Vex and Parallax

ajward

Hi Guys!
The holiday work schedule is almost upon me and it's tinkerin' time.
As the title says, I have a "Vexing" question. A couple of weeks ago I picked up a Vex Classroom and Competition kit for a song. Well, a very small amount of cash was involved. A bit less than the cost of a high speed servo.

Any how I think the Vex Cortex microcontroller is a bit limited and that a Propeller might be a better fit.
Has anyone tried such a hybrid beastie?

I've built the base for the "Clawbot" and have gotten it to move. I've also picked up a few Vex sensors but I think there is a lot better selection from other vendors.

Any wisdom will be appreciated! Merry Christmas Y'all!

Amanda

Duane Degn

I doubt there will be a problem using Vex components with the Propeller.

I think Vex motor controllers use standard servo pulses for control but I'm not positive. I'm confident the control protocol is published.

I've used Vex parts in a bunch of my robots. I like their wheels and treads. It can be challenging to mate Vex wheels with non-Vex motors but I think the Vex hardware (ie wheels) makes it worth the effort.

If you have trouble with a specific component, make sure to let us know so we can help track down an appropriate object to use with the Propeller.

erco

Construction-related, I'm using LEGOs to build a custom electronic enclosure for the first time. The grid of pegs & cavities makes it super-easy to drill holes for speaker grills, LEDs, switches, etc. I really like how it's turning out. LEGO-compatible parts are sold at Dollar Tree. This may be the start of many LEGO projects to come.

Among them, tunable speaker enclosures made from
LEGOs! Seems like someone should have tried that by now though. Hmmm...

localroger

I've used a few Vex products for projects. Their motors are standard continuous rotation servos and a bit stronger than the ones Parallax sells. Their strong suit is their mechanical designs which are a bit more flexible than other systems but very suitable for strong permanent assemblies. They do use nonstandard linkages so you will need to use the parts they sell for example to connect their motors to wheels and assemblies.

erco

x

Duane Degn

localroger wrote: »

you will need to use the parts they sell for example to connect their motors to wheels and assemblies.

It's also possible to modify the Vex components to use with other hardware.

Here's a few examples of things I've done.

Modified Vex wheel to use with CR servo. (Link to related forum post.)


Modified Vex Mecanum wheel to use with Rover 5 platform. (Link to more info.)


Modified Vex sprocket to use with Pololu motor. (Link to forum thread. Link to Hackaday IO project.)


You don't always have to modify the wheels to use them with other components. I made an adapter out of plywood in order to mount Vex omni wheels to some Dynamixel actuators. The adapter allowed the Vex wheels to be used without modifying the wheels. (Forum link. YouTube link.)


There are likely plenty of other ways of attaching Vex components to non-Vex hardware. I'd think making suitable adapters would be even easier with a 3D printer.

Good luck on your project and I hope you share photos/videos of what you make.