1. VEX Motors & Servos
J.M. Gabrielse

2. Motors & Servos Look Alike
Check the labels carefully!
Only old motors have three wires.

3. Servos servos CAN turn to a specific angle (0°- 120°)
position attachments exactly
perfect for claws

4. Think About It… Servos only turn part way around (120°)
CANNOT make gears or wheels spin around!
How many degrees would a gear, or a wheel need to function properly?

5. Degrees of Movement
Servo Movement (120°)
Motor Movement (360°)

6. Motors Motors make attached axles spin at a set speed.
Perfect for wheels and gears!
Motors CANNOT turn to an exact position.

7. High Strength Motors (393)
Standard Motors (269)
standard motors
light weight
batteries last longer
High Strength Motors (393)
give 30% more torque or 30% more speed (if you change the internal gears)
heavy
reduce battery life
J.M. Gabrielse

8. Command Joystick Motor Servo Forward (+127) Neutral (0) Backward
(-127)
J.M. Gabrielse

9. Motor Ports
3-wire motors: ports 2-9
2-wire motors: port 1 or 1011

10. Should these be servos or motors?
Answer: motors since they are attached to gears & wheels.

11. Should these be servos or motors?
Answer: motors since they are attached to gears & wheels.

12. Should this be a servo or motor?
Servo: Claw directly attached to servo, only needs to rotate < 120°

13. Should this be a servo or motor?
Servo: Claw directly attached to servo, only needs to rotate < 120°

14. Should this be a servo or motor?
Answer: motors since they are attached to a gear that needs to turn all the way around

15. Should this be a servo or motor?
Answer: motors since they are attached to a gear that needs to turn all the way around

16. Resources
Vex Inventor’s Guide: 3·8 - 3·9