SPARK Flex Anatomy

Side View

Outside

Inside

The SPARK Flex is a motor controller with many features allowing it to control a host of brushless and brushed motor controllers. Out of the box, the Flex can be docked directly with a NEO Vortex Brushless Motor and drive it with the Flex's PWM interface. This Getting Started guide will assume that you are driving NEO Vortex and includes steps to get the motor spinning using the REV Hardware Client as well as information on how to configure your SPARK Flex. Driving other motors requires the SPARK Flex Dock (coming soon) and will be covered in its own separate guides.

Before You Start

Before following this guide, the REV Hardware Client should be installed before continuing. It is the best way to verify that the device up to date and configured correctly. Configuration through the Hardware Client is required before using the CAN interface.

Required Materials

• 12 V battery

• 120 A circuit breaker

• Power Distribution Hub

• SPARK Flex

• NEO Vortex

• Associated wiring and a "test bed" described below

• USB type-C cable

• A Computer Running the REV Hardware Client

Prepare the Components

Test Bed

Using a "test bed" is an easy way to get started with the SPARK Flex and to verify connections and code. For the initial bring-up of the SPARK Flex, a test bed with a single Flex, NEO Vortex, and a properly wired Power Distribution Hub with a breaker is recommended.

Motor Connections and Mounting

Dock the SPARK Flex on the NEO Vortex by following the NEO Vortex Docking Instructions.

Mount the docked SPARK Flex and NEO Vortex assembly to a piece of structure to keep it secured when it spins up. The motor has a lot of inertia and upon spin-up it can jump off the table.

The SPARK Flex's mounting face includes six #10-32 threaded mounting holes that are on a 2 in bolt circle. This bolt pattern is compatible with many structure types available, including REV ION System. However, two 0.196 - 0.201 in holes, spaced 2 in apart can easily be drilled into a piece of wood to rigidly mount the assembly.

Power Connections

The power wires are permanently connected to the SPARK Flex and are not replaceable. Take care not to cut these wires too short. It is highly recommended to install connectors on these wires to allow for reconfiguration as you experiment and design your robot. WAGO 221 Inline Splicing Connectors (REV-19-2491-PK50) and Anderson Power Pole connectors are commonly used for this purpose.

Connect the integrated SPARK Flex power leads labeled + (red) and - (black) to an available channel on the Power Distribution Hub. If you need to extend the length of the integrated wires, it is recommended to use 12 AWG wire or larger (a lower gauge number).

SPARK Flex has many operating modes that can be configured through its CAN and USB interfaces.

Power On

Now that the device is wired, and the connections carefully checked, power on the robot. You should see the SPARK Flex slowly blinking its for a new device the color will be Magenta. If the LED is dark, or you see a different blink pattern, refer to the Status LED guide for troubleshooting.

Connect to the SPARK Flex

Plug in the USB cable and start the REV Hardware Client. Select the SPARK Flex from the Connected Hardware

Basic Setup and Configuration

Before any parameters can be changed, you must first assign a unique CAN ID to the device. This can be any number between 1 and 63. After setting a unique CAN ID, the user interface will refresh and allow you to change other parameters.

Set the Motor Type

If you are using a NEO Vortex, NEO, or NEO 550, verify that the motor type is set to REV NEO Brushless, Sensor Type is Hall Effect, and the LED is blinking Magenta or Cyan.

Suggested Current Limits

Your ideal current limit may vary based on your specific application, but these values can be used as a starting point to reduce the chance of an overload on your motor as you begin tuning your specific mechanism's Smart Current Limit.

The settings must be saved for the SPARK Flex to remember its new configuration through a power cycle. To do this, press the Burn Flash button at the bottom of the page. It will take a few seconds to save, indicated by the loading symbol on the button.

Any settings saved this way will be remembered when the device is powered back on. You can always restore the factory defaults if you need to reset the device.

To spin the motor, go to the Run tab, keep all of the default settings and press Run Motor. The setpoint is 0 by default, meaning that the motor is being commanded to idle (0% power). When you press Run you should see the LED go from slow blinking to solid, indicating that the motor is idling.

Slowly ramp the setpoint slider up. The motor should start to spin and you should see a green blink pattern proportional to the speed you have set to the motor. Slowly ramp the slider down. The motor should spin in reverse, and you should see a red blink pattern proportional to the speed you have set to the motor.

If you are unable to spin the motor, visit our.