Controlling a motor with power
All motors take power, thats how they get energy to move. By changing your power in the code, your changing the amount of energy that physically flows in the wires.
Creating the motor variable.
First, we need to import the MotorEx variable. At the top of your file you have to add a line that says:
import com.ftc17191.ftclayer.hardware.motors.motorex.MotorEx;
To create the motor, you must create a variable with type MotorEx
and pass the id you specified in your configuration, and a special variable called hardwareMap
.
Like so:
MotorEx motor = new MotorEx(hardwareMap, "motorid");
Controlling the power
Then, to apply power to the motor, use the .setPower()
function to set the motors power between 1 and -1.
// Positives spin the motor counter clockwise (unless specified by the manufacturer)
motor.setPower(1);
To stop the the motor's turning, set the power to zero
// Zeroes stop the motor from turning, however it may still coast.
motor.setPower(0);
What if my motors is coasting after it is supposed to stop.
Thats where Zero Power Modes come in.
Motors, have 2 options. They can keep running with the leftover energy, called floating. Or, they can stop immediately and resist all outside movement, called braking.
To set the motor to brake when no power is applied, simply use the follwing line:
motor.dcMotor.setZeroPowerBehavior(DcMotor.ZeroPowerBehavior.BRAKE);
Instead, if you want the motor to float. Use this line.
motor.dcMotor.setZeroPowerBehavior(DcMotor.ZeroPowerBehavior.FLOAT);