My team is brand new to Vex & needs help with learning how to get an arm motor to hold a position while operated by RC. I have read several forum posts containing the same issue, but I am really looking for someone that could provide step by step directions for our team. Is there a company or person that could be paid to offer a zoom/google meeting or phone call to walk them through this process?
This forum is probably not the best place to solicit help for a financial reward, remember we have students as young as 13 here. We also do not allow any contact information to be shared via forum posts.
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Sir/Ma’am,
This is a VEX IQ forum and you have mentioned a need for help on the VEX V5 side. I would recommend to go the VEX V5 General Discussion to ask about such things.
edit: moved to V5 by moderators.
You can do something like (I haven’t tested thisthough)
If (button.pressing);
_motor.setStopping(brakeType::hold);
@TeamJeff
If you’re using the default drive code, some of the ports are in “coast” mode ( Left/Right Buttons and the axis sticks I believe), other ports are in “hold” mode. So try different ports / controller buttons.
I recommend your team use VEXcode V5
, instead of the default drive code as it allows a lot more flexibility.
VEXcode V5 has tutorials on how to get started.
Set the motor to “hold” if you want it to hold position.
I would go through a couple of the embedded tutorials first. If your team is still having trouble, then reach out to another local team to show the basics (or visit a local competition with your team). Most teams are happy to help.
Mike
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Thank you for the words of caution. I am grasping at straws at this point. Our team raised the money to buy the V5 & now we can’t find anyone to help us learn all that it’s capable of. When I called customer service, they said they only offer tech support by paying $1,000 or going through the Vex certification. Neither of these are options for our team currently. The customer service rep actually mentioned your name & suggested I use the forum to find help. I’ve watched several videos provided by Vex, but none of them address the problem we are having.
You need to tell us more about the robot and how you are using it.
What did you build ?
A standard clawbot ?
One of the hero robots ?
or your own design ?
Are you controlling using the builltin “drive” program ?
or are you writing your own code to control the robot ?
Which ports are you using for motors ?
perhaps post a picture if it’s not a standard robot.
There are two simple ways (ignoring any advanced techniques like ratchets etc.) to help keep an arm raised. Have the motor hold its position or use something like a rubber band system to overcome gravity. How successful they are depends on the design, weight of the arm etc.
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Try looking online or on the VEX library
This forum is a great resource, though we encourage that you use the search bar on this forum or google before asking questions.
Don’t worry, us forumer services are free 
@TeamJeff already indicated they did that.
If you were not directed to the VEX library by vex support, here is a direct link that has some specific information about robot arms.
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Mbeem- We used your advice and tried a different port. This fixed our problem perfectly!!! Thank you for your help. I cannot relay the relief this has given our team. I appreciate everyone’s advice on this post. You have been a great resource. I look forward to my team learning and growing as we explore our robot.
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