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5. Introduction to Integrated Motor Encoders (IMEs)

The goal of this video is to introduce the use of integrated motor encoders (IMEs) in autonomous programming using RobotC. The benefit of IMEs over time delay programming is that IMEs give exact numerical data which can be reproduced exactly without regard for battery power. Many teams will find that using IMEs greatly improves the accuracy and reliability of their autonomous code!   Once installed, the IME provides much information by utilizing direct feedback from the motor. The speed of the motor can be determined by dividing the change in distance (in ticks) by the change in time (in milliseconds). Distance traveled can be determined by reading the array nMotorEncoder[motorName]. Finally, the direction of movement is shown by the increase or decrease of the distance measurement.   This video provides an overview of the process of installing the IMEs onto a Vex 393 motor. Next, the functions of the IME used in autonomous programming introduced. Finally, the method for using averaged distance measurements from the IME in order to produce an accurate distance function is discussed.