Motor* Block

This block allows you to control one motor’s speed.

*This motor requires a converter cable to connect to the NXT. Please contact LEGO Education for more information. (http://www.lego.com/education/)

1. The letter at the top right corner of the block shows which NXT port is set to control a motor.
2. This icon shows which direction the motor will go.
3. This icon shows the power level.
4. You can change values dynamically by connecting data wires to this block’s data hub. (See the Data Hub section below for more information.)

Configuring the Motor* Block

1. Select the motor you’d like to control.
2. Choose whether the motor should go forwards, go backwards, or stop.
3. This slider and the editable input box will let you set the power level [0-100%].

Configuring the Motor* block’s Data Hub

You can control the Motor* block dynamically by connecting data wires (from other blocks’ data hubs) to the Motor* block’s data hub.

Open a block’s data hub by clicking the tab at the lower left edge of the block after it has been placed on the work area.

Data wires carrying input information to a block are connected to the plugs on the left side of its data hub. Data wires carrying output information are connected to the plugs on the right side.

[A] Input plug
[B] Output plug
[C] Number data wire (yellow)
[D] Logic data wire (green)
[E] Text data wire (orange)
[F] Broken data wire (gray)

Passing data from the input plug to the output plug

If an input plug has a corresponding output plug (see A above), the input data will pass through from the input plug to the output plug without being changed. In this case, you can only use the output plug if the input plug is connected to an input data wire; connecting an output data wire to such an output plug without a connected input data wire will cause the output data wire to be “broken” (and colored gray).

Data wires carry specific types of data

Each data wire carries a specific type of data between blocks. For example, if a data wire is dragged from a logic plug on a block’s data hub, it can only be connected to a logic plug on another block’s data hub. The chart below shows what kind of data each plug can accept or send out.

Data wire colors

Data wires are identified with specific colors: wires carrying number data are colored yellow, wires carrying logic data are colored green, and wires carrying text data are colored orange.

“Broken” data wires

If you try to connect a data wire to a plug of the wrong data type, the data wire will be broken (and colored gray). You will not be able to download your program if a data wire is broken.

If you click a broken wire you can read why it is broken in the small help window in the lower right corner of the work area.

Data must be within the possible range of the plug

If an input data wire transmits a value outside the possible range of the plug it is connected to, the block will either ignore the value or change it to a value within its range. For plugs that allow just a few input values (example: just 0, 1, or 2), the plug will ignore the input if a value arrives outside its range.

For plugs that accept larger input ranges (example: 0 – 100), the plug will force any input outside its range to fit. For example, if a Move block’s Power plug receives an input value of 150, the block will change the input value to 100 (i.e., a number within the Power plug’s range).

This chart shows the different characteristics of the plugs on the Motor* block’s data hub:

	Plug	Data Type	Possible Range	What the Values Mean	This Plug is Ignored When...
	Port	Number	1 - 3	1 = A, 2 = B, 3 = C
	Direction	Logic	True/False	True = Forwards False = Backwards
	Power	Number	0 - 100