VEX motor w/o robot controller?

[sanddrag]

Originally Posted by grosh

We have tried stripping the wires from the VEX motor (PWM connection) and tried directly connecting them to the battery. BUT the motor does not spin. We have tried ever combination of wire colors possible.

Those wires go to a circuit board inside. One is power, one is ground, and one is PWM signal. If the circuit receives no PWM signal, it will not command the motor to move. If you want to just straight up power the motor, you need to open it, disregard the circuit board, and solder wires directly to the motor inside.

Also, your "hey let's just try hooking up these wires" approach to problem solving frightens me. I don't know what battery you're using, but please be aware of the safety considerations involved in doing such a thing. Your approach could lead to a deadly situation given different circumstances, say, 120VAC instead of low voltage DC. Have the patience to learn what you are doing from someone who already has.