	The unit of measurement: degrees turns

Parameters

Description

units

The unit of measurement:

degrees
turns

GPS #

GPS position #

The GPS position block returns the positional offset of the robot’s turning reference point from the center of a field with the GPS (Game Positioning System™) Sensor.

([GPS v] position [X v] in [mm v])

Parameters	Description
axis	Which axis to report: X Y
units	The unit to represent the position: mm inches

Parameters

Description

axis

Which axis to report:

units

The unit to represent the position:

mm
inches

GPS heading #

The GPS heading block returns the heading that the robot is currently facing based on the GPS (Game Positioning System™) Sensor’s readings from the VEX GPS Field Code from 0.00 to 359.99 degrees.

([GPS v] heading in degrees)

Parameters	Description
	This block has no parameters.