Icon of block

HiTechnic Move Motors Block

This block moves one or both motors connected to a specified motor controller on a specified port.

Image of HiTechnic Move Motors block, default settings

The number in the top right corner of the block indicates the port to which the motors are connected.

Configuring the HiTechnic Move Motors Block

Image of configuration pane for the HiTechnic Move Motors block

  1. Specify the port to which the motor controller is connected.
  2. Specify the motor controller to which the motors are connected. LEGO® MINDSTORMS® uses the same index to count motor controllers and servo controllers that are connected in sequence. For example, if you connect a servo controller to a port on the NXT device and then connect a motor controller to the servo controller, the motor controller is second in the sequence. Therefore, you must set the Controller property to 2 to specify the motor controller.
  3. Specify which motor connected to the controller on the specified port moves. The default is A.
  4. Specify whether you have an encoder attached to the motor. Without encoders, only the Power action is enabled, and only for Unlimited duration.
  5. Use the Action property to specify whether you want the motor to move normally (Power), move at constant speed, or rotate to a specific position, or if you want to reset or read the encoder attached to the specified motor.
  6. If you've selected Power or Position for the Action property, specify the amount of power to apply to the motor. If you've selected Constant Speed for your Action, specify the speed you wish the motor to run at.
  7. Use the Direction property to specify whether the motor moves forward, backwards, or stops. This property is disabled if you've chosen Position as your action because the direction the motor moves is determined by the position you specify for it to move to.
  8. If you've selected Power for your Action, use the Duration property to specify how far you wish the motors to move. Choose Unlimited if you want the motor to move until you tell it to stop. Choose Degrees or Rotations to make the motor move a fixed distance which you specify in the numeric field next to the drop-down list.
  9. If your Action is Position or Power for a fixed distance, choose whether you want the motor to Brake or Coast after it finishes rotating.
  10. Use the Reverse property to specify which motor, if any, moves in the reverse direction. Specifying the Reverse property is an efficient method of reversing the direction of one or more motors without changing the Direction property for any of the motors.

Motor versus Robot Direction

When you set the HiTechnic Move Motors block's direction, you are specifying the direction the motor will spin. This may be different than the direction your robot actually moves. Depending on how you build your robotic invention, setting the motors to go forwards may cause your creation to move backwards. The image below shows a motor spinning in the default, forwards direction.

Image of an HiTechnic motor with forwards (clockwise) direction indicated with an arrow

Configuring the HiTechnic Move Motors block's Data Hub

You can control the HiTechnic Move Motors block dynamically by connecting data wires (from other blocks' data hubs) to the HiTechnic Move Motors block's data hub.

Open a block's data hub by clicking the tab at the lower left edge of the block after it has been placed on the work area.

Image showing unopened tab on a generic block

Data wires carrying input information to a block are connected to the plugs on the left side of its data hub. Data wires carrying output information are connected to the plugs on the right side.

Image of data wires

[A] Input plug
[B] Output plug
[C] Number data wire (yellow)
[D] Logic data wire (green)
[E] Text data wire (orange)
[F] Broken data wire (gray)

Passing data from the input plug to the output plug

If an input plug has a corresponding output plug (see A above), the input data will pass through from the input plug to the output plug without being changed. In this case, you can only use the output plug if the input plug is connected to an input data wire; connecting an output data wire to such an output plug without a connected input data wire will cause the output data wire to be "broken" (and colored gray).

Data wires carry specific types of data

Each data wire carries a specific type of data between blocks. For example, if a data wire is dragged from a logic plug on a block's data hub, it can only be connected to a logic plug on another block's data hub. The chart below shows what kind of data each plug can accept or send out.

Data wire colors

Data wires are identified with specific colors: wires carrying number data are colored yellow, wires carrying logic data are colored green, and wires carrying text data are colored orange.

"Broken" data wires

If you try to connect a data wire to a plug of the wrong data type, the data wire will be broken (and colored gray). You will not be able to download your program if a data wire is broken.

If you click a broken wire you can read why it is broken in the small help window in the lower right corner of the work area.

Data must be within the possible range of the plug

If an input data wire transmits a value outside the possible range of the plug it is connected to, the block will either ignore the value or change it to a value within its range. For plugs that allow just a few input values (example: just 0, 1, or 2), the plug will ignore the input if a value arrives outside its range.

For plugs that accept larger input ranges (example: 0 – 100), the plug will force any input outside its range to fit. For example, if a Move block's Power plug receives an input value of 150, the block will change the input value to 100 (i.e., a number within the Power plug's range).

This chart shows the different characteristics of the plugs on the HiTechnic Move Motors block's data hub:

  Plug Data Type Possible Range What the Values Mean This Plug is Ignored When...
Port Port Number 1 – 4 Port to which the motor controller is connected.  
Controller Num Controller Num Number 1 – 2 Motor controller to which the motors are connected.  
Motor AB Motor AB Number 0 – 2 Motor to move.
0 = Motor A
1 = Motor B
2 = Motors A and B
 
Encoder Encoder Whether or not you have encoders installed. You must set this on the config panel.  
Action Action Action to perform.  
Position Num Position Num If you've selected Position for your action, the position to rotate to.  
Power Power Number –100 – 100 Power to apply to the motors you want to move.  
Motor Direction Motor Direction Number 0 – 2 Direction in which the motor moves.
0 = Forward
1 = Backward
2 = Stop
 
Duration Mode Duration Mode If you've selected Power for your action, the Duration to move the motors for.  
Duration Amount Duration Amount If you selected a Duration of Degrees or Rotations, the distance (in degrees or rotations) to rotate the motor.  
Reverse Reverse Number 0 – 3 Motor whose direction to reverse.
0 = None
1 = Motor A
2 = Motor B
3 = Motors A and B
 
Encoder A Encoder A For fixed-distance commands (rotate to position, rotate a fixed distance) or when reading or resetting the encoders, the value of Encoder A after executing the command. For unlimited-distance commands (Power unlimited, constant speed), the value of Encoder A before executing the command.  
Encoder B Encoder B For fixed-distance commands (rotate to position, rotate a fixed distance) or when reading or resetting the encoders, the value of Encoder B after executing the command. For unlimited-distance commands (Power unlimited, constant speed), the value of Encoder B before executing the command.  
Error? Error? Logic True/False Returns True if an error, such as a communication error between the motors and the motor controller, occurred.