Hi all, I am brand new to Vex. I just bought a Vex V5 Design kit on ebay only to discover it is missing the controller unit and battery pack. I think this is an older model kit (model 276-2151), so most parts will be discontinued. I wanted to know if it is possible to buy the newer controller to use with it? would it still work? otherwise I will try to locate the used parts on ebay. I just want to be able to get started doing self-guided learning on it, not for competition. I also have an old raspberry pi, is there a way to set it up to use with the vex? thank you for any of your help!
1 Like
276-2151 is an old PIC kit, not a V5 kit.
No, the V5 controller is not compatible with any robot controller other than the V5 brain.
2 Likes
I think the confusion has arisen because VEX marketed the old kits as the V .5 system.
I think PIC parts are quite hard to find these days, but the newer cortex system is much easier to find parts for. I think you can still buy lots of them new from VEX or some competition teams have been giving them away recently as they have been replaced by the latest V5 (no decimal point!) hardware. There is good cross compatibility between the cortex and PIC system you have, you will be able to use all the mechanical parts, motors and sensors you already have. I think all you would need to upgrade is the micro-controller, handheld controller and the radios if you wanted to upgrade to the cortex system.
3 Likes
holbrook, and Download_complete, thank you so much for your help! I did not know what a PIC kit was. That was indeed confusing to name it V.5!! I will look into upgrading it, or maybe trying to get a refund and buying a newer kit. Is there a V5 kit you recommend for not too much initial investment? I prefer the V5 system over the Vex IQ for the metal parts but dont know much else about it. I am new to robotics, but not new to coding.
Take a look at the clawbot kit. It’ll get you started with v5 and give you the materials for several builds. Afterwards you’ll probably just need a few motors and metal kits.
('scuse me, I mean this: VEX V5 Classroom Starter Kit - VEX Robotics)
2 Likes