malikmal

Nextion Enhanced Stepper Motor Piano Project

2017-08-08T09:12:00.000+07:00

Introduction

Nextion is a programmable human machine interface (HMI) that can be customized and designed to simplify the interaction between you and your project.
This Nextion Enhanced module (NX4827K043) with a resistive touch screen display, has some additional features not seen in previous traditional versions of the Nextion series.

A built in real time clock (RTC)
Accessible flash memory (32MB)
GPIO functionality
Faster clock speed

Before you connect the Nextion Enhanced module to your project, you need to design your interface with the free Nextion Editor. The editor can be downloaded here.
In this project, I will be designing a simple dynamic interface, which will allow me to interact with a stepper motor in two different ways.
The first interface will let me control the direction and speed of the stepper motor through the use of a simple GUI. I will have left and right arrows for the direction, and up and down arrows for the speed. I will also map the Expansion board to this interface for a more tactile experience.
The second interface will be more musical in nature. I will design a functional “Stepper motor piano” that will allow me to play simple songs using the rotational sounds of the stepper motor. This concept is not new, but I will show you how easy it is to make.

Parts Required:

Arduino UNO (or compatible board)
Nextion Enhanced NX4827K043 from iTead Studio (more info here)
Nextion Expansion board for Nextion Enhanced display
Micro SDHC Card
SD Card Reader/Writer - to transfer files from computer to SDHC card
Breadboard
Stepper Motor (42BYGHM809) - (Here is the datasheet)
100 uF Capacitor
Duinotech Stepper Motor Driver (L298) - [JayCar part# XC4492] (Here is the datasheet).
External Power supply - e.g. Regulated Lab Power Supply

Project Scope

My project will show a splash screen when the project is powered up. After 3 seconds, the first interface will display.
The first interface will have 4 arrows:

Left and Right arrows for the stepper motor direction of rotation
Up and down arrows to increase/decrease stepper motor rotational speed
Next Page button – to jump to the next interface

Each arrow/button on the first interface will be mapped to a specific button on the expansion board. Eg.

Left/Right arrow is mapped to Left/Right button
Up/Down arrow is mapped to Up/Down button
Next page button is mapped to Enter button on the expansion board

The second interface will look like a piano on the Nextion Enhanced display. Each key on the piano will transmit a specific and unique number to the Arduino.
The specific number received by the Arduino will allow it to set the speed of stepper motor which will ultimately affect the frequency of sound it produces. Therefore when the “C” key is pressed on the Nextion display, the stepper motor will rotate at a frequency that sounds like a “C” note.

The stepper motor speeds can be determined by tuning the motor to specific notes using the first interface and an iPhone app called Tuner T1 Free".
If you plan to replicate this project, you will need to determine the relevant speeds of your own stepper motor, and substitute your values into the Arduino code later on in this tutorial.

Create a New Project

The first step is to create the interfaces in the Nextion Editor on your PC. You can download the Nextion Editor here.. Load up the Nextion Editor and create a new project.
When you start a new project, you need to make sure that you select the correct Nextion device from the available options.
I am using the “Nextion Enhanced NX4827K043” device.

Select File → New
Select a name for the project and save it to a suitable place on the hard drive
Select the appropriate Nextion device from the available options
1. My device has a screen size of 480 x 272 pixels

Project Resources

You need to import all of the resources (eg. pictures and fonts) into your project, and then design the interface to suit your specific needs.

Fonts

I will not be using any fonts in my project, but if you wanted to write any text to the display, you will need to generate a font in the Nextion Editor.

Tools → Font Generator
1. Select the Height of the Font (eg. 16)
2. Select the Font code type (eg. iso-8859-2)
3. Select if you want it to be in Bold or not
4. Choose the Font you want to use (eg. Arial)
5. Choose the spacing (eg. 0)
6. And finally give this Font a unique name (e.g. Arial_16)
7. Push the “Generate Font” button on the bottom right of the window

Once you press the Generate Font button, it will get you to save the font using a *.zi extension, and will automatically ask you if you would like to “Add the generated font?” to the project. If you are happy with the font, and would like to use this font in your project, then select “Yes”, otherwise select “No” and start again.

You cannot add any text to your project until you have imported or added a font. All of your project fonts will be displayed in the fonts window.

Each font will automatically be indexed, so that you can reference the font programmatically if required. In fact all resources that you add to your project are assigned a number and incremented by one for every resource added. For some resources, you can see this number to the left of the item. E.g. In the picture above, the Courier Font has an index of 0, whereas the Arial font has an index of 1. If you delete a resource, the index number may change for that item.

Pictures

As I said before, I will not be using any fonts for my project because the words on the screen will not be changing in any way. I can get away with designing a “Picture” and importing that into the project. I will need 3 pictures for my project.

Splash screen
Stepper Motor Controller
Stepper Motor Piano

On the Nextion Enhanced NX4827K043 device, each picture must be

480 x 272 pixels in size

We will now import the following pictures into the Nextion Editor so that we can use them in the project.
In the bottom left hand corner of the Nextion editor is the “Fonts and Picture” resource window:

Select the Picture tab
Then select the “+” icon
This will open a dialog box to allow you to select the picture(s) to add to the project. You can select more than one picture to import.

I imported the following pictures from my computer:

Splash Screen

Interface 1: Stepper Motor Controller

Interface 2: Stepper Motor Piano

Creating the GUI

Pages

Every resource will get an ID based on the order it is added, and each resource will automatically get a name. You can change the name of the resource or object, but you cannot edit the ID.
Three pages will be designed to meet the criteria described above.
To add a page, you simply select the “Add” icon from the “page window”. And keep adding pages until you have a total of 3 pages (page0, page1 and page2).

Page 0 - Splash Screen

When the Nextion is powered up, the splash screen will be displayed for 3 seconds before it shows the Stepper Motor Controller screen. I used the following steps to create the splash screen.

Add the splash screen picture to page0
1. Select “page0” from the Page window
2. Select “Picture” from the Toolbox window
3. Double-click the “pic” attribute from the Attribute window
4. Select the splash screen image from the list
5. Press the OK button
Add a Timer to page0
1. Select Timer from the Toolbox window
2. Change the “tim” attribute from 400 to 3000 in the Attribute window
3. Enter “page page1” in the User code section of the Timer Event(0)

This timer event will make the Nextion jump to page1 after 3 seconds.

Page 1 - Stepper Motor Controller

This page is designed to control the direction and speed of the stepper motor.
There will be two buttons for the direction (Left and Right), and two buttons for the speed (Faster and Slower). And one more button to jump to the next page (i.e. the Stepper Motor Piano page). These buttons will also be mapped to the Nextion expansion board. The tactile buttons of the expansion board will provide an alternative method of controlling the motor.

Add the Stepper Motor Controller picture to page1
1. Select “page1” from the Page window
2. Select “Picture” from the Toolbox window
3. Double-click the “pic” attribute from the Attribute window
4. Select the “Stepper Motor Controller” image from the list
5. Press the OK button
Add Hotspots over each button on the Stepper Motor Controller image
1. Select “Hotspot” from the Toolbox window
2. Drag and resize the Hotspot so that it covers the “Left” button
  1. This is the area that will respond to “Left button” presses.
  2. It will be transparent when uploaded to the Nextion board
3. Select the “Touch Press Event” tab in the Event window
4. Un-Check the “Send Component ID” checkbox
5. Type the following code into the “User Code” Section of the Event window:
  - print “L”
6. Change the object name of the hotspot to “Left” using the following process:
  1. Select objname from the attribute window and change the text from “m0” to “Left”
  2. It is not compulsory to change the hotspot object name; however it will help later on.
7. Repeat steps 2a-2f for each of the other buttons in the following order and as per the table below
  1. Right
  2. Faster
  3. Slower
  4. Next

The decimal ASCII code for the letter “L” is 76, hence when the Nextion Enhanced display sends the letter L to the Arduino using the print “L” command, the Arduino will receive the number 76. When the right button is pressed, it will receive the number 82, and so on.
The “Next” button does not transmit anything to the Arduino, it is simply there to jump to the next interface on the Nextion Enhanced display, hence the reason why the user code is different for that button.

Map the buttons to the Expansion board
1. Select “page0” and then “page1” from the Page window
2. Select the “Preinitialize Event” tab from the Event window
3. Enter the following code into the “User Code” field of the Preinitialize Event tab:
  - cfgpio 5,1,Left
  - cfgpio 2,1,Right
  - cfgpio 4,1,Faster
  - cfgpio 3,1,Slower
  - cfgpio 1,1,Next

Please note: There is one space between cfgpio and the number next to it, but there are no other spaces on each line. If you introduce extra spaces, it will not compile.
This code maps the buttons on the expansion board to the hotspot objects on page1. For example, when the Left button (IO5) on the expansion board is pressed, it simulates the actions or events associated with hotspot m0/Left. In this case it will send a value of “L” (76) to the Arduino.

The IO number is marked within brackets on the expansion board.

Page 2 - Stepper Motor Piano

This interface will be designed to look like a piano, and will allow me to control the stepper motor such that it produces a note in the same key as the one I press on the Nextion display. The stepper motor will produce the note by rotating at a specific frequency.

Add the Stepper Motor Piano picture to page2
1. Select “page2” from the Page window
2. Select “Picture” from the Toolbox window
3. Double-click the “pic” attribute from the Attribute window
4. Select the “Stepper Motor Piano” image from the list
5. Press the OK button
Add Hotspots over each key on the Stepper Motor Piano image
1. Select “Hotspot” from the Toolbox window
2. Drag and resize the Hotspot so that it covers the the “A” key.
  1. This is the area that will respond to “A-key” presses.
  2. It will be transparent when uploaded to the Nextion board
3. Select the “Touch Press Event” tab in the Event window
4. Type the following into the “User Code” section
  - print 1
5. Repeat steps 2a-2d for each of the other keys as per the table below

When the specific key is pressed, the Nextion Enhanced board will transmit the printed number, followed by three 0x00 values. The terminating values can be ignored.

The “Back” button will allow me to jump back to the previous interface on the Nextion Enhanced board.
1. Create a hotspot for the back button using the following process:
  1. Select Hotspot from the Toolbox window
  2. Move/Resize the hotspot over the “Back” button
2. Select the Event window
3. Make sure the “Touch press event” tab is selected
4. Type: page page1 into the User Code section

Debugging

The good thing about the Nextion Editor, is that you can test out the interface functionality before uploading it to the board.

Save the project by pressing the save button on the task bar
Then press the compile button
Then press the debug button.

A Nextion emulator window will appear. This window should respond in the same manner as Nextion module after the Nextion file is uploaded to the board. This emulator is a great way to test out your interface and to make sure it looks and works as expected. Once I was happy with the interface(s), I transferred the compiled Nextion file onto an SD card:

Press the compile button
File → Open Build Folder
Select the *.tft file with the same name as that of the project
Copy it to a micro SDHC card
Insert the SDHC card into the SD card slot on the Nextion display
Power up the Nextion board

Wait for the file to flash the Nextion board, and you should see a message that looks like this:

The next step is to power off the Nextion board, and remove the SDHC card.

ARDUINO SETUP

The Nextion Enhanced display is ready, and now it is the Arduino’s turn. The Arduino is programmed to receive Serial messages from the Nextion Enhanced display and control the stepper motor based on the letters or numbers received. The unique letters or numbers being transmitted from the Nextion board, allow the Arduino to understand what button is being pressed, and it uses those numbers or letters to control the flow of code in order to perform specific stepper motor actions.

Arduino Libraries and IDE

The Arduino IDE can be downloaded from this site.
The SoftwareSerial library is used to enable Serial communication between the Arduino and the Nextion Enhanced display.
The AccelStepper library is used to simplify the process of stepper motor control.

ARDUINO CODE:

Here is the Arduino Code for this project:

I set up a maximum and minimum speed for the motors, and some pre-defined keys. It is possible to “tune” the motor using the first interface of the Nextion display. You can do this by making the motor turn faster or slower until you reach the desired key.
I used the “Tuner T1 Free” app from the iTunes app store to identify WHEN the motor was producing a note in key.
When the motor was producing a specific note, I would write down the stepper motor speed that was printed to the Serial monitor window. Every time the motor speed is increased or decreased, the Arduino code prints the speed to the serial monitor window. I then use these speeds to update the notes[] array in the Arduino code.
The notes[] array holds the stepper motor speeds that correspond to the individual notes on the piano. The Nextion display essentially sends the index number of the note to play from the notes array on the Arduino, thereby simplifying the code required to spin the motor at 16 different speeds.

Hooking it up:

With all boards powered off, the next step is to make all of the necessary hardware connections to the Arduino. There are two major sections to consider,

The Stepper motor driver and motor
The Nextion Enhanced board

You need to ensure that you use an external power source to power both the stepper motor and the Nextion Enhanced board. The stepper motor driver board itself was powered by the Arduino without any problems, but the actual stepper motor will need an external power supply. The Nextion Enhanced board also needs an external power supply because it requires more current than the Arduino can safely provide.
Here is how you would connect the Arduino to the Stepper motor driver board and associated stepper motor.

And this is how you would connect the Arduino to the Nextion Enhanced display

And this is what it looked like when I put it all together:

Make note of the external power supply used. I made sure that I had a large enough power supply to handle the power requirements of the project, and utilized the relevant datasheets to help me identify those requirements. If you plan to replicate this project, make sure you take into consideration the specific power requirements of your motor, your motor driver and your Nextion display. The Arduino can only supply 400mA of current from the 5V pin.
With everything hooked up, I powered up the Nextion display, then powered up the Arduino. The stepper motor starts spinning automatically. I used the first interface to change the direction and/or speed of the motor. Please note the maximum and minimum speeds set up in the Arduino code.
I then used the Next button to jump to the second interface on the Nextion Enhanced display. The second interface looks like a piano. And when I press a key on the piano display, the motor changes speed to match the note I pressed.
Voila !! The stepper motor piano is born !!
I played a number of simple tunes on the Stepper motor piano and was surprised how well it worked. Very clever !!

Concluding comments

This project is relatively simple, but stepper motors can be tricky to set up and tune. Nothing a bit of determination cannot fix.
This project was a lot of fun. If you plan to replicate this project, I would be interested to see your versions, or just knowing if this helped you in any way.

This project would not have been possible without the collaborative efforts of iTead Studio. Their Nextion Enhanced display has a lot more to offer than what I have shown you here. But hopefully this tutorial gives you some insight into the power of such a display, and perhaps how it could improve the project you are currently working on. The only thing I did not like was the power requirements. I would have preferred something within Arduino power supply limits. Nevertheless, I am very happy with the Nextion Enhanced display, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a Human Machine interface to include in their project. You can see how simple it was to create TWO interfaces for my project, and I only scratched the surface.

Hacking Robotic Arm using Controllino and Cayenne

2017-03-27T13:08:00.000+07:00

Description

This tutorial will show you how to take over the controls of the OWI Robotic Arm with the help of an Arduino compatible, open-source PLC called the Controllino MAXI, together with Cayenne (my go-to iOT application for remote connection to my Arduino projects). The Controllino MAXI will provide the physical connections to the OWI robotic arm, and Cayenne will allow me to control the arm via my web browser or via the Cayenne app on my phone.

Parts Required:

Arduino Libraries and IDE

The Arduino IDE can be used to program the Controllino. You can dowload the Arduino IDE from here: https://www.arduino.cc/en/main/software.
You will also need to read the Cayenne Ethernet library installation instructions in order to install the Cayenne Ethernet Library.
The Controllino will connect to the internet via the Ethernet port onboard.
You do not need the Controllino library for this project, however, if you have a Controllino, you might as well install the library. You can read the Controllino library installation instructions from their GitHub webpage here: https://github.com/CONTROLLINO-PLC/CONTROLLINO_Library.
You will need to notify the Arduino IDE of the Controllino MAXI board by pasting the supplied URL into the "Additional Boards Manager URLs" in the Arduino IDE.
This is located under: FILE - PREFERENCES - Additional Boards Manager URLs.
The URL that you need to paste is in STEP 3 of the Controllino Library installation instructions on their GitHub page.
The video at the top of this tutorial may help clarify the process.

ARDUINO CODE:

The code above is very simple, however you will need to create a dashboard of widgets from within your Cayenne account in order to control the OWI robotic Arm from your phone or via the Dashboard webpage.

Setting up Cayenne Dashboard

Once you have created your Cayenne account, you will be presented with a webpage to choose a board to connect to. Controllino is an Arduino compatible PLC, so make sure to follow these instructions for setting up the Controllino in your Cayenne Account.

Select Arduino from the available list of boards.
Make sure to install the necessary libraries if your have not done so already.
Select Arduino MEGA from the avaliable list of Arduino boards
Select Ethernet Shield W5100
Copy and paste the Arduino code that pops up on screen into your Arduino IDE and upload to the Controllino.
Alternatively, copy and paste the code from above, however you will need to insert your Authentication token to get it to work

After you upload the code to the Controllino, and providing it has an ethernet cable connected to the internet router (and has access to the internet), and is powered on, it will connect to your Cayenne Dashboard. You can now add widgets to the dashboard in real time to interact with the Controllino, and without uploading any more code to the open source PLC.

Adding Widgets

We need to add a number of widgets in order to activate the relays on the Controllino. The relavent digital pins that we will need to know about can be found on the Controllino website here: https://controllino.biz/downloads/.

Here is the direct link to the PINOUT file for the Controllino MAXI.

"Armed" with that knowledge, we can now create the widgets which are necessary to control the relays on the Controllino. From within the Cayenne dashboard, please follow these instructions to create a widget:

Select - ADD NEW
Select - DEVICE/WIDGET
Select - ACTUATORS
Then - RELAY from the dropdown box
Select - RELAY SWITCH
Give the widget a descriptive name to differentiate it from the other widgets and a name that is somewhat informative (eg. R0 - Pos)
I gave the first widget the name "R0 - Pos", because it will connect to Relay R0, and that relay will be connected to the Positive (POS) terminal of the OWI robotic arm.
Select the device you would like to connect to. Be aware that you can change the name of the device in the settings. If you followed this tutorial, it should have the name "Arduino MEGA", but I changed the name of the device to "Controllino" to be more accurate.
We will be using a digital pin to control the relay, therefore select "Digital" as the Connectivity option
For this specific widget, we will be controlling R0, which is activated by digital pin D22 on the Controllino. Therefore select "D22" from the "Pin" dropdown box.
Choose a "Button" as the widget type
Choose an icon from the dropdown box that makes sense to you
Skip Step 1
Select Step 2: Add actuator

You should now see your new widget on the dashboard. Select the widget to enable or activate that relay. If you do this, and if everything goes to plan, you will see the LED for R0 illuminate on the Controllino. You now have to add the rest of the widgets to the dashboard in order to control the rest of the relays on the Controllino.

Widget Dashboard

Here is a table to show you how I setup my dashboard.

Fritzing diagram

OWI Robotic Arm Pins

Normal OWI Robotic Arm Circuit

The following circuit diagram will show you how the wired control box is normally connected to the OWI Robotic arm. This is the circuit diagram of the OWI robotic arm under normal operating contidtions.

OWI Robotic Arm Circuit when connected to Controllino

The following circuit diagram will show you how the OWI Robotic Arm will be controlled by the relays of the Controllino. This is the circuit diagram of the OWI robotic arm when it is connected to the Controllino.

All connected

The OWI Robotic Arm is connected to a breadboard using the female-to-male jumper wires. Solid core wire is then fed through to the relay terminals of the Controllino. You could just wire it up so that the robotic arm is connected directly to the Controllino, however, I did not have the right connectors for this purpose.
The Controllino is also connected to my internet router via a normal RJ-45 ethernet cable, and is powered by a 12V DC power adapter.

Summary

Now that you have all the physical connections made, uploaded the code to the Controllino, and have created your dashboard in Cayenne, you should be able to control your OWI Robotic arm from anywhere in the world. As demonstrated in the video at the start of this tutorial, the robotic arm has quite a bit of give on each of the joints, which makes it difficult to achieve certain tasks that require an element of precision. There goes that idea of being able to perform surgery with this thing !!! At least you can get it to make you a cup of tea, and if you are patient enough, you might even get a grape once in a while.

Thank you to Controllino and Cayenne for making this tutorial possible. If you would like your product featured in my tutorials, please contact me on my contact page.

If you like this page, please do me a favour and show your appreciation :

Visit my ArduinoBasics Google + page.
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I can also be found on Pinterest and Instagram.
Have a look at my videos on my YouTube channel.

Prextron CHAIN BLOCKS - Arduino Nano controlled Ultrasonic sensor that switches a motor wirelessly using 433MHz RF modules and a relay board.

2017-03-13T09:01:00.000+07:00

Description

In this tutorial, I will be evaluating Prextron CHAIN blocks – a new system that allows you to connect your sensors and actuators to an Arduino NANO using clever 3D-printed prototyping boards that can be stacked sideways. This very modular system makes it easy to connect, disconnect and replace project components, and eliminate the “rats nest of wires” common to many advanced Arduino projects. CHAIN BLOCKS are open, which means that you can incorporate any of your sensors or actuators to these prototyping boards, and you can decide which specific pin on Arduino you plan to use. The CHAIN BLOCK connections prevent or reduce common connection mistakes, which make them ideal for class-room projects and learning activities.

I am going to set up a project to put these CHAIN BLOCKs to the test:
When I place my hand in-front of an Ultrasonic sensor, the Arduino will transmit a signal wirelessly to another Arduino, and consequently turn on a motor.

Parts Required:

You need the following Prextron Chain Blocks

Arduino Nano x2
433MHz RF Transmitter and Receiver modules
HC-SR04 Ultrasonic sensor
RGB LED module
Relay Module

DC motor
9V battery
9V battery adapter

Please note: You may need to solder the module wires to the CHAIN BLOCK protoboard.

Arduino Libraries and IDE

This project does not use any libraries. However, you will need to upload Arduino code to the Arduino. For this you will need the Arduino IDE which can be obtained from the official Arduino website:
https://www.arduino.cc/en/main/software

ARDUINO CODE: RF Transmitter

ARDUINO CODE: RF Receiver

Fritzing diagrams for Transmitter

Fritzing diagrams for Receiver

Concluding comments

The purpose of this project was to evaluate Prextron CHAIN BLOCKs and put them to the test. Here is what I thought of CHAIN BLOCKS at the time of evaluation. Some of my points mentioned below may no longer apply to the current product. It may have evolved / improved since then. So please take that into consideration

What I liked about Chain Blocks

The design is simple, the product is simple.
Once the Chain Blocks were all assembled, they were very easy to connect to each other.
I can really see the benefit of Chain Blocks in a teaching environment, because it simplifies the connection process, and reduces connection mixups.
It was good to see that the blocks come in different colours, which means that you can set up different colour schemes for different types of modules.
You can incorporate pretty much any sensor or Actuator into the Chain block which is very appealing.
You also have the flexibility of choosing which pins you plan to use on the Arduino.
Projects look a lot neater, because you no longer have the rats nest of wires.
The Blocks lock into each other which means that they are much easier to transport/carry.

What I did not like about Chain Blocks

In most cases, the Chain Block protoboard lanes were not numbered, which increased the chances of making mistakes when soldering
The need to solder modules to the protoboard, may be a discouragement for some people.
I would have liked a choice of different size Chain blocks. Some of the sensors did not fit nicely into the Square blocks.
Prextron really need to work on their website if they plan to get serious with this product: Webpage has incomplete functionality or irrelevant links etc etc.

Thank you very much to Prextron for providing the CHAIN BLOCKS used in this tutorial, and allowing me to try out their product. If you are interested in trying them yourself, then make sure to visit them at:

Garage Door Monitor with Cayenne

2016-12-06T17:14:00.000+07:00

Description

Using the HMC5883L magnetometer sensor of the GY-80 module from ICStation to monitor a garage door and notify when it has been opened or closed. The Cayenne service provides much of the monitoring and notifying functionality. A major feature of this project. Cayenne takes care of all of the complicated work behind the scenes, making it easy to connect your Arduino to the cloud and allow you to monitor your garage from virtually anywhere.

This project was created specifically to monitor a garage, but you will soon discover that this project could be used to monitor a whole host of other things. Monitor your front door, your back door, your bag, your chair, your cookie jar.

Monitor for peace of mind, or catch someone in the act of stealing your stuff. This project has got you covered. Let's see how:

Parts Required:

HMC5883L DataSheet:

You can find the datasheet for the HMC5883L pretty easily by searching on the internet.
HMC5883L datasheet - Sparkfun

Arduino Libraries and IDE

Here is a link to the Arduino IDE download. The IDE is required to upload code to the Seeeduino Cloud.

You need the Cayenne Library installed in your Arduino IDE.
You can find the Cayenne library here:
Cayenne Libarary

There are libraries on the internet for the GY-80 module, however, it is relatively easy to use the magnetometer on this module. And therefore no libraries are required for the sensor. If you would like some more information about using the magnetometer sensor, and how to get the most out of it, then please have a look at my previous tutorial which goes into much more detail.

ARDUINO CODE:

You need to make sure to insert your OWN Cayenne token into the sketch above. You will get this token when connecting your Arduino to the Cayenne service. Watch the video for further explanation.

Fritzing diagram

Cayenne Widgets

Please make sure to watch the video to see how to connect the Seeeduino Cloud to Cayenne and how to create the Cayenne widgets. Cayenne widgets are necessary to create the dashboard on your phone or browser. They will also interact with the Arduino sketch, and will also be involved in creating the notification system. The following links will take you to the relevant part of the video:

The Master switch button is used to switch monitoring from OFF to ON (and vice versa). Therefore you can choose when to monitor the garage and when to stop monitoring. When first installing the project onto your garage door, and turning the Seeeduino Cloud on, it will automatically calibrate each sensor to a value of 1000.

If you experience any drift away from 1000 for whatever reason, simply press the Request calibration button, and each sensor will be recalibrated back to 1000. The x,y and z axis widgets are there so that you can see the readings coming from the magnetometer sensor. And when any of the axis variables breach the threshold away from 1000, it will trigger the Door Status widget. This is how we can tell if the door is open or closed.

We also use the Door Status widget to help with the notification system. When the Door status changes from "Closed" to "Open", a notification trigger will be activated, and a message will be sent via email or SMS. This notification is useful for monitoring when the door was opened. If you happen to recalibrate when the door is open. You will get a notification when the garage door closes.

Concluding comments

This project is relatively simple, and quite easy to set up. What I liked about this project was the versatility and alternate uses. You can use the same setup to monitor many different things. It is not just limited to monitoring a garage door. But being able to tell whether my garage door is opened or closed, especially after I have driven away from my house , is really cool. Now I don't have to drive all the way back home to check. Let me know if you have replicated this project, and also what kinds of things you decided to monitor with this project.

HMC5883L on the GY-80 module

2016-11-06T23:20:00.000+07:00

Description

In this tutorial, I will show you how to configure and extract data from the magnetometer (HMC5883L) sensor on the GY-80 10DOF module from ICStation. While there are some very good libraries on the internet which will give you full access to this sensor, I will show you what you need to know without using a library. This means that it may get a bit technical at times, but I will hold your hand along the way and provide explanations as required. I would also recommend that you watch the complete video from start to finish - as the video provides really useful information.

Parts Required:

HMC5883L Magnetometer Datasheet:

You can find the datasheet for the HMC5883L pretty easily by searching on the internet. Here are a couple of sources:

Arduino Libraries

This tutorial does not use any external libraries.
It does use the Wire library for I2C communication.
However, there is no extra download required to access the Wire library.
If you are looking for a library specific for the HMC5883L sensor, then I would recommend one of these:

Like I said - you do not need an HMC5883L library for this tutorial. The libraries above are listed for those who wish to learn more about this particular sensor.

Arduino IDE

The Arduino IDE can be downloaded from the Arduino website. Visit the Arduino IDE download page.

I generally use the ZIP file for Windows and never seem to have any issues.
There are downloads available for all the major operating systems.

ARDUINO CODE:

I have created a Gist for the Arduino code to configure and extract data from the HMC5883L sensor. However, I also have a GitHub repository which aims to capture the code for all of the sensors on the GY-80 module. Code for the other sensors will become available in due time. Meanwhile, have a look at the code below for the HMC5883L sensor:

This code will set all axis values to 1000 upon startup. Moving the GY-80 module around will result in a value greater or less than 1000, however, returning the sensor back to it's original position, should result in values very close to 1000 on each axis. I chose to introduce this calibration in order to avoid negative values, and I liked the fact that I could set a heading with values that were easy to remember.

The magSetting function was created to easily configure the magnetometer.
Make sure to look at the video and also the datasheet for further information about calibrating the magnetometer.

The getReadings function was created to easily retrieve the magnetometer axis data. I chose to use Single measurement mode in this tutorial.

Hooking it up:

You can communicate with any of the sensors on the GY-80 module using I2C. The HMC5883L magnetometer sensor is no different. You will need four connections between the Arduino UNO and the GY-80 module. Have a look at the diagram below for the connection diagram and table.

Fritzing diagram

Project pictures

Concluding comments

The HMC5883L sensor on the GY-80 module is quite interesting and works relatively well. There are a number of other sensors on the GY-80 module which can provide complementary positional data. At some point, I plan to come back and explain some of the other sensors on this module, but first I would like to create a real-life project using the magnetometer. So stay tuned. You may want to subscribe to my social networks or to this blog to be notified of that project when I complete it.

I would like to thank ICStation for their collaborative efforts. Their contribution was invaluable to this tutorial's existence.

EspoTek Labrador Review

2016-10-29T08:58:00.000+07:00

Have you heard about the EspoTek Labrador ?

A tiny board which can turn your computer into an
- Oscilloscope
- Waveform generator
- Logic analyser
- Multimeter
- and Power supply.

Great for makers or hobbyists with limited bench space or limited funds. Perfect for students and anyone starting out in the field of electronics

As you will see in the video below, I take a prototype of the EspoTek Labrador for a spin, and try out all of the functions that this board can provide.

I use an Arduino UNO, a couple of 433MHz RF modules, some LEDs and a speaker to see just how useful this board will be for my hobby requirements.

I have been wanting an Oscilloscope for quite some time, and while this board does not necessarily win against a benchtop oscilloscope on a side-by-side comparison of specifications, it does make up for it somewhat in terms of price, space (or footprint), usability, and wide range of functionality. But does it actually function as an oscilliscope? Is it useful ? Will it do what I need it to do? Or will I still need to buy that expensive oscilloscope that I have been saving up for?

Have a look at my review below, and tell me what you think.

Let me know your thoughts in the comments below:

EasyEDA RGB5050 LED Scroll Bar

2016-09-11T13:09:00.000+07:00

Guest Post Disclaimer

This is a guest post by the EasyEDA team. I would like to thank EasyEDA for providing this tutorial for everyone to enjoy. All information within this post was provided by EasyEDA.

Description

None of us could deny the fact that we would love with to play with LED’s and lighting stuff. I love to play with LED’s and create attractive lighting effects. This project was a result of such an attempt where I created a stunning RGB light effect using the popular development platform Arduino Nano. Let’s see the circuit, code and instruction on building this project:

Parts Required:

Image source: EasyEDA

Arduino Libraries and IDE

No libraries are required for this project. The Arduino IDE can be downloaded from the Arduino website. Here is the download link.

ARDUINO CODE:

Preparing the LED strips

Cut down the LED strips into 10 single pieces. Make sure you cut them into equal halves and make sure that only the copper conduction plate in the strip is cut. Making a wrong cut disrupts the electrical conductivity between the LED’s. After cutting down into separate strips, you will need to connect each strip using a Dupont wire connectors.

Image source: EasyEDA

Designing the Control Board

I have made a custom control board that incorporates an Arduino Nano. The control board is used to boost the incoming signal from Arduino and lights up the corresponding LED strips.

Image source: EasyEDA

Control Board Circuit diagram

I used a free Online circuit and PCB designing platform called EasyEDA to develop my control board. It is pretty easy to use especially because of the large library of parts to choose from. Once the design is complete, you have the option to order it through EasyEDA. They offers great prices on custom PCB manufacturing. I have added 10 connection points for 10 LED strips. Each RGB LED strip is controlled by one of the Arduino Nano digital pins.. Transistors Q1,Q2,Q3….Q10 act as a switch for these LED strips for controlling 12V strips via a 5V signal from the Arduino. And switches S1,S2..S4 were added to be able to select the effect on the strip. The schematic can be seen below:

Schematic

You can access the actual EasyEDA schematic by clicking on the image below:

Image source: EasyEDA

PCB Board Design

Here is the PCB board design for this project.
You can access the actual EasyEDA design by clicking on the image below.

Image source: EasyEDA

PCB Fabrication

After completing the PCB design, you can click on the Fabrication icon.

You will then have access to the PCB order page which will allow you to download your PCB Gerber files that can be sent to any manufacturer. However it is a lot easier (and cheaper) to order it directly from EasyEDA.
Here you can select:

the number of PCBs you want to order
the number of copper layers you need
the PCB thickness
copper weight
and even the PCB color

After you’ve selected all of the options, click “Save to Cart” and complete you order. You will then get your PCBs shipped a few days later.

Image source: EasyEDA

PCB final product

When I received the PCBs, I am quite impressed with the quality, they are pretty nice.

Image source: EasyEDA

PCB Build of Materials

Image source: EasyEDA

PCB connections

Connect the LED strips through the connection points in the board. Make sure that you connect these correctly (push the connectors all the way onto the pin), because the chances of a short increase significantly with the number of wires connected. Once all the connections are done all that left is to install your Arduino Nano (pre-programmed with the Arduino code above), and to power the PCB with a 12V power supply.

Image source: EasyEDA

Project Video

Concluding comments

Hope you like this RGB light effects project, do try it out and post your feedback below.

Disclaimer:
This is a guest blog post by the EasyEDA team. All information within this post was provided by EasyEDA.

Arduino based Security Project Using Cayenne

2016-09-02T11:11:00.000+07:00

Description

This is an Arduino based home security project that uses the power of "Cayenne" for extraordinary capabilities.

Cayenne Beta

Cayenne is a new IoT drag and drop platform originally released for the Raspberry Pi, but now available for Arduino. Cayenne makes the task of connecting your Arduino to the internet as simple as possible. All of the complexity of internet connectivity is hidden within the Cayenne library.

You can easily create a Network of Arduinos and build an IoT system which can be managed and operated within the Cayenne dashboard. This dashboard is accessible through your browser or via the Cayenne smart phone app (on IOS or Android).

The feature I liked the most, was the ability to change the position of sensors or actuators on the Arduino without having to re-upload Arduino code. I could manage the changed position from within the Cayenne platform. The other feature that I liked was the ability to setup actions based on custom triggers. You can use Cayenne to trigger a whole range of functions, for example: play a sound, move a motor, light up an LED, or to send alert notifications via email or SMS.

Cayenne is in Beta at the moment, so there are a few minor bugs here and there, but overall - I give it a thumbs up - it is definitely worth checking out.

Here is a link to the Cayenne Beta Program:
**Cayenne Beta Link**

Source: myDevices Media Kit

Home Security Project Summary

In order to fully experience this new IoT platform, I decided to create a project to really put it through its paces. This is what my Security Project will need:

It will use two Arduinos, one connected to the internet via an Ethernet shield, and the other via WIFI.
Two detectors - a PIR sensor and a laser trip wire.
If the sensors are tripped, the person has 10 seconds to present an RFID tag to the Grove RFID reader:
- If a valid RFID tag is SUCCESSFULLY presented within the time limit, a nice personalised greeting will be played to that person using a Grove - Serial MP3 player
- If a valid RFID FAILS to be presented within the time limit, an Alarm will sound, and I will be notified of the intrusion via an SMS alert.
The Cayenne dashboard will show the status of the sensors, and I will have full control over my security system via the web interface (or smartphone app).
The sensors will be attached to a different Arduino to that of the Grove MP3 player and the RFID tag reader, which means that there will have to be some level of communication between the two Arduinos. In fact, the cross communication will be vital to the success of this project.

Project Video

Parts Required:

Flow Diagrams:

Main Flow Diagram

The following flow diagram shows the Security project process. It is a high level view of the decisions being made by each Arduino in response to various events.

Triggers Flow Diagram

The following flow diagram aims to highlight the various triggers set up within Cayenne to get this Security system to work.

Arduino IDE and Library Downloads

You will need an Arduino IDE to upload code to the Arduino and the Seeeduino Cloud.
Here is the link to the Arduino IDE: Arduino IDE - download location

The Cayenne service requires that you download and install the Cayenne Library into your Arduino IDE.
You can get the Cayenne Library from here: Cayenne Library File - Download

Cayenne Connectivity Setup

The Seeeduino Cloud needs to be prepared for use with Cayenne.
Normal operating/setup instructions can be found here: Seeeduino Cloud WIKI page

Once you have successfully connected Seeeduino Cloud to your WIFI network, you can add it to the Cayenne Dashboard by making the following selections from within the Cayenne Web application:

Add New
Device/Widget
Microcontrollers
Arduino
Ensure Seeeduino Cloud is connected to WIFI network - the select the NEXT button
Select - Arduino Yun: Built-in Ethernet - ticked
Providing you have already installed the Cayenne library as described above - you should be able to copy and paste the code to the Arduino IDE and upload to the Seeeduino Cloud.
If successful, you should see the Arduino Yun board appear within the Cayenne Dashboard. If not, then seek help within the Cayenne forum.

The Arduino UNO with WIZNET 5100 - Ethernet Shield
also needs to be prepared with Cayenne

Add New
Device/Widget
Microcontrollers
Arduino
Ensure Arduino is powered, and Ethernet shield is connected to your internet router via an Ethernet cable
Select - Arduino Uno: Ethernet Shield W5100 - ticked
Copy and paste the code to the Arduino IDE and upload to the Arduino UNO.
If successful, you should see the Arduino Uno board appear within the Cayenne Dashboard. If not, then seek help within the Cayenne forum.

If you have the Ethernet shield with the WIZNET 5200 chip, then you may need to download a specific Ethernet library in addition to the Cayenne library.

Just follow the instructions within the Automatically generated sketch provided - when you select your specific Arduino/Ethernet/WIFI shield combination. If you need further instructions on connecting your device to Cayenne - then please visit the myDevices website for the online documentation.

ARDUINO CODE (1)

Code for Arduino UNO with Ethernet Shield:

The following code will need to be uploaded to the Arduino UNO:

ARDUINO CODE (2)

Code for Seeeduino Cloud:

The following code will need to be uploaded to the Seeeduino Cloud:

Fritzing diagram (1)

Fritzing diagram for Arduino UNO with Ethernet

Please click on the picture below for an enlarged version of this fritzing diagram

Fritzing diagram (2)

Fritzing diagram for Seeeduino Cloud

Please click on the picture below for an enlarged version of this fritzing diagram

Cayenne Dashboard Setup - GUI

The Arduino code only provides half of the functionality of this project. The Cayenne Dashboard needs to be setup to provide the rest of the functionality. The following instructions will show you how to add each of the widgets required for this Home Security project.

Arduino Ethernet - Master Switch

The master switch allows me to turn the security system on and off. When I turn the MASTER SWITCH ON, the laser beam will turn on, and the sensors will start monitoring the area for intruders. This widget is NOT associated with a physical switch/sensor on the Arduino - it uses virtual channel 0. We need to add the Master switch to the dashboard:

Add New
Device/Widget
Actuators
Generic
Digital Output - Control a Digital Output
Widget Name: Master On Off Switch
Select Device: Arduino Ethernet
Connectivity: Virtual
Pin: V0
Choose Widget: Button
Choose Icon: Valve
Step2: Add Actuator

We will add a trigger later to get this button to automatically turn the Laser beam on.

Arduino Ethernet - PIR Sensor

This sensor will be used to detect movement in the room. If a person walks into the room, this sensor will detect movement, and will trigger a message to be played on the Grove Serial MP3 player. The message will aim to get the person to identify themselves. They identify themselves by placing their RFID tag in close proximity to the Grove RFID reader. If the tag is valid, a "Welcome home" message is played on the Grove MP3 player. If a valid tag is not presented to the reader within 10 seconds, an Alarm will go off ("Alarm sound" played on Grove MP3 player.)

The PIR sensor is connected to digital Pin 6 of the Arduino, however, it is mapped to virtual pin 1 for better synchronisation with the Cayenne dashboard. This was done to capture ALL detections - as the PIR sensor could change from a LOW to HIGH and back to LOW state in between a Cayenne state check - and therefore, Cayenne could miss this motion detection.. Therefore we need to assign the PIR sensor to a virtual channel in the following way:

Add New
Device/Widget
Sensors
Motion
Digital Motion Sensor - Motion Detector
Widget Name: PIR sensor
Select Device: Arduino Ethernet
Connectivity: Virtual
Pin: V1
Choose Widget: 2-State Display
Choose Icon: Light
Step2: Add Sensor
Select Settings from the PhotoResistor
Choose Display: Value
Save

Arduino Ethernet - Photoresistor

This sensor will be used with the laser beam to create a laser tripwire. If the sensor detects a change in light levels (drops below the threshold), it will activate the laser trigger button on the dashboard. The person will then be required to identify themselves etc etc (similar to the motion detection by the PIR sensor). The photoresistor widget will display the raw analog reading from the sensor (connected to A2), but is associated with virtual channel 2. I used a virtual channel for more control over this sensor. To add the Photoresistor to the dashboard:

Add New
Device/Widget
Sensors
Luminosity
Photoresistor - Luminosity sensor
Widget Name: PhotoResistor
Select Device: Arduino Ethernet
Connectivity: Virtual
Pin: V2
Choose Widget: Value
Choose Icon: Light
Step2: Add Sensor

Arduino Ethernet - Laser Trigger

The laser trigger is just an indicator that someone tripped the laser beam. The state of this widget is used to notify the Seeeduino that a presence has been detected. This widget is associated with virtual pin 4 on the Arduino UNO with Ethernet.

Add New
Device/Widget
Actuators
Generic
Digital Output - Control a Digital Output
Widget Name: Laser Trigger
Select Device: Arduino Ethernet
Connectivity: Virtual
Pin: V4
Choose Widget: Button
Choose Icon: Lock
Step2: Add Actuator

Arduino Ethernet - Laser Threshold

The laser threshold is used to manually configure the light level at which the laser trigger will trip. When the photoresistor value drops below the threshold value, the laser trigger icon will activate. This allows the threshold value to be updated from the Cayenne dashboard, rather than having to manually adjust the value in the Arduino code. Also, this threshold can be set remotely, in that you don't have to be near the Arduino to change this value. A very useful feature of this Security system. This widget is associated with virtual pin 5 on the Arduino UNO with Ethernet.

Add New
Device/Widget
Actuators
Generic
PWM Output - Control a PWM Output
Widget Name: Laser Threshold
Select Device: Arduino Ethernet
Connectivity: Virtual
Pin: V5
Choose Widget: Slider
Slider Min Value: 0
Slider Max Value: 10
Step2: Add Actuator

The max value of the slider is 10 - due to a current bug in the Cayenne software. Once resolved, this value (as well as the relevant Arduino code) will need to be updated.

Seeeduino Cloud - Presence Detected

The presence detected widget is there to notify the Seeeduino Cloud that a presence has been detected on the Arduino Uno with Ethernet shield. When the PIR sensor detects movement or if the laser tripwire is tripped, Cayenne will change the state of the Presence Detected widget from LOW to HIGH. This is used within the Seeeduino Cloud to trigger the message "Place your keys on the Mat"
. If a valid RFID tag is read by the Grove RFID reader, then this widget's state will change back from HIGH to LOW, and the MasterSwitch will be deactivated - turning the Security system off. This widget is associated with Virtual pin 6 on the Seeeduino Cloud.

Add New
Device/Widget
Actuators
Generic
Digital Output - Control a Digital Output
Widget Name: Presence Detected
Select Device: Seeeduino Cloud
Connectivity: Virtual
Pin: V6
Choose Widget: Button
Choose Icon: Lock
Step2: Add Actuator

Seeeduino Cloud - Intruder Alert

If a valid RFID tag is not read by the Grove RFID reader within 10 seconds of a presence detection event, an alarm will sound, and this widget will be activated. This will trigger a notification event - to notify me of the unauthorised intrusion - via SMS or email. I will also have a visual indicator on the Cayenne dashboard that an intrusion has taken place. This widget is associated with Virtual pin 7 on the Seeeduino Cloud.

Add New
Device/Widget
Actuators
Generic
Digital Output - Control a Digital Output
Widget Name: Laser Trigger
Select Device: Seeeduino Cloud
Connectivity: Virtual
Pin: V7
Choose Widget: Button
Choose Icon: Thermometer
Step2: Add Actuator

Seeeduino Cloud - Laser Beam

The laser beam widget was created to allow for full control over the laser beam. The laser beam can be turned on or off from the Cayenne dashboard, and a connected to digital pin 7 on the Seeeduino Cloud.

Add New
Device/Widget
Actuators
Light
Light Switch - Turn On/Off a Light
Widget Name: xLaser Beam
Select Device: Seeeduino Cloud
Connectivity: Digital
Pin: D7
Choose Widget: Button
Choose Icon: Light
Step2: Add Actuator

Cayenne Triggers

Now that all of the widgets have been added to the Dashboard, there is just one more step to complete the Security System. We need to setup the triggers. These triggers provide a level of automation that is easy to create within Cayenne, but would be very complicated otherwise. I set my triggers up as per the table below. Each row represents one of the triggers within my Cayenne dashboard. If you would like to see an example of how to add a trigger - please have a look at the video at the top of this tutorial.

Concluding comments

I used many different elements to put this home/office security project together - Multiple Arduinos were connected to the internet, both controlled by a web/smart phone app, cross-communication/synchronisation between the Arduinos, and the use of multiple sensors and modules including a laser beam !

This was way more than just a simple PIR sense and alarm project. I now have a personalised greeting and reminder system when I walk in the door. Everyone else has their own personalised greeting. I can enable my Security System remotely, from two blocks away, and if I wanted to - I could enable it from the other side of the world. I know instantly when someone has entered my house/office.... with an SMS alert straight to my phone.

This project could easily be extended:

Press a button on my phone to manually trigger/play a specific message/sound/song
Take a picture of the intruder
Introduce fire or leak detection aswell
Add other environmental sensors - Temperature / Humidity
Connect it to lamp/light - creating a security light

I am sure you can think of more things I could do with this system. In fact, why don't you mention your ideas in the comments below.

Cayenne was instrumental in getting this project to work. I don't think I would know where to start if I had to do this project without this cool IoT platform. I think I will definitely be trying out a few more projects using Cayenne, and should you want to do the same, then please make sure to join Cayenne Beta:

Here is the link you need to get to the right place: Cayenne Beta Link

Arduino Disco Ball Cake

2016-06-04T13:38:00.000+07:00

Description

This is a fun project that will surely impress anyone you make this for. If you are having a "Disco" themed party, you cannot have a boring old cake. Let me tell you, this is probably the only Arduino project that my wife has ever been willing to be a part of. She did the hard work of putting the cake together, and I, well.... I was in charge of lighting. My biggest fear was that one of the wires would come loose and ruin the event at the most critical moment... While a wire did come loose, I managed to fix it in time before the guests arrived. Ok enough of my monologue, let me show you how to make one of these things.

Parts Required:

Arduino UNO (or compatible board)
4 x WS2812-B Programmable Colorful LED Board
330 ohm resistor
4700 uF 16V Electrolytic Capacitor
Breadboard
Female to Male Jumper wires
Breadboard Jumper wires
2.1mm DC Socket with Screw Terminals
5V 4A Plugpack power supply

Note: powering this project using batteries is possible, but not recommended, and done at your own risk.

You will also need a Disco Ball Cake which you will have to make(or buy).My wife made this one. And as you will see shortly, the cake on the inside was Pink, because it was a strawberry cake.

Arduino Libraries and IDE

You can get the Arduino IDE from here: https://www.arduino.cc/en/Main/Software
I used version 1.6.4, which is probably way out of date... but works fine nonetheless.

You can get information about how to use the FastLED library here: http://fastled.io/
And you can download it from here: FastLED Library
I used version 3.0.3, which is also probably out of date.

ARDUINO CODE:

ARDUINO CODE DESCRIPTION:

FastLED Library: You need to make sure that you have downloaded and installed the FastLED library into your Arduino IDE. The library is included in this sketch otherwise the FastLED functions will not work.
The "NUM_LEDS" variable: tells the Arduino how many LEDS are in use. In this case, we have 4 LED rings, with each LED ring containing 16 LEDs, and therefore a total of 64 LEDs. If you define a lower number, for example 16, then the sketch would only illuminate the LEDs on the first LED ring.
The "DATA_PIN" variable: tells the Arduino which Digital Pin to use for data transmission to the LED ring. In this case, I am using Digital Pin 9.
Other variables: I have a couple of other variables which are used for LED randomisation and hue control. Hue is the colour of the LED. By incrementing the hue variable, you can get the LEDs to cycle in a rainbow-like pattern. The "hue" variable is a "byte", which means that it will only go up to a maximum value of 255, before it jumps back down to zero.
Initialisation Code: If you have a different LED ring to the one in this tutorial, you may have to modify the initialisation code. This LED ring has a WS2812-B chipset (according to the ICStation website), and so this line:

FastLED.addLeds(leds, NUM_LEDS); Will tell the FastLED library which chipset is being used (NEOPIXEL), the pin used for data transmission (DATA_PIN), the LED array to be controlled (leds), and the number of LEDs to be controlled (NUM_LEDS).
In the "loop()": section of the code: the "hue" variable is incremented to create a rainbow effect, and a random LED is selected using the FastLED's random8() function.
The random8(x) function: will randomly choose a number from 0 to x.
The randomSeed() function: is there to help "truely randomise" the number. This is helped by reading the randomness of a floating analogPin (A0). It doesn't have to be analogPin 0, it can be any unused analog pin.
leds[rnd].setHSV(hue,255,255): This line sets the random LED to have a hue equal to the "hue" variable, saturation equal to 255, and brightness equal to 255. Saturation equal to zero will make the LED shine white.
Brightness of zero essentially turns the LED OFF.
FastLED.show(): No physical changes will be made to the LED ring display until a message is sent from the Arduino to the Digital input pin of the LED ring. This message is transmitted when you call the FastLED.show(); function. This tells the LED rings to update their display with the information contained within the led array (leds). So if you set all LEDs to turn on, the board will not illuminate the LEDs until the FastLED.show(); function is called. This is important to know - especially when trying to design your own LED sequences.
The delay(50) line: will set the amount of time between flashes to 50 milliseconds. You can change the delay to increase or decrease the number of flashes per second.
The leds[i].fadeToBlackBy( 180 ) function: essentially fades the LEDS by 180 units. You can increase or decrease this number to achieve the desired fade speed. Be warned however, that if you forget to call this function or if you fail to fade the LEDs sufficiently, then you may end up with ALL LEDs turning on, which could potentially destroy your Arduino board - i.e. depending on the number of LED rings you have, and how you have chosen to power them.

The Cake

Slide 1 - Base Plate: It is important to create the base plate with all of the electronics fitted and in working order BEFORE you put the Cake onto it. Trying to fit wires/cables LEDs and circuits under the base plate while there is a Cake ontop is a recipe for disaster. So prepare the base plate first, and then move to the cake making part later.
Slide 2 - Bake Cake: You will need a couple of hemisphere cake pans to make the two sides of the ball. You have to make a relatively dense cake to withstand the overall weight of the cake, icing and fondant, and to maintain it's shape. Once cooled and chilled, you can place them ontop of each other to form a sphere. They are held together by a layer of icing between them.
Slide 3 - Fondant Icing: The fondant icing has to be rolled out on a special non-stick mat. We found that adding a bit of flour helped to reduce the stickiness. There are special rollers which ensure that the thickness of the fondant is consistent throughout. You then have to cut them into square pieces (about 1 cm squares worked well for us). The squares are then painted Silver with a special/edible silver fondant glaze. You may need to use a few coats, and allowing it to dry between coats.
Slide 4 - Iced Cake on Base: The cake can either be iced on or off the base plate... probably better to do it off the base plate. But if you decide to do it on the base plate, you will need to protect the LEDs from stray icing that may fall from the cake (in the process). Once the cake has been fully iced (with icing/frosting), you will need to place the cake into the central position on the board. There may be a chance that the cake may slide from the base... so do what you need to do to make it stay put.
Slides 5-7 - Place Fondant Squares: While the icing is still soft, you will then need to quickly, methodically and tirelessly place the fondant squares in a horizontal linear pattern around the cake. Work your way towards the north and south poles of the cake doing one row at a time. You can cut a fondant circle for the north pole of the cake. In slide 7, you will see a hole at the top of the cake. This was made to cold a plastic canister inside, which would be used later the hold the decorations in place at the top of the cake. Do this before placing the fondant circle at the top of the cake.
Slide 8 - Add Glitter: After placing all of the fondant squares onto the cake, it is very possible that some of the Silver glaze may have been wiped off some of the squares. This is where you go over it again with a few more coats of silver glaze, and on the last coat, before it dries, you can sprinkle some edible glitter all around the cake to give it that extra shine.
Slide 9 - The end product: The final step is to add some wire sparklers and some other decorations to the top of the cake. Push the wires through the fondant cap at the north pole into the canister within. This will hold the wires in place without ruining all of your hard work.

LED Ring pins

WS2812-B chipset: This LED ring uses the WS2812-B chipset, and has 4 break-out pins
(GND, 5V, Din, Dout)
Power: To power this module, you need to provide 5V and up to 1A of current
Signals: To control the LED ring, you need to send signals to it via the Digital Input pin (Din).
You can connect another LED ring to this one by utilising the Digital Output pin (Dout)

Power Usage Guide

General Rule: Each individual LED on the ring can transmit Red, Green and Blue light.The combinations of these colours can make up any other colour. White light is made up of all three of these colours at the same time. Each individual colour will draw approximately 20mA of current when showing that colour at maximum brightness. When shining white at maximum brightness, the single LED will draw approximately 60mA.
Power multiplier: If each LED can draw up to 60mA and there are 16 LEDs on a single LED ring, then 16x60mA = 960mA per LED ring. To be safe, and to make the maths easier, you need to make sure that you provide enough current to accommodate 1A per LED ring. So 4 LED rings will need a 5V 4A power supply if you want to get full functionality out of the modules.

Fritzing diagram

Connecting ONE LED Ring to the Arduino- (Click to enlarge)

3 wires: You only need 3 wires to connect to the LED ring. If you only plan to light up a couple of LEDs at any one time this should be ok.
The SAFE WAY: A safer way to do this is to use an external power supply to power both the Arduino and the LED ring.
Electrolytic capacitor: By connecting a large 4700 uF 16V Electrolytic capacitor between the positive and negative terminals of power supply leads, with the negative leg of the capacitor attached to the negative terminal of the power supply, you will protect your LED rings from any initial onrush of current.

Protecting Resistor: It is also advisable to place a 300-400 ohm resistor between the Arduino's Digital Pin 9 (D9) and the LED Ring's Digital Input pin (Din). This protects the first LED from potential voltage spikes
Suitable wires: If you plan to chain a few of these LED rings together (see below), then you will probably want to keep the wires as short as possible and use a decent guage wire that can handle the current being drawn through them.

Connecting TWO LED Rings to the Arduino- (Click to enlarge)

Three extra wires:You only need 3 extra wires to connect an additional LED ring. A wire needs to connect the Digital output (Dout) of the first LED ring to the Digital Input (Din) of the 2nd LED ring.
Stay safe: Once again, a safer way to do this is to use an external power supply, a large electrolytic capacitor at the terminals, and a 300-400 ohm resistor between the Arduino and the first LED ring's digital input pin.

Connecting FOUR LED Ring to the Arduino- (Click to enlarge)

Sixty Four LEDs:You need 3 extra wires for each additional LED ring. 4 LED rings provides a total of 64 LEDs.
Watch the AMPS:At full brightness, this setup could potentially draw up to 4amps (or roughly 1 amp per LED ring)
External Supply essential: It is essential to use an external power supply to power these LEDs when there are so many of them. If you don't use an external power supply and you accidentally illuminate ALL of the LEDs, then you are likely to damage the microcontroller from excessive current draw.

Connection Tables

How to connect ONE LED Ring to the Arduino- (Click to enlarge)

How to connect TWO LED Rings to the Arduino- (Click to enlarge)

Concluding comments

In this tutorial I showed you how to go about decorating a Disco Ball cake and also showed you how to use the RGB LED rings from ICStation. If you look at the video you will see just how versatile these LED rings are. I would like to thank my wife for providing such an exciting project to work on, and ICStation for their collaborative efforts. Please make sure to share this project with all of your friends and family.

Arduino Stroboscope Animation

2016-04-24T01:32:00.000+07:00

UPDATE: Magzor has just started a Kickstarter campaign. Please check it out to get a good package deal on many of their components. Many of which were used in this tutorial.

This tutorial will show you how to build your own Stroboscopic Animator using Magzor's Mechanotronic Design Portal as a starting point. Magzor Corporation is a business in California that is trying really hard to simplify robotic design. They want to enable users with little to no engineering experience to design and manufacture a custom robot by themselves in a matter of hours.
What is a stroboscope? A stroboscope is an instrument that uses a strobe light to make a moving object look stationary… We will use this feature to create an interesting 4 picture animation on a rotating disk.

Have a look at the video below to see the project in action, and the MDP process walk-through:

Video

Parts Required:

Arduino MEGA (or compatible board)
Magzor I2C Arduino Shield
Magzor MIC: Power and I2C board
Magzor MIC: 10x GPIO
Magzor MIC: 2x DC Motor Driver
Magzor Hall Effect Breakout
Neodymium Magnet
Magzor LED board
6V 2.5A DC Planetary Geared Motor
5V DC 4A Power supply
RJ45 cable
Female to Female Jumper wire
Misc items: scrap paper, wood, brackets, screws, single and double-sided tape, cardboard.

Magzor Schematic Diagram

Click to zoom ...

Further build instructions can be obtained by selecting the components in the Mechanotronics Design Portal within the Magzor website. Generating the build, and then selecting "Setup Instructions" tab at the top of the page. See video above to see this process in action.

Arduino Sketch

Make sure to copy and paste the following code into your Arduino IDE. It doesn't seem to work directly from the browser. You also need to install the Arduino Magzor I2C library ( http://magzor.com/downloads/ )

Putting it together

Arduino MEGA

Magzor I2C board

MIC Boards

MIC Boards Assembled

Sensors, Modules and Shields - all put together

Motor with Bracket and Wire

Picture lined up with magnet on disk

Stroboscopic Animation

The Arduino MEGA microcontroller listens for the hall effect sensor to be triggered by the south facing side of the magnet on the underside of the rotating disk. As the magnet moves over the hall effect sensor, the sensor is triggered and the Arduino instructs the LED to blink for a fraction of a second. By manipulating the delay after the trigger time, we can get the LED to blink when one of the four images on the rotating disk is towards the front position. And if we get the timing right, we can make a simple animation.

If you watch the video above, you will see that the image bounces around a little bit. The duration of each frame is determined by the speed of the rotating disk (or motor), and the number of LED flashes per frame. Any changes in rotation speed will affect the position of the picture when the LED blinks. My rotating disk is not completely semetrical or centred correctly, and therefore a bit jumpy… but you get the idea. Bold images with high contrast seem to work best… Precision is key for this type of project. And if you can get the disk to rotate at a constant speed, you could probably do away with the hall effect sensors and magnets… however, in my case, these were essential in getting the project to work as intended.

This project is a lot of fun. You can really get creative by making your own pictures or 3 dimensional models (for a stop motion effect). Try different colours. It really is quite cool.

Concluding Comments

I would like to thank Magzor for supplying the components used in this tutorial, and letting me try out their MDP process. I really like the concept, the one stop shop which looks after you from beginning to end. Providing everything I needed to get the project off the ground. The point of this exercise was to go through the entire process of selecting the parts, build the project, and get it up and running. And I have done that in no time at all.

There is only one library to download and install, and the good thing is that you don't have to go hunting for it. The latest "correct" working version of the library is easy to find, right there on the Magzor website… Speaking of the Magzor website, please make sure to take a quick look around. It is quite impressive.

UPDATE: Magzor has just started a Kickstarter campaign. Please check it out to get a good package deal on many of their components. Many of which were used in this tutorial.

This project would not have been possible without the collaborative effort from Magzor Corporation.
Please visit their site and check out the MDP.

However, if you do not have a google profile...
Feel free to share this page with your friends in any way you see fit.

Circuit Diagram

2015-12-16T14:49:00.000+07:00

I just came across this site today (www.schematics.com).It looks pretty impressive !!
Schematics.com allows you to "build, share and view schematics from you browser"
You can also embed your schematic creations on your website - which is neat.

Circuit Diagram - Schematics is the language of electronics. It provides a concise and comprehensive diagrammatic description of a circuit. Schematics.com allows users to connect and share designs and ideas in a like-minded community.

Get Arduino Data over the internet using jQuery and AJAX

2015-11-16T22:31:00.000+07:00

Description

Have you ever wanted to transmit Arduino data over the internet?

In this tutorial, we will design a web page that will retrieve Analog readings from the Arduino's Analog Pins and display them on a bar chart within the web page.

The web page will use jQuery and AJAX to request the data from the Arduino Web Server, allowing us to update the bar chart dynamically, without having to refresh the entire web page. The Arduino Web Server will send the Analog readings to the web page in JSON format where it will be processed and displayed accordingly.

In this tutorial, I will not have anything connected to the Arduino's Analog pins, which means the data retrieved will be that of randomly floating analog pins. Feel free to connect a potentiometer, temperature sensor or any other analog sensor to these pins if you want to create a more "useful" project.

The main aim here was to show you how to transmit the data in JSON format, and to update only a portion of the web page using asynchronous communication (using AJAX), to improve the performance of data retrieval and visualisation.

Parts Required:

Please note: The WIZnet ioShield-A ver1.1 actually comes with the WIZ550io board. So if you buy the ioShield-A, you will receive both boards. I have provided the link to the WIZ550io shield because you can buy that shield on its own. Regardless, you will need to use both boards for this tutorial.

Arduino Libraries and IDE

To program the Arduino you will need to download the Arduino IDE, and install the WIZnet Ethernet Library. The Arduino IDE version used in this tutorial was version 1.6.4.
You may want to read the WIZnet wiki information for each WIZnet shield before use.

Arduino IDE
WIZnet Ethernet Library
ioShield-A setup instructions
WIZnet Wiki page - for more information about the ioShield-A and the WIZ550io shield

ARDUINO CODE:

Full description of the Arduino code is included in the YouTube video above. Once you have set up your Arduino Web Server, you should be able to ping it. Look at this website, if you don't know how to use the windows ping feature.

Getting the Arduino Board onto the internet:

There isn't anything really to hook up for this project. You just have to align the pins for each board and stack them. You can power the Arduino via the USB cable. This will also be useful for debugging and printing to the Serial monitor. An ethernet cable needs to connect the WIZ550io board's ethernet port to your internet/network router

The WIZ550io board goes on the top

The ioShield-A is in the middle

The Arduino UNO is on the bottom

This is what it looks like when they are stacked together

If you want to gain easy access to the Analog or digital pins without de-soldering the ioShield-A, you can introduce some female headers like this:

Please note that the ioShield-A utilises a number of pins on the Arduino UNO - including: D2, D4, D7, D10, GND, and IOREF, RESET, 5V, GND, GND and ICSP pins
All Analog pins are available for use

Set the Arduino Web Server on your local network

You can test this project on your local network. You just have to choose an available IP address and PORT within your router's IP range. If you don't know your local IP address range - you can have a look at this site to give you a helping hand.

Set the Arduino Web Server to be accessed from anywhere in the world

If you want to access your Arduino from anywhere in the world, you need to set up Port Forwarding on your internet network router. The following useful guides will hopefully get you on the right track, if you have never set up Port forwarding.

In my case, I programmed the Arduino UNO Web Server to take the following ip address on my internal network: 10.1.1.99

I programmed the Arduino Web Server to listen for Web Browsers on port 8081.
So if I wanted to connect to the Arduino Web Server through my home network, I just had to type in this web address into my web browser: http://10.1.1.99:8081

If you plan to connect to the Arduino using port 80 (which is the default port for web browsers), you can just type the IP address without specifying the port (eg. http://10.1.1.99/ )

The web browser should display the Arduino data in JSON format (the YouTube video above will show you what that looks like).

Once I knew I could connect to the Arduino in my internal network, I then set up port forwarding on my router so that I could type in my external IP address and special port to tunnel my way into my Arduino Web Server on my internal network. This is what I had to do on my router, but you may need to do something different.

My first step was to find out my public/external IP address by typing "what is my IP address" into google. If you want to know your external IP address click here.
I then typed my router's ip address into a web browser, and logged into my router.
I went to the advanced settings tab
Selected "Port Forwarding" from the side menu
Filled out all of the details on the first line of the Ports list
- Enable box = ticked
- Description = Arduino
- WAN interface = pppoe_atm0/ppp0
- Inbound port = 8082
- Type = TCP
- Private IP address = 10.1.1.99
- Private port = 8081
Saved the settings

Now that I had port forwarding enabled, I could type the ip address (that I obtained in step 1) into my browser and specified port 8082 (instead of 8081) - eg. http://190.11.70.253:8082/

And now I can access my Arduino Web server from anywhere in the world. I can even access it from my smart phone. Once again, this will only return the Analog data in JSON format.

The Web Page GUI

The Arduino is now on the internet, so there are two options. You can either

go to this web page: ArduinoBasics Webserver Data Viewer
or create the web page yourself (with a little help from the HTML code below)

Instructions on how to use these web pages, are listed below the HTML code.

To retrieve data from your Arduino Web Server, please make sure that it is connected and visible from outside of you local network. You will need to have port forwarding enabled. Information on port forwarding is described above.

Find what your external IP address is.
Enter this address using the IP address drop-down boxes within the "ArduinoBasics Webserver Data viewer" web page
Enter the port forwarding port number (eg. 8082) into the box labelled "Port"
Then click on the "Click here to start getting data" button - you should start to see the bar charts moving and status should be OK
If the bar charts do not move, and the status message says "Failed to get DATA!!" - then the web page was unable to connect to the Arduino for some reason.

Troubleshooting

You may want to type in the web address into your web browser, to make sure that data is being retrieved.
You can also open the Serial monitor in the Arduino IDE to make sure that an IP address is being displayed
Ensure that you have enabled the port forwarding option on your router
Have a look at Developer Tools within Google Chrome to help diagnose web page related issues.
The web page will not work properly if you use Internet Explorer or if you have javascript disabled within your browser.

Concluding comments

This tutorial showed you how to connect to your Arduino UNO over the internet, and retrieve data in JSON format using jQuery and AJAX. The web page can be modified to suit your own needs, plus it would be more useful if the Arduino was actually monitoring something, rather than logging data from floating pins. It would also be useful if the Arduino could be controlled to blink an LED, or to turn a motor... but I will leave that project for another day. I hope you enjoyed this tutorial - if it helped you in any way, please consider donating a small "tip" into my money jar. Thank you.

This project would not have been possible without WIZnet's collaborative effort.
Please visit their site for more cool Ethernet products.

Arduino LED Light Box

2015-10-13T07:43:00.000+07:00

Description

Long straight lines of LED luminescence is nice, but sometimes you may want to light up something that has an unusual shape, or is not so linear. This is where the 12mm diffused flat digital RGB LED Pixels can come into play. This cool strand of 25 RGB LED pixels fit nicely into 12mm pre-drilled holes of any material you like.

This tutorial is dedicated to making a LED Light Box. I wanted the box to be equally as interesting during the day as it was at night. If you decide you make your own, feel free to be as creative as you want !! However, if you lack artistic acumen, you may need to source a minion or two.

Parts Required:

Arduino Libraries and IDE

The FastLED library is useful for simplifying the code for programming the RGB LED pixels. The latest "FastLED library" can be downloaded from here. I used FastLED library version 3.0.3 in this project.

If you have a different LED strip or your RGB LED pixels have a different chipset, make sure to change the relevant lines of code to accomodate your hardware. I would suggest you try out a few of the FastLED library examples before using the code below, so that you become more familiar with the library, and will be better equipped to make the necessary changes.

If you have a single strand of 25 RGB LED pixels with the WS8201 chipset, then you will not have to make any modification below.

ARDUINO CODE:

Arduino Code Description

The code above will generate a randomised raindrop pattern on the Arduino LED Light box, however I have written code for a few more LED animations. These animations were written specifically for this light-box setup. In other words, once you have hooked everything up, you will be able to upload these other LED animations to the Arduino board without any further modification to the hardware/wiring, and yet experience a totally different light effect. You can find the code for the other animation effects by clicking on the links below:

Hooking it up:

Power requirements

Each LED pixel can draw up to 60 milliamps at maximum brightness (white). ie. 20 mA for each colour (red, green and blue). Therefore you should not try to power the LED strand directly from the Arduino, because the strand will draw too much current and damage the microcontroller(and possibly your USB port too). The LED strand will therefore need to be powered by a separate power supply. The power supply must supply the correct voltage (5V DC) and must also be able to supply sufficient current (1.5A or greater per strand of 25 LEDs).

Excessive voltage will damage or destroy your LED pixel strand. The LEDs will only draw as much current as they need, however your power supply must provide at least 1.5A or greater for each strand. If you chain two strands together, you will need a 5V 3A power supply.

RGB LED pixel strand connection

There are 25 LED pixels per strand. Four of the wires at each end of the strand are terminated with a JST connector. The red wire is for power (VCC), blue wire for ground (GND), yellow wire is for Data, and green wire for Clock. A spare red wire (VCC) and a spare blue wire (GND) are attached to the ends of each strand for convenience, however, I did not use either. Please double check the colour of your wires... they may be different.

If you want to attach the LED strand to a breadboard, you can cut the JST connector off and use the LED pixel strand wires. Alternatively, if you would prefer to preserve the JST connector, you can simply insert jumper wires (or some male header pins) into the JST connector, and then plug them into the breadboard as required.

Each LED pixel is individually controllable using two pins on your Arduino. The strand is directional. i.e. There is an INPUT side and an OUTPUT side. The strand should be connected such that wires from the microcontroller are attached to the INPUT side of the first LED pixel. The arrows on each LED show the direction of data flow from INPUT to OUTPUT. The arrow on the first LED pixel should be pointing towards the second LED pixel, NOT towards the breadboard.

Other considerations

As a precaution, you should use a large capacitor across the + and - terminals of the power supply to prevent the initial onrush of current from damaging the RGB LED pixels. I used a 4700uF 16V Electrolytic capacitor for this purpose. According to Adafruit, a 1000uF 6.3V capacitor (or higher) will also do the trick. You may also want to consider a 330 ohm resistor between the Arduino Digital pin and the strand's DATA pin.

If you want to power the Arduino using the regulated 5V external power supply. Disconnect the USB cable from the Arduino, and then connect the positive terminal of the power supply to the 5V pin on the Arduino. Be warned however, that excess voltage at this pin could damage your Arduino, because the 5V regulator will be bypassed.

Providing the USB cable is NOT connected to the Arduino, it should now be safe to plug the power supply into the wall. This setup will allow you to power the RGB LED pixel strand and the Arduino using the same power supply.

WARNING: Never change any connections while the circuit is powered.

For more information about these RGB LED pixel strands, you may want to visit the Adafruit site. Adafruit was the source for most of these RGB LED pixel Strand precautions.

Fritzing diagram

The following diagram demonstrates how to connect the RGB LED pixel Strand to the Arduino and to the External 5V power supply.

This diagram was created using Fritzing

Connection Instructions

These instructions will help to guide you through the process of connecting your RGB LED pixel strand to the Arduino, and to the external power supply. The instructions assume that you will be powering the Arduino via a USB cable.

LightBox assembly

You will need to drill a 12mm hole into the craft timber box for each LED on the strand. It is worth taking the time to make accurate measurements before drilling the holes.

I made 12 holes for the outside circle pattern (12cm diameter), 6 holes for the inside circle pattern (8cm diameter), and a hole in the centre. I also made two holes at the front of the box, two on the left side, and two on the right side. I made one last hole at the back of the box for the 2.1mm DC power line socket.

Therefore you should have a total of 26 holes in the box. 25 of the holes are for the RGB LED pixel LEDs and one for the external power supply socket.

The lid of the box is about 19.5cm x 14.5cm long, which makes for a very tight squeeze. Probably too tight, because you have to account for the inner dimensions of the box. The inside of the box is used to house the Arduino, breadboard, the chipset side of the LEDs and cables/components. The inner dimensions of the box are 18cm x 13cm. Therefore, the housing for the LED chipset PCB (1.8cm x 2.5cm) prevented the box from closing. I used a Dremel to carve out the space required to close the lid.

Each LED is approximately 8cm apart on the strand, however, if you are really keen, you could cut the wires and extend them to any distance you require. But keep in mind that each LED is mounted on a small PCB (with a WS2801 chipset).You will therefore need to leave a minimum of 2cm between each 12mm hole to accomodate the size of the PCB+LED. If you plan carefully, you can probably squeeze a couple of LEDs within a distance of 1cm... but I would recommend that you give yourself a bit more room, because the PCBs are not square, and there is a good chance that you will have to start all over again.

In hindsight, I could have made the circle patterns a bit smaller, however I don't know if I could have packed these LEDs any closer. The diameter of the inner circle pattern must be at least 2cm smaller than the outer circle pattern. So I think "a bigger box" would have been the best option.

Once all of the holes have been drilled, paint and decorate the box to suit your style.

When the paint is dry, insert the LEDs into the drilled holes in number order.
You can see the end result below.

Project Pictures

These pictures show the Light box after it has been drilled and painted. The LEDs have been inserted into their respective holes, and all wires + Arduino + breadboard are hidden within the box.

Concluding comments

Once you start writing LED animations for the RGB LED pixel Lightbox, it is very hard to stop. The colour combinations

This project would not have been possible without OpenLab's collaborative effort.
Please visit their site for more cool projects.

MT8870 DTMF - Dual Tone Multi Frequency Decoder

2015-08-04T22:51:00.000+07:00

Project Description

We will be using an MT8870 DTMF module with an Arduino UNO to control a small servo motor in this project. The DTMF module gives the Arduino super-powers and allows you to control the Servo motor in so many ways. For example, this tutorial will show you how to control the servo motor using:

a YouTube Video
a voice recorder
A web application (Online tone generator)
A smart phone app (DTMF Pad)
A touch-tone phone to cell-phone call

All of these control methods will take advantage of the same exact Arduino code/sketch. But how???
The MT8870 DTMF decoder is quite a neat little module that allows you incorporate DTMF technology into your arduino projects. DTMF stands for Dual-Tone Multi-Frequency. DTMF tones are commonly associated with touch-tone phones and other telecommunication systems. When you press the number "1" on a touch-tone phone, two sine waves with frequencies: 697Hz and 1209Hz are combined to produce a unique DTMF signal which can be transmitted through the phone line. The MT8870 DTMF module can take this signal as an input, and decode it to produce a binary output.

The DTMF module does not care how you produce the DTMF tone. However, if it receives this tone, it will decode it. We can take advantage of this feature to supply the module with tones from different sources. The module has a 3.5mm port for line input. Providing you can connect your DTMF source to this line input in some way, it should work. I must warn you, however that this is a line input and NOT a microphone input. If you wanted to use a microphone, you will need to boost or amplify the signal before sending it to the DTMF module.

You will need the following parts for this project

Parts Required:

Arduino Uno or compatible board
ICStation MT8870 DTMF decoding module
Jumper Cable (Male to Female)
Hobby Servo Motor
A cable to connect DTMF source with MT8870 DTMF Module's 3.5mm port
A voice recorder (optional)
2 x touch-tone phones / smart phones (optional)

Software/Apps Required

Arduino Sketch

Upload the following sketch to the Arduino.

/* ==================================================================================================================================================          Project: MT8870 DTMF Servo sketch           Author: Scott C          Created: 4th August 2015      Arduino IDE: 1.6.4          Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html      Description: This project will allow you to control a Servo motor using an Arduino UNO and a MT8870 DTMF Module.                   The DTMF signal is received through the 3.5mm port of the DTMF module and is decoded. We will use the                   decoded output to control the position of the Servo. A SG-5010 Servo motor was used in this project. ===================================================================================================================================================== *///This sketch uses the Servo library that comes with the Arduino IDE #include <Servo.h>  //Global variables----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Servo SG5010;             // The SG5010 variable provides Servo functionality int servoPosition = 0;    // The servoPosition variable will be used to set the position of the servo byte DTMFread;            // The DTMFread variable will be used to interpret the output of the DTMF module. const int STQ = 3;        // Attach DTMF Module STQ Pin to Arduino Digital Pin 3  const int Q4 = 4;        // Attach DTMF Module Q4  Pin to Arduino Digital Pin 4  const int Q3 = 5;        // Attach DTMF Module Q3  Pin to Arduino Digital Pin 5  const int Q2 = 6;        // Attach DTMF Module Q2  Pin to Arduino Digital Pin 6  const int Q1 = 7;        // Attach DTMF Module Q1  Pin to Arduino Digital Pin 7  /*========================================================================================================= setup() : will setup the Servo, and prepare the Arduino to receive the MT8700 DTMF module's output. ========================================================================================================== */void setup() {  SG5010.attach(9);             // The Servo signal cable will be attached to Arduino Digital Pin 9   SG5010.write(servoPosition);  // Set the servo position to zero.   //Setup the INPUT pins on the Arduino   pinMode(STQ, INPUT);  pinMode(Q4, INPUT);  pinMode(Q3, INPUT);  pinMode(Q2, INPUT);  pinMode(Q1, INPUT);} /*========================================================================================================= loop() : Arduino will interpret the DTMF module output and position the Servo accordingly ========================================================================================================== */void loop() {  if(digitalRead(STQ)==HIGH){       //When a DTMF tone is detected, STQ will read HIGH for the duration of the tone.     DTMFread=0;    if(digitalRead(Q1)==HIGH){      //If Q1 reads HIGH, then add 1 to the DTMFread variable       DTMFread=DTMFread+1;    }    if(digitalRead(Q2)==HIGH){      //If Q2 reads HIGH, then add 2 to the DTMFread variable       DTMFread=DTMFread+2;    }    if(digitalRead(Q3)==HIGH){      //If Q3 reads HIGH, then add 4 to the DTMFread variable       DTMFread=DTMFread+4;    }    if(digitalRead(Q4)==HIGH){      //If Q4 reads HIGH, then add 8 to the DTMFread variable       DTMFread=DTMFread+8;    }    servoPosition = DTMFread * 8.5;   //Set the servoPosition varaible to the combined total of all the Q1 to Q4 readings. Multiply by 8.5 to amplify the servo rotation.   }  SG5010.write(servoPosition);        //Set the servo's position according to the "servoPosition" variable. }

Fritzing Sketch

Connect the Arduino to the MT8870 DTMF module, and to a Servo.
Use the following Fritzing sketch as a guide.

(Click the image above to enlarge it)

Discussion

You will need to connect a cable from the DTMF module's 3.5mm port to that of your smart phone, computer, voice recorder or any other DTMF source of your choice.

When you power up your Arduino, the Servo motor should turn all the way to the left to it's zero position. Once the DTMF module receives a DTMF signal, it will identify the relevant frequecies as described in the table at the beginning of this tutorial, and produce a binary like output. You will notice the DTMF module's onboard LEDs light up when a tone is detected. Onboard LED (D5) will turn on for the length of the DTMF tone it just received, and turn off when the tone has stopped. On the other hand, the onboard LEDs (D1 to D4) will light up depending on the tone received, and will remain lit until the module receives another tone. The onboard LEDs are a visual representation of the voltages applied to the DTMF module's pins (Q1 to Q4, and STQ). Q1 matches D1, Q2 matches D2 etc etc. and STQ matches D5.

You will notice that there are two STQ pins on the DTMF module. The STQ pin that is closest to Q4 will only go high when a DTMF tone is detected, and will remain high for the duration of the tone. The other STQ pin is the exact opposite. It will switch LOW when a tone is received and remain LOW for the duration of the tone. When there is no tone, this STQ pin will remain HIGH. The table below provides a summary of the DTMF module outputs, with a blue box representing a voltage applied to that pin (HIGH), whereas a black box indicates no voltage applied (LOW).

In order to follow this project, you need a source of DTMF tones. You can produce DTMF tones using a touch-tone phone, or through the use of a DTMF Pad app. If you are feeling creative, you can create a DTMF song/tune like the one I posted on YouTube. You can see the video below:

As you can see from the video, I also recorded the DTMF tune onto a voice recorder, and was able to control the servo that way. If you are not feeling creative, you can visit this website to create DTMF tones from your browser.

Concluding comments

This project was very fun, and shows some novel ways to control your Arduino. After completing the project, I realised that I could use this module to alert me when new emails or messages arrive on my phone or computer. If you have the ability to change the email or message notification sound to a DTMF tone, you should be able to get the module and Arduino to respond accordingly. Oh well, maybe I'll save that project for another day.

If this project helped you in anyway or if you use my code within your project, please let me know in the comments below. I would be interested to see what you did.

However, if you do not have a google profile...
Feel free to share this page with your friends in any way you see fit.

NeoPixel Heart Beat Display

2015-07-18T01:11:00.000+07:00

Project Description

In this project, your heart will control a mesmerising LED sequence on a 5 metre Neopixel LED strip with a ws2812B chipset. Every heart beat will trigger a LED animation that will keep you captivated and attached to your Arduino for ages. The good thing about this project is that it is relatively easy to set up, and requires no soldering. The hardest part is downloading and installing the FastLED library into the Arduino IDE, but that in itself is not too difficult. The inspiration and idea behind this project came from Ali Murtaza, who wanted to know how to get an LED strip to pulse to his heart beat.

Have a look at the video below to see this project in action.

The Video

Parts Required:

Power Requirements

Before you start any LED strip project, the first thing you will need to think about is POWER. According to the Adafruit website, each individual NeoPixel LED can draw up to 60 milliamps at maximum brightness - white. Therefore the amount of current required for the entire strip will be way more than your Arduino can handle. If you try to power this LED strip directly from your Arduino, you run the risk of damaging not only your Arduino, but your USB port as well. The Arduino will be used to control the LED strip, but the LED strip will need to be powered by a separate power supply. The power supply you choose to use is important. It must provide the correct voltage, and must able to supply sufficient current.

Operating Voltage (5V)

The operating voltage of the NeoPixel strip is 5 volts DC. Excessive voltage will damage/destroy your NeoPixels.

Current requirements (9.0 Amps)

OpenLab recommend the use of a 5V 10A power supply. Having more Amps is OK, providing the output voltage is 5V DC. The LEDs will only draw as much current as they need. To calculate the amount of current this 5m strip can draw with all LEDs turned on at full brightness - white:

30 NeoPixel LEDs x 60mA x 5m = 9000mA = 9.0 Amps for a 5 metre strip.

Therefore a 5V 10A power supply would be able to handle the maximum current (9.0 Amps) demanded by a 5m NeoPixel strip containing a total of 150 LEDs.

Arduino Libraries and IDE

Before you start to hook up any components, upload the following sketch to the Arduino microcontroller. I am assuming that you already have the Arduino IDE installed on your computer. If not, the IDE can be downloaded from here.

The FastLED library is useful for simplifying the code for programming the NeoPixels. The latest "FastLED library" can be downloaded from here. I used FastLED library version 3.0.3 in this project.

If you have a different LED strip or your NeoPixels have a different chipset, make sure to change the relevant lines of code to accomodate your hardware. I would suggest you try out a few of the FastLED library examples before using the code below, so that you become more familiar with the library, and will be better equipped to make the necessary changes. If you have a 5 metre length of the NeoPixel 30 LED/m strip with the ws2812B chipset, then you will not have to make any modification below.

ARDUINO CODE:

/* ================================================================================================          Project: NeoPixel Heart Beat Display Neopixel chipset: ws2812B  (30 LED/m strip)           Author: Scott C          Created: 8th July 2015      Arduino IDE: 1.6.4          Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html      Description: This sketch will display a heart beat on a 5m Neopixel LED strip.                   Requires a Grove Ear-clip heart rate sensor and a Neopixel strip.                    This project makes use of the FastLED library: http://fastled.io/                   You may need to modify the code below to accomodate your specific LED strip.                   See the FastLED library site for more details. ================================================================================================== */ //This project needs the FastLED library - link in the description. #include "FastLED.h" //The total number of LEDs being used is 150 #define NUM_LEDS 150 // The data pin for the NeoPixel strip is connected to digital Pin 6 on the Arduino #define DATA_PIN 6 //Attach the Grove Ear-clip heart rate sensor to digital pin 2 on the Arduino. #define EAR_CLIP 2 //Initialise the LED array CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS]; //Initialise the global variables used to control the LED animation int ledNum = 0;           //Keep track of the LEDs boolean beated = false;   //Used to identify when the heart has beated int randomR = 0;          //randomR used to randomise the fade-out of the LEDs  //================================================================================================ // setup() : Is used to initialise the LED strip //================================================================================================ void setup() {  FastLED.addLeds<NEOPIXEL,DATA_PIN>(leds, NUM_LEDS);   //Set digital pin 2 (Ear-clip heart rate sensor) as an INPUT   pinMode(EAR_CLIP, INPUT);}  //================================================================================================ // loop() : Take readings from the Ear-clip sensor, and display the animation on the LED strip //================================================================================================ void loop() {   //If the Ear-clip sensor moves from LOW to HIGH, call the beatTriggered method   if(digitalRead(EAR_CLIP)>0){     //beatTriggered() is only called if the 'beated' variable is false.     //This prevents multiple triggers from the same beat.     if(!beated){        beatTriggered();    }  } else {    beated = false;  //Change the 'beated' variable to false when the Ear-clip heart rate sensor is reading LOW.   }   //Fade the LEDs by 1 unit/cycle, when the heart is at 'rest' (i.e. between beats)   fadeLEDs(5);} //================================================================================================ // beatTriggered() : This is the LED animation sequence when the heart beats //================================================================================================ void beatTriggered(){   //Ignite 30 LEDs with a red value between 0 to 255   for(int i = 0; i<30; i++){    //The red channel is randomised to a value between 0 to 255     leds[ledNum].r=random8();    FastLED.show();     //Call the fadeLEDs method after every 3rd LED is lit.     if(ledNum%3==0){      fadeLEDs(5);    }     //Move to the next LED     ledNum++;     //Make sure to move back to the beginning if the animation falls off the end of the strip     if(ledNum>(NUM_LEDS-1)){      ledNum=0;    }  }   //Ignite 20 LEDS with a blue value between 0 to 120   for(int i = 0; i<20; i++){    //The blue channel is randomised to a value between 0 to 120     leds[ledNum].b=random8(120);    FastLED.show();     //Call the fadeLEDs method after every 3rd LED is lit.     if(ledNum%3==0){      fadeLEDs(5);    }     //Move to the next LED     ledNum++;     //Make sure to move back to the beginning if the animation falls off the end of the strip     if(ledNum>(NUM_LEDS-1)){      ledNum=0;    }  }   //Change the 'beated' variable to true, until the Ear-Clip sensor reads LOW.   beated=true;}  //================================================================================================ // fadeLEDs() : The fading effect of the LEDs when the Heart is resting (Ear-clip reads LOW) //================================================================================================ void fadeLEDs(int fadeVal){  for (int i = 0; i<NUM_LEDS; i++){    //Fade every LED by the fadeVal amount     leds[i].fadeToBlackBy( fadeVal );     //Randomly re-fuel some of the LEDs that are currently lit (1% chance per cycle)     //This enhances the twinkling effect.     if(leds[i].r>10){      randomR = random8(100);      if(randomR<1){        //Set the red channel to a value of 80         leds[i].r=80;        //Increase the green channel to 20 - to add to the effect         leds[i].g=20;      }    }  }  FastLED.show();}

NeoPixel Strip connection

The NeoPixel strip is rolled up when you first get it. You will notice that there are wires on both sides of the strip. This allows you to chain LED strips together to make longer strips. The more LEDs you have, the more current you will need. Connect your Arduino and power supply to the left side of the strip, with the arrows pointing to the right. (i.e. the side with the "female" jst connector).

NeoPixel Strip Wires

There are 5 wires that come pre-attached to either side of the LED strip.

You don't have to use ALL FIVE wires, however you will need at least one of each colour: red, white & green.

Fritzing sketch

The following diagram will show you how to wire everything together

(click to enlarge)

Arduino Power considerations

Please note that the Arduino is powered by a USB cable.
If you plan to power the Arduino from your power supply, you will need to disconnect the USB cable from the Arduino FIRST, then connect a wire from the 5V line on the Power supply to the 5V pin on the Arduino. Do NOT connect the USB cable to the Arduino while the 5V wire is connected to the Arduino.

Large Capacitor

Adafruit also recommend the use of a large capacitor across the + and - terminals of the LED strip to "prevent the initial onrush of current from damaging the pixels". Adafruit recommends a capacitor that is 1000uF, 6.3V or higher. I used a 4700uF 16V Electrolytic Capacitor.

Resistor on Data Pin

Another recommendation from Adafruit is to place a "300 to 500 Ohm resistor" between the Arduino's data pin and the data input on the first NeoPixel to prevent voltage spikes that can damage the first pixel. I used a 330 Ohm resistor.

Grove Ear-clip heart rate sensor connection

The Grove Base shield makes it easy to connect Grove modules to the Arduino. If you have a Grove Base shield, you will need to connect the Ear-clip heart rate sensor to Digital pin 2 as per the diagram below.

Completed construction

Once you have everything connected, you can plug the USB cable into the Arduino, and turn on the LED power supply. Attach the ear-clip to your ear (or to your finger) and allow a few seconds to allow the sensor to register your pulse. The LED strip will light up with every heart beat with an animation that moves from one end of the strip to the other in just three heart beats. When the ear-clip is not connected to your ear or finger, the LEDs should remain off. However, the ear clip may "trigger" a heart beat when opening or closing the clip.

Here is a picture of all the components (fully assembled).

Concluding comments

This very affordable LED strip allows you to create amazing animations over a greater distance. I thought that having less LEDs per metre would make the animations look "jittery", but I was wrong, they look amazing. One of the good things about this strip is the amount of space between each Neopixel, allowing you to easily cut and join the strip to the size and shape you need.

This LED strip is compatible with the FastLED library, which makes for easy LED animation programming. While I used this LED strip to display my heart beat, you could just as easily use it to display the output of any other sensor attached to the Arduino.

This project would not have been possible without OpenLab's collaborative effort.
Please visit their site for more cool projects.

However, if you do not have a google profile...
Feel free to share this page with your friends in any way you see fit.

NeoPixel Playground

2015-07-02T09:00:00.000+07:00

The NeoPixel Digital RGB LED Strip (144 LED/m) is a really impressive product that will have you lighting up your room in next to no time. The 144 individually addressable LEDs packed onto a 1 metre flexible water resistant strip, enables a world of luminescent creativity that will blow your blinking Arduino friends away. The following tutorial will show you how to create an immersive and interactive LED display using an Arduino UNO, a potentiometer and an accelerometer. There will be a total of FIVE LED sequences to keep you entertained or you can create your own !

This tutorial was specifically designed to work with the 144 Neopixel Digital RGB LED strip with the ws2812B chipset.

Parts Required:

Power Requirements

Operating Voltage(5V)

The operating voltage of the NeoPixel strip is 5 volts DC. Excessive voltage will damage/destroy your NeoPixels.

Current requirements (8.6 Amps)

OpenLab recommend the use of a 5V 10A power supply. Having more Amps is OK, providing the output voltage is 5V DC. The LEDs will only draw as much current as they need. To calculate the amount of current this 1m strip can draw with all LEDs turned on at full brightness - white:

144 NeoPixel LEDs x 60 mA x 1 m = 8640 mA = 8.64 Amps for a 1 metre strip.

Therefore a 5V 10A power supply would be able to handle the maximum current (8.6 Amps) demanded by a single 1m NeoPixel strip of 144 LEDs.

Arduino Libraries and IDE

Before you start to hook up any components, upload the following sketch to the Arduino microcontroller. I am assuming that you already have the Arduino IDE installed on your computer. If not, the IDE can be downloaded from here.

The FastLED library is useful for simplifying the code for programming the NeoPixels. The latest "FastLED library" can be downloaded from here. I used FastLED library version 3.0.3 in this project.

If you have a different LED strip or your NeoPixels have a different chipset, make sure to change the relevant lines of code to accomodate your hardware. I would suggest you try out a few of the FastLED library examples before using the code below, so that you become more familiar with the library, and will be better equipped to make the necessary changes. If you have a single 144 NeoPixel LED/m strip with the ws2812B chipset, then you will not have to make any modifications below (unless you want to).

ARDUINO CODE:


    

/* ==================================================================================================================================================
         Project: NeoPixel Playground
Neopixel chipset: ws2812B  (144 LED/m strip)
          Author: Scott C
         Created: 12th June 2015
     Arduino IDE: 1.6.4
         Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html
     Description: This project will allow you to cycle through and control five LED
                  animation sequences using a potentiometer and an accelerometer
                     Sequence 1:   Cylon with Hue Control                                       Control: Potentiometer only
                     Sequence 2:   Cylon with Brightness Control                                Control: Potentiometer only
                     Sequence 3:   Comet effect with Hue and direction control                  Control: Potentiometer and Accelerometer (Y axis only)
                     Sequence 4:   FireStarter / Rainbow effect with Hue and Direction control  Control: Potentiometer and Accelerometer (Y axis only)
                     Sequence 5:   Digital Spirit Level                                         Control: Accelerometer only (Y axis)
            
                  This project makes use of the FastLED library. Some of the code below was adapted from the FastLED library examples (eg. Cylon routine).
                  The Comet, FireStarter and Digital Spirit Level sequence was designed by ScottC.
                  The FastLED library can be found here: http://fastled.io/
                  You may need to modify the code below to accomodate your specific LED strip. See the FastLED library site for more details.
===================================================================================================================================================== */

//This project needs the FastLED library - link in the description.
#include "FastLED.h"

//The total number of LEDs being used is 144
#define NUM_LEDS 144

// The data pin for the NeoPixel strip is connected to digital Pin 6 on the Arduino
#define DATA_PIN 6

//Initialise the LED array, the LED Hue (ledh) array, and the LED Brightness (ledb) array.
CRGB leds[NUM_LEDS];
byte ledh[NUM_LEDS];
byte ledb[NUM_LEDS];

//Pin connections
const int potPin = A0;      // The potentiometer signal pin is connected to Arduino's Analog Pin 0
const int yPin = A4;        // Y pin on accelerometer is connected to Arduino's Analog Pin 4
                            // The accelerometer's X Pin and the Z Pin were not used in this sketch

//Global Variables ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
byte potVal;                // potVal:      stores the potentiometer signal value
byte prevPotVal=0;          // prevPotVal:  stores the previous potentiometer value
int LEDSpeed=1;             // LEDSpeed:    stores the "speed" of the LED animation sequence
int maxLEDSpeed = 50;       // maxLEDSpeed: identifies the maximum speed of the LED animation sequence
int LEDAccel=0;             // LEDAccel:    stores the acceleration value of the LED animation sequence (to speed it up or slow it down)
int LEDPosition=72;         // LEDPosition: identifies the LED within the strip to modify (leading LED). The number will be between 0-143.  (Zero to NUM_LEDS-1)
int oldPos=0;               // oldPos:      holds the previous position of the leading LED
byte hue = 0;               // hue:         stores the leading LED's hue value
byte intensity = 150;       // intensity:   the default brightness of the leading LED
byte bright = 80;           // bright:      this variable is used to modify the brightness of the trailing LEDs
int animationDelay = 0;     // animationDelay: is used in the animation Speed calculation. The greater the animationDelay, the slower the LED sequence.
int effect = 0;             // effect:      is used to differentiate and select one out of the four effects
int sparkTest = 0;          // sparkTest:   variable used in the "sparkle" LED animation sequence 
boolean constSpeed = false; // constSpeed:  toggle between constant and variable speed.


//===================================================================================================================================================
// setup() : Is used to initialise the LED strip
//===================================================================================================================================================
void setup() {
    delay(2000);          //Delay for two seconds to power the LEDS before starting the data signal on the Arduino
    FastLED.addLeds<WS2812B, DATA_PIN, GRB>(leds, NUM_LEDS);                            //initialise the LED strip       
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// loop() : The Arduino will take readings from the potentiometer and accelerometer to control the LED strip
//===================================================================================================================================================
void loop(){
  readPotentiometer();           
  adjustSpeed();
  constrainLEDs();
 
  switch(effect){
    case 0:                                               // 1st effect : Cylon with Hue control - using Potentiometer 
      cylonWithHueControl();
      break;
      
    case 1:                                               // 2nd effect : Cylon with Brightness control - using Potentiometer
      cylonWithBrightnessControl();
      break;
      
    case 2:                                               // 3rd effect : Comet effect. Hue controlled by potentiometer, direction by accelerometer
      cometEffect();
      break;
      
    case 3:                                               // 4th effect : FireStarter / Rainbow Sparkle effect. Direction controlled by accelerometer, sparkle by potentiometer.
      fireStarter(); 
      break;
    
    case 4:
      levelSense();                                        // 5th effect : LevelSense - uses the accelerometer to create a digital "spirit" level.
      break;
  }
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// readPotentiometer() : Take a potentiometer reading. This value will be used to control various LED animations, and to choose the animation sequence to display.
//===================================================================================================================================================
void readPotentiometer(){
  //Take a reading from the potentiometer and convert the value into a number between 0 and 255
  potVal = map(analogRead(potPin), 0, 1023 , 0, 255);
  
  // If the potentiometer reading is equal to zero, then move to the next effect in the list.
  if(potVal==0){
    if(prevPotVal>0){   // This allows us to switch effects only when the potentiometer reading has changed to zero (from a positive number). Multiple zero readings will be ignored.
      prevPotVal = 0;   // Set the prev pot value to zero in order to ignore replicate zero readings.
      effect++;         // Go to the next effect.
      if(effect>4){
        effect=0;       // Go back to the first effect after the fifth effect.
      }
    }
  }
  prevPotVal=potVal;    // Keep track of the previous potentiometer reading
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// adjustSpeed() : use the Y axis value of the accelerometer to adjust the speed and the direction of the LED animation sequence
//===================================================================================================================================================
void adjustSpeed(){
  // Take a reading from the Y Pin of the accelerometer and adjust the value so that 
  // positive numbers move in one direction, and negative numbers move in the opposite diraction. 
  // We use the map function to convert the accelerometer readings, and the constrain function to ensure that it stays within the desired limits
  // The values of 230 and 640 were determined by trial and error and are specific to my accelerometer. You will need to adjust these numbers to suit your module.
  
  LEDAccel = constrain(map(analogRead(yPin), 230, 640 , maxLEDSpeed, -maxLEDSpeed),-maxLEDSpeed, maxLEDSpeed);
  
  
  // If the constSpeed variable is "true", then make sure that the speed of the animation is constant by modifying the LEDSpeed and LEDAccel variables.
  if(constSpeed){
    LEDAccel=0; 
    if(LEDSpeed>0){
      LEDSpeed = maxLEDSpeed/1.1;     // Adjust the LEDSpeed to half the maximum speed in the positive direction
    } 
    if (LEDSpeed<0){
      LEDSpeed = -maxLEDSpeed/1.1;    // Adjust the LEDSpeed to half the maximum speed in the negative direction
    }
  } 
 
  // The Speed of the LED animation sequence can increase (accelerate), decrease (decelerate) or stay the same (constant speed)
  LEDSpeed = LEDSpeed + LEDAccel;                        
  
  //The following lines of code are used to control the direction of the LED animation sequence, and limit the speed of that animation. 
  if (LEDSpeed>0){
    LEDPosition++;                                       // Illuminate the LED in the Next position
    if (LEDSpeed>maxLEDSpeed){
      LEDSpeed=maxLEDSpeed;                              // Ensure that the speed does not go beyond the maximum speed in the positive direction
    }
  }
  
  if (LEDSpeed<0){
    LEDPosition--;                                       // Illuminate the LED in the Prior position
    if (LEDSpeed<-maxLEDSpeed){
      LEDSpeed = -maxLEDSpeed;                           // Ensure that the speed does not go beyond the maximum speed in the negative direction
    }
  }
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// constrainLEDs() : This ensures that the LED animation sequence remains within the boundaries of the various arrays (and the LED strip)
//                   and it also creates a "bouncing" effect at both ends of the LED strip.
//===================================================================================================================================================
void constrainLEDs(){
  LEDPosition = constrain(LEDPosition, 0, NUM_LEDS-1);    // Make sure that the LEDs stay within the boundaries of the LED strip
  if(LEDPosition == 0 || LEDPosition == NUM_LEDS-1) {
    LEDSpeed = (LEDSpeed * -0.9);                         // Reverse the direction of movement when LED gets to end of strip. This creates a bouncing ball effect.
  }
}



//===================================================================================================================================================
// cylonWithHueControl() :  This is the 1st LED effect. The cylon colour is controlled by the potentiometer. The speed is constant.
//===================================================================================================================================================
void cylonWithHueControl(){
      constSpeed = true;                                  // Make the LED animation speed constant
      showLED(LEDPosition, potVal, 255, intensity);       // Illuminate the LED
      fadeLEDs(8);                                        // Fade LEDs by a value of 8. Higher numbers will create a shorter tail.
      setDelay(LEDSpeed);                                 // The LEDSpeed is constant, so the delay is constant
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// cylonWithBrightnessControl() : This is the 2nd LED effect. The cylon colour is red (hue=0), and the brightness is controlled by the potentiometer
//===================================================================================================================================================
void cylonWithBrightnessControl(){
      constSpeed = true;                                  // Make speed constant
      showLED(LEDPosition, 0, 255, potVal);               // Brightness is controlled by potentiometer.
      fadeLEDs(16);                                       // Fade LEDs by a value of 16
      setDelay(LEDSpeed);                                 // The LEDSpeed is constant, so the delay is constant
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// cometEffect() :  This is the 3rd LED effect. The random brightness of the trailing LEDs produces an interesting comet-like effect.
//===================================================================================================================================================
void cometEffect(){
      constSpeed = false;                                  // The speed will be controlled by the slope of the accelerometer (y-Axis)
      showLED(LEDPosition, potVal, 255, intensity);        // Hue will change with potentiometer.
      
      //The following lines create the comet effect 
      bright = random(50, 100);                            // Randomly select a brightness between 50 and 100
      leds[LEDPosition] = CHSV((potVal+40),255, bright);   // The trailing LEDs will have a different hue to the leading LED, and will have a random brightness
      fadeLEDs(8);                                         // This will affect the length of the Trailing LEDs
      setDelay(LEDSpeed);                                  // The LEDSpeed will be affected by the slope of the Accelerometer's y-Axis
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// fireStarter() : This is the 4th LED effect. It starts off looking like a ball of fire, leaving a trail of little fires. But as you
//                 turn the potentiometer, it becomes more like a shooting star with a rainbow-sparkle trail.
//===================================================================================================================================================
void fireStarter(){
      constSpeed = false;                                  // The speed will be controlled by the slope of the accelerometer (y-Axis)
      ledh[LEDPosition] = potVal;                          // Hue is controlled by potentiometer
      showLED(LEDPosition, ledh[LEDPosition], 255, intensity); 
      
      //The following lines create the fire starter effect
      bright = random(50, 100);                            // Randomly select a brightness between 50 and 100
      ledb[LEDPosition] = bright;                          // Assign this random brightness value to the trailing LEDs
      sparkle(potVal/5);                                   // Call the sparkle routine to create that sparkling effect. The potentiometer controls the difference in hue from LED to LED.
      fadeLEDs(1);                                         // A low number creates a longer tail
      setDelay(LEDSpeed);                                  // The LEDSpeed will be affected by the slope of the Accelerometer's y-Axis
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// levelSense() : This is the 5th and final LED effect. The accelerometer is used in conjunction with the LED strip to create a digital "Spirit" Level.
//                You can use the illuminated LEDs to identify the angle of the LED strip
//===================================================================================================================================================
void levelSense(){
      constSpeed = true;
      LEDPosition = constrain(map(analogRead(yPin), 230, 640, 1, NUM_LEDS-1), 0 , NUM_LEDS-1);
      
      //Jitter correction: this will reduce the amount of jitter caused by the accelerometer reading variability
      if(abs(LEDPosition-oldPos) < 2){
        LEDPosition = oldPos;
      }
      
      //The following lines of code will ensure the colours remain within the red to green range, with green in the middle and red at the ends.
      hue = map(LEDPosition, 0, NUM_LEDS-1, 0, 200);
      if (hue>100){
         hue = 200 - hue;
      }
      
      //Illuminate 2 LEDs next to each other
      showLED(LEDPosition, hue, 255, intensity); 
      showLED(LEDPosition-1, hue, 255, intensity);              
      
      //If the position moves, then fade the old LED positions by a factor of 25 (high numbers mean shorter tail)
      fadeLEDs(25);                               
      oldPos = LEDPosition; 
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// fadeLEDs(): This function is used to fade the LEDs back to black (OFF) 
//===================================================================================================================================================
void fadeLEDs(int fadeVal){
  for (int i = 0; i<NUM_LEDS; i++){
    leds[i].fadeToBlackBy( fadeVal );
  }
}



//===================================================================================================================================================
// showLED() : is used to illuminate the LEDs 
//===================================================================================================================================================
void showLED(int pos, byte LEDhue, byte LEDsat, byte LEDbright){
  leds[pos] = CHSV(LEDhue,LEDsat,LEDbright);
  FastLED.show();
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// setDelay() : is where the speed of the LED animation sequence is controlled. The speed of the animation is controlled by the LEDSpeed variable.
//              and cannot go faster than the maxLEDSpeed variable.
//===================================================================================================================================================
void setDelay(int LSpeed){
  animationDelay = maxLEDSpeed - abs(LSpeed);
  delay(animationDelay);
}


//===================================================================================================================================================
// sparkle() : is used by the fireStarter routine to create a sparkling/fire-like effect
//             Each LED hue and brightness is monitored and modified using arrays  (ledh[]  and ledb[])
//===================================================================================================================================================
void sparkle(byte hDiff){
  for(int i = 0; i < NUM_LEDS; i++) {
    ledh[i] = ledh[i] + hDiff;                // hDiff controls the extent to which the hue changes along the trailing LEDs
    
    // This will prevent "negative" brightness.
    if(ledb[i]<3){
      ledb[i]=0;
    }
    
    // The probability of "re-igniting" an LED will decrease as you move along the tail
    // Once the brightness reaches zero, it cannot be re-ignited unless the leading LED passes over it again.
    if(ledb[i]>0){
      ledb[i]=ledb[i]-2;
      sparkTest = random(0,bright);
      if(sparkTest>(bright-(ledb[i]/1.1))){
        ledb[i] = bright;
      } else {
        ledb[i] = ledb[i] / 2;                  
      }
    }
    leds[i] = CHSV(ledh[i],255,ledb[i]);
  }
}

NeoPixel Strip connection

Follow the Arrows

The arrows are quite hard to see on this particular LED strip because they are so small, plus they are located right under the thicker part of the NeoPixel weatherproof sheath. I have circled the arrows in RED so that you know where to look:

NeoPixel Strip Wires

There are 4 wires coming from either side of the NeoPixel LED strip:

One red wire, one white wire, and two black wires.

It doesn't matter which Black wire you use to connect to the power supply (or Arduino) GND. Both black wires appear to be going to the same pin on the LED strip anyway. Use the table below to make the necessary NeoPixel Strip connections to the Arduino and power supply.

Large Capacitor

Resistor on Data Pin

Powering your Arduino (USB vs Power supply)

You can power your Arduino board via USB cable or via the LED strip power supply.
*** Please note: different power supplies will yield different accelerometer readings. I noticed this when changing the Arduino's power source from USB to LED power supply. My final sketch was designed to eliminate the USB/computer connection, hence I have chosen to power the Arduino via the power supply. The fritzing sketch below shows the Arduino being powered by a power supply only.

**WARNING: If you decide to power your Arduino UNO via a USB cable, please make sure to remove (or disconnect) the wire that goes to the the Arduino VIN pin. The GND connections remain unchanged.

Fritzing Sketch - NeoPixel strip connection

Potentiometer connection

The potentiometer will be used to switch between the different LED sequences. When it reads zero, it will switch to the next sequence in the list. It will jump right back to the beginning after the last sequence. The potentiometer is also used to interact with the LEDs (e.g. controlling hue, brightness etc etc).
See the fritzing sketch below to add the potentiometer to this project.

Accelerometer connection (Y-axis)

The accelerometer makes the LEDs much more fun and interactive. We will only be using the Y-axis of the accelerometer in this sketch. By tilting the accelerometer from one side to the other, the LEDs react and respond accordingly. The accelerometer is an essential component of the digital spirit level sequence. That's right ! You can use this sketch to create your own spirit level. This digital version can also be used to measure angles !

Have a look below to see how to hook up the accelerometer to the Arduino. The Y-axis is connected to the Arduino analog pin 4. If you wanted to use the X and Z axis, connect them to one of the other available analog pins (eg. A3 and A5).

Let the fun begin !!

Now that you have the Arduino code uploaded to the Arduino, and have made all of the necessary wire/component connections, it is time to turn on the power supply.

Sequence 1: Cylon with Hue control

The LEDs will move from one end of the strip to the other. It should start off as a RED cylon effect. As you turn the potentiometer clockwise, the colour of the LEDs will change and move through the various colours of the rainbow. If the potentiometer reading gets back to zero (fully anti-clockwise), it will move to sequence 2.

Sequence 2: Cylon with brightness control

You will see that the LEDs have turned off. The potentiometer readings correlate with the LED brightness. At the start of this sequence, the potentiometer readings will be zero, therefore the brightness will be zero (LEDs turned off). As you turn the potentiometer clockwise, the readings increase, and so will the brightness of the LEDs.

Sequence 3: Comet effect with Hue and direction control

This is where the real fun begins. You control the hue of the leading LED with the potentiometer, however the LED will move along the LED strip as though it were affected by gravity. As it hits the end of the LED strip, it will bounce for a while and eventually come to a stop. The more you tilt the accelerometer, the greater the acceleration of the leading LED. The trailing LEDs have an interesting randomised glow, which creates the "comet" effect.

Sequence 4: FireStarter / Rainbow effect : Hue and direction control

The initial colours of LEDs in this sequence creates a fire-like animation. As the leading LED moves along the LED strip, it appears to ignite the LEDs in its path, leaving a fire trail behind it. The fire effect is best when you turn the potentiometer clockwise slightly to introduce a small amount of yellow into the mix of colours. As you turn the potentiometer further clockwise, the fire trail turns into a pretty rainbow trail. The accelerometer affects the leading LED in the same way as the previous sequence.

Sequence 5: Digital spirit level

This sequence was my original idea for this project, however I thought it would be nice to share some of the other cool effects I created on my journey of discovery. The idea was to make a digital version of a spirit level. I originally wanted the LEDs to represent a spirit level bubble that would "float" according to the vertical/horizontal position of the LED strip. However, as I played around with this sketch, I discovered that it could potentially be used to measure the angle of the strip relative to the horizon. The angle can be determined by the illuminated LED. If the strip is horizontal, the illuminated LEDs will be close to the middle of the strip, and their colour will be green. If the strip is vertical, the illuminated LEDs will be close to end of the strip, and their colour will be red. The colour is just an additional visual indicator.

Concluding Comments

The NeoPixel Digital RGB LED strip is a lot of fun. The FastLED library makes for easy programming, and allows you to get up and running really quickly. 144 LEDs on a single strip means you have plenty of room for creative algorithms and lighting effects. Add a few sensors, and "pretty" quickly turns into "awesome" !!

This tutorial shows you how to control a "144 NeoPixel per metre Digital RGB LED strip" with an Arduino UNO. Feel free to share your own LED creations in the comments below.

This project would not have been possible without the collaborative effort from OpenLab.
Please visit their site for more cool projects.

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Send HEX values to Arduino

2015-06-22T13:52:00.000+07:00

FIVE MINUTE TUTORIAL

Project Description: Sending Hex values to an Arduino UNO

This simple tutorial will show you how to send Hexadecimal values from a computer to an Arduino Uno. The "Processing" programming language will be used to send the HEX values from the computer when a mouse button is pressed. The Arduino will use these values to adjust the brightness of an LED.

Learning Objectives

To Send Hexadecimal (Hex) values from a computer to the Arduino
Trigger an action based on the press of a mouse button
Learn to create a simple Computer to Arduino interface
Use Arduino's PWM capabilities to adjust brightness of an LED
Learn to use Arduino's analogWrite() function
Create a simple LED circuit

Parts Required:

Arduino Uno or compatible board
LED
Breadboard
330 Ohm Resistor
Computer - with Arduino IDE and Processing IDE installed

Fritzing Sketch

The diagram below will show you how to connect an LED to Digital Pin 10 on the Arduino.
Don't forget the 330 ohm resistor !

Arduino Sketch

The latest version of Arduino IDE can be downloaded here.

/* ==================================================================================================================================================
         Project: 5 min tutorial: Send Hex from computer to Arduino
          Author: Scott C
         Created: 21th June 2015
     Arduino IDE: 1.6.4
         Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html
     Description: Arduino Sketch used to adjust the brightness of an LED based on the values received
                  on the serial port. The LED needs to be connected to a PWM pin. In this sketch
                  Pin 10 is used, however you could use Pin 3, 5, 6, 9, or 11 - if you are using an Arduino Uno.
===================================================================================================================================================== */

byte byteRead;                   //Variable used to store the byte received on the Serial Port
int ledPin = 10;                 //LED is connected to Arduino Pin 10. This pin must be PWM capable.  

void setup() {
 Serial.begin(9600);             //Initialise Serial communication with the computer
 pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);        //Set Pin 10 as an Output pin
 byteRead = 0;                   //Initialise the byteRead variable to zero.
}

void loop() {
  if(Serial.available()) {
    byteRead = Serial.read();     //Update the byteRead variable with the Hex value received on the Serial COM port.
  }
  
  analogWrite(ledPin, byteRead);  //Use PWM to adjust the brightness of the LED. Brightness is determined by the "byteRead" variable.
}

Processing Sketch

The latest version of the Processing IDE can be downloaded here.

/* ==================================================================================================================================================
         Project: 5 min tutorial: Send Hex from computer to Arduino
          Author: Scott C
         Created: 21th June 2015
  Processing IDE: 2.2.1
         Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html
     Description: Processing Sketch used to send HEX values from computer to Arduino when the mouse is pressed.
                  The alternating values 0xFF and 0x00 are sent to the Arduino Uno to turn an LED on and off.
                  You can send any HEX value from 0x00 to 0xFF. This sketch also shows how to convert Hex strings
                  to Hex numbers.
===================================================================================================================================================== */

import processing.serial.*;           //This import statement is required for  Serial communication

Serial comPort;                       //comPort is used to write Hex values to the Arduino
boolean toggle = false;               //toggle variable is used to control which hex variable to send  
String zeroHex = "00";                //This "00" string will be converted to 0x00 and sent to Arduino to turn LED off.
String FFHex = "FF";                  //This "FF" string will be converted to 0xFF and sent to Arduino to turn LED on.

void setup(){
    comPort = new Serial(this, Serial.list()[0], 9600);   //initialise the COM port for serial communication at a baud rate of 9600.
    delay(2000);                      //this delay allows the com port to initialise properly before initiating any communication.
    background(0);                    //Start with a black background.
    
}


void draw(){                           //the draw() function is necessary for the sketch to compile 
    //do nothing here                  //even though it does nothing.
}


void mousePressed(){                   //This function is called when the mouse is pressed within the Processing window.
  toggle = ! toggle;                   //The toggle variable will change back and forth between "true" and "false"
  if(toggle){                          //If the toggle variable is TRUE, then send 0xFF to the Arduino
     comPort.write(unhex(FFHex));      //The unhex() function converts the "FF" string to 0xFF
     background(0,0,255);              //Change the background colour to blue as a visual indication of a button press.
  } else {
    comPort.write(unhex(zeroHex));     //If the toggle variable is FALSE, then send 0x00 to the Arduino
    background(0);                     //Change the background colour to black as a visual indication of a button press.
  }
}

The Video

The tutorial above is a quick demonstration of how to convert Hex strings on your computer and send them to an Arduino. The Arduino can use the values to change the brightness of an LED as shown in this tutorial, however you could use it to modify the speed of a motor, or to pass on commands to another module. Hopefully this short tutorial will help you with your project. Please let me know how it helped you in the comments below.

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CH376S USB Read/Write module

2015-05-07T21:07:00.000+07:00

Have you ever wondered if there was a way to store and retrieve data from a USB stick with an Arduino UNO? Most people choose SD cards to store their project data, but you may be surprised there IS a way!
IC Station have a nice little module which allows you store and retrieve your Arduino (or other MCU) project data to a USB stick.

I am not too sure why USB storage is not widely used in Arduino projects? These modules are not expensive, they have been around for quite a while, and are relatively simple to use. You do not need any libraries to get them to work, however, I must say that documentation for this module is not that easy to find. This site and this document proved to be very useful in my endevour to get this module working, and I hope my tutorial below will help you get started and bridge some of the information gaps.

The "CH376S USB read/write module" has a CH376S chip onboard which does most of the hard work for you. All you have to do is send the module some commands from the Arduino and the CH376S chip will do the rest. You can communicate with the module in three different ways:

Parallel communication
SPI communication
and Serial (UART) communication.

This project will show you the connections and code for the Serial (UART) communication method only.

Parts Required:

Remove the Jumper

When the CH376S USB module arrives in it's package, it will have a jumper between the TXD pin and GND. You will need to remove this jumper to make the necessary connections between the Arduino UNO and the CH376S USB module.

Fritzing Sketch

Please note, that the Arduino Sketch makes use of the Arduino UNO's onboard LED on digital pin 13. The Fritzing sketch below shows an LED + 300 ohm resistor on a breadboard. This is optional. The LED is not a necessary component of CH376S module communication.

Also be aware that the CH376S USB module has an onboard LED just above the TXD and GND pins near the USB port. This LED will only turn on providing the CH376S module is in USB mode AND a USB device has been inserted into the USB port. Both conditions must be met before the module's onboard LED will illuminate. You will not see the LED turn on just by powering the board.

The wire diagram below is the correct setup for Serial communication between an Arduino UNO and the CH376S module. If you wish to use SPI or Parallel communication, you will need to refer to the datasheet.

Arduino Sketch


/* ===============================================================
      Project: CH376S USB Read/Write Module testing ground
       Author: Scott C
      Created: 1st May 2015
  Arduino IDE: 1.6.2
      Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html
  Description: This project will allow you to perform many of the functions available on the CH376S module.
               Checking connection to the module, putting the module into USB mode, resetting the module, 
               reading, writing, appending text to files on the USB stick. This is very useful alternative to
               SD card modules, plus it doesn't need any libraries.
================================================================== */

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

byte computerByte;           //used to store data coming from the computer
byte USB_Byte;               //used to store data coming from the USB stick
int LED = 13;                //the LED is connected to digital pin 13 
int timeOut = 2000;          //TimeOut is 2 seconds. This is the amount of time you wish to wait for a response from the CH376S module.
String wrData = "What is the meaning of life ?";     //We will write this data to a newly created file.
String wrData2 = "42";                                   //We will append this data to an already existing file.

SoftwareSerial USB(10, 11);                           // Digital pin 10 on Arduino (RX) connects to TXD on the CH376S module
                                                      // Digital pin 11 on Arduino (TX) connects to RXD on the CH376S module
                                                      // GND on Arduino to GND on CH376S module
                                                      // 5V on Arduino to 5V on CH376S module
//==============================================================================================================================================
void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);                                 // Setup serial communication with the computer (using a baud rate of 9600 on serial monitor)
  USB.begin(9600);                                    // Setup serial communication with the CH376S module (using the default baud rate of 9600)
  pinMode(LED,OUTPUT);                                // Define digital pin 13 as an OUTPUT pin - so that we can use it with an LED
  digitalWrite(LED,LOW);                              // Turn off the LED
}

//================================================================================================================================================
void loop() {
  if(Serial.available()){
    computerByte = Serial.read();                      //read any incoming bytes from the Serial monitor, and store this byte in the variable called computerByte
    if(computerByte==49){               //1            //If you send the number 1 from the serial monitor, the arduino will read it as digital number 49. Google "ascii table" for more info.
      printCommandHeader("COMMAND1: CHECK CONNECTION");
      checkConnection(0x01);                           // Check for successful connection and communication with the CH376S module.
    } 
    if(computerByte==50){               //2
     printCommandHeader("COMMAND2: set_USB_Mode");
      set_USB_Mode(0x06);                              // Code used to enable read/write communication and monitoring of the USB stick
    }
    if(computerByte==51){               //3
      printCommandHeader("COMMAND3: resetALL");
      resetALL();                                      // Reset the USB device
    }
    if(computerByte==52){               //4
      printCommandHeader("COMMAND4: Create and Write to File : TEST4.TXT");
      writeFile("TEST4.TXT", wrData);                  // Create a file called TEST4.TXT and then Write the contents of wrData to this file
    }
    if(computerByte==53){               //5
      printCommandHeader("COMMAND5: Read File: TEST4.TXT");
      readFile("TEST4.TXT");                           // Read the contents of this file on the USB disk, and display contents in the Serial Monitor
    }
    if(computerByte==54){               //6
      printCommandHeader("COMMAND6: Append data to file: TEST4.TXT");
      appendFile("TEST4.TXT", wrData2);                // Append data to the end of the file.
    }
    if(computerByte==55){               //7
      printCommandHeader("COMMAND7: Delete File: TEST4.TXT");
      fileDelete("TEST4.TXT");                         // Delete the file named TEST4.TXT
    }
    if(computerByte==56){               //8
      printCommandHeader("COMMAND8: Read File: TEST2.TXT");
      readFile("TEST2.TXT");                           // Read the contents of the TEST2.TXT file on the USB disk, and display contents in the Serial Monitor
    }
    if(computerByte==57){               //9
      printCommandHeader("COMMAND9: Read File: TEST3.TXT");
      readFile("TEST3.TXT");                           // Read the contents of the TEST3.TXT file on the USB disk, and display contents in the Serial Monitor
    }
  }
  
  if(USB.available()){                                 // This is here to capture any unexpected data transmitted by the CH376S module
    Serial.print("CH376S has just sent this code:");
    Serial.println(USB.read(), HEX);
  }
}

//END OF LOOP FUNCTION ========================================================================================================================================

//print Command header
void printCommandHeader(String header){
   Serial.println("======================");
   Serial.println("");
   Serial.println(header);
   Serial.println("----------------------");
}

//checkConnection==================================================================================
//This function is used to check for successful communication with the CH376S module. This is not dependant of the presence of a USB stick.
//Send any value between 0 to 255, and the CH376S module will return a number = 255 - value. 
void checkConnection(byte value){
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x06);
  USB.write(value);
  
  if(waitForResponse("checking connection")){       //wait for a response from the CH376S. If CH376S responds, it will be true. If it times out, it will be false.
    if(getResponseFromUSB()==(255-value)){
       Serial.println(">Connection to CH376S was successful.");
       blinkLED();                               //blink the LED for 1 second if the connection was successful
    } else {
      Serial.print(">Connection to CH376S - FAILED.");
    }
  }
}

//set_USB_Mode=====================================================================================
//Make sure that the USB is inserted when using 0x06 as the value in this specific code sequence
void set_USB_Mode (byte value){
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x15);
  USB.write(value);
  
  delay(20);
  
  if(USB.available()){
    USB_Byte=USB.read();
    //Check to see if the command has been successfully transmitted and acknowledged.
    if(USB_Byte==0x51){                                   // If true - the CH376S has acknowledged the command.
        Serial.println("set_USB_Mode command acknowledged"); //The CH376S will now check and monitor the USB port
        USB_Byte = USB.read();
        
        //Check to see if the USB stick is connected or not.
        if(USB_Byte==0x15){                               // If true - there is a USB stick connected
          Serial.println("USB is present");
          blinkLED();                                     // If the process was successful, then turn the LED on for 1 second 
        } else {
          Serial.print("USB Not present. Error code:");   // If the USB is not connected - it should return an Error code = FFH
          Serial.print(USB_Byte, HEX);
          Serial.println("H");
        }
        
    } else {
        Serial.print("CH3765 error!   Error code:");
        Serial.print(USB_Byte, HEX);
        Serial.println("H");
    }   
  }
  delay(20);
}

//resetALL=========================================================================================
//This will perform a hardware reset of the CH376S module - which usually takes about 35 msecs =====
void resetALL(){
    USB.write(0x57);
    USB.write(0xAB);
    USB.write(0x05);
    Serial.println("The CH376S module has been reset !");
    delay(200);
}

//readFile=====================================================================================
//This will send a series of commands to read data from a specific file (defined by fileName)
void readFile(String fileName){
  resetALL();                     //Reset the module
  set_USB_Mode(0x06);             //Set to USB Mode
  diskConnectionStatus();         //Check that communication with the USB device is possible
  USBdiskMount();                 //Prepare the USB for reading/writing - you need to mount the USB disk for proper read/write operations.
  setFileName(fileName);          //Set File name
  fileOpen();                     //Open the file for reading
  int fs = getFileSize();         //Get the size of the file
  fileRead();                     //***** Send the command to read the file ***
  fileClose(0x00);                //Close the file
}

//writeFile========================================================================================
//is used to create a new file and then write data to that file. "fileName" is a variable used to hold the name of the file (e.g TEST.TXT). "data" should not be greater than 255 bytes long. 
void writeFile(String fileName, String data){
  resetALL();                     //Reset the module
  set_USB_Mode(0x06);             //Set to USB Mode
  diskConnectionStatus();         //Check that communication with the USB device is possible
  USBdiskMount();                 //Prepare the USB for reading/writing - you need to mount the USB disk for proper read/write operations.
  setFileName(fileName);          //Set File name
  if(fileCreate()){               //Try to create a new file. If file creation is successful
    fileWrite(data);              //write data to the file.
  } else {
    Serial.println("File could not be created, or it already exists");
  }
  fileClose(0x01);
}

//appendFile()====================================================================================
//is used to write data to the end of the file, without erasing the contents of the file.
void appendFile(String fileName, String data){
    resetALL();                     //Reset the module
    set_USB_Mode(0x06);             //Set to USB Mode
    diskConnectionStatus();         //Check that communication with the USB device is possible
    USBdiskMount();                 //Prepare the USB for reading/writing - you need to mount the USB disk for proper read/write operations.
    setFileName(fileName);          //Set File name
    fileOpen();                     //Open the file
    filePointer(false);             //filePointer(false) is to set the pointer at the end of the file.  filePointer(true) will set the pointer to the beginning.
    fileWrite(data);                //Write data to the end of the file
    fileClose(0x01);                //Close the file using 0x01 - which means to update the size of the file on close. 
}
  
//setFileName======================================================================================
//This sets the name of the file to work with
void setFileName(String fileName){
  Serial.print("Setting filename to:");
  Serial.println(fileName);
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x2F);
  USB.write(0x2F);         // Every filename must have this byte to indicate the start of the file name.
  USB.print(fileName);     // "fileName" is a variable that holds the name of the file.  eg. TEST.TXT
  USB.write((byte)0x00);   // you need to cast as a byte - otherwise it will not compile.  The null byte indicates the end of the file name.
  delay(20);
}

//diskConnectionStatus================================================================================
//Check the disk connection status
void diskConnectionStatus(){
  Serial.println("Checking USB disk connection status");
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x30);

  if(waitForResponse("Connecting to USB disk")){       //wait for a response from the CH376S. If CH376S responds, it will be true. If it times out, it will be false.
    if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x14){               //CH376S will send 0x14 if this command was successful
       Serial.println(">Connection to USB OK");
    } else {
      Serial.print(">Connection to USB - FAILED.");
    }
  }
}

//USBdiskMount========================================================================================
//initialise the USB disk and check that it is ready - this process is required if you want to find the manufacturing information of the USB disk
void USBdiskMount(){
  Serial.println("Mounting USB disk");
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x31);

  if(waitForResponse("mounting USB disk")){       //wait for a response from the CH376S. If CH376S responds, it will be true. If it times out, it will be false.
    if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x14){               //CH376S will send 0x14 if this command was successful
       Serial.println(">USB Mounted - OK");
    } else {
      Serial.print(">Failed to Mount USB disk.");
    }
  }
}

//fileOpen========================================================================================
//opens the file for reading or writing
void fileOpen(){
  Serial.println("Opening file.");
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x32);
  if(waitForResponse("file Open")){                 //wait for a response from the CH376S. If CH376S responds, it will be true. If it times out, it will be false.
    if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x14){                 //CH376S will send 0x14 if this command was successful  
       Serial.println(">File opened successfully.");
    } else {
      Serial.print(">Failed to open file.");
    }
  }
}

//setByteRead=====================================================================================
//This function is required if you want to read data from the file. 
boolean setByteRead(byte numBytes){
  boolean bytesToRead=false;
  int timeCounter = 0;
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x3A);
  USB.write((byte)numBytes);   //tells the CH376S how many bytes to read at a time
  USB.write((byte)0x00);
  if(waitForResponse("setByteRead")){       //wait for a response from the CH376S. If CH376S responds, it will be true. If it times out, it will be false.
    if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x1D){         //read the CH376S message. If equal to 0x1D, data is present, so return true. Will return 0x14 if no data is present.
      bytesToRead=true;
    }
  }
  return(bytesToRead);
} 

//getFileSize()===================================================================================
//writes the file size to the serial Monitor.
int getFileSize(){
  int fileSize=0;
  Serial.println("Getting File Size");
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x0C);
  USB.write(0x68);
  delay(100);
  Serial.print("FileSize =");
  if(USB.available()){
    fileSize = fileSize + USB.read();
  } 
  if(USB.available()){
    fileSize = fileSize + (USB.read()*255);
  } 
  if(USB.available()){
    fileSize = fileSize + (USB.read()*255*255);
  } 
  if(USB.available()){
    fileSize = fileSize + (USB.read()*255*255*255);
  }     
  Serial.println(fileSize);
  delay(10);
  return(fileSize);
}


//fileRead========================================================================================
//read the contents of the file
void fileRead(){
  Serial.println("Reading file:");
  byte firstByte = 0x00;                     //Variable to hold the firstByte from every transmission.  Can be used as a checkSum if required.
  byte numBytes = 0x40;                      //The maximum value is 0x40  =  64 bytes
 
  while(setByteRead(numBytes)){              //This tells the CH376S module how many bytes to read on the next reading step. In this example, we will read 0x10 bytes at a time. Returns true if there are bytes to read, false if there are no more bytes to read.
    USB.write(0x57);
    USB.write(0xAB);
    USB.write(0x27);                          //Command to read ALL of the bytes (allocated by setByteRead(x))
    if(waitForResponse("reading data")){      //Wait for the CH376S module to return data. TimeOut will return false. If data is being transmitted, it will return true.
        firstByte=USB.read();                 //Read the first byte
        while(USB.available()){
          Serial.write(USB.read());           //Send the data from the USB disk to the Serial monitor
          delay(1);                           //This delay is necessary for successful Serial transmission
        }
    }
    if(!continueRead()){                       //prepares the module for further reading. If false, stop reading.
      break;                                   //You need the continueRead() method if the data to be read from the USB device is greater than numBytes.
    }
  }
  Serial.println();
  Serial.println("NO MORE DATA");
}

//fileWrite=======================================================================================
//are the commands used to write to the file
void fileWrite(String data){
  Serial.println("Writing to file:");
  byte dataLength = (byte) data.length();         // This variable holds the length of the data to be written (in bytes)
  Serial.println(data);
  Serial.print("Data Length:");
  Serial.println(dataLength);
  delay(100);
  // This set of commands tells the CH376S module how many bytes to expect from the Arduino.  (defined by the "dataLength" variable)
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x3C);
  USB.write((byte) dataLength);
  USB.write((byte) 0x00);
  if(waitForResponse("setting data Length")){      // Wait for an acknowledgement from the CH376S module before trying to send data to it
    if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x1E){                // 0x1E indicates that the USB device is in write mode.
      USB.write(0x57);
      USB.write(0xAB);
      USB.write(0x2D);
      USB.print(data);                             // write the data to the file
  
      if(waitForResponse("writing data to file")){   // wait for an acknowledgement from the CH376S module
      }
      Serial.print("Write code (normally FF and 14): ");
      Serial.print(USB.read(),HEX);                // code is normally 0xFF
      Serial.print(",");
      USB.write(0x57);
      USB.write(0xAB);
      USB.write(0x3D);                             // This is used to update the file size. Not sure if this is necessary for successful writing.
      if(waitForResponse("updating file size")){   // wait for an acknowledgement from the CH376S module
      }
      Serial.println(USB.read(),HEX);              //code is normally 0x14
    }
  }
}

//continueRead()==================================================================================
//continue to read the file : I could not get this function to work as intended.
boolean continueRead(){
  boolean readAgain = false;
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x3B);
  if(waitForResponse("continueRead")){       //wait for a response from the CH376S. If CH376S responds, it will be true. If it times out, it will be false.
     if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x14){         //CH376S will send 0x14 if this command was successful
       readAgain=true;
     }
  }
  return(readAgain);
} 

//fileCreate()========================================================================================
//the command sequence to create a file
boolean fileCreate(){
  boolean createdFile = false;
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x34);
  if(waitForResponse("creating file")){       //wait for a response from the CH376S. If file has been created successfully, it will return true.
     if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x14){          //CH376S will send 0x14 if this command was successful
       createdFile=true;
     }
  }
  return(createdFile);
}


//fileDelete()========================================================================================
//the command sequence to delete a file
void fileDelete(String fileName){
  setFileName(fileName);
  delay(20);
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x35);
  if(waitForResponse("deleting file")){       //wait for a response from the CH376S. If file has been created successfully, it will return true.
     if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x14){          //CH376S will send 0x14 if this command was successful
       Serial.println("Successfully deleted file");
     }
  }
}
  

//filePointer========================================================================================
//is used to set the file pointer position. true for beginning of file, false for the end of the file.
void filePointer(boolean fileBeginning){
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x39);
  if(fileBeginning){
    USB.write((byte)0x00);             //beginning of file
    USB.write((byte)0x00);
    USB.write((byte)0x00);
    USB.write((byte)0x00);
  } else {
    USB.write((byte)0xFF);             //end of file
    USB.write((byte)0xFF);
    USB.write((byte)0xFF);
    USB.write((byte)0xFF);
  }
  if(waitForResponse("setting file pointer")){       //wait for a response from the CH376S. 
     if(getResponseFromUSB()==0x14){                 //CH376S will send 0x14 if this command was successful
       Serial.println("Pointer successfully applied");
     }
  }
}


//fileClose=======================================================================================
//closes the file
void fileClose(byte closeCmd){
  Serial.println("Closing file:");
  USB.write(0x57);
  USB.write(0xAB);
  USB.write(0x36);
  USB.write((byte)closeCmd);                                // closeCmd = 0x00 = close without updating file Size, 0x01 = close and update file Size

  if(waitForResponse("closing file")){                      // wait for a response from the CH376S. 
     byte resp = getResponseFromUSB();
     if(resp==0x14){                                        // CH376S will send 0x14 if this command was successful
       Serial.println(">File closed successfully.");
     } else {
       Serial.print(">Failed to close file. Error code:");
       Serial.println(resp, HEX);
     }  
  }
}

//waitForResponse===================================================================================
//is used to wait for a response from USB. Returns true when bytes become available, false if it times out.
boolean waitForResponse(String errorMsg){
  boolean bytesAvailable = true;
  int counter=0;
  while(!USB.available()){     //wait for CH376S to verify command
    delay(1);
    counter++;
    if(counter>timeOut){
      Serial.print("TimeOut waiting for response: Error while: ");
      Serial.println(errorMsg);
      bytesAvailable = false;
      break;
    }
  }
  delay(1);
  return(bytesAvailable);
}

//getResponseFromUSB================================================================================
//is used to get any error codes or messages from the CH376S module (in response to certain commands)
byte getResponseFromUSB(){
  byte response = byte(0x00);
  if (USB.available()){
    response = USB.read();
  }
  return(response);
}



//blinkLED==========================================================================================
//Turn an LED on for 1 second
void blinkLED(){
  digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
  delay(1000);
  digitalWrite(LED,LOW);
}

If you copy and paste this code directly into the Arduino IDE; you may get a warning like this when you compile the code:

"Low memory available, stability problems may occur".

I managed to run the sketch without any issues, however, I did experience problems with some of the methods when I had made further memory hungry modifications. If you do encounter problems, I would recommend that you eliminate any methods which you do not plan to use, and perhaps reduce the number of Serial.print statements throughout the code. However, please note that some of the methods will not work unless the module is in the correct state, so be careful which methods you delete. For example, I found that I could get some simple functionality without the "USBdiskMount()" method. However, I could not read/write data beyond a certain length without this method.

Also please note, that some of the methods called within the reading and writing sequence do not need to be called every time. They can be called once in setup, while other methods within the sequence will need to be called every time. I grouped them all together for simplicity.

Serial Commands

Have a look at the following presentation for a summary of the Serial commands used in this tutorial:

However, if you do not have a google profile...
Feel free to share this page with your friends in any way you see fit.

Arduino Heart Rate Monitor

2015-04-24T15:32:00.000+07:00

Project Description

Heart Rate Monitors are very popular at the moment.
There is something very appealing about watching the pattern of your own heart beat. And once you see it, there is an unstoppable urge to try and control it. This simple project will allow you to visualize your heart beat, and will calculate your heart rate. Keep reading to learn how to create your very own heart rate monitor.

Parts Required:

Fritzing Sketch

Grove Base Shield to Module Connections

Arduino Sketch

/* =================================================================================================
      Project: Arduino Heart rate monitor
       Author: Scott C
      Created: 21st April 2015
  Arduino IDE: 1.6.2
      Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html
  Description: This is a simple sketch that uses a Grove Ear-clip Heart Rate sensor attached to an Arduino UNO,
               which sends heart rate data to the computer via Serial communication. You can see the raw data
               using the Serial monitor on the Arduino IDE, however, this sketch was specifically
               designed to interface with the matching Processing sketch for a much nicer graphical display.
               NO LIBRARIES REQUIRED.
=================================================================================================== */

#define Heart 2                            //Attach the Grove Ear-clip sensor to digital pin 2.
#define LED 4                              //Attach an LED to digital pin 4

boolean beat = false;                      /* This "beat" variable is used to control the timing of the Serial communication
                                           so that data is only sent when there is a "change" in digital readings. */

//==SETUP==========================================================================================
void setup() {
  Serial.begin(9600);                     //Initialise serial communication
  pinMode(Heart, INPUT);                  //Set digital pin 2 (heart rate sensor pin) as an INPUT
  pinMode(LED, OUTPUT);                   //Set digital pin 4 (LED) to an OUTPUT
}


//==LOOP============================================================================================
void loop() {
  if(digitalRead(Heart)>0){               //The heart rate sensor will trigger HIGH when there is a heart beat
    if(!beat){                            //Only send data when it first discovers a heart beat - otherwise it will send a high value multiple times
      beat=true;                          //By changing the beat variable to true, it stops further transmissions of the high signal
      digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);            //Turn the LED on 
      Serial.println(1023);               //Send the high value to the computer via Serial communication.
    }
  } else {                                //If the reading is LOW, 
    if(beat){                             //and if this has just changed from HIGH to LOW (first low reading)
      beat=false;                         //change the beat variable to false (to stop multiple transmissions)
      digitalWrite(LED, LOW);             //Turn the LED off.
      Serial.println(0);                  //then send a low value to the computer via Serial communication.
    }
  }
}

Processing Sketch


/* =================================================================================================
       Project: Arduino Heart rate monitor
        Author: Scott C
       Created: 21st April 2015
Processing IDE: 2.2.1
       Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html
   Description: A Grove Ear-clip heart rate sensor allows an Arduino UNO to sense your pulse.
                The data obtained by the Arduino can then be sent to the computer via Serial communication
                which is then displayed graphically using this Processing sketch.
                
=================================================================================================== */

import processing.serial.*;                             // Import the serial library to allow Serial communication with the Arduino

int numOfRecs = 45;                                     //   numOfRecs: The number of rectangles to display across the screen
Rectangle[] myRecs = new Rectangle[numOfRecs];          //    myRecs[]: Is the array of Rectangles.  Rectangle is a custom class (programmed within this sketch)

Serial myPort;                                         
String comPortString="0";                              //comPortString: Is used to hold the string received from the Arduino
float arduinoValue = 0;                                 //arduinoValue: Is the float variable converted from comPortString
boolean beat = false;                                   //        beat: Used to control for multiple high/low signals coming from the Arduino

int totalTime = 0;                                      //   totalTime: Is the variable used to identify the total time between beats
int lastTime = 0;                                       //    lastTime: Is the variable used to remember when the last beat took place
int beatCounter = 0;                                    // beatCounter: Is used to keep track of the number of beats (in order to calculate the average BPM)
int totalBeats = 10;                                    //  totalBeats: Tells the computer that we want to calculate the average BPM using 10 beats.
int[] BPM = new int[totalBeats];                        //       BPM[]: Is the Beat Per Minute (BPM) array - to hold 10 BPM calculations
int sumBPM = 0;                                         //      sumBPM: Is used to sum the BPM[] array values, and is then used to calculate the average BPM.
int avgBPM = 0;                                         //      avgBPM: Is the variable used to hold the average BPM calculated value.

PFont f, f2;                                            //     f & f2 : Are font related variables. Used to store font properties. 


//==SETUP==============================================================================================
void setup(){
  size(displayWidth,displayHeight);                     // Set the size of the display to match the monitor width and height
  smooth();                                             // Draw all shapes with smooth edges.
  f = createFont("Arial",24);                           // Initialise the "f" font variable    - used for the "calibrating" text displayed at the beginning
  f2 = createFont("Arial",96);                          // Initialise the "f2" font variable   - used for the avgBPM display on screen
  
  for(int i=0; i<numOfRecs; i++){                       // Initialise the array of rectangles
    myRecs[i] = new Rectangle(i, numOfRecs);
  }
  
  for(int i=0; i<totalBeats; i++){                      // Initialise the BPM array
    BPM[i] = 0;
  }
  
  myPort = new Serial(this, Serial.list()[0], 9600);    // Start Serial communication with the Arduino using a baud rate of 9600
  myPort.bufferUntil('\n');                             // Trigger a SerialEvent on new line
}


//==DRAW==============================================================================================
void draw(){
  background(0);                                        // Set the background to BLACK (this clears the screen each time)
  drawRecs();                                           // Method call to draw the rectangles on the screen
  drawBPM();                                            // Method call to draw the avgBPM value to the top right of the screen
}


//==drawRecs==========================================================================================
void drawRecs(){                                        // This custom method will draw the rectangles on the screen                                
  myRecs[0].setSize(arduinoValue);                      // Set the first rectangle to match arduinoValue; any positive value will start the animation.
  for(int i=numOfRecs-1; i>0; i--){                     // The loop counts backwards for coding efficiency - and is used to draw all of the rectangles to screen
    myRecs[i].setMult(i);                               // setMulti creates the specific curve pattern. 
    myRecs[i].setRed(avgBPM);                           // The rectangles become more "Red" with higher avgBPM values
    myRecs[i].setSize(myRecs[i-1].getH());              // The current rectangle size is determined by the height of the rectangle immediately to it's left
    fill(myRecs[i].getR(),myRecs[i].getG(), myRecs[i].getB());                     // Set the colour of this rectangle
    rect(myRecs[i].getX(), myRecs[i].getY(), myRecs[i].getW(), myRecs[i].getH());  // Draw this rectangle
  }
}


//==drawBPM===========================================================================================
void drawBPM(){                                         // This custom method is used to calculate the avgBPM and draw it to screen.
  sumBPM = 0;                                           // Reset the sumBPM variable
  avgBPM = 0;                                           // Reset the avgBPM variable
  boolean calibrating = false;                          // calibrating: this boolean variable is used to control when the avgBPM is displayed to screen
  
  for(int i=1; i<totalBeats; i++){
    sumBPM = sumBPM + BPM[i-1];                         // Sum all of the BPM values in the BPM array.
    if(BPM[i-1]<1){                                     // If any BPM values are equal to 0, then set the calibrating variable to true. 
      calibrating = true;                               // This will be used later to display "calibrating" on the screen.
    }
  }
  avgBPM = sumBPM/(totalBeats-1);                       // Calculate the average BPM from all BPM values
                                                        
  fill(255);                                            // The text will be displayed as WHITE text
  if(calibrating){
    textFont(f);
    text("Calibrating", (4*width)/5, (height/5));      // If the calibrating variable is TRUE, then display the word "Calibrating" on screen
    fill(0);                                           // Change the fill and stroke to black (0) so that other text is "hidden" while calibrating variable is TRUE
    stroke(0);
  } else {
    textFont(f2);
    text(avgBPM, (4*width)/5, (height/5));             // If the calibrating variable is FALSE, then display the avgBPM variable on screen
    stroke(255);                                       // Change the stroke to white (255) to show the white line underlying the word BPM.
  }
  
   textFont(f);
   text("BPM", (82*width)/100, (height/11));           // This will display the underlined word "BPM" when calibrating variable is FALSE.
   line((80*width)/100, (height/10),(88*width)/100, (height/10));
   stroke(0);
}


//==serialEvent===========================================================================================
void serialEvent(Serial cPort){                        // This will be triggered every time a "new line" of data is received from the Arduino
 comPortString = cPort.readStringUntil('\n');          // Read this data into the comPortString variable.
 if(comPortString != null) {                           // If the comPortString variable is not NULL then
   comPortString=trim(comPortString);                  // trim any white space around the text.
   int i = int(map(Integer.parseInt(comPortString),1,1023,1,height));  // convert the string to an integer, and map the value so that the rectangle will fit within the screen.
   arduinoValue = float(i);                            // Convert the integer into a float value.
   if (!beat){
     if(arduinoValue>0){                               // When a beat is detected, the "trigger" method is called.
       trigger(millis());                              // millis() creates a timeStamp of when the beat occured.
       beat=true;                                      // The beat variable is changed to TRUE to register that a beat has been detected.
     }
   }
   if (arduinoValue<1){                                // When the Arduino value returns back to zero, we will need to change the beat status to FALSE.
     beat = false;
   }
 }
} 


//==trigger===========================================================================================
void trigger(int time){                                // This method is used to calculate the Beats per Minute (BPM) and to store the last 10 BPMs into the BPM[] array.
  totalTime = time - lastTime;                         // totalTime = the current beat time minus the last time there was a beat.
  lastTime = time;                                     // Set the lastTime variable to the current "time" for the next round of calculations.
  BPM[beatCounter] = 60000/totalTime;                  // Calculate BPM from the totalTime. 60000 = 1 minute.
  beatCounter++;                                       // Increment the beatCounter 
  if (beatCounter>totalBeats-1){                       // Reset the beatCounter when the total number of BPMs have been stored into the BPM[] array.
    beatCounter=0;                                     // This allows us to keep the last 10 BPM calculations at all times.
  }
}


//==sketchFullScreen==========================================================================================
boolean sketchFullScreen() {                           // This puts Processing into Full Screen Mode
 return true;
}


//==Rectangle CLASS==================================================================================*********
class Rectangle{
  float xPos, defaultY, yPos, myWidth, myHeight, myMultiplier;    // Variables used for drawing rectangles
  int blueVal, greenVal, redVal;                                  // Variables used for the rectangle colour
  
  Rectangle(int recNum, int nRecs){                               // The rectangles are constructed using two variables. The total number of rectangles to be displayed, and the identification of this rectangle (recNum)
    myWidth = displayWidth/nRecs;                                 // The width of the rectangle is determined by the screen width and the total number of rectangles.
    xPos = recNum * myWidth;                                      // The x Position of this rectangle is determined by the width of the rectangles (all same) and the rectangle identifier.
    defaultY=displayHeight/2;                                     // The default Y position of the rectangle is half way down the screen.
    yPos = defaultY;                                              // yPos is used to adjust the position of the rectangle as the size changes.
    myHeight = 1;                                                 // The height of the rectangle starts at 1 pixel
    myMultiplier = 1;                                             // The myMultiplier variable will be used to create the funnel shaped path for the rectangles.
    redVal = 0;                                                   // The red Value starts off being 0 - but changes with avgBPM. Higher avgBPM means higher redVal
    
    if (recNum>0){                                                // The blue Value progressively increases with every rectangle (moving to the right of the screen)
      blueVal = (recNum*255)/nRecs;
    } else {
      blueVal = 0;
    }
    greenVal = 255-blueVal;                                       // Initially, the green value is at the opposite end of the spectrum to the blue value.
  }
  
  void setSize(float newSize){                                    // This is used to set the new size of each rectangle 
    myHeight=newSize*myMultiplier;
    yPos=defaultY-(newSize/2);
  }
  
  void setMult(int i){                                            // The multiplier is a function of COS, which means that it varies from 1 to 0.
    myMultiplier = cos(radians(i));                               // You can try other functions to experience different effects.
  }
  
  void setRed(int r){
    redVal = int(constrain(map(float(r), 60, 100, 0, 255),0,255)); // setRed is used to change the redValue based on the "normal" value for resting BPM (60-100). 
    greenVal = 255 - redVal;                                       // When the avgBPM > 100, redVal will equal 255, and the greenVal will equal 0.
  }                                                                // When the avgBPM < 60, redVal will equal 0, and greenVal will equal 255.
  
  float  getX(){                                                   // get the x Position of the rectangle
    return xPos;
  }
 
  float getY(){                                                    // get the y Position of the rectangle
    return yPos;
  }
  
  float getW(){                                                    // get the width of the rectangle
    return myWidth;
  }
  
  float getH(){                                                    // get the height of the rectangle
    return myHeight;
  }
  
  float getM(){                                                    // get the Multiplier of the rectangle
    return myMultiplier;
  }
  
  int getB(){                                                      // get the "blue" component of the rectangle colour
    return blueVal;
  }
  
  int getR(){                                                      // get the "red" component of the rectangle colour
    return redVal;
  }
  
  int getG(){                                                      // get the "green" component of the rectangle colour
    return greenVal;
  }
}

Processing Code Discussion:

The Rectangle class was created to store relevant information about each rectangle. By using a custom class, we were able to design our rectangles any way we wanted. These rectangles have properties and methods which allow us to easily control their position, size and colour. By adding some smart functionality to each rectangle, we were able to get the rectangle to automatically position and colour itself based on key values.

The Serial library is used to allow communication with the Arduino. In this Processing sketch, the values obtained from the Arduino were converted to floats to allow easy calulations of the beats per minute (BPM). I am aware that I have over-engineered the serialEvent method somewhat, because the Arduino is only really sending two values. I didn't really need to convert the String. But I am happy with the end result, and it does the job I needed it to...

This project is quite simple. I designed it so that you could omit the Processing code if you wanted to. In that scenario, you would only be left with a blinking LED that blinks in time with your pulse. The Processing code takes this project to the next level. It provides a nice animation and calculates the beats per minute (BPM).

I hope you liked this tutorial. Please feel free to share it, comment or give it a plus one. If you didn't like it, I would still appreciate your constructive feedback.

However, if you do not have a google profile...
Feel free to share this page with your friends in any way you see fit.

One Arduino

2015-04-14T08:21:00.000+07:00

Arduino

is an "open source physical computing platform based on a simple microcontroller board". It is also a "development environment for writing software for the board" (Source: Arduino.cc). The first Arduino was born in 2005 in the classrooms of Interactive Design Institute in Ivrea, Italy. A nice presentation which shows a timeline of "how Arduino came to be" can be found here.

Arduino has been a very successful concept and creation. Ten years on, it has become one of, if not, the most popular prototyping and development platforms in the world. It has found it's way into the hearts of many makers, artists, programmers, developers and inventors. It has been used for millions of projects: from automatic garage door openers and tea makers to flamethrowers, robots, lighting displays and sound production. In fact, I cannot think of anything that the Arduino hasn't been used for.

But as you are pretty well aware, there has been a recent rift between the original founders of Arduino.
There is no need to go over the details here because it has been covered many times already on other sites. But if you would like to get up to speed on the Arduino Trademark dispute, I would suggest you read the following articles:

1) Massimo Banzi's interview on Make
2) Federico's letter to the makers on Arduino.org
3) Court Transcripts from the United States Courts Archive
4) What's in a name: The battle for the soul of Arduino - on ZD Net
5) Arduino vs Arduino: Part II on Hackaday

My Letter to Arduino LLC/SRL

Why can't you get along? Why the deception? Why the greed?

Who does this benefit? It is a lose-lose battle, not only for Arduino SRL/LLC but for the whole Arduino community. We all love Arduino. We love the idea, the mission and the dream. We like to make things... We don't care who "the original" Arduino was or is. It doesn't matter. We just want...

#OneArduino

#OurDuino

We don't want different versions of the Arduino IDE (1.6.3 vs 1.7.0).
Some may say that you should redo the IDE altogether, but that is an entirely different topic :)

Can't you see what this is doing?
It is hard enough for tutorial makers and forum dwellers to keep up with the ever evolving IDE as it is. Making two different versions of the "same IDE" adds about 10 layers of confusion and complexity ! And for what ??? This will be confusing for the newbie, confusing for the helpers, the developers, for everyone.

I am guessing that my words will have no influence over your decisions. But I hope it does !
I plee with both of you to stand by your infinity symbol and work through your differences. Say what you need to say, but get back together and regroup - as ONE ARDUINO.

Your rift is likely to reverberate through to the Arduino Community aswell. Some people will side with Arduino LLC, some with Arduino SRL. And while some people will take a stance of indifference, there will be some that just look elsewhere.

I don't know if revealing the results of my poll will benefit the cause or add salt to the wounds, But I asked the question, and you probably want to know the answer. Who does the Arduino Community support right now?

The infographic below shows the results of the poll I posted a week ago:

This poll was posted on the Arduino Tutorial Google+ community page . I tried to be as unbiased as possible. People were only allowed to vote once (enforced by log in). Each voter would have been presented with the organisations in random order. And results were not published until now. The results above are accurate as of 14th April 2015 at 9am (in Australia)

As you can clearly see, Arduino LLC is highly favoured.

My personal preference is not captured by that infographic. I agree with the bald engineer, I would prefer #OneArduino. I would like the Arduino Community to stand united. I also want the Arduino founders to stand united! Please, work through your issues, stop being greedy and stop the deception. Arduino is more than a product. It is the heart of a greater movement.

This war is pointless - please STOP !

Kind Regards
Scott C

Arduino BeatBox

2015-04-10T01:01:00.000+07:00

Create your very own Arduino BeatBox !

Home-made capacitive touch sensors are used to trigger the MP3 drum sounds stored on the Grove Serial MP3 player. I have used a number of tricks to get the most out of this module, and I was quite impressed on how well it did. Over 130 sounds were loaded onto the SDHC card. Most were drum sounds, but I added some farm animal noises to provide an extra element of surprise and entertainment. You can put any sounds you want on the module and play them back quickly. We'll put the Grove Serial MP3 module through it's paces and make it into a neat little BeatBox !!

Key learning objectives

How to make your own beatbox
How to make capacitive drum pad sensors without using resistors
How to speed up Arduino's Analog readings for better performance
How to generate random numbers on your Arduino

Parts Required:

Arduino UNO or compatible board
Grove Base Shield
Grove Serial MP3 Player
Grove Sliding Potentiometer
Grove Button or Grove Button (P)
Grove Universal 4 pin cables
Battery Holder
SanDisk 8GB Ultra Micro SDHC Memory card
Portable Powered Speaker or Headphones
4 LEDs - 1 x Green, 1 x Blue, 1 x Red and 1 x Yellow
A shoe box, paper, aluminum foil, scissors, glue etc. etc.

Making the drum pads

Fritzing Sketch

Grove Connections

Grove Connections (without base shield)

Arduino Sketch


/* =================================================================================================
      Project: Arduino Beatbox
       Author: Scott C
      Created: 9th April 2015
  Arduino IDE: 1.6.2
      Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html
  Description: This project uses home made capacitive sensors to trigger over 130 MP3 sounds
               on the Grove Serial MP3 player. 
               
               The ADCTouch library is used to eliminate the resistors from the Capacitive sensing circuit. 
               The code used for capacitive sensing was adapted from the ADCTouch library example sketches. 
               You can find the ADCTouch library and relevant example code here:
               http://playground.arduino.cc/Code/ADCTouch
               
               "Advanced Arduino ADC" is used to improve the analogRead() speed, and enhance the
               drum pad or capacitive sensor response time. The Advanced Arduino ADC code 
               was adapted from this site:
               http://www.microsmart.co.za/technical/2014/03/01/advanced-arduino-adc/
               
               
=================================================================================================== */
  #include <ADCTouch.h>
  #include <SoftwareSerial.h>
  
  
  //Global variables
  //===================================================================================================
  int potPin = A4;                           //Grove Sliding potentiometer is connected to Analog Pin 4
  int potVal = 0;
  byte mp3Vol = 0;                           //Variable used to control the volume of the MP3 player
  byte oldVol = 0;
  
  int buttonPin = 5;                         //Grove Button is connected to Digital Pin 5
  int buttonStatus = 0;
  
  byte SongNum[4] = {0x01,0x02,0x03,0x04};  //The first 4 songs will be assigned to the drum pads upon initialisation
  byte numOfSongs = 130;                    //Total number of MP3 songs/sounds loaded onto the SDHC card
  
  long randNumber;                          //Variable used to hold the random number - used to randomise the sounds.
  
  int ledState[4];                          //Used to keep track of the status of all LEDs (on or off)
  int counter = 0;
  
  SoftwareSerial mp3(3, 4);                 // The Grove MP3 Player is connected to Arduino digital Pin 3 and 4 (Serial communication)
       
  int ref0, ref1, ref2, ref3;               //reference values to remove offset
  int threshold = 100;
      
  // Define the ADC prescalers
  const unsigned char PS_64 = (1 << ADPS2) | (1 << ADPS1);
  const unsigned char PS_128 = (1 << ADPS2) | (1 << ADPS1) | (1 << ADPS0);
  
  
  
  //Setup()
  //===================================================================================================
  void setup(){
    //Initialise the Grove MP3 Module
    delay(2500);                              //Allow the MP3 module to power up        
    mp3.begin(9600);                          //Begin Serial communication with the MP3 module
    setPlayMode(0x00);                        //0x00 = Single song - played once ie. not repeated.  (default)
    
    //Define the Grove Button as an INPUT
    pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
    
    //Define the 4 LED Pins as OUTPUTs
    pinMode(8, OUTPUT);                       //Green LED
    pinMode(9, OUTPUT);                       //Blue LED
    pinMode(10, OUTPUT);                      //Red LED
    pinMode(11, OUTPUT);                      //Yellow LED
    
    //Make sure each LED is OFF, and store the state of the LED into a variable.
    for(int i=8;i<12;i++){
      digitalWrite(i, LOW);
      ledState[i-8]=0;
    } 
    
    //Double our clock speed from 125 kHz to 250 kHz
    ADCSRA &= ~PS_128;   // set up the ADC
    ADCSRA |= PS_64;    // set our own prescaler to 64 
    
    //Create reference values to account for the capacitance of each pad.
    ref0 = ADCTouch.read(A0, 500);
    ref1 = ADCTouch.read(A1, 500);      //Take 500 readings
    ref2 = ADCTouch.read(A2, 500);
    ref3 = ADCTouch.read(A3, 500);
    
     //This helps to randomise the drum pads.
     randomSeed(analogRead(0));
  }
  
  
  
  // Loop()
  //===================================================================================================     
  void loop(){
     
    //Take a reading from the Grove Sliding Potentiometer, and set volume accordingly
    potVal = analogRead(potPin);
    mp3Vol = map(potVal, 0, 1023, 0,31);              // Convert the potentometer reading (0 - 1023) to fit within the MP3 player's Volume range (0 - 31)
    if((mp3Vol>(oldVol+1))|(mp3Vol<(oldVol-1))){      // Only make a change to the Volume on the Grove MP3 player when the potentiometer value changes
      oldVol = mp3Vol;
      setVolume(mp3Vol);
      delay(10);                                      // This delay is necessary with Serial communication to MP3 player
    }
    
    //Take a reading from the Pin attached to the Grove Button. If pressed, randomise the MP3 songs/sounds for each drum pad, and make the LEDs blink randomly.
    buttonStatus = digitalRead(buttonPin);
    if(buttonStatus==HIGH){
      SongNum[0]=randomSongChooser(1, 30);
      SongNum[1]=randomSongChooser(31, 60);
      SongNum[2]=randomSongChooser(61, 86);
      SongNum[3]=randomSongChooser(87, (int)numOfSongs);
      randomLEDBlink();
    }
    
    //Get the capacitive readings from each drum pad: 50 readings are taken from each pad. (default is 100) 
    int value0 = ADCTouch.read(A0,50);        //  Green drum pad
    int value1 = ADCTouch.read(A1,50);        //   Blue drum pad
    int value2 = ADCTouch.read(A2,50);        //    Red drum pad
    int value3 = ADCTouch.read(A3,50);        // Yellow drum pad
    
    //Remove the offset to account for the baseline capacitance of each pad.
    value0 -= ref0;       
    value1 -= ref1;
    value2 -= ref2;
    value3 -= ref3;
    
    
    //If any of the values exceed the designated threshold, then play the song/sound associated with that drum pad.
    //The associated LED will stay on for the whole time the drum pad is pressed, providing the value remains above the threshold. 
    //The LED will turn off when the pad is not being touched or pressed.
    if(value0>threshold){
      digitalWrite(8, HIGH);
      playSong(00,SongNum[0]);
    }else{
      digitalWrite(8,LOW);
    }
    
    if(value1>threshold){
      digitalWrite(9, HIGH);
      playSong(00,SongNum[1]);
    }else{
      digitalWrite(9,LOW);
    }
    
    if(value2>threshold){
      digitalWrite(10, HIGH);
      playSong(00,SongNum[2]);
    }else{
      digitalWrite(10,LOW);
    }
    
    if(value3>threshold){
      digitalWrite(11, HIGH);
      playSong(00,SongNum[3]);
    }else{
      digitalWrite(11,LOW);
    }
  }
      
   
  // writeToMP3: 
  // a generic function that simplifies each of the methods used to control the Grove MP3 Player
  //===================================================================================================
  void writeToMP3(byte MsgLEN, byte A, byte B, byte C, byte D, byte E, byte F){
    byte codeMsg[] = {MsgLEN, A,B,C,D,E,F};
    mp3.write(0x7E);                        //Start Code for every command = 0x7E
    for(byte i = 0; i<MsgLEN+1; i++){
      mp3.write(codeMsg[i]);                //Send the rest of the command to the GROVE MP3 player
    }
  }
  
  
  //setPlayMode: defines how each song is to be played
  //===================================================================================================
  void setPlayMode(byte playMode){
    /* playMode options:
          0x00 = Single song - played only once ie. not repeated.  (default)
          0x01 = Single song - cycled ie. repeats over and over.
          0x02 = All songs - cycled 
          0x03 = play songs randomly                                           */
    writeToMP3(0x03, 0xA9, playMode, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);  
  }
  
  
  //playSong: tells the Grove MP3 player to play the song/sound, and also which song/sound to play
  //===================================================================================================
  void playSong(byte songHbyte, byte songLbyte){
    writeToMP3(0x04, 0xA0, songHbyte, songLbyte, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00);            
    delay(100);
  }
  
  
  //setVolume: changes the Grove MP3 player's volume to the designated level (0 to 31)
  //===================================================================================================
  void setVolume(byte Volume){
    byte tempVol = constrain(Volume, 0, 31);             //Volume range = 00 (muted) to 31 (max volume)
    writeToMP3(0x03, 0xA7, tempVol, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00); 
  }
  
  
  //randomSongChooser: chooses a random song to play. The range of songs to choose from
  //is limited and defined by the startSong and endSong parameters.
  //===================================================================================================
  byte randomSongChooser(int startSong, int endSong){
    randNumber = random(startSong, endSong);
    return((byte) randNumber);
  }
  
  
  //randomLEDBlink: makes each LED blink randomly. The LEDs are attached to digital pins 8 to 12.
  //===================================================================================================
  void randomLEDBlink(){
   counter=8;
   for(int i=0; i<40; i++){
     int x = constrain((int)random(8,12),8,12);
     toggleLED(x);
     delay(random(50,100-i));
   }
     
    for(int i=8;i<12;i++){
      digitalWrite(i, HIGH);
    }
    delay(1000);
    for(int i=8;i<12;i++){
      digitalWrite(i, LOW);
      ledState[i-8]=0;
    }
  }
  
  
  //toggleLED: is used by the randomLEDBlink method to turn each LED on and off (randomly).
  //===================================================================================================
  void toggleLED(int pinNum){
    ledState[pinNum-8]= !ledState[pinNum-8];
    digitalWrite(pinNum, ledState[pinNum-8]);
  }

Arduino Code Discussion

You can see from the Arduino code above, that it uses the ADCTouch library. This library was chosen over the Capacitive Sensing Library to eliminate the need for a high value resistor which are commonly found in Capacitive Sensing projects).

To increase the speed of the Analog readings, I utilised one of the "Advanced Arduino ADC" techniques described by Guy van den Berg on this Microsmart website.

The readings are increased by modifying the Arduino's ADC clock speed from 125kHz to 250 kHz. I did notice an overall better response time with this modification. However, the Grove Serial MP3 player is limited by it's inability to play more than one song or sound at a time. This means that if you hit another drum pad while the current sound is playing, it will stop playing the current sound, and then play the selected sound. The speed at which it can perform this task was quite impressive. In fact it was much better than I thought it would be. But if you are looking for polyphonic playability, you will be dissapointed.

This Serial MP3 module makes use of a high quality MP3 audio chip known as the "WT5001". Therefore, you should be able to get some additional features and functionality from this document. Plus you may find some extra useful info from the Seeedstudio wiki. I have re-used some code from the Arduino Boombox tutorial... you will find extra Grove Serial MP3 functions on that page.

I will warn you... the Grove Serial MP3 player can play WAV files, however for some reason it would not play many of the sound files in this format. Once the sounds were converted to the MP3 format, I did not look back. So if you decide to take on this project, make sure your sound files are in MP3 format, you'll have a much better outcome.

I decided to introduce a random sound selection for each drum pad to extend the novelty of this instrument, which meant that I had to come up with a fancy way to illuminate the LEDs. I demonstrated some of my other LED sequences on my instagram account. I sometimes use instagram to show my work in progress.

Have a look at the video below to see this project in action, and putting the Grove Serial MP3 player through it's paces.

The Video

First there was the Arduino Boombox, and now we have the Arduino Beatbox..... who knows what will come next !

Whenever I create a new project, I like to improve my Arduino knowledge. Sometimes it takes me into some rather complicated topics. There is a lot I do not know about Arduino, but I am enjoying the journey. I hope you are too !! Please Google plus one this post if it helped you in any way. These tutorials are free, which means I survive on feedback and plus ones... all you have to do is just scroll a little bit more and click that button :)

However, if you do not have a google profile...
Feel free to share this page with your friends in any way you see fit.

Arduino vs Arduino

2015-04-08T17:31:00.000+07:00

What side do you support?

The form submission is anonymous.
I will post the results on Google+ around the 14th of April 2015.

Make your choice below:
Loading...

Arduino Boombox

2015-03-19T20:20:00.000+07:00

Add sound or music to your project using the "Grove Serial MP3 Player".

An Arduino UNO will be used to control the Grove Serial MP3 player by sending it specific serial commands. The Grove Base Shield allows for the easy connection of Grove sensor modules to an Arduino UNO without the need for a breadboard. A sliding potentiometer, switch and button will be connected to the Base shield along with the Serial MP3 player. A specific function will be assigned to each of the connected sensor modules to provide a useful interface:

Sliding Potentiometer – Volume control
Button – Next Song
Switch – On/Off (toggle)

Once the MP3 module is working the way we want, we can then build a simple enclosure for it.
Grab a shoe-box, print out your favourite design, and make your very own Arduino BOOMBOX!

Video

Watch the following video to see the project in action

Parts Required:

Optional components (for the BoomBox Enclosure):

Empty Shoe Box
Paper
Printer
Glue

If I had a 3D printer - I would have printed my own enclosure, but a shoebox seems to work just fine.

Putting it Together

Place the Grove Base shield onto the Arduino UNO,
and then connect each of the Grove Modules as per the table below.

If you do not have a Grove Base shield,
you can still connect the modules directly to the Arduino as per the table below:

When you are finished connecting the modules, it should look something like this:
(ignore the battery pack):

As you can see from the picture above. You can cut holes out of the shoebox and stick the modules in place. Please ignore the battery pack, because you won't use it until after you have uploaded the Arduino code.

Arduino Sketch


    
/* ===============================================================================
      Project: Grove Serial MP3 Player overview
       Author: Scott C
      Created: 9th March 2015
  Arduino IDE: 1.6.0
      Website: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/p/arduino-basics-projects-page.html

  Description: The following Arduino sketch will allow you to control a Grove Serial MP3 player
               with a Grove Sliding Potentiometer (volume), a Grove button (next song), 
               and a Grove Switch (on/off). It will also show you how to retrieve some useful information from the player. 
               Some functions are not used in this sketch,but have been included for your benefit. 
               
               Additional features and functionality can be found on the WT5001 voice chip datasheet 
               which I retrieved from here: http://goo.gl/ai6oQ9
               
               The Seeedstudio wiki was a very useful resource for getting started with the various Grove modules:
               http://goo.gl/xOiSCl
=============================================================================== */

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
SoftwareSerial mp3(2, 3);      // The Grove MP3 Player is connected to Arduino digital Pin 2 and 3 (Serial communication)
int potPin = A0;               // The Sliding Potentiometer is connected to AnalogPin 0
int potVal = 0;                // This is used to hold the value of the Sliding Potentiometer
byte mp3Vol = 0;               // mp3Vol is used to calculate the Current volume of the Grove MP3 player
byte oldVol = 0;               // oldVol is used to remember the previous volume level
int ledPin = A1;               // The Grove sliding potentiometer has an onboard LED attached to Analog pin 1.

int switchPin = 12;             // The Grove Switch(P) is connected to digital Pin 12
int switchStatus = 0;           // This is used to hold the status of the switch 
int switchChangeStatus = 0;     // Used to identify when the switch status has changed

int buttonPin = 5;              // The Grove Button is connected to digital pin 5
int buttonStatus = 0;           // This is used to hold the status of the button  



void setup(){
  //Initialise the Grove MP3 Module
  delay(2500);
  mp3.begin(9600);
  
        
  // initialize the pushbutton and switch pin as an input:
  pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(switchPin, INPUT);
  
  // set ledPin on the sliding potentiometer to OUTPUT
  pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT);
  
  //You can view the following demostration output in the Serial Monitor
  demonstrate_GET_FUNCTIONS();     
}


void loop(){
  switchStatus = digitalRead(switchPin);
  if(switchStatus==HIGH){
    if(switchChangeStatus==LOW){             // When Arduino detects a change in the switchStatus (from LOW to HIGH) - play song      
      setPlayMode(0x02);                     // Automatically cycle to the next song when the current song ends
      playSong(00,01);                       // Play the 1st song when you switch it on
      switchChangeStatus=HIGH;
    }
    
    potVal = analogRead(potPin);                      // Analog read values from the sliding potentiometer range from 0 to 1023
    analogWrite(ledPin, potVal/4);                    // Analog write values range from 0 to 255, and will turn LED ON once potentiometer reaches about half way (or more).
    mp3Vol = map(potVal, 0, 1023, 0,31);              // Convert the potentometer reading (0 - 1023) to fit within the MP3 player's Volume range (0 - 31)
    if((mp3Vol>(oldVol+1))|(mp3Vol<(oldVol-1))){      // Only make a change to the Volume on the Grove MP3 player when the potentiometer value changes
      oldVol = mp3Vol;
      setVolume(mp3Vol);
      delay(10);                               // This delay is necessary with Serial communication to MP3 player
    }

    buttonStatus = digitalRead(buttonPin);
    if(buttonStatus==HIGH){                    // When a button press is detected - play the next song
      playNextSong();
      delay(200);                              // This delay aims to prevent a "skipped" song due to slow button presses - can modify to suit.
    }
  } else {
    if(switchChangeStatus==HIGH){              // When switchStatus changes from HIGH to LOW - stop Song.
      stopSong();
      switchChangeStatus=LOW;
    }
  } 
}


// demonstrate_GET_FUNCTIONS  will show you how to retrieve some useful information from the Grove MP3 Player (using the Serial Monitor).
void demonstrate_GET_FUNCTIONS(){
        Serial.begin(9600);
        Serial.print("Volume: ");
        Serial.println(getVolume());
        Serial.print("Playing State: ");
        Serial.println(getPlayingState());
        Serial.print("# of Files in SD Card:");
        Serial.println(getNumberOfFiles());
        Serial.println("------------------------------");
}


// writeToMP3: is a generic function that aims to simplify all of the methods that control the Grove MP3 Player

void writeToMP3(byte MsgLEN, byte A, byte B, byte C, byte D, byte E, byte F){
  byte codeMsg[] = {MsgLEN, A,B,C,D,E,F};
  mp3.write(0x7E);                        //Start Code for every command = 0x7E
  for(byte i = 0; i<MsgLEN+1; i++){
    mp3.write(codeMsg[i]);                //Send the rest of the command to the GROVE MP3 player
  }
}


/* The Following functions control the Grove MP3 Player : see datasheet for additional functions--------------------------------------------*/

void setPlayMode(byte playMode){
  /* playMode options:
        0x00 = Single song - played only once ie. not repeated.  (default)
        0x01 = Single song - cycled ie. repeats over and over.
        0x02 = All songs - cycled 
        0x03 = play songs randomly                                           */
        
  writeToMP3(0x03, 0xA9, playMode, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);  
}


void playSong(byte songHbyte, byte songLbyte){                              // Plays the selected song
  writeToMP3(0x04, 0xA0, songHbyte, songLbyte, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00);            
}


void pauseSong(){                                                           // Pauses the current song
  writeToMP3(0x02, 0xA3, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);
}


void stopSong(){                                                            // Stops the current song
  writeToMP3(0x02, 0xA4, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);
}


void playNextSong(){                                                        // Play the next song
  writeToMP3(0x02, 0xA5, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);
}


void playPreviousSong(){                                                    // Play the previous song
  writeToMP3(0x02, 0xA6, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);
}


void addSongToPlayList(byte songHbyte, byte songLbyte){
  //Repeat this function for every song you wish to stack onto the playlist (max = 10 songs)
  writeToMP3(0x04, 0xA8, songHbyte, songLbyte, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00);
}


void setVolume(byte Volume){                                                // Set the volume
  byte tempVol = constrain(Volume, 0, 31);
  //Volume range = 00 (muted) to 31 (max volume)
  writeToMP3(0x03, 0xA7, tempVol, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00); 
}



/* The following functions retrieve information from the Grove MP3 player : see data sheet for additional functions--------------*/

// getData: is a generic function to simplifly the other functions for retieving information from the Grove Serial MP3 player
byte getData(byte queryVal, int dataPosition){
  byte returnVal = 0x00;
  writeToMP3(0x02, queryVal, 0x7E, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00, 0x00);
  delay(50);
  for(int x = 0; x<dataPosition; x++){
    if(mp3.available()){
      returnVal = mp3.read();
      delay(50);
    }
  }
  return(returnVal);
}

byte getVolume(){                                              //Get the volume of the Grove Serial MP3 player
  //returns value from 0 - 31
  return(getData(0xC1, 4));
}

byte getPlayingState(){                                        //Get the playing state : Play / Stopped / Paused
  //returns 1: Play,   2: Stop,   3:Paused
  return(getData(0xC2, 2));
}


byte getNumberOfFiles(){                                      //Find out how many songs are on the SD card
  //returns the number of MP3 files on SD card
  return(getData(0xC4, 3));
}

You will notice from the code, that I did not utilise every function. I decided to include them for your benifit. This Serial MP3 module makes use of a high quality MP3 audio chip known as the "WT5001". Therefore, you should be able to get some additional features and functionality from this document. Plus you may find some extra useful info from the Seeedstudio wiki.

IMPORTANT: You need to load your MP3 sounds or songs onto the SDHC card before you install it onto the Serial MP3 player.

Once the SDHC card is installed, and your code is uploaded to the Arduino, all you have to do now is connect the MP3 player to some headphones or a powered speaker. You can then power the Arduino and modules with a battery pack or some other portable power supply.

You can design and decorate the shoebox in any way you like. Just print out your picture, glue them on, and before you know it, you will have your very own Arduino Boombox.

Comments

I was very surprised by the quality of the sound that came from the MP3 module. It is actually quite good.

This tutorial was an introduction to the Grove Serial MP3 module in it's most basic form. You could just as easily use some other sensor to trigger the MP3 module. For example, you could get it to play an alert if a water leak was detected, or if a door was opened, or if the temperature got too high or too low. You could get it to play a reminder when you walk into your room. The possibilities are endless.

I really liked this module, and I am sure it will appear in a future tutorial.

However, if you do not have a google profile...
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how to change Bluetooth MAC address in samsung corby 2 GT S3850

2015-03-13T15:52:00.004+07:00

well ladies and gentleman in here i would like share for you all about how to change Bluetooth MAC address in samsung corby 2 GT S3850 well i found this tips & trick when i was try something like secret code for samsung corby 2. and in that, i found new secret code for samsung corby 2 to enter like command prompt. in there you can look many test, firmware version, test sound, test vibration, test bluetooth and wi-fi and still many again.
so.. in that when i enter the bluetooth test i found this tips or trick to change Bluetooth MAC address in samsung corby 2 GT S3850. but i have a dificult to change my bluetooth MAC address. yeah, i must know about hex or maybe assembly language for change my bluetooth address with number and alphabet i wont. because bluetooth MAC address just have 0-9 and A-F. OK if you was curious for how to change Bluetooth MAC address in samsung corby 2 GT S3850. now see in below :

go to numpad or number keypad
enter this code *#0011#
press back 6 times until showed like image in number 4 !
press number 2 or enter number 2 in colom and OK to view [2] Version Information !
press number 3 or enter number 3 in colom and OK to view [3] Bluetooth information !
press number 1 or enter number 1 in colom and OK to view [1] BD address !
press number 2 or enter number 2 in colom and OK to view [2] Write BD address !
and now is time to change new bluetooth MAC address. enter number between 1 until 16777214 in colom to change your new bluetooth MAC address 2 times with different or same number (up to you) !
exit to the home screen and turn on your bluetooth wait 3 second and turn of again !
you can see the result in setting > about phone > system info.

if this tips now work do again with different number to change bluetooth MAC address !

all right that is all about how to change Bluetooth MAC adress in samsung corby 2 GT S3850. id you have any question about this tips or trick you can comment in this post or chat with me.

OK that's all thanks the last i say Good Luck !

3 ways to reset phone samsung corby 2 GT - S3850

2015-03-08T14:59:00.001+07:00

well ladies and gentle man in here i would like to share for you all about 3 ways to reset phone samsung corby 2 GT - S3850. if you got problem with your corby 2, sure you have question how to reset samsung corby 2 ?. and if you ask for any people usually got 2 ways to reset your corby 2. so.. i have 3 ways to reset phone samsung corby 2. you want to know ? see in below :

reset with code : this ways can reset your phone with normal condition. the mean your phone can open keypad. and you just write number first with * (star) and over # (fence). and wait the restart. alright this code for reset phone samsung corby 2 : *2767*3855#
reset with change CSC pre configuration : well this is new way to reset samsung corby 2. i found it when i try many secret codes for samsung corby 2. this way can reset your phone with normal condition too as first ways. this way just write number code to enter CSC pre configuration. and the code is *#272*clock#. clock is number of clock now or look at left of battery if the clock is 14:59 write *#272*1459#. and change other expect was changed. and install. wand wait a minute for reset and reboot the phone.
reset with flash : this is ways for reset phone samsung corby 2 if your phone can't use keypad number. or your phone have a boot loop, the mean your phone when turn of the phone have stopped at samsung logo or back again to boot and never open the home screen. and this way very long if i write in this post so i was write in post ago. and this way need a computer or laptop and cable data. you can see how to reset with flash in this link : http://malikmal98.blogspot.com/2014/06/how-to-flash-samsung-corby-2-gt-s3850.html

ok that's all about 3 ways to reset phone samsung corby 2 GT S3850.
thanks for visit this blog and GOOD LUCK !