Arcade Drive

This section will highlight how to code arcade drive.

Arcade drive is a control scheme where forward/backward motion and rotation of the robot are mapped to separate, independent inputs.

Standard Arcade Configuration

The standard configuration for arcade drive uses the y axis on the left stick to control forward/backward motion and uses the x axis on the right stick to control robot rotation.

Alternate Arcade Configurations

Of course, there are many other ways to configure arcade drive, too. Some examples are shown below:

Ultimately, which one you decide to use comes down to driver preference.

Split Arcade Coding (Basic)

1. Start by clicking add a device to add our drivetrain configuration.

1. Select the ports that match with your drivetrain configuration.

1. Return to the Devices menu and add a controller. Then, map the controller sticks to the drivetrain using your preferred configuration.

Split Arcade Coding (Advanced)

/*
 * ARCADE DRIVE LOGIC EXPLANATION:
 * * 1. MIXING: Combines 'throttle' (forward/backward) and 'turn' (left/right) 
 * into individual motor speeds.
 * - LeftPower (throttle + turn): Adding 'turn' makes the left side spin 
 * faster to pivot the robot right.
 * - RightPower (throttle - turn): Subtracting 'turn' makes the right side 
 * spin slower (or backward) to pivot the robot right.
 * * 2. NORMALIZATION (The 'if' block):
 * - If the combined power exceeds 100%, it scales both values down 
 * proportionally. This preserves the "ratio" of the turn, ensuring 
 * the robot still turns accurately even at full throttle.
 */
constexpr double throttleGain = 1.0;
constexpr double turnGain = 1.0;

int whenStarted() { // Starts this code when the program starts
  while (true) {
    RightDrive.spin(forward);
    LeftDrive.spin(forward);
    double throttle = Controller.AxisA.position() * throttleGain;
    double turn = Controller.AxisC.position() * turnGain;

    double leftPower = throttle + turn;
    double rightPower = throttle - turn;

    double maxPower = fmax(fabs(leftPower), fabs(rightPower));
    
    if (maxPower > 100) {
        leftPower = (leftPower / maxPower) * 100;
        rightPower = (rightPower / maxPower) * 100;
    }

    LeftDrive.setVelocity(leftPower, percent);
    RightDrive.setVelocity(rightPower, percent); 
    wait(20, msec)
  }
  return 0; 
}

int main() {
  vexcodeInit();
  whenStarted();
  return 0;
}

If you want to use a different arcade configuration, change the throttle and turn variables accordingly.