Start Buttons

Start buttons are handy to give you tactile control over when your program actually starts.  This gives you time to get into position before the program executes.  The concept is simple – We create a “while loop” that keeps the robot’s brain busy until it sees the signal from the bump sensor change from 0 (not pressed) to 1 (pressed).  Once that happens, it’s free to move on to the next line of code.  Look at the examples below to see if it makes sense to you.

Simple code for making a start button (VEX):

Note: Instead of /*Do nothing*/, it is good practice to include a short wait command here so that the processor is not overworking for no reason.  Add a sleep(20); in the curlies, for example.

Simple code for making a start button (LEGO):