Programming Concepts
(Part B)
ENGR 10
Introduction to Engineering
Hsu/Youssefi 1
Summary
Most commonly used logic statements:
IF statement (for one case only)
IF – ELSE statement (for two cases only)
ELSE – IF statement (for more than two cases)
WHILE loop (finite or infinite) statement
Ken Youssefi/Ping Hsu Introduction to Engineering – E10 2
Functions
What is a function?
Function is just a group of code given a name. By
grouping and naming it we can reuse it any where in the
application without having to rewrite the whole block of
code again.
Why use a function?
It saves time and reduces the overall code size of your
program. But more importantly, if there is a problem you
only have to fix it in one place.
The following example shows how to write a function and
how to call that function
MAX_Three find the maximum of 3 numbers
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How to Define a Function in easyC V4
Right click on
User Functions
and select Add
New Function
Name the function
(Max_Three and select
Return Type (Int)
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Sequential execution of main program
which calls the defined function
A, B, C, Z1, and Z2 are defined as global variables
Main Program
Function
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Introduction to Local Variable
• The MAX_Three function finds the greatest of the
three numbers A, B and C.
• These variables were defined as global variables.
• Before this function is called, your program must
have copied the values into these three variables.
• This operation can be done more efficiently by
using local variables.
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Program using Function with
passing variables x, y, and z are defined as
Local variables
A, B, and C are NOT
defined as global variables
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What is a Local variable ?
• The value of a local variable is accessible only to
the function within which it is defined.
• The main function (main program) passes the
values into the function and these values are
copied into the local variables of the function.
• The function doesn’t care what are the names of
the variables defined in the main function.
• The function does what it should do and then
returns the result to the main function.
• The values of these local variables are lost after
the execution of the function is completed.
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Global Variable Concept
A, B, C, and Z are Main Function
defined as global
variables
Defined Function
A Task of
B the Z
function
C
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Local Variable Concept
Main Function
Defined Function
x, y, and z are defined
as Local variables
A x Task of
the max Z
B y
function
C z
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Mechanical Components – Motors
Clutch 1. Motor, continuous rotation of
the shaft (3 wire)
Motor
(Continuous) 2. Servo, shaft rotates through
a specified angle (3 wire)
Make sure the clutch
module is always used. It
prevents damage to the Servo
motor in case of large
torque (resistance to
motion).
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Mechanical Components – Motor (New)
The new motor has two wires (2-wire motors). It can be converted
to a 3-wire motor using the controller 29. Ports 1 and 10 on the
controller are designated for 2-wire motors only.
3 pins
2 pins
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This chart describes
the combination of
the motor movement
required to perform
each maneuver
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How to connect the motor to the
Controller?
• On the VEX controller you have several ports
available so that you can connect not only
motors but also other devices and sensors to it.
PORT:
• A port is a specific place on the board where we
can connect other external devices, so that the
two devices in connection can exchange
information or data.
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Continuous Motor Choose motor
number, as connected
to the Controller Max. speed
counter clockwise
Select Motor, drag
and drop on the
line between Begin
and End
Custom Max. speed
speed clockwise
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How to move a motor?
• Use the following statement to move a motor
SetMotor ( 2 , 60 );
This number indicates This number sets the
that the motor is direction and speed
connected to motor of the motor
port 2 of the total
available 10 ports
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Motor and
Controller (Cortex) Servo ports
8 analog and
12 digital
ports. Digital
ports are
used for Limit,
X
Bumper and
connected to the IRB Ultrasonic
mounted on the robot
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Side view of the VEX Controller
Battery Ports (Square and
round connectors)
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Cortex
Two continuous motors
to drive the robot (2-pin)
Two 3-Wire motors to
operate the claw and the arm
(3-pin)
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Program to move the robot forward
• Now let us write a program to make the robot
move forward for 2 seconds and then stop.
Assume:
Left Motor – connected to motor port 3
Right Motor – connected to motor port 2
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Program to make the motor move
forward for 2 seconds and then
stop
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Clicker Question 3
What value of x will cause the motor for Cortex
controller to be stopped: SetMotor(2, x)?
A. 64
B. 127
C. 0
D. 255
E. -127
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Servos
• Servo units are similar to motors except that they
control position rather than speed.
• Servo units have limited range of motion
(about 120o)
• A value between (-127) and (127) sets
the direction of the servo.
(127) – Extreme counter clockwise direction
(0) – No movement
(-127) – Extreme clockwise direction
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Graphical representation of the
direction of rotation of the Servo
0o
0
60o -60o
127 -127
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Servo
• Similar to the motor the following statement is
used to set the servo to turn to a direction.
SetServo ( 5 , 64 );
Indicates the motor
port number to which This value sets the
the servo is direction and the rotation
connected. of the servo
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SetServo (5 , 64) - EasyC
Motor shaft rotates 30o clockwise and then stops
clo
i se 0o ckw
oc kw ise
r-c l
u nte 0
30o
Co
64
600 -60o
127 -127
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Program showing how to move
the servo continuously
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Output of the above program
se
clo
c kw i
0o
ckw
lo ise
te r-c
n
Cou -30o
0 30o
-64 64
60o - 60o
127 -127
Hsu/Youssefi 28
Mechanical Components - Sensors
Sensor
blocks
Limit Switch Sensor (Digital)
Ultrasonic Sensor
(Digital)
Bumper
Hsu/Youssefi Switch Sensor (Digital) 29
Introduction to Logic Signals
• A logic signal can take on either 0 volt or 5 volt
→ 0v represents “Low state” or “Logic 0”
→ 5v represents “High state” or “Logic 1”
A logic signal can also be called a “digital signal”
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Bumper/Limit Switch
• A Bumper/Limit Switch is a digital sensor.
• It can distinguish between two states:
pressed or not pressed (On or Off)
• When the switch is not pressed, the robot
interprets this value as a 1 (high state).
• When the switch is pressed the robot
interprets the value as a 0 (low state).
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Bumper & Limit Switches
• Use of the following statement in the program
to read the bumper/limit switch.
Bumper = GetDigitalInput ( 2 );
A variable into which the This indicates the port
status of the number to which the
bumper/limit switch will bumper/limit switch is
be stored. connected
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Program to make the robot stop and turn for 2 seconds
when it hits an obstacle
stores the state of the bumper
switch into the variable “bumper”.
checks if there is a contact with
an obstacle (switch will be
pressed if there is a contact)
motor moves forward as long as
there is no obstacle (bumper ==1)
if the switch is pressed
(bumper==0), these statements
make the robot halt for 1 second
Then the robot turns left for 2
seconds (green arrow is ccw)
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Digital Output
• The “Digital output” function can be
used to control the state of a digital
output.
• By using this function you can send
digital signals (either 0 or 1) to the
devices which can accept digital
signals.
• For example, by using this function
you can turn off or on an LED.
1 => 5v => light is on
0 => 0v => light is off
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Drag and drop the
Digital Output
Port # List of the
output port #
Set the output
signal (range),
0 or 1
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Digital Output
• This statement is used in the program to
control the devices i.e., send digital signals.
SetDigitalOutput ( 11 , 1 );
Indicates the port The digital value to be
number (here port 11) to sent (either 0 or 1)
which the device to be
controlled is connected
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Program to make an LED
blink continuously
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Ultrasonic Sensor
• The Ultrasonic Sensor is a digital sensor.
• The Ultrasonic Sensor uses high-frequency
sound waves to detect objects.
• It emits a sound wave, measures how long it
takes the sound wave to bounce back, and then
calculates how far away the object is.
• The measurement is translated into a numeric
value from 2 - 100.
• Lower signal value corresponds to a closer
detected object and vice versa.
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Ultrasonic Sensor Connections
Digital
Input
Output port
Digital Input
port Output
(Interrupt port)
VEX Controller Ultrasonic Sensor
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Ultrasonic Sensor
The following statement starts an ultrasonic sensor i.e., the
sensor starts sending and recording the sound signals.
Sensor connected to output port 6
StartUltrasonic ( 5, 6 ) ; through which it receives digital
control signals from the controller.
Sensor connected to
input port 5
Select start
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Ultrasonic Sensor
The following statement is used to read a value from the sensor
Range = GetUltrasonic ( 5 , 6 );
Variable into The sensor is connected
which the Input to Ultrasonic to output port # 6 on the
translated value is port #5 controller
stored
Select Get option
Define variable Range,
(2-100)
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Changing Input port to Output port Edit Config
Change port 6
from input to
output by clicking
on the circle
Digital ports
taken by
the IRB
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Input to Ultrasonic sensor
connected to output port 6
on controller
Output from Ultrasonic
sensor connected to
input port 5 on controller
Checking if the obstacle is near
or far
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Analog Signals
• For the VEX controller, an analog signal can take any
value between 0v and 5v.
5v 1023
→ 0v is represented by a value 0
→ 5v is represented by a value 1023 (210)
• All other voltage levels between 2.5v 511
0v and 5v are represented by the
numbers between 0 and 1023.
0v 0
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Light Sensor
• A light sensor is an example of an analog sensor.
• A light sensor reads the intensity of light of an
area, translates the reading into a single
numeric value, and sends that value to the
robot.
• The range of values used by this sensor is
0-1023
• The higher the value, the darker will be the area
and vice versa.
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Light sensor
• The following statement is used to read the
analog signal from a light sensor.
light = GetAnalogInput ( 1 ) ;
A variable named “light” Indicates the port number
into which the reading (here port 1) to which the light
(0-1023) from the light sensor is connected
sensor is stored
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Program to make the robot move
towards the moving light source
ELSE IF is used for more than 2 cases
If light intensity is more on
the left side, the robot
turns toward the left side
If light intensity is more on
right side, the robot turns
toward the right side
If light intensity is the same
on both sides, the robot
moves forward
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Optical Shaft Encoder
• The optical shaft encoder is a digital sensor. It is
used to measure rotational movement.
• As the disc rotates, an infrared light sensor is used
to count the number of slots passed.
• A count of 90 makes one revolution.
Disc with 90 equally spaced slots
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Optical Shaft Encoder
• The following statement is used to start the encoder
counting.
StartEncoder ( 2 ) ;
This number indicates that the
encoder is connected to interrupt
port # 2 on the VEX controller
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Optical Shaft Encoder
• The following statement is used to get the
present count value from the encoder.
Count = GetEncoder ( 2 ) ;
A variable named “count” Interrupt port # 2 to
into which the present which the Encoder is
count value will be stored connected
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PresetEncoder ( 2, 20) ;
This statement is used to make the encoder start
counting from a given number (here 20) instead
of from zero.
Example
Write a program to make the robot move
for 1 meter and then stop.
Assume 5 turns of the wheel = 1 meter
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Program to make the robot
move forward for 1 meter
Presetting the encoder to 20.
Count value starts from 20.
if count reaches 470 the
0 robot stops.
470 = 450 (count for 5 turns
0
x 90) + 20 (initial value)
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