Programming instructions

Glossary • 123
APPENDIX B - GLOSSARY
Inventor’s Guide
276-2178-E-0610
Center of Gravity – Structure Subsystem
The robot’s center of gravity is the average position of
all the mass on the robot (technically, this is the center
of mass, but under terrestrial gravity conditions, they
are the same). It is critical that the center of gravity be
kept directly over the support polygon, or the robot will
fall over.
Challenge – VEX System
VEX Challenges are designed to give you a specic
task to accomplish by building a robot, and to open
possibilities for collaboration and competition with
other robot designers.
Chassis – Structure Subsystem,
Motion Subsystem
A vehicle’s basic structural frame, plus its locomotion
systems. In the VEX system, this is generally the
Structure Subsystem plus the Motion Subsystem,
minus any attachments.
Circumference
The distance around the edge of a circle. This quantity
is equal to pi times the circle’s diameter, or 2 times pi
times the radius.
Clockwise
A rotational “direction” that prescribes turning in the
same direction as the hands on a clock normally turn.
Clutch – Motion Subsystem
A detachable piece normally mounted to the VEX
motors that protects them from shock loads. These
should not be removed under most circumstances.
Collar – Structure Subsystem
A type of spacer that can be set to remain stationary at
any given point along an axle. These are often used to
keep other components on the axle (or sometimes the
axle itself) from sliding out of position.
Compound Gear – Motion Subsystem
A system of gears involving several pairs of gears, some
of which share axles with each other. When calculating
gear ratio, this whole system of gears behaves as if it
were a single gear pair with a gear ratio that might not
otherwise be achievable.
Glossary
Compound Gear Ratio – Motion Subsystem
The overall equivalent gear ratio produced by a
group of gears in a compound gear conguration.
This can often be quite high or quite low, due to the
multiplicative nature of gear ratios in a compound
gear system.
Conguration (Transmitter) – Control Subsystem
One of the 6 different control setups stored on
the RF Transmitter. Each conguration saves the
Transmitter menu settings that were set while using
that conguration number.
Control Subsystem
The subsystem responsible for collecting human
operator input and communicating it to the
Microcontroller.
Control Channel – Control Subsystem
One of the 6 pathways for control information
traveling from the Controller to the Microcontroller.
The X-axis of the right joystick, for instance, sends
its data over control channel 1 (that axis of the
stick itself is sometimes referred to as Channel 1
as a result). Note that control channels are not the
same as radio channels.
Counterclockwise
A rotational “direction” that prescribes turning in
the opposite direction from the way the hands on a
clock normally turn.
Crystal (Radio Frequency) – Control Subsystem
One of the crystals that determine the frequency on
which the Transmitter and Receiver operate. The
crystal used in the Transmitter Frequency Module
must match the crystal used in the Receiver for
controls to be sent and received properly.
CW
Short for Clockwise.
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