Large Motor

The large motor block, as its name suggests, controls the large motor. This block can make the large motor spin the red piece at the end of the motor spin forward or backward, depending on what you set the block to do. When the large motor is attached to a claw or some other attachment, this block can prove to be very useful!

Large Motor Block

Large Motor

https://shop.lego.com/en-CA/EV3-Large-Servo-Motor-45502

Tutorial

When you drag the large motor block to the screen, it should look like this:

There are five main components to this block. The first one is the little circle with a "#" symbol in the middle.

When you mouse over this spot, it will turn blue and say "On for Rotations." This tells you what mode the block is set to. There are five modes: Off, On, On for Seconds, On for Degrees, and On for Rotations. These options tell the large motor what to do when the program is run. Each option tells the large motor to do something completely different, and each one is important when programming your robot.

"Off"- This option turns the large motor off and locks it in place.
"On"- This option turns the large motor on at a given speed. To control how long it is "On" for, put this block inside a loop block.
"On for Seconds"- This option spins the large motor forward at a given speed for the number of seconds you type in.
"On for Degrees"- This option spins the large motor forward or backward depending on how many degrees you want the red piece to turn. Just like the other options in this list, the motor spins at a given speed.
"On for Rotations"- This is the default setting when you first drag the block into the workspace. This option spins the large motor a complete 360 degrees for every rotation you type in. For example, if you type in 3 rotations, it will spin forward a total of 1080 degrees. As usual, the motor spins at a given speed.

The second main component of this block is power, or speed. The speed is located right under the image of the speedometer with the red pointer. The default setting for the speed when you drag the block onto the workspace is 75.

To change the speed (or power) click on the 75. It will highlight itself, and then you can change it to any number between -100 and 100. Another way to change the speed is by using the slider bar underneath the number. The line in the middle of the slider indicates 0 or no power. If you change the power to 0, no matter what number you type in for the rotations, the degrees, or the seconds, the motor will not move.

As a default, the large motor will always spin forward. To make the large motor spin backward, you can set the power (speed) a negative number. For example, if the speed is 75 and you want it to spin backward at the same speed, change the speed to a negative, or -75. This tells the large motor to spin backward at a speed of 75.

The third main component to this block is the rotations/degrees/seconds. Each time you change the menu to a different option, (besides on and off) this component changes, as seen below.

This option, "On for Rotations" changes this box to a value of 1 when you first select this option. Changing this number will change how many times the large motor spins a complete 360 degrees. For example, if you type in 4 for this box, the large motor will spin forward 1440 degrees. Changing this box to -4 rotations will make the large motor spin backward 1440 degrees.

Note: You can also change this block to a decimal if you don't want the large motor to spin a complete 360 degrees. (Ex. 4.25 rotations)

This option, "On for Degrees" changes this box to a value of 360 when you first select this option. Changing this number will change how many degrees the large motor spins. For example, if you type in 270 in this box, the large motor will spin forward 270 degrees. Changing this box to -270 degrees will make the large motor spin backward 270 degrees.

This option, "On for Seconds" changes this box to a value of 1 when you first select this option. Changing this number will change how many seconds the large motor spins for. For example, if you type in 6 in this box, the large motor will spin forward for 6 seconds.

Note: You cannot change the seconds to a negative number. If you do, it will just change into 0, and the large motor will not spin. To make it spin backwards, change the speed to a negative number instead.

Another way to make the large motor spin backward is by changing the rotations or degrees (not the seconds) into a negative number. For example, if you set the large motor to spin for 180 degrees, it will spin forward 180 degrees. By changing this value to -180 degrees, the motor will spin 180 degrees backward. However, do not change the rotations or degrees to a negative number and change the speed to a negative number, as these negatives will cancel each other out, and the motor will continue spinning forward.

The fourth main component to this block is the brake box. (It's the box with the check mark) This tells the large motor if it should slow to a stop when it is done completing the number of rotations/seconds/degrees inputted or just brake and come to a complete and sudden stop.

To change whether or not it comes to a slow or a sudden stop, click in the box with the check mark in it. The drop-down menu will show you two options, like the image to the right. The first is the default option, the immediate, sudden stop. (The check mark) The second option in the list is the slow stop with the two triangles, one gray, and the smaller one, red. (The "X" mark) Once you select one of the two options, it will automatically update the block and will tell the large motor whether or not to come to a sudden stop or a slow stop.

The fifth and final main component to this block is the port. This is the box with the capital "D" in the top right corner of the block. This box tells the Brick (the brain of the robot) which port the large motor is plugged into. The large motor can be plugged in port A, B, C, or D, but the default port for the large motor is port "D".

To tell the Brick what port the large motor is plugged into, click the rectangular box that has the letter "D" on it. Click the port that the motor is plugged into on the Brick and then click away from the block. The block will automatically update, and tell the Brick what port the large motor is plugged into. Don't worry about the port with the square shape right now, but it will be explained later on in this tutorial. If you click a port that the large motor is not plugged into, either the motor will not spin and the program will freeze, or it will spin any other motor that is connected to the port you selected.

These five components are all you need to know in order to program the large motor to spin as long as you want, and in any direction, either forward or backward. Click the next button at the bottom of this page to move on to the next tutorial, or click the previous button at the bottom of this page to go back to the previous tutorial. You can also use the menu button at the top-left corner of the screen to jump straight to any tutorial you select.

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