Getting Started — VEX IQ

Welcome to the VEX IQ Foundations program! This page is your reading roadmap. Work through these articles in order — each one builds on what came before. By the end, you will have the background knowledge to build, wire, program, and compete with a VEX IQ robot.

You do not need to read everything before your first session. Aim to finish each section’s articles before or during the matching session block.

Phase 1 — Before You Touch the Hardware#

Read these first. They cover safety, the equipment you will use, and the lab rules.

1. Resources: Safety Rules — Lab safety, emergency stop procedures, and the safety agreement you will sign on Day 1.
2. Resources: Tool Usage — How to use hand tools safely and correctly.
3. Hardware: The Brain — The VEX IQ Brain is the computer at the center of your robot. Learn what it does and how it connects to everything else.
4. Hardware: Brain User Interface — How to use the Brain’s touchscreen to monitor sensors, check port connections, and run programs.
5. Hardware: Battery Packs — Charging, caring for, and checking the battery that powers your robot.

Phase 2 — Building Your First Drivetrain (Sessions 1–3)#

These articles cover the mechanical and electrical foundations of your robot’s drivetrain.

6. Fundamentals: Gear Ratios — How gears change speed and torque. You will calculate gear ratios before building your drivetrain.
7. Drivebase: Drivetrains — The different types of drivetrain configurations and when to use each one.
8. Drivebase: Wheels — Traction vs. omni wheels and how wheel choice affects robot performance.
9. Drivebase: Best Practices — Structural tips for building a drivetrain that holds together under competition stress.
10. Fundamentals: Fasteners — Screws, lock nuts, and standoffs — the fasteners that hold your robot together.

Phase 3 — Programming Basics (Sessions 2–3)#

Read these before or alongside Sessions 2 and 3.

11. Software: Python Basics for Robotics — Variables, functions, loops, and the VEX IQ motor API. Start here if you have never coded before.
12. Hardware: Motor Encoders — How the built-in encoders in VEX IQ motors measure distance and position.

Phase 4 — Autonomous Motion (Sessions 4–5)#

These articles explain how to make your robot drive accurately without a driver.

13. Navigation: Odometry — Using encoder counts to estimate how far the robot has traveled.
14. Navigation: PID Controllers — The feedback algorithm that lets your robot drive to an exact distance or turn to an exact angle. Read this carefully — you will use PID for the rest of the program.
15. Hardware: IMUs (Inertial Measurement Units) — The gyro sensor that tells your robot which direction it is facing.

Phase 5 — Driver Control (Session 5)#

16. Hardware: VEX Controller — The handheld controller hardware — inputs, axes, buttons, and wireless connection.
17. Software: Driver Control Programming — How to write a driver control loop, implement arcade drive, add deadband filtering, and tune joystick curves.

Phase 6 — Competition Template (Session 6)#

18. Software: Competition Template — The three-phase structure (pre-autonomous, autonomous, driver control) that all VEX competition programs must use.

Phase 7 — Mechanisms (Sessions 7–8)#

19. Mechanisms: Lifts — The different types of lift arms used in VEX — 2-bar, 4-bar, cascade — and how to build and brace them.
20. Mechanisms: Intake — Roller intakes, claw grippers, and how to choose a mechanism for the current game.
21. Fundamentals: Solid Mechanics — Forces, stress, and why bracing matters. Helps you understand why lifts fail and how to fix them.
22. Software: State Machines — The design pattern for controlling lift positions and mechanism sequences with button presses.

Phase 8 — Sensors (Session 8)#

23. Hardware: Distance Sensors — How distance sensors work and how to use them to detect game objects.
24. Hardware: Optical Sensors — Color and proximity detection.
25. Hardware: Bumper Switches — Using limit switches to detect contact and trigger mechanism sequences.

Phase 9 — Autonomous Strategy & Competition (Session 9)#

26. Navigation: Autonomous Strategy — How to plan autonomous routes, calculate theoretical scores, and run repeatability tests.
27. Resources: Competitions — How VEX IQ competitions work — match format, scoring, rankings, and what to expect on competition day.

Reference — Read Anytime#

These articles are useful reference material. Read them when a topic comes up or when something breaks.

• Resources: Troubleshooting Guide — The five-step debugging process for mechanical and software problems.
• Fundamentals: Ohm’s Law — Basic electrical concepts behind motors and batteries.
• Fundamentals: Center of Gravity — Why weight distribution matters for tipping prevention.
• Fundamentals: Friction Mitigation — Reducing friction in drivetrains and mechanisms for better performance.
• Navigation: Localization — How robots track their position on the field.