Motor Controller 55#
Introduction#
The Motor Controller 55 (MC55) is used to control standard DC motors. The MC55 connects a DC motor to a Smart Port and controls how much power is sent to the motor.
A DC motor connected to an MC55 can spin forward or reverse, spin at a set voltage, and be stopped. Unlike a Smart Motor, a DC motor connected to an MC55 does not report position, velocity, current, power, torque, efficiency, or temperature.
Below is a list of available Motor Controller 55 blocks:
Actions — Stop and spin a DC motor.
spin MC55 – Spins a DC motor forward or reverse forever.
spin MC55 at voltage – Spins a DC motor using a specific voltage level.
stop MC55 – Stops a DC motor from spinning.
Settings — Adjust MC55 settings.
set MC55 velocity – Tells a DC motor how fast to spin.
set MC55 stopping – Sets how a DC motor will stop moving: by braking or coasting.
spin MC55#
The spin MC55 stack block spins a connected DC motor forward or reverse forever. The motor will continue to spin until it is given another action, like spinning in a different direction or stopping.
spin [MC55_1 v] [forward v]
Parameters |
Description |
|---|---|
device |
The MC55 to use. Choose from the MC55 devices configured in the Devices window. |
direction |
The direction the connected DC motor spins. By default, the choices are forward and reverse. Direction choices can change depending on the motor’s configuration. |
Example
when started
[Spin the DC motor forward for 1 second.]
spin [MC55_1 v] [forward v]
wait (1) seconds
stop [MC55_1 v]
spin MC55 at voltage#
The spin MC55 at voltage stack block spins a DC motor using a specific voltage level.
Voltage is the electrical pressure supplied to the DC motor. A higher voltage makes the motor spin faster.
spin [MC55_1 v] [forward v] at [8] volts
Parameters |
Description |
|---|---|
device |
The MC55 to use. Choose from the MC55 devices configured in the Devices window. |
direction |
The direction the connected DC motor spins. By default, the choices are forward and reverse. Direction choices can change depending on the motor’s configuration. |
voltage |
The voltage to spin the DC motor with, from -8V to 8V. Positive values spin in the selected direction, and negative values spin in the opposite direction. |
Example
when started
[Spin the DC motor forward at 8 volts for 1 second.]
spin [MC55_1 v] [forward v] at [8] volts
wait (1) seconds
stop [MC55_1 v]
stop MC55#
The stop MC55 stack block stops the connected DC motor. The DC motor stops based on the current stopping behavior: brake or coast.
stop [MC55_1 v]
Parameters |
Description |
|---|---|
device |
The MC55 to use. Choose from the MC55 devices configured in the Devices window. |
Example
when started
spin [MC55_1 v] [forward v]
wait (1) seconds
stop [MC55_1 v]
set MC55 velocity#
The set MC55 velocity stack block 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.
Note: A higher velocity makes the DC motor spin faster, but it may be less precise. A lower velocity makes the DC motor spin slower, but it can be more precise.
set [MC55_1 v] velocity to [50] %
Parameters |
Description |
|---|---|
device |
The MC55 to use. Choose from the MC55 devices configured in the Devices window. |
velocity |
The speed the DC motor will spin at. Percent uses whole numbers from 0% to 100%. |
unit |
The velocity unit: %. |
Example
when started
[Spin the DC motor at full speed.]
set [MC55_1 v] velocity to [100] %
spin [MC55_1 v] [forward v]
wait (1) seconds
stop [MC55_1 v]
set MC55 stopping#
The set MC55 stopping stack block sets how a DC motor will stop moving: by braking or coasting.
Every project begins with each connected DC motor stopping with brake by default.
set [MC55_1 v] stopping to [brake v]
Parameters |
Description |
|---|---|
device |
The MC55 to use. Choose from the MC55 devices configured in the Devices window. |
stopping behavior |
How the DC motor will stop:
|