I’m transitioning from IQ to VRC and while I’ve read quite a bit, I have some questions.
First, do I need a field controller to practice with just one team? I’ve seen a “practice mode” on the V5 controller mentioned. Will this start/stop the autonomous and then start the driver period? If I get a field controller, will it function with only one team plugged in?
Second, I saw a thread here somewhere saying that the field controller will set all motors to coast at the end of a match. Is that true? Will “practice mode” on the controller do the same? In IQ setting motors to coast/brake/hold was significant at the end of a match if we needed to hang. It seems like we’re going to have to do something else for this year’s endgame?
Third, 5.5w vs 11w motors. I see these both exist, it looks like 11w is the newer motor. We can use up to 8 11w, how important is it to have a few 5.5w? I’m used to working with a 6 motor limit in IQ, so 8 sounds like a lot, but then I see forum posts about 6 motor drives.
You don’t need a field controller to run the different modes. Practic mode on the controller can be reached once you select a mode there and you can run the 15s auton and 1:45 driver or the skills runs of either kind. Instead of a field controller, the competition switch is useful for having better control over the modes than the controller alone.
Motors are set to coast when the robot is disabled
Drive motor count is something you can experiment with, either 4 or 6 can both work. As for 5.5W motors, there are a couple of threads discussing their potential uses and advantages.
First, do I need a field controller to practice with just one team? I’ve seen a “practice mode” on the V5 controller mentioned. Will this start/stop the autonomous and then start the driver period? If I get a field controller, will it function with only one team plugged in?
By field controller are you refering to a Comp Switch, The VexNet Field Control, or using a V5 brain as a smart field controller. And answering your question about the controller, Yes it will switch from auton to driver. That being said there is no stop period in the middle of auton on driver.
Second, I saw a thread here somewhere saying that the field controller will set all motors to coast at the end of a match. Is that true? Will “practice mode” on the controller do the same? In IQ setting motors to coast/brake/hold was significant at the end of a match if we needed to hang. It seems like we’re going to have to do something else for this year’s endgame?
I am not 100% sure regarding this, but if you use one of the 3 types of field control listed above, you should get this behavior. I am not sure if the controller does this when running a timed match.
Third, 5.5w vs 11w motors. I see these both exist, it looks like 11w is the newer motor. We can use up to 8 11w, how important is it to have a few 5.5w? I’m used to working with a 6 motor limit in IQ, so 8 sounds like a lot, but then I see forum posts about 6 motor drives.
This is the first year that Vex got rid of the traditional 8 11w motor limit, now there is a limit on the total wattage of the motors (88w). In previous years the 5.5w motors were illegal. The 5.5w motors are gonna be important this year for simpler subsystems that don’t require much torque.
You don’t need one, but I would recommend getting a competition switch, as it is more versatile and easier to work with then the controller mode. The competition switch will work fine with just one robot.
Yes, the motors are set to coast at the end of a match, and things like the competition switch work exactly the same.
Actually, the 5.5w motors are the newer ones, 11w motors are the old ones. This is the first season where 5.5w motors are legal, so we will have to wait and see how important/useful they are, but it’s probably a good idea to have some so you can experiment with them.
So, for timing, your options are: timed match (15 second auton and 1:45 driver) and programming and driving skills. The field controller will work with one team, but you might want to consider the VEXnet competition switch, which works as well, but it is less bulky. Field control will switch to coast at the end for the motors, and practice will be the same. 11W is NOT new. 5.5W is new to allow greater versatility. They are smaller and have half as much torque for a given speed or vice versa. IQ is easier in terms of motors because it is like a skills match: you don’t (usually) have to worry about another robot shoving you or smashing into you. That is why 6M drives exist. The VRC field is much larger, so faster drives are needed. However, more torque is also needed because of the added weight, despite VRC motors being more powerful than IQ motors. I reckon VRC robots can be 5 times heavier. Ask any other questions if you have them.
I would highley recomend getting a Comp switch as it allows you t easily test autons and driver whenver you want as well as diable the robot when something goes wrong. The comp switch allows you to run between 1 and 4 teams robots and you can freely switch from driver mode to autonomouse mode. As fr te practice mode i am not sure what taht does.
11wat motors are the older motors. This year they allowed 5.5wat motors. the rules is that you have a max wattage of 88 so you can do 8 11wat motors or 16 5.5wat motors. or you can do any combanation as long as the total wattage adds up to 88.
the reasoning behind 6motor drives is that the robots are heavier and you arent just trying to score points you are also trying ot play defense and push other robots around so you want to be able to play oofence, defence and everything in between withough your drivetrain overheating.
while it’s definitely helpful to have a field controller, if your budget limiter, you don’t absolutely need it. You’re right, you can run autons from the controller, and simulate a driver control period.
yes, motors are set to coast at the end of a match, and as far as i know, that is true just running it from the controller too. You will have to engineer something around this to be able to hang.
5.5w is the new one, not 11w. While i think they may be useful, and this might just be my opinion, but i think late season and at worlds we’ll see a lot PTOs and pneumatics in place of 5.5w motors.
when people say they have a 6m drive, most of the time, their drive motors power more than just their wheels, either through a PTO or other mechanism, especially this year. in Spin Up you could get by with a plain 6m drive and 2 motors for other stuff, but i doubt you’ll be able to do that This year.
The full field controller kit may be too excessive for an individual team. It is the same system that most tournaments run off of for competitions. The controller “practice mode” largely achieves the same effect, but for one robot, instead of four.
The controller “practice mode” has two options: match and skills. When an option is selected, there is a three second countdown, followed by the respective mode.
Match play will have a 15 second autonomous period, followed by a 1 minute, 45 second driver period.
Skills will have a 1 minute driver control or a 1 minute autonomous, depending on which one is selected.
Yes
Yes, it is like unplugging the battery to the brain. All power to the motor is cut off when the timer ends, causing it to coast. This happens when the robot is disabled, and when the controller “practice mode” ends.
Surprisingly, the 5.5W motor is actually the newer motor. The purpose behind this was to allow teams to spread their motors along more parts of the robot and complete more actions as such.
The limit of motor power is 88W, so you can have 8 11W motors, 16 5.5W motors, or some mix like 5 11W and 6 5.5W.
Thank you for all the responses! I and the team clearly have a lot to learn.
I will start out with just the controller and see how that works for practicing. Thanks for pointing out the competition switch, it’s cheap enough I might add it on a future order.
I do plan on buying pneumatics, but Vex was sold out when I bought everything else. I’ve found a site from Purdue Sigbots with an alternate source so I’ll put together an order there once I figure out what I’ll need.
We’ll start with the 8 11w motors and see where we go from there. I’ll likely pick up some of the 5.5w to add some flexibility.
Thanks all!
Learned this weekend that you need to have a radio plugged in to one of your brain ports like any other sensor in order to communicate to your controller. In IQ, the radio is built in to the brain.
First, yes, when you run “practice mode” it will start the driver period immediately afterward.
Second, also yes, however, there are mechanical ways to lock a motor when driver control ends.
Finally, 11w motors always existed, 5.5w are the new ones. 5.5w are important because it allows you to evenly disperse force on large mechanics such as intakes. Other uses include splitting power between multiple mechanics, however, for mechanics that need a lot of torque you should use 11w motors so that you do not blow a port.
The field switch ($20) does allow for FULL confirmation your bot will work in actual competition when hooked up to the field controller… which is important.
Additionally, it gives immediate full control for testing auton. Using the ‘countdown’ option from the remote control cuts the auton short by a few seconds, which will cause your auton to end early.
You are used to 6 iq motors. The 11w v5 motors are about 3x as powerful if I recall. For comparison, you can easily stop an iq motor from turning by holding the shaft with your fingers. That’s not gonna happen with a v5 11w motor.
Build times are going to take MUCH MUCH longer, so plan for that.
