Motor Controller 55

Introduction

The Motor Controller 55 (MC55) is used to control standard DC motors.

This page uses mc_55 as the example Motor Controller 55 name. Replace it with your own configured name as needed.

Below is a list of available methods:

• spin – Spins a DC motor forward or reverse until stopped.

• stop – Stops the DC motor immediately.

• set_velocity – Tells the DC motor how fast to spin.

• set_stopping – Sets how the DC motor behaves when stopping.

• set_max_torque – Sets the most torque the DC motor is allowed to use.

• set_reversed – Sets the DC motor to have its direction be reversed.

• current – Returns how much electrical current the DC motor is using.

• temperature – Returns the temperature of the DC motor.

Constructor – Manually initialize a Motor Controller 55.

• Motor55 – Creates a Motor Controller 55.

spin

spin rotates a connected DC motor in a specified direction using the current motor velocity.

Usage:
mc_55.spin(direction, velocity, units)

Parameters	Description
direction	The direction in which to spin the motor: FORWARD – By default, this is counterclockwise REVERSE – By default, this is clockwise
velocity	Optional. The velocity to spin with from 0% to 100% when using PERCENT. This can be an integer or decimal (float). If the velocity is not specified or previously set, the default velocity is 50%. If VOLT is used in units, this will accept a range from -12.0 to 12.0 where a negative value will spin opposite to the given direction.
units	Optional. The velocity unit: PERCENT RPM – Rotations per minute VelocityUnits.DPS – Degrees per second VOLT (default) – Spins the DC motor at a specified voltage.

# Spin the motor at -2 volts
mc_55.spin(FORWARD, -2)

stop

stop stops the connected DC motor immediately, using the current stopping mode.

Usage:
mc_55.stop(mode)

Parameter	Description
mode	Optional. The stopping behavior to use when the motor stops: BRAKE – Stops immediately. COAST – Slows gradually to a stop. If the stopping mode is not specified or previously set, the default behavior is BRAKE.

set_velocity

set_velocity tells a DC motor how fast to spin. A higher percentage makes the DC motor spin faster and a lower percentage makes the DC motor spin slower.

Every project begins with each connected DC motor spinning at 50% velocity by default.

Usage:
mc_55.set_velocity(value, units)

Parameter	Description
value	The velocity to spin with from 0% to 100% when using PERCENT. This can be an integer or decimal (float).
units	Optional. The velocity unit: PERCENT.

set_stopping

set_stopping sets how a DC motor behaves when it stops.

Usage:
mc_55.set_stopping(mode)

Parameters	Description
mode	How the motor will stop: BRAKE – Stops immediately. COAST – Slows gradually to a stop.

set_max_torque

Torque shows how hard a DC motor can push or pull while it spins.

set_max_torque sets the most torque a DC motor is allowed to use.

Usage:
mc_55.set_max_torque(value, units)

Parameters	Description
value	The maximum torque the DC motor is allowed to use. This can be an integer or decimal (float).
units	Optional. The torque unit: CurrentUnits.AMP (default)

set_reversed

set_reversed sets the DC motor to be reversed so that the FORWARD direction will spin clockwise. This method works the same as setting the reverse parameter to True when constructing a Motor55.

Usage:
mc_55.set_reversed(value)

Parameters	Description
value	Whether the DC motor’s direction is reversed: True — Reverses the DC motor’s direction. False — Returns the DC motor’s direction to its default.

current

current returns how much electrical current the DC motor is using, measured in amps from 0.0 to 1.2 A. Current is the amount of electricity flowing through the DC motor.

A higher current value means the DC motor is using more electrical current. This can happen when the DC motor is lifting something heavy, pushing against an object, or trying to move when it is stuck.

This can be used to check if the DC motor is struggling during a movement. If current stays high, the motor may get warmer or use power less efficiently.

Usage:
mc_55.current(units)

Parameters	Description
units	Optional. The current unit: CurrentUnits.AMP (default) – Amps

temperature

temperature returns the temperature of the DC motor.

Motor temperature shows how warm the DC motor is. A higher temperature means the DC motor is getting warmer while it works. The motor should stay below 55°C to keep working at full performance.

If the DC motor gets too hot, it will lower its maximum current to protect itself. At 70°C, the motor will stop running until it cools down.

This can be used to check if the DC motor is getting too hot during repeated movements, long runs, or when it is pushing against an object.

Usage:
mc_55.temperature(units)

Parameters	Description
units	Optional. The temperature unit: TemperatureUnits.CELSIUS (default) TemperatureUnits.FAHRENHEIT PERCENT

Constructors

Constructors are used to manually create Motor55 objects, which are necessary for configuring a Motor Controller 55 outside of VEXcode.

Motor55

Motor55 creates a Motor Controller 55.

Usage:
Motor55(port, reverse)

Parameter	Description
port	The 3-Wire Port that the motor controller is connected to: On the EXP Brain – Ports.PORTx where x is the number of the port. On a 3-Wire Expander – expander.a where expander is the name of the expander instance.
reverse	Optional. Sets whether the motor’s spin should be reversed. True – FORWARD will spin clockwise False (default) – FORWARD will spin counterclockwise

# Create a Motor Controller 55 in Port A
mc_55 = Motor55(brain.three_wire_port.a)