Does anyone know if a spike controller coasts or brakes when enabled? We have a motor that we only need to run at full speed in two directions, but it needs to be able to coast. We would like to know if we can use a spike for easier mounting (we don’t have much room for electronics) or if we need to use a speed controller.
There is no real coast on the Spike. If you look at the manual you will find the truth table for output. The outputs can be set high or low but not open.
You did not say what motor. It is not legal to run the larger (CIM ect) motors on a spike regardless of coasting.
The tallons do have a brake / coast jumper you can set?
Yes, all of the FRC motor controllers have this feature.
If I may be permitted a brief moment of pedantry, the VEX Motor Controller 29 doesn’t have a brake/coast selection. It’s only permitted in conjunction with the VEX 2-wire Motor 393, which doesn’t really coast effectively anyway.