My car-type robot

[jeffmorris]

I used Vex Robotics Kit, Metal & Hardware Kit, and Wheel Kit to build my car-type robot. I had to make steering knuckles (spindle?) and axle spacer out of wood and put the plastic bushings in the steering knuckles for axles and screws. How can I disable Channel 1 on the transmitter and allow both motors driving the rear wheels to run forwards and backwards only?

[Jeff K.]

That is pretty cool. Why do you need to disable Ch. 1 on the transmitter? What you need are just channel 2 and 4. To change which channel is used, you just change the port of which motor or servo you want on a different channel. To have 2 motors off say, the 2nd channel, you need to put a jumper in one of the interrupts or some other port, I don't remember though, but that should allow you to plug in a 2nd motor into motor port 8 because you have it on Ch. 2. If you had it on Ch. 1, it would have to be port 7 for the 2nd motor. They would also both run in the same direction for that, but you need to mount them a little offset.

Here's a quick drawing I made to better explain.



I hope it answers your question.

[jeffmorris]

If there is some kind of a cable that could allow me to connect two motors to one port, moving the stick up and down should cause the motors to run forwards and backwards. Moving the stick left and right should not cause the motors to run. If the Vex Robotics Kit or add-on kits have automotive parts such as differentials and steering parts, I would use one motor instead of two motors to drive the rear wheels.

[jeffmorris]

Look at page F-9 in the Inventor's Guide. Setting an axis scale to 0 disables it.

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by jeffmorris

If there is some kind of a cable that could allow me to connect two motors to one port, moving the stick up and down should cause the motors to run forwards and backwards. Moving the stick left and right should not cause the motors to run. If the Vex Robotics Kit or add-on kits have automotive parts such as differentials and steering parts, I would use one motor instead of two motors to drive the rear wheels.

If I read the Inventor's Guide right, you'd want to put a jumper in port 15 (if you're in 23 mode) or 16 (in 12 mode) to enable 4WD.

At that point, you could connect up the motors to ports 2 and 7 or 3 and 8 in 23 mode (1 and 8 or 2 and 7 in 12 mode), and they should work together.

Hope this helps!