Plane | Powering and Dual Motor Speed + Direction Control [Documentation]

March 9, 2013 / Leave a comment

Okay this post is going to be pretty media heavy, here’s a video of the overview of the system:

There are 4 main systems at work here, and like the video said I’ll be going over all of them.

The first is the power system. At it’s core, it’s a Turnigy 5000mAh 3S 20C Lipo Battery Pack that is fed through two voltage converters. The first is 12v-9v@3A and the second is 12v-5v@3A. They are connected all via screw terminals in case they blow out. This all is fed through a large switch before it is fed into the controller and the motor driver, so it can all be cut off at a moments notice.

Here’s a video of me explaining that:

And here are some more detailed pictures:

This is the bottom, I’m still not great at going from breadboard to perfboard so bear with me.

And here’s the top without the 5v module installed, but it would be exactly the same as the 9v one that is:

From there we go to the controller. It’s an Arduino Micro connected to a UartSBee V4 with a XBee Pro 60mW Wire Antenna – Series 1 (802.15.4) installed (the same goes for the controller). It also has a 74HC595 to free up pins which drive LED’s and the motor driver:

Here are some pictures:

Here’s the code:

//Serial Handshake declaration
#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString
#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed.
const char EOPmarker = '.';  //This is the end of packet marker
char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

//SoftwareSerial declaration
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(8, 9);

//Shift Register Pins declaration
int SER_Pin = 10;   //pin 14 on the 75HC595
int RCLK_Pin = 11;  //pin 12 on the 75HC595
int SRCLK_Pin = 12; //pin 11 on the 75HC595
#define number_of_74hc595s 1 //How many of the shift registers - change this
#define numOfRegisterPins number_of_74hc595s * 8 //do not touch
boolean registers[numOfRegisterPins];

//Servo declarations
#include <Servo.h>
Servo left_servo;
Servo rght_servo;

//Misc Pin declaration

//inputs
int pot = 1;
int debug_switch1 = 4;

//outputs
int fade_LED = 3;
int x_LED = 5;
int y_LED = 6;
//int debug_switch1_LED = 12;

//Misc Integer declarations
int brightness = 0;    // how bright the LED is
int fadeAmount = 20;    // how many points to fade the LED by

int x_upperTrigger = 600;
int x_lowerTrigger = 400;
int y_upperTrigger = 600;
int y_lowerTrigger = 400;

void setup(){
  Serial.begin(9600);
  xbee_serial.begin(9600);

  pinMode(SER_Pin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(RCLK_Pin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(SRCLK_Pin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(0, INPUT);
  clearRegisters();
  writeRegisters();

  pinMode(pot, INPUT);
  pinMode(debug_switch1, INPUT);

  pinMode(x_LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(y_LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(fade_LED, OUTPUT);

  xbee_serial.print("0,0,0."); // this is very important as it starts of the loop because it makes "xbee_serial.avalible() > 0.
}

void loop(){
  if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) {
    static int bufpos = 0;
    char inchar = xbee_serial.read();
      if (inchar != EOPmarker) {
        serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar;
        bufpos++;
      }
      else {
        serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff
        bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

          handshake();
          debug_handshake();

          setRegisterPin(1, HIGH);
          writeRegisters();

    }
  }
}

void handshake(){
  //input, recived from controller
  // led1val,ledval2,fade_LEDvalue.

  //analogWrite(x_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),0,1023,0,255));
  //analogWrite(y_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)),0,1023,0,255));
  analogWrite(fade_LED, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 3)));

  brightness = brightness + fadeAmount;
  // reverse the direction of the fading at the ends of the fade:
  if (brightness == 0 || brightness == 255) {
    fadeAmount = -fadeAmount ;
  }

  if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)) > x_upperTrigger ){
    analogWrite(x_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),512,1023,0,255));
    setRegisterPin(2, HIGH);
    setRegisterPin(3, LOW);
    writeRegisters();
  }

  if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)) < x_lowerTrigger ){
    analogWrite(x_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),512,0,0,255));
    setRegisterPin(2, LOW);
    setRegisterPin(3, HIGH);
    writeRegisters();
  }

  if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)) > x_lowerTrigger && atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)) < x_upperTrigger){
    setRegisterPin(2, LOW);
    setRegisterPin(3, LOW);
    writeRegisters();
  }

  if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)) > y_upperTrigger ){
    analogWrite(y_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)),512,1023,0,255));
    setRegisterPin(4, HIGH);
    setRegisterPin(5, LOW);
    writeRegisters();
  }

  if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)) < y_lowerTrigger ){
    analogWrite(y_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)),512,0,0,255));
    setRegisterPin(4, LOW);
    setRegisterPin(5, HIGH);
    writeRegisters();
  }

  if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)) > y_lowerTrigger && atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)) < y_upperTrigger){
    setRegisterPin(4, LOW);
    setRegisterPin(5, LOW);
    writeRegisters();
  }

  //output, sent to controller
  //ledpot1,fade_LEDval.
  xbee_serial.print(analogRead(pot));
  xbee_serial.print(",");
  xbee_serial.print(brightness); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used.
  xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker
  delay(10);
}

void debug_handshake(){
  //input, recived from controller
  Serial.print("VEHICLE DEBUG: ");
  Serial.print("INPUTS|");
  Serial.print(" x_LED: ");
  Serial.print(map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),0,1023,0,255));
  Serial.print(" y_LED: ");
  Serial.print(map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)),0,1023,0,255));
  Serial.print(" in fade_LED: ");
  Serial.print(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 3)));

  //output, sent to controller
  Serial.print(" OUTPUTS|");
  Serial.print(" Pot 1: ");
  Serial.print(analogRead(pot));
  Serial.print(" out fade_LED: ");
  Serial.print(brightness);
  Serial.println("");
}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {
 char *act, *sub, *ptr;
 static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];
 int i;

 strcpy(copy, input_string);

for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {

 sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);
 if (sub == NULL) break;
 }
 return sub;
}

void clearRegisters(){
  for(int i = numOfRegisterPins - 1; i >=  0; i--){
     registers[i] = LOW;
  }
}

void writeRegisters(){
  digitalWrite(RCLK_Pin, LOW);
  for(int i = numOfRegisterPins - 1; i >=  0; i--){
    digitalWrite(SRCLK_Pin, LOW);
    int val = registers[i];
    digitalWrite(SER_Pin, val);
    digitalWrite(SRCLK_Pin, HIGH);
  }
  digitalWrite(RCLK_Pin, HIGH);
}

//set an individual pin HIGH or LOW
void setRegisterPin(int index, int value){
  registers[index] = value;
}

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//Serial Handshake declaration

#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString

#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed.

const char EOPmarker = '.'; //This is the end of packet marker

char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

//SoftwareSerial declaration

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(8, 9);

//Shift Register Pins declaration

int SER_Pin = 10; //pin 14 on the 75HC595

int RCLK_Pin = 11; //pin 12 on the 75HC595

int SRCLK_Pin = 12; //pin 11 on the 75HC595

#define number_of_74hc595s 1 //How many of the shift registers - change this

#define numOfRegisterPins number_of_74hc595s * 8 //do not touch

boolean registers[numOfRegisterPins];

//Servo declarations

#include <Servo.h>

Servo left_servo;

Servo rght_servo;

//Misc Pin declaration

//inputs

int pot = 1;

int debug_switch1 = 4;

//outputs

int fade_LED = 3;

int x_LED = 5;

int y_LED = 6;

//int debug_switch1_LED = 12;

//Misc Integer declarations

int brightness = 0; // how bright the LED is

int fadeAmount = 20; // how many points to fade the LED by

int x_upperTrigger = 600;

int x_lowerTrigger = 400;

int y_upperTrigger = 600;

int y_lowerTrigger = 400;

void setup(){

Serial.begin(9600);

xbee_serial.begin(9600);

pinMode(SER_Pin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(RCLK_Pin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(SRCLK_Pin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(0, INPUT);

clearRegisters();

writeRegisters();

pinMode(pot, INPUT);

pinMode(debug_switch1, INPUT);

pinMode(x_LED, OUTPUT);

pinMode(y_LED, OUTPUT);

pinMode(fade_LED, OUTPUT);

xbee_serial.print("0,0,0."); // this is very important as it starts of the loop because it makes "xbee_serial.avalible() > 0.

}

void loop(){

if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) {

static int bufpos = 0;

char inchar = xbee_serial.read();

if (inchar != EOPmarker) {

serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar;

bufpos++;

}

else {

serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff

bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

handshake();

debug_handshake();

setRegisterPin(1, HIGH);

writeRegisters();

}

void handshake(){

//input, recived from controller

// led1val,ledval2,fade_LEDvalue.

//analogWrite(x_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),0,1023,0,255));

//analogWrite(y_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)),0,1023,0,255));

analogWrite(fade_LED, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 3)));

brightness = brightness + fadeAmount;

// reverse the direction of the fading at the ends of the fade:

if (brightness == 0 || brightness == 255) {

fadeAmount = -fadeAmount ;

}

if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)) > x_upperTrigger ){

analogWrite(x_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),512,1023,0,255));

setRegisterPin(2, HIGH);

setRegisterPin(3, LOW);

writeRegisters();

}

if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)) < x_lowerTrigger ){

analogWrite(x_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),512,0,0,255));

setRegisterPin(2, LOW);

setRegisterPin(3, HIGH);

writeRegisters();

}

if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)) > x_lowerTrigger && atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)) < x_upperTrigger){

setRegisterPin(2, LOW);

setRegisterPin(3, LOW);

writeRegisters();

}

if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)) > y_upperTrigger ){

analogWrite(y_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)),512,1023,0,255));

setRegisterPin(4, HIGH);

setRegisterPin(5, LOW);

writeRegisters();

}

if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)) < y_lowerTrigger ){

analogWrite(y_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)),512,0,0,255));

setRegisterPin(4, LOW);

setRegisterPin(5, HIGH);

writeRegisters();

}

if (atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)) > y_lowerTrigger && atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)) < y_upperTrigger){

setRegisterPin(4, LOW);

setRegisterPin(5, LOW);

writeRegisters();

}

//output, sent to controller

//ledpot1,fade_LEDval.

xbee_serial.print(analogRead(pot));

xbee_serial.print(",");

xbee_serial.print(brightness); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used.

xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker

delay(10);

}

void debug_handshake(){

//input, recived from controller

Serial.print("VEHICLE DEBUG: ");

Serial.print("INPUTS|");

Serial.print(" x_LED: ");

Serial.print(map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),0,1023,0,255));

Serial.print(" y_LED: ");

Serial.print(map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)),0,1023,0,255));

Serial.print(" in fade_LED: ");

Serial.print(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 3)));

//output, sent to controller

Serial.print(" OUTPUTS|");

Serial.print(" Pot 1: ");

Serial.print(analogRead(pot));

Serial.print(" out fade_LED: ");

Serial.print(brightness);

Serial.println("");

}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {

char *act, *sub, *ptr;

static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];

int i;

strcpy(copy, input_string);

for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {

sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);

if (sub == NULL) break;

}

return sub;

}

void clearRegisters(){

for(int i = numOfRegisterPins - 1; i >= 0; i--){

registers[i] = LOW;

}

void writeRegisters(){

digitalWrite(RCLK_Pin, LOW);

for(int i = numOfRegisterPins - 1; i >= 0; i--){

digitalWrite(SRCLK_Pin, LOW);

int val = registers[i];

digitalWrite(SER_Pin, val);

digitalWrite(SRCLK_Pin, HIGH);

}

digitalWrite(RCLK_Pin, HIGH);

}

//set an individual pin HIGH or LOW

void setRegisterPin(int index, int value){

registers[index] = value;

}

Next is the motor driver. It’s built around the L298N. Here’s the video

Here are pictures:

It’s my first real use of a perfboard to make a project more permanent which is why it looks awful, but this is what it should look like:

Image generated by fritzing.

The last system is the controller. It’s an arduino micro hooked up to the same xbee system as seen earlier with a joystick and a multiplexer for more inputs. Here’s a video:

And some pictures:

So basically it receives and sends data to and from the controller as seen in the following code:

//Serial Handshake declaration
#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString
#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed.
const char EOPmarker = '.'; //This is the end of packet marker
char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

//SoftwareSerial declaration
#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3);

//Mux control pins declarations
int s0 = 8;
int s1 = 9;
int s2 = 10;
int s3 = 11;
int SIG_pin = 0;

//Shift Register Pins declaration
int SER_Pin = 5; //pin 14 on the 75HC595
int RCLK_Pin = 6; //pin 12 on the 75HC595
int SRCLK_Pin = 7; //pin 11 on the 75HC595
#define number_of_74hc595s 1 //How many of the shift registers - change this
#define numOfRegisterPins number_of_74hc595s * 8 //do not touch
boolean registers[numOfRegisterPins];

//Servo declarations
int left_servo_val;
int rght_servo_val;

//Misc Pin declaration

//inputs
int debug_switch1 = 4;

//outputs
int pot_LED = 5;
int fade_LED = 6;
int debug_switch1_LED = 2;

//Misc Integer Declarations
int joystick_x;
int joystick_y;

int brightness = 0; // how bright the LED is
int fadeAmount = 20; // how many points to fade the LED by

void setup(){
 Serial.begin(9600);
 xbee_serial.begin(9600);

 //mux setup
 pinMode(s0, OUTPUT);
 pinMode(s1, OUTPUT);
 pinMode(s2, OUTPUT);
 pinMode(s3, OUTPUT);
 digitalWrite(s0, LOW);
 digitalWrite(s1, LOW);
 digitalWrite(s2, LOW);
 digitalWrite(s3, LOW);

 //shift register setup
 pinMode(SER_Pin, OUTPUT);
 pinMode(RCLK_Pin, OUTPUT);
 pinMode(SRCLK_Pin, OUTPUT);
 pinMode(0, INPUT);
 clearRegisters();
 writeRegisters();

 //Misc Pin Declarations
 pinMode(pot_LED, OUTPUT);

xbee_serial.print("0,0,0."); // this is very important as it starts of the loop because it makes "xbee_serial.avalible() > 0.
}

void loop(){
 if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) {
 static int bufpos = 0;
 char inchar = xbee_serial.read();
 if (inchar != EOPmarker) {
 serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar;
 bufpos++;
 }
 else {
 serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff
 bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

 handshake();
 }
 }
}

void handshake(){
 //input, recived from vehicle
 //led1.
 analogWrite(pot_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),0,1023,0,255));
 analogWrite(fade_LED, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)));

 brightness = brightness + fadeAmount;
 // reverse the direction of the fading at the ends of the fade:
 if (brightness == 0 || brightness == 255) {
 fadeAmount = -fadeAmount ;
 }

 //output, sent to vehicle
 //joystick1_ledval,joystick2_ledval,fade_LED.
 analogRemap();
 xbee_serial.print(joystick_x); // Value that it sends over the serial
 xbee_serial.print(",");
 xbee_serial.print(joystick_y); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used.
 xbee_serial.print(",");
 xbee_serial.print(brightness);
 xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker
 delay(10);
}

void debug_handshake(){

}

void analogRemap(){
 joystick_x = readMux(15);
 joystick_y = readMux(14);
}
char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {
 char *act, *sub, *ptr;
 static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];
 int i;

 strcpy(copy, input_string);

for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {

 sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);
 if (sub == NULL) break;
 }
 return sub;
}

int readMux(int channel){
 int controlPin[] = {s0, s1, s2, s3};
 int muxChannel[16][4]={
 {0,0,0,0}, //channel 0
 {1,0,0,0}, //channel 1
 {0,1,0,0}, //channel 2
 {1,1,0,0}, //channel 3
 {0,0,1,0}, //channel 4
 {1,0,1,0}, //channel 5
 {0,1,1,0}, //channel 6
 {1,1,1,0}, //channel 7
 {0,0,0,1}, //channel 8
 {1,0,0,1}, //channel 9
 {0,1,0,1}, //channel 10
 {1,1,0,1}, //channel 11
 {0,0,1,1}, //channel 12
 {1,0,1,1}, //channel 13
 {0,1,1,1}, //channel 14
 {1,1,1,1} //channel 15
 };

//loop through the 4 sig
 for(int i = 0; i < 4; i ++){
 digitalWrite(controlPin[i], muxChannel[channel][i]);
 }

//read the value at the SIG pin
 int val = analogRead(SIG_pin);

//return the value
 return val;
}

void clearRegisters(){
 for(int i = numOfRegisterPins - 1; i >= 0; i--){
 registers[i] = LOW;
 }
}

void writeRegisters(){
 digitalWrite(RCLK_Pin, LOW);
 for(int i = numOfRegisterPins - 1; i >= 0; i--){
 digitalWrite(SRCLK_Pin, LOW);
 int val = registers[i];
 digitalWrite(SER_Pin, val);
 digitalWrite(SRCLK_Pin, HIGH);
 }
 digitalWrite(RCLK_Pin, HIGH);
}

//set an individual pin HIGH or LOW
void setRegisterPin(int index, int value){
 registers[index] = value;
}

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//Serial Handshake declaration

#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString

#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed.

const char EOPmarker = '.'; //This is the end of packet marker

char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

//SoftwareSerial declaration

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3);

//Mux control pins declarations

int s0 = 8;

int s1 = 9;

int s2 = 10;

int s3 = 11;

int SIG_pin = 0;

//Shift Register Pins declaration

int SER_Pin = 5; //pin 14 on the 75HC595

int RCLK_Pin = 6; //pin 12 on the 75HC595

int SRCLK_Pin = 7; //pin 11 on the 75HC595

#define number_of_74hc595s 1 //How many of the shift registers - change this

#define numOfRegisterPins number_of_74hc595s * 8 //do not touch

boolean registers[numOfRegisterPins];

//Servo declarations

int left_servo_val;

int rght_servo_val;

//Misc Pin declaration

//inputs

int debug_switch1 = 4;

//outputs

int pot_LED = 5;

int fade_LED = 6;

int debug_switch1_LED = 2;

//Misc Integer Declarations

int joystick_x;

int joystick_y;

int brightness = 0; // how bright the LED is

int fadeAmount = 20; // how many points to fade the LED by

void setup(){

Serial.begin(9600);

xbee_serial.begin(9600);

//mux setup

pinMode(s0, OUTPUT);

pinMode(s1, OUTPUT);

pinMode(s2, OUTPUT);

pinMode(s3, OUTPUT);

digitalWrite(s0, LOW);

digitalWrite(s1, LOW);

digitalWrite(s2, LOW);

digitalWrite(s3, LOW);

//shift register setup

pinMode(SER_Pin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(RCLK_Pin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(SRCLK_Pin, OUTPUT);

pinMode(0, INPUT);

clearRegisters();

writeRegisters();

//Misc Pin Declarations

pinMode(pot_LED, OUTPUT);

xbee_serial.print("0,0,0."); // this is very important as it starts of the loop because it makes "xbee_serial.avalible() > 0.

}

void loop(){

if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) {

static int bufpos = 0;

char inchar = xbee_serial.read();

if (inchar != EOPmarker) {

serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar;

bufpos++;

}

else {

serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff

bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

handshake();

}

void handshake(){

//input, recived from vehicle

//led1.

analogWrite(pot_LED, map(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)),0,1023,0,255));

analogWrite(fade_LED, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 2)));

brightness = brightness + fadeAmount;

// reverse the direction of the fading at the ends of the fade:

if (brightness == 0 || brightness == 255) {

fadeAmount = -fadeAmount ;

}

//output, sent to vehicle

//joystick1_ledval,joystick2_ledval,fade_LED.

analogRemap();

xbee_serial.print(joystick_x); // Value that it sends over the serial

xbee_serial.print(",");

xbee_serial.print(joystick_y); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used.

xbee_serial.print(",");

xbee_serial.print(brightness);

xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker

delay(10);

}

void debug_handshake(){

}

void analogRemap(){

joystick_x = readMux(15);

joystick_y = readMux(14);

}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {

char *act, *sub, *ptr;

static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];

int i;

strcpy(copy, input_string);

for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {

sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);

if (sub == NULL) break;

}

return sub;

}

int readMux(int channel){

int controlPin[] = {s0, s1, s2, s3};

int muxChannel[16][4]={

{0,0,0,0}, //channel 0

{1,0,0,0}, //channel 1

{0,1,0,0}, //channel 2

{1,1,0,0}, //channel 3

{0,0,1,0}, //channel 4

{1,0,1,0}, //channel 5

{0,1,1,0}, //channel 6

{1,1,1,0}, //channel 7

{0,0,0,1}, //channel 8

{1,0,0,1}, //channel 9

{0,1,0,1}, //channel 10

{1,1,0,1}, //channel 11

{0,0,1,1}, //channel 12

{1,0,1,1}, //channel 13

{0,1,1,1}, //channel 14

{1,1,1,1} //channel 15

};

//loop through the 4 sig

for(int i = 0; i < 4; i ++){

digitalWrite(controlPin[i], muxChannel[channel][i]);

}

//read the value at the SIG pin

int val = analogRead(SIG_pin);

//return the value

return val;

}

void clearRegisters(){

for(int i = numOfRegisterPins - 1; i >= 0; i--){

registers[i] = LOW;

}

void writeRegisters(){

digitalWrite(RCLK_Pin, LOW);

for(int i = numOfRegisterPins - 1; i >= 0; i--){

digitalWrite(SRCLK_Pin, LOW);

int val = registers[i];

digitalWrite(SER_Pin, val);

digitalWrite(SRCLK_Pin, HIGH);

}

digitalWrite(RCLK_Pin, HIGH);

}

//set an individual pin HIGH or LOW

void setRegisterPin(int index, int value){

registers[index] = value;

}

All of the parts listed in this video can be seen here which is the parts list.

That was a huge post! Thanks for reading and leave a comment if you have any questions.

Hey! This post was written a long time ago, but I'm leaving it up on the off-chance it may help someone. Proceed with caution. It may not be a good idea to blindly integrate this code or work into your project, but instead use it as a starting point.

PiPlanter | Going from analog data to the web using python, mysql and php

February 17, 2013 / Leave a comment

Here’s a video:

Essentially, the adc reads an analog value and sends it to python. Python connects to a mysql database and adds the data to that. Once the user accesses the php script, a table, containing all of the values, is rendered.

First of all, you’ll need to make a mysql table with the correct specifications:

CREATE TABLE adc_input_data_10(Sample_Number INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, Time VARCHAR(100), Channel_1 VARCHAR(100), Channel_2 VARCHAR(100), Channel_3 VARCHAR(100) );

1	CREATE TABLE adc_input_data_10(Sample_Number INT NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY, Time VARCHAR(100), Channel_1 VARCHAR(100), Channel_2 VARCHAR(100), Channel_3 VARCHAR(100) );

This creates a table that is found in the python script so it is very important that the TABLE values match as well as the column names.

Here’s that python script:

#!/usr/bin/env python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
import spidev
import time
import MySQLdb
import sys
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO
import datetime

now = datetime.datetime.now()

pin = 26

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)
GPIO.setup(pin, GPIO.OUT)

con = MySQLdb.connect('localhost','adc_user','adc_user_pass','adc_database');
cursor = con.cursor()

spi = spidev.SpiDev()
spi.open(0, 0)
maxcyclenumber = 10

count = 0

def readadc(adcnum):
# read SPI data from MCP3008 chip, 8 possible adc's (0 thru 7)
    if adcnum > 7 or adcnum < 0:
        return -1
    r = spi.xfer2([1, 8 + adcnum << 4, 0])
    adcout = ((r[1] & 3) << 8) + r[2]
    return adcout

for _ in range(maxcyclenumber):
	cursor.execute("INSERT INTO adc_input_data_10(Time,Channel_1,Channel_2,Channel_3) VALUES(%s,'%s','%s','%s')",(datetime.datetime.now().strftime('%b-%d-%I%M%p-%G'),readadc(0),readadc(1),readadc(2)) )
	con.commit() #this is important for live updating
	count = count+1
	print count
	time.sleep (1)

if count == maxcyclenumber:
	GPIO.cleanup()
	con.close()</pre>

#!/usr/bin/env python

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import spidev

import time

import MySQLdb

import sys

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO

import datetime

now = datetime.datetime.now()

pin = 26

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)

GPIO.setup(pin, GPIO.OUT)

con = MySQLdb.connect('localhost','adc_user','adc_user_pass','adc_database');

cursor = con.cursor()

spi = spidev.SpiDev()

spi.open(0, 0)

maxcyclenumber = 10

count = 0

def readadc(adcnum):

# read SPI data from MCP3008 chip, 8 possible adc's (0 thru 7)

if adcnum > 7 or adcnum < 0:

return -1

r = spi.xfer2([1, 8 + adcnum << 4, 0])

adcout = ((r[1] & 3) << 8) + r[2]

return adcout

for _ in range(maxcyclenumber):

cursor.execute("INSERT INTO adc_input_data_10(Time,Channel_1,Channel_2,Channel_3) VALUES(%s,'%s','%s','%s')",(datetime.datetime.now().strftime('%b-%d-%I%M%p-%G'),readadc(0),readadc(1),readadc(2)) )

con.commit() #this is important for live updating

count = count+1

print count

time.sleep (1)

if count == maxcyclenumber:

GPIO.cleanup()

con.close()</pre>

This reads the values from the adc (it is wired up as seen in this post)

Here’s the php, it reads the values from the adc_input_data_10 table on the adc_database.

<?php
mysql_connect("localhost", "adc_user","adc_user_pass") or die ("Could not connect: " . mysql_error());
mysql_select_db("adc_database");

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM adc_input_data_10");

echo "<table border='1'>
<tr>
<th>Sample Number</th>
<th>Time</th>
<th>Channel 1</th>
<th>Channel 2</th>
<th>Channel 3</th>
</tr>";

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)){
	echo"<tr>";
	echo"<td>" . $row['Sample_Number'] . "</td>";
	echo"<td>" . $row['Time'] . "</td>";
	echo"<td>" . $row['Channel_1'] . "</td>";
	echo"<td>" . $row['Channel_2'] . "</td>";
	echo"<td>" . $row['Channel_3'] . "</td>";
	echo"</tr>";
}

echo "</table>";
mysql_close($con);
?>

<?php

mysql_connect("localhost", "adc_user","adc_user_pass") or die ("Could not connect: " . mysql_error());

mysql_select_db("adc_database");

$result = mysql_query("SELECT * FROM adc_input_data_10");

echo "<table border='1'>

<tr>

<th>Sample Number</th>

<th>Channel 1</th>

<th>Channel 2</th>

<th>Channel 3</th>

</tr>";

while($row = mysql_fetch_array($result)){

echo"<tr>";

echo"<td>" . $row['Sample_Number'] . "</td>";

echo"<td>" . $row['Time'] . "</td>";

echo"<td>" . $row['Channel_1'] . "</td>";

echo"<td>" . $row['Channel_2'] . "</td>";

echo"<td>" . $row['Channel_3'] . "</td>";

echo"</tr>";

}

echo "</table>";

mysql_close($con);

This is all very preliminary stuff, and I’ll tighten up the code as time goes on.

PiPlanter | Graphing With PHP 2

February 16, 2013 / Leave a comment

This is a much more refined version of that graph I created earlier.

This one is much more detailed, and the sizes of the graph can easily be controlled with the imageSizeX and Y Vals.

This program will render:

<?php
/* CAT:Scaling */

/* pChart library inclusions */
include("/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pData.class.php");
include("/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pDraw.class.php");
include("/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pImage.class.php");

$imageSizeXXal = 1000;
$imageSizeYVal = 600;

/* Create and populate the pData object */
$MyData = new pData();
$MyData->addPoints(array(17,19,4,1,2,6,7,3,4,4,8,2),"Pressure");
$MyData->setSerieDrawable("Pressure",FALSE);
$MyData->setAxisName(0,"Temperatures");

$MyData->addPoints(array("Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"),"Labels");
$MyData->setSerieDescription("Labels","Months");
$MyData->setAbscissa("Labels");

/* Create the pChart object */
$myPicture = new pImage($imageSizeXXal,$imageSizeYVal,$MyData); //size of the graph box

/* Draw the background */
$Settings = array("R"=>84, "G"=>84, "B"=>84, "Dash"=>1, "DashR"=>95, "DashG"=>95, "DashB"=>95);
$myPicture->drawFilledRectangle(0,0,$imageSizeXXal+5,$imageSizeYVal,$Settings); //size of the grey background

/* Write the picture title */
$myPicture->setFontProperties(array("FontName"=>"/srv/www/lib/pChart/fonts/Silkscreen.ttf","FontSize"=>6));
$myPicture->drawText(10,13,"Upper Text 1",array("R"=>255,"G"=>255,"B"=>255));

/* Write the chart title */
$myPicture->setFontProperties(array("FontName"=>"/srv/www/lib/pChart/fonts/Forgotte.ttf","FontSize"=>11));
$myPicture->drawText($imageSizeXXal/2,30,"Chart Title",array("FontSize"=>20,"Align"=>TEXT_ALIGN_BOTTOMMIDDLE));

/* Define the 2nd chart area */
$myPicture->setGraphArea(40,40,$imageSizeXXal-35,$imageSizeYVal-25); //top left, then bottom right conrner of box
$myPicture->setFontProperties(array("FontName"=>"/srv/www/lib/pChart/fonts/pf_arma_five.ttf","FontSize"=>6));

/* Draw the scale */
$scaleSettings = array("DrawSubTicks"=>TRUE,"CycleBackground"=>TRUE);
$MyData->setSerieDrawable("Temperature",FALSE);
$MyData->setSerieDrawable("Pressure",TRUE);
$MyData->setAxisName(0,"Pressure");
$myPicture->drawScale($scaleSettings);
$myPicture->drawPlotChart();

/* Render the picture (choose the best way) */
$myPicture->autoOutput();
?>

<?php

/* CAT:Scaling */

/* pChart library inclusions */

include("/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pData.class.php");

include("/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pDraw.class.php");

include("/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pImage.class.php");

$imageSizeXXal = 1000;

$imageSizeYVal = 600;

/* Create and populate the pData object */

$MyData = new pData();

$MyData->addPoints(array(17,19,4,1,2,6,7,3,4,4,8,2),"Pressure");

$MyData->setSerieDrawable("Pressure",FALSE);

$MyData->setAxisName(0,"Temperatures");

$MyData->addPoints(array("Jan","Feb","Mar","Apr","May","Jun","Jul","Aug","Sep","Oct","Nov","Dec"),"Labels");

$MyData->setSerieDescription("Labels","Months");

$MyData->setAbscissa("Labels");

/* Create the pChart object */

$myPicture = new pImage($imageSizeXXal,$imageSizeYVal,$MyData); //size of the graph box

/* Draw the background */

$Settings = array("R"=>84, "G"=>84, "B"=>84, "Dash"=>1, "DashR"=>95, "DashG"=>95, "DashB"=>95);

$myPicture->drawFilledRectangle(0,0,$imageSizeXXal+5,$imageSizeYVal,$Settings); //size of the grey background

/* Write the picture title */

$myPicture->setFontProperties(array("FontName"=>"/srv/www/lib/pChart/fonts/Silkscreen.ttf","FontSize"=>6));

$myPicture->drawText(10,13,"Upper Text 1",array("R"=>255,"G"=>255,"B"=>255));

/* Write the chart title */

$myPicture->setFontProperties(array("FontName"=>"/srv/www/lib/pChart/fonts/Forgotte.ttf","FontSize"=>11));

$myPicture->drawText($imageSizeXXal/2,30,"Chart Title",array("FontSize"=>20,"Align"=>TEXT_ALIGN_BOTTOMMIDDLE));

/* Define the 2nd chart area */

$myPicture->setGraphArea(40,40,$imageSizeXXal-35,$imageSizeYVal-25); //top left, then bottom right conrner of box

$myPicture->setFontProperties(array("FontName"=>"/srv/www/lib/pChart/fonts/pf_arma_five.ttf","FontSize"=>6));

/* Draw the scale */

$scaleSettings = array("DrawSubTicks"=>TRUE,"CycleBackground"=>TRUE);

$MyData->setSerieDrawable("Temperature",FALSE);

$MyData->setSerieDrawable("Pressure",TRUE);

$MyData->setAxisName(0,"Pressure");

$myPicture->drawScale($scaleSettings);

$myPicture->drawPlotChart();

/* Render the picture (choose the best way) */

$myPicture->autoOutput();

This image:

And by modifying the values mentioned above to:

$imageSizeXXal = 1500;
$imageSizeYVal = 400;

1 2	$imageSizeXXal = 1500; $imageSizeYVal = 400;

You will get this image:

PiPlanter | Graphing With PHP

February 12, 2013 / Leave a comment

Again, short post. This php code:

<?php
session_start();
require_once "/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pDraw.class.php";
require_once "/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pImage.class.php";
require_once "/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pData.class.php";

$squareSeries = array();
$cubeSeries = array();
$fourthSeries = array();

for ($i = 0; $i <= 4; $i++){ 	$squareSeries[$i] = pow($i,2); 	$cubeSeries[$i] = pow($i,3); 	$fourthSeries[$i] = pow($i, 4); } $myPowersData = new pData(); $myPowersData -> addPoints($squareSeries,"Square");
$myPowersData -> addPoints($cubeSeries,"Cube");
$myPowersData -> addPoints($fourthSeries,"Fourth");

$myPowersData-> setPalette("Square",
	array("R" => 240, "G" => 16, "B" => 16, "Alpha" => 100));
$myPowersData-> setPalette("Cube",
	array("R" => 16, "G" => 240, "B" => 16, "Alpha" => 100));
$myPowersData-> setPalette("Forth",
	array("R" => 16, "G" => 16, "B" => 240, "Alpha" => 100));

$myPowersImage = new pImage(500,300, $myPowersData);
$myPowersImage -> setFontProperties(array(
	"FontName" => "/srv/www/lib/pChart/fonts/verdana.ttf",
	"FontSize" => 12));

$myPowersImage->setGraphArea(40,40, 460,260);
$myPowersImage->drawScale();

$myPowersImage->drawLineChart();
header("Content-Type: image/png");
$myPowersImage->Render(null);

<?php

session_start();

require_once "/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pDraw.class.php";

require_once "/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pImage.class.php";

require_once "/srv/www/lib/pChart/class/pData.class.php";

$squareSeries = array();

$cubeSeries = array();

$fourthSeries = array();

for ($i = 0; $i <= 4; $i++){ $squareSeries[$i] = pow($i,2); $cubeSeries[$i] = pow($i,3); $fourthSeries[$i] = pow($i, 4); } $myPowersData = new pData(); $myPowersData -> addPoints($squareSeries,"Square");

$myPowersData -> addPoints($cubeSeries,"Cube");

$myPowersData -> addPoints($fourthSeries,"Fourth");

$myPowersData-> setPalette("Square",

array("R" => 240, "G" => 16, "B" => 16, "Alpha" => 100));

$myPowersData-> setPalette("Cube",

array("R" => 16, "G" => 240, "B" => 16, "Alpha" => 100));

$myPowersData-> setPalette("Forth",

array("R" => 16, "G" => 16, "B" => 240, "Alpha" => 100));

$myPowersImage = new pImage(500,300, $myPowersData);

$myPowersImage -> setFontProperties(array(

"FontName" => "/srv/www/lib/pChart/fonts/verdana.ttf",

"FontSize" => 12));

$myPowersImage->setGraphArea(40,40, 460,260);

$myPowersImage->drawScale();

$myPowersImage->drawLineChart();

header("Content-Type: image/png");

$myPowersImage->Render(null);

will produce this graph:

I learned this using this resource:

http://phpmaster.com/charting-with-pchart/

PiPlanter | Interfacing an ADC, Python, and MySQL [Documentation]

February 12, 2013 / 2 Comments

As this post is more of an update, I won’t be adding any explanations, just giving the python code.

This will read 3 values from the adc and put them into the database “adc_database”. It will put them in the table “adc_input_data_4” in the columns “Channel_1″,”Channel_2” and “Channel_3” respectively.

#!/usr/bin/env python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-
import spidev
import time
import MySQLdb
import sys
import RPi.GPIO as GPIO

pin = 26

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)
GPIO.setup(pin, GPIO.OUT)

con = MySQLdb.connect('localhost','adc_user','adc_user_pass','adc_database');
cursor = con.cursor()

spi = spidev.SpiDev()
spi.open(0, 0)
count = 0
maxcyclenumber = 5

tmp = "derp"

def readadc(adcnum):
# read SPI data from MCP3008 chip, 8 possible adc's (0 thru 7)
    if adcnum > 7 or adcnum < 0:
        return -1
    r = spi.xfer2([1, 8 + adcnum << 4, 0])
    adcout = ((r[1] & 3) << 8) + r[2]
    return adcout
    

for _ in range(maxcyclenumber):
	
	GPIO.output(pin,True)
	cursor.execute("INSERT INTO adc_input_data_4(Channel_1,Channel_2,Channel_3) VALUES('%s','%s','%s')",(readadc(0),readadc(1),readadc(2)) )
	GPIO.output(pin,False)
	
	count = count+1
	print count
	time.sleep (1)
	
if count == maxcyclenumber:
	GPIO.cleanup()
	con.commit()
	con.close()

#!/usr/bin/env python

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import spidev

import time

import MySQLdb

import sys

import RPi.GPIO as GPIO

pin = 26

GPIO.setmode(GPIO.BOARD)

GPIO.setup(pin, GPIO.OUT)

con = MySQLdb.connect('localhost','adc_user','adc_user_pass','adc_database');

cursor = con.cursor()

spi = spidev.SpiDev()

spi.open(0, 0)

count = 0

maxcyclenumber = 5

tmp = "derp"

def readadc(adcnum):

# read SPI data from MCP3008 chip, 8 possible adc's (0 thru 7)

if adcnum > 7 or adcnum < 0:

return -1

r = spi.xfer2([1, 8 + adcnum << 4, 0])

adcout = ((r[1] & 3) << 8) + r[2]

return adcout

for _ in range(maxcyclenumber):

GPIO.output(pin,True)

cursor.execute("INSERT INTO adc_input_data_4(Channel_1,Channel_2,Channel_3) VALUES('%s','%s','%s')",(readadc(0),readadc(1),readadc(2)) )

GPIO.output(pin,False)

count = count+1

print count

time.sleep (1)

if count == maxcyclenumber:

GPIO.cleanup()

con.commit()

con.close()

There you go, bigger post coming later tonight.

Simple ADC with Raspberry Pi using MCP3008

February 9, 2013 / Leave a comment

Hello!

So for my own benefit, here’s the steps you need to take to get analog inputs working with a Raspberry Pi.

I’m grabbing most of this from: http://scruss.com/blog/2013/02/02/simple-adc-with-the-raspberry-pi/

The first thing you’ll need is an MCP3008. Using jumper wires, hook it up to your pi using this diagram.

Power your RPi up and run the following commands to get it all set up.

First thing’s first, you’ll need to enable SPI in the kernel so:

sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/raspi-blacklist.conf

1	sudo vi /etc/modprobe.d/raspi-blacklist.conf

Comment out the spi-bcm2708 line so it looks like this:

#blacklist spi-bcm2708

1	#blacklist spi-bcm2708

Then run this to make it more permanent.

sudo modprobe spi-bcm2708

1	sudo modprobe spi-bcm2708

Now for the real meat of it. You’ll need these packages for SPI and the WiringPi library makes things a whole lot easier for us.

sudo apt-get install python-imaging python-imaging-tk python-pip python-dev git
sudo pip install spidev
sudo pip install wiringpi

sudo apt-get install python-imaging python-imaging-tk python-pip python-dev git

sudo pip install spidev

sudo pip install wiringpi

Now everything should be good to go, now for the python.

You can debug this any way you like, but my favorite way to do it is using the program geany. I like to start up a VNC server with root so I don’t get into any trouble with the GPIO permissions.

But here’s the program.

#!/usr/bin/python
# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import spidev
import time

spi = spidev.SpiDev()
spi.open(0, 0)
count = 0

def readadc(adcnum):
# read SPI data from MCP3008 chip, 8 possible adc's (0 thru 7)
    if adcnum > 7 or adcnum < 0:
        return -1
    r = spi.xfer2([1, 8 + adcnum << 4, 0])
    adcout = ((r[1] & 3) << 8) + r[2]
    return adcout

while True:
    tmp1 = int(round(readadc(0)/10.24))
    print "in1:",tmp1
    count = count +1
    time.sleep(0.2)

#!/usr/bin/python

# -*- coding: utf-8 -*-

import spidev

import time

spi = spidev.SpiDev()

spi.open(0, 0)

count = 0

def readadc(adcnum):

# read SPI data from MCP3008 chip, 8 possible adc's (0 thru 7)

if adcnum > 7 or adcnum < 0:

return -1

r = spi.xfer2([1, 8 + adcnum << 4, 0])

adcout = ((r[1] & 3) << 8) + r[2]

return adcout

while True:

tmp1 = int(round(readadc(0)/10.24))

print "in1:",tmp1

count = count +1

time.sleep(0.2)

And that’s pretty much it, the result should look something like this:

There you go!

Plane | Powering the entire system – Proof of concept

January 31, 2013 / Leave a comment

The code is all the same, here’s a video as there isn’t much to be said:

Plane | Working handshake code demo

January 20, 2013 / Leave a comment

First off, here’s a video:

If you’re a long time follower of the blog, than you may notice that it looks like I’m backtracking here. Let me go over the differences between the two systems I’ve developed.

The one I “finished” a few months ago can be found here. While the code is “good” and it works well for what it does, there are a few inherent problems with it. The first being that it has to have a computer to be used. The second being that the computer running the intermediate program has to be extremely fast, so it’s not totally feasible for field use. It would also be very hard for it to go wireless, but I had built that groundwork in so it could happen.

The one I’m working on now doesn’t require a computer as an intermediate, and is going to be totally wireless as from the start.

This morning I finished the handshake data exchange over xbee. Right now it’s just dimming a few LED’s but if you take a peek at the following code, it’s very expandable.

Here’s the working code:

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3); 
#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString
#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed. 

int in_LED = 10;
int out_LED = 11;

int input = 2;

int sendval;


//serial stuff
const char EOPmarker = '.';  //This is the end of packet marker
char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

void setup(){
  pinMode(in_LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(out_LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(input, INPUT);
  
  Serial.begin(9600);
  xbee_serial.begin(9600);
  
  xbee_serial.print("0,0,0."); // this is very important as it starts of the loop because it makes "xbee_serial.avalible() > 0. 
}

void loop(){
  if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) { 
    static int bufpos = 0;
    char inchar = xbee_serial.read();
      if (inchar != EOPmarker) { 
        serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar; 
        bufpos++; 
      }
      else {
        serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff
        bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

        Serial.println(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));
        analogWrite(in_LED, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));
        
         sendval = map(analogRead(input), 0, 1023, 0, 255);
         xbee_serial.print(sendval); // Value that it sends over the serial
         xbee_serial.print(",");
         xbee_serial.print("100"); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used. 
         xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker
         analogWrite(out_LED , sendval);
        
    }
  }
  
  //delay(10);
}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {
 char *act, *sub, *ptr;
 static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];
 int i;
 
 strcpy(copy, input_string);
 
for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {
 
 sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);
 if (sub == NULL) break;
 }
 return sub;
}

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3);

#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString

#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed.

int in_LED = 10;

int out_LED = 11;

int input = 2;

int sendval;

//serial stuff

const char EOPmarker = '.'; //This is the end of packet marker

char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

void setup(){

pinMode(in_LED, OUTPUT);

pinMode(out_LED, OUTPUT);

pinMode(input, INPUT);

Serial.begin(9600);

xbee_serial.begin(9600);

xbee_serial.print("0,0,0."); // this is very important as it starts of the loop because it makes "xbee_serial.avalible() > 0.

}

void loop(){

if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) {

static int bufpos = 0;

char inchar = xbee_serial.read();

if (inchar != EOPmarker) {

serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar;

bufpos++;

}

else {

serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff

bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

Serial.println(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));

analogWrite(in_LED, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));

sendval = map(analogRead(input), 0, 1023, 0, 255);

xbee_serial.print(sendval); // Value that it sends over the serial

xbee_serial.print(",");

xbee_serial.print("100"); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used.

xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker

analogWrite(out_LED , sendval);

}

//delay(10);

}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {

char *act, *sub, *ptr;

static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];

int i;

strcpy(copy, input_string);

for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {

sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);

if (sub == NULL) break;

}

return sub;

}

Plane | Working Handshake Code

January 20, 2013 / Leave a comment

This works so I want to write it down:

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3); 
#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString
#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed. 

int in_LED = 10;
int out_LED = 11;

int input = 2;

int sendval;


//serial stuff
const char EOPmarker = '.';  //This is the end of packet marker
char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

void setup(){
  pinMode(in_LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(out_LED, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(input, INPUT);
  
  Serial.begin(9600);
  xbee_serial.begin(9600);
  
  xbee_serial.print("0,0,0.");
}

void loop(){
  if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) { 
    static int bufpos = 0;
    char inchar = xbee_serial.read();
      if (inchar != EOPmarker) { 
        serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar; 
        bufpos++; 
      }
      else {
        serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff
        bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

        Serial.println(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));
        analogWrite(in_LED, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));
        
         sendval = map(analogRead(input), 0, 1023, 0, 255);
         xbee_serial.print(sendval); // Value that it sends over the serial
         xbee_serial.print(",");
         xbee_serial.print("100"); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used. 
         xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker
         analogWrite(out_LED , sendval);
        
    }
  }
  
  delay(10);
}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {
 char *act, *sub, *ptr;
 static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];
 int i;
 
 strcpy(copy, input_string);
 
for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {
 
 sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);
 if (sub == NULL) break;
 }
 return sub;
}

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3);

#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString

#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed.

int in_LED = 10;

int out_LED = 11;

int input = 2;

int sendval;

//serial stuff

const char EOPmarker = '.'; //This is the end of packet marker

char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

void setup(){

pinMode(in_LED, OUTPUT);

pinMode(out_LED, OUTPUT);

pinMode(input, INPUT);

Serial.begin(9600);

xbee_serial.begin(9600);

xbee_serial.print("0,0,0.");

}

void loop(){

if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) {

static int bufpos = 0;

char inchar = xbee_serial.read();

if (inchar != EOPmarker) {

serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar;

bufpos++;

}

else {

serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff

bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

Serial.println(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));

analogWrite(in_LED, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));

sendval = map(analogRead(input), 0, 1023, 0, 255);

xbee_serial.print(sendval); // Value that it sends over the serial

xbee_serial.print(",");

xbee_serial.print("100"); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used.

xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker

analogWrite(out_LED , sendval);

}

delay(10);

}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {

char *act, *sub, *ptr;

static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];

int i;

strcpy(copy, input_string);

for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {

sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);

if (sub == NULL) break;

}

return sub;

}

Plane | Transmitting Analog Values with Xbee

January 19, 2013 / Leave a comment

I made some progress today, here’s a video:

Basically this is a proof of concept. The transmitter is sending a line of data very similar to the one that will be sent by the final controller (as seen in the controller code) the receiving end with be receiving in the same way the vehicle code does (same as above).

Here are a few pictures, this first one is a top down view of my prototyping area:

This second one shows all components involved:

This is the code running on the transmitter side, the side with the pot that’s transmitting it’s analog value:

</div>
<div>

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3);

int pot_1 = 0;
int LED_1 = 5; //this will serve as an LED to compare to
int sendval;

void setup(){
 pinMode(pot_1, INPUT);
 pinMode(LED_1, OUTPUT);
 Serial.begin(9600);
 xbee_serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop(){
 Serial.println(analogRead(pot_1));
 sendval = map(analogRead(pot_1), 0, 1023, 0, 255);
 xbee_serial.print(sendval); // Value that it sends over the serial
 xbee_serial.print(",");
 xbee_serial.print("100"); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used.
 xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker
 analogWrite(LED_1,sendval);
 //delay(100);
}

</div>

<div>

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3);

int pot_1 = 0;

int LED_1 = 5; //this will serve as an LED to compare to

int sendval;

void setup(){

pinMode(pot_1, INPUT);

pinMode(LED_1, OUTPUT);

Serial.begin(9600);

xbee_serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop(){

Serial.println(analogRead(pot_1));

sendval = map(analogRead(pot_1), 0, 1023, 0, 255);

xbee_serial.print(sendval); // Value that it sends over the serial

xbee_serial.print(",");

xbee_serial.print("100"); //This second byte is for the purpose of the program, it is not being used.

xbee_serial.print("."); //EOP marker

analogWrite(LED_1,sendval);

//delay(100);

}

This second half is on the receiving end. It may seem way overkill for what it does, but it’s all expandable to a pretty much infinite amount of data to be transmitted. For an example of what it’s capable of see this video:

</div>
<div>

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3);
#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString
#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed.

int LED_1 = 5;

int led_val;

//serial stuff
const char EOPmarker = '.'; //This is the end of packet marker
char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

void setup(){
 pinMode(LED_1, OUTPUT);
 Serial.begin(9600);
 xbee_serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop(){
 if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) {
 static int bufpos = 0;
 char inchar = xbee_serial.read();
 if (inchar != EOPmarker) {
 serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar;
 bufpos++;
 }
 else {
 serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff
 bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

Serial.println(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));
 analogWrite(LED_1, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));
 }
 }
}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {
 char *act, *sub, *ptr;
 static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];
 int i;

 strcpy(copy, input_string);

for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {

 sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);
 if (sub == NULL) break;
 }
 return sub;

}

</div>

<div>

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>

SoftwareSerial xbee_serial(2, 3);

#include <string.h> // we'll need this for subString

#define MAX_STRING_LEN 20 // like 3 lines above, change as needed.

int LED_1 = 5;

int led_val;

//serial stuff

const char EOPmarker = '.'; //This is the end of packet marker

char serialbuf[32]; //This gives the incoming serial some room. Change it if you want a longer incoming.

void setup(){

pinMode(LED_1, OUTPUT);

Serial.begin(9600);

xbee_serial.begin(9600);

}

void loop(){

if (xbee_serial.available() > 0) {

static int bufpos = 0;

char inchar = xbee_serial.read();

if (inchar != EOPmarker) {

serialbuf[bufpos] = inchar;

bufpos++;

}

else {

serialbuf[bufpos] = 0; //restart the buff

bufpos = 0; //restart the position of the buff

Serial.println(atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));

analogWrite(LED_1, atoi(subStr(serialbuf, "," , 1)));

}

char* subStr (char* input_string, char *separator, int segment_number) {

char *act, *sub, *ptr;

static char copy[MAX_STRING_LEN];

int i;

strcpy(copy, input_string);

for (i = 1, act = copy; i <= segment_number; i++, act = NULL) {

sub = strtok_r(act, separator, &ptr);

if (sub == NULL) break;

}

return sub;

}