Servo doesn't respond as expected - arduino

I am using an Arduino for the first time to control the level crossing gates on my model railway using an LDR and two servos. I want to have a train run over a photo resistor (LDR). On this event, the gates should close. When the train has passed over, there should be a delay and then the gates should open. The code presented here is simplified to just open the gates and close them without the required delays. As the LDR sends constant readings, the servos should only respond on the initial change as I don't want to manage servos pulling or pushing on gates once they have moved.
I have tried using a global to hold the gate state. I have now changed the code to pass a variable around.
#include <Servo.h>
Servo myservo;
int sensorPin = A0; // select the input pin for LDR
int sensorValue = 0; // variable to store the value coming from the sensor
int pos = 1;
int barState;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); //sets serial port for communication
myservo.attach(9);
barState = 0;
}
int upMove(int bs)
bs = 0;
for (pos = 0; pos <= 60; pos += 1) { // goes from 0 degrees to 60 degrees
// in steps of 1 degree
myservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
delay(30); // waits 30ms for the servo to reach the position
}
return bs;
}
int downMove(int bs)
{
bs = 1;
for (pos = 60; pos >= 0; pos -= 1) { // goes from 60 degrees to 0 degrees
// in steps of 1 degree
{ myservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
delay(30); // waits 30ms for the servo to reach the position
}
return bs;
}
int up(int bs)
{
if ( bs = 1) {
bs = upMove(bs);
}
return bs;
}
int down(int bs)
{
bs = downMove(bs);
}
return bs;
}
void loop() {
{ sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin); //define photocellReading as pin 0 input from LDR
sensorValue = map(sensorValue, 0, 1023, 0, 179); //map the LDR input to a value between 1-180 so the servo can understand it
if (sensorValue > 90) //if the LDR is showing less than half light intensity
{
up(barState);
}
else if (sensorValue <= 90) //if the LDR is showing more than half light intensity
{
down(barState); //then tell the servo to rotate forwards at a steady rate
}
}
}
The code is working for Up but not for Down. Up works once but Down continually resets and operates the servo.

I have honed the code to make it a bit simpler. It now operates as expected except that it continues to operate the servo instead of just once for each change of the LDR
#include <Servo.h>
Servo myservo;
int sensorPin = A0; // select the input pin for LDR
int sensorValue = 0; // variable to store the value coming from the sensor
int pos = 1;
int barState;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); //sets serial port for communication
myservo.attach(9);
barState = 0;
}
void upMove()
{
Serial.print( " In upMove ");Serial.println(barState);
for (pos = 0; pos <= 60; pos += 1) { // goes from 0 degrees to 60 degrees
// in steps of 1 degree
myservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
delay(30); // waits 30ms for the servo to reach the position
barState = 0;
}
}
void downMove()
{
Serial.print( " In downMove ");Serial.println(barState);
for (pos = 60; pos >= 0; pos -= 1) { // goes from 0 degrees to 60 degrees
// in steps of 1 degree
myservo.write(pos); // tell servo to go to position in variable 'pos'
delay(30); // waits 30ms for the servo to reach the position
barState = 0;
}
}
void up()
{
Serial.print( " In UP 1 ");Serial.println(barState);
{
if (barState = 1) upMove();
}
Serial.print( " In UP 2 ");Serial.println(barState);
}
void down()
{
Serial.print( " In DOWN 1 ");Serial.println(barState);
{
if (barState = 1) downMove();
}
Serial.print( " In DOWN 2 ");Serial.println(barState);
}
void loop() {
{ sensorValue = analogRead(sensorPin); //define photocellReading as pin 0 input from LDR
sensorValue = map(sensorValue, 0, 1023, 0, 179); //map the LDR input to a value between 1-180 so the servo can understand it
if (sensorValue > 90) //if the LDR is showing less than half light intensity
{
up();
}
else if (sensorValue <= 90) //if the LDR is showing more than half light intensity
{
down(); //then tell the servo to rotate forwards at a steady rate
}
}
}

Related

Servo rotating infinitely when I want it to do so only once

I am very new to Arduino. I want to make a simple setup, in which, pressing a button on a remote will make the servo rotate 90 degree and come back to 0.
Here is my code:
#include <Servo.h>
#include <IRremote.h>
int receiver = 13;
IRrecv irrecv(receiver);
decode_results results;
Servo myServo;
int pos = 0;
void setup() {
// put your setup code here, to run once:
myServo.attach(9);
Serial.begin(9600);
irrecv.enableIRIn();
myServo.write(0);
delay(200);
}
void loop() {
// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
if (irrecv.decode(&results)){
if (results.value== 0xC0000C){
for (pos = 0; pos <= 90; pos += 1) {
// in steps of 1 degree
myServo.write(pos);
delay(15);
}
for (pos = 90; pos >= 0; pos -= 1) {
myServo.write(pos);
delay(15);
}
}
}
delay(100);
}
However, when I press the button assigned, the servo keeps swinging from 0 to 90 degree and back infinitely, but I only want it to do so once, each time the button is pressed. How do I do that?
You need to add the line
irrecv.resume();
to the end if loop just before that final delay in order to clear out the results and start looking for a new signal.
void loop() {
// put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
if (irrecv.decode(&results)){
if (results.value== 0xC0000C){
for (pos = 0; pos <= 90; pos += 1) {
// in steps of 1 degree
myServo.write(pos);
delay(15);
}
for (pos = 90; pos >= 0; pos -= 1) {
myServo.write(pos);
delay(15);
}
}
}
irrecv.resume();
delay(100);
}

Can i somehow add millis to this code somewhere in the buttons or in the modes?

i need to add millis in my code but i dont know exactly where should be ok to add millis or where is it acctually needed.Because i have used only delay till now can you help me and tell me where can millis be implemented in this piece of code.If it is possible to add millis somewhere in or after the button modes or switch case because it would be nicer if the modes changed properly because for now their changing either when the button is pressed normal or somtimes you need to pres the button twice to change to the next mode.I would apriciate all the help.
const int BUTTON_SWITCH = 8;
const int BUTTON_ALARM = 9;
const int KNOB = A0;
const int TEMP = A1;
const int tempRES = 10000; // the resistance of the NTC at 25'C is 10k ohm
const int NTC_MATERIAL_CONSTANT = 3950;
const int RED_LED = 4;
const int BUZZER = 3;
int index = 1;
double value;
int state = 0;
unsigned long time_now = 0;
int period = 1000;
char incomingOption;
#include "Display.h"
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(BUTTON_SWITCH, INPUT_PULLUP);
pinMode(BUTTON_ALARM, INPUT_PULLUP);
pinMode(RED_LED, OUTPUT);
}
float get_temperature()
{
float temperature, resistance;
int value;
value = analogRead(TEMP);
resistance = (float)value * tempRES / (1024 - value); // Calculate resistance
/* Calculate the temperature according to the following formula. */
temperature = 1 / (log(resistance / tempRES) / NTC_MATERIAL_CONSTANT + 1 / 298.15) - 273.15;
return temperature;
}
void loop() {
if (digitalRead(BUTTON_SWITCH) == LOW) { // button for switching the 3 modes
index = index + 1;
}
if (digitalRead(BUTTON_ALARM) == LOW) { // button for the alarm
displayAlarm();
}
if (Serial.available()) {
// Read entire buffer up to newline character
// Since on the C# side, serialPort1.WriteLine appends a newline character
String respond = Serial.readStringUntil('\n');
if (respond == "RESET") {
digitalWrite(RED_LED, LOW);
digitalWrite(BUZZER, LOW);
}
}
if (index > 3) { // when the code is on the last mode press the button to turn back to the first mode
index = 1;
}
get_temperature();
float celcius;
celcius = get_temperature();
if(celcius<16 || celcius>27){ // if the temperature becomes less than 16 degrees or goes higher than 27 degrees turn on the alarm
displayAlarm();
}
switch (index) {
case 1: displayTime(); break; // switch between the 3 different modes
case 2: displayTemp(); break;
case 3: displayAngle(); break;
}
}
void displayTime() {
float timer = Serial.parseFloat(); // take the current time from the c# application and display it on the arduino board
Display.show(timer);
}
void displayTemp() {
float celcius;
celcius = get_temperature(); // mode for displaying the current temperature
Display.show(celcius);
}
void displayAngle() {
int value = analogRead(KNOB); // read and save analog value from the potentionmeter
value = map(value, 0, 1023, 0, 30); // Map value 0-1023 to 0-30
Display.show(value);
}
void displayAlarm() {
Serial.println("Alarm");
digitalWrite(RED_LED, HIGH);
tone(BUZZER, 1500, 700);
}

Control DC gear motor using a rotary encoder

I have a rotary encoder and a DC gear motor connected to my Arduino UNO. I would like to rotate the DC motor at a certain angle. As I right now, I have written a code that reads the position of my encoder as I rotate it and prints out the position and the angle. I have also written code that runs the dc motor at fixed amount of time.
I would like to rotate the dc motor at a certain angle. For example, if I input 90 degrees my motor should rotate 90 degrees and stop.
I'm using pin 2 and pin 3 for my channel A and B (ENCODER)
I'm using pin 9 to control my dc motor.
I have no clue how to approach this... any thoughts?
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>
LiquidCrystal lcd(8, 9, 4, 5, 6, 7);
int lcd_case = 0;
volatile int timeToRun = 0;
int motorPin = 6;
#define BTN_RIGHT 0
#define BTN_LEFT 1
#define BTN_UP 2
#define BTN_DOWN 3
#define BTN_SELECT 4
#define BTN_NONE 5
#define SELECT 6
#define RESET 7
#define PIN
#define encoderPinA 2
#define encoderPinB 3
#define CPR 256
volatile int counter =0;
volatile boolean flag;
volatile int var_degrees =0;
void setup() {
pinMode(3, OUTPUT);
pinMode(encoderPinA, INPUT);
pinMode(encoderPinB, INPUT);
Serial.begin (9600);
attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(encoderPinA), isr_2, RISING);
lcd.clear();
}
void loop() {
if(flag == true){
var_degrees = ((360/256.0)*counter);
Serial.println(var_degrees);
//lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
//lcd.print("Degrees: ");
//lcd.setCursor(9, 1);
//lcd.print(var_degrees);
flag = false;
}
lcd_case = readButtons();
int read_button = analogRead (0);
//Depending on which button we pressed, we performan action
switch (lcd_case) {
case BTN_RIGHT:
{
break;
}
case BTN_LEFT:
{
break;
}
case BTN_UP:
{
timeToRun = timeToRun +1;
lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
lcd.print("Degrees: ");
lcd.setCursor(9, 1);
lcd.print(timeToRun);
delay(500);
break;
}
case BTN_DOWN:
{
if (timeToRun > 0) {
timeToRun = timeToRun - 1;
lcd.setCursor(0, 1);
lcd.print("Degrees: ");
lcd.setCursor(9, 1);
lcd.print(timeToRun);
delay(500);
break;
}
}
case BTN_SELECT:
{
analogWrite(motorPin, 255);
// I NEED TO ROTATE MOTOR BASED ON ANGLE IN ENCODER
delay(timeToRun * 100); //ONLY ROTATES DC MOTOR IN SECONDS
break;
}
case RESET:
{
break;
}
}
}
//Interrupts
void isr_2(){
flag = true;
if(digitalRead(encoderPinA) == HIGH){
if(digitalRead(encoderPinB) == LOW){
counter = counter -1; //COUNTER CLOCK WISE
}
else{
counter = counter +1; //CLOCK WISE
}
}
else{ //IF PIN A IS LOW
if(digitalRead(encoderPinB) == LOW){
counter = counter +1; //CLOCK WISE
}
else{
counter = counter -1 ; //COUNTER CLOCK WISE
}
}
}
int readButtons() {
int read_button;
read_button = analogRead (0);
if (read_button < 50) {
return BTN_RIGHT;
}
if (read_button < 195) {
return BTN_UP;
}
if (read_button < 400) {
return BTN_DOWN;
}
if (read_button < 600) {
return BTN_LEFT;
}
if (read_button < 800) {
return BTN_SELECT;
}
else
return BTN_NONE;
}
It's good that you are correctly reading the position of the armature of your motor. Now is the time to use PID and closed loop! Tuned PID is a controller that helps your motor to go to the desired position at the best possible time with the lowest possible overshoot(error) It takes a control course to learn all of this. You will basically need a feedback loop that takes the "desired angle", give it to the controller which moves the motor. Then you get the current position of the motor, which will be fed back to the origin of the system. Your "desired angle" minus "current angle" will be how much your motor should move each time the micro controller go over the loop.
Here is how the feedback loop looks like:
And here is link to learn control. Good luck!
Control Tutorials
Edit 2: I should probably give you an intro on what PID is as well. PID controller is made of three different components:
Proportional
Integral
Derivative
Each time you get your "Desired Angle" - "Actual Angle" or "e" as shown in diagram, you will times it by Kp. Find its derivative with respect to previous e and times it by Kd, and find the integral of the errors and times it by Ki. You can start by ignoring Ki and integral, and add it if it was needed later. After you got Kpe+Kdd(e)/dt, this values is the percentage of power you will output to your motor. Kp and Kd and Ki is where the real engineering comes into play. You should find them using the transfer function of your system and fine-tune them in MatLab or a similar software. These values are usually low (less than 1). It really depends on your system. For my motor, they were Kp=0.001 and Kd=0.02

Why does the SD card stop logging without error?

The following sketch is for an Arduino Nano clone. It waits for a START command then collects data from an I2C slave, assembles it for logging on an SD card, writes it to the card, prints it to the serial monitor and repeats. I've tested and retested. The SD card logfile ALWAYS stops after logging the header and 3 out of 30 lines of data, but the serial monitor shows all the expected data. Never in any of my tests was an SD write error generated.
I'd appreciate any ideas as to why the SD stops logging and how to fix it.
Arduino Sketch
#include <Wire.h>
#include <Servo.h>
#include <SD.h>
#include <SPI.h>
// Uncomment the #define below to enable internal polling of data.
#define POLLING_ENABLED
//define slave i2c address
#define I2C_SLAVE_ADDRESS 9
/* ===================================
Arduino Nano Connections
ESC (PWM) Signal - Pin 9 (1000ms min, 2000ms max)
S.Port Signal - Pin 10
SPI Connections
MOSI = Pin 11
MISO = Pin 12
SCLK = PIN 13
I2C Connections
SDA = Pin A4
SCL = Pin A5
Start/Stop Switches
Start = Pin 2 => INT0
Stop = Pin 3 => INT1
===================================*/
Servo esc; // Servo object for the ESC - PIN 9
const unsigned long pause = 800; // Number of ms between readings
const unsigned long testDelay = 30000; // Number of ms between tests
const int CS_pin = 10; // Pin to use for CS (SS) on your board
const int Startpin = 2;
const int Stoppin = 3;
const int readings = 3; // Number of readings to take at every step
const int steps = 5; // Number of steps to stop the ESC and take readings
const byte HALT = 0;
int ESC = 0;
int throttle = 0;
int increment;
volatile bool STOP = 0;
volatile bool START = 0;
const String header = "% Thr,Thrust,Curr,Volts,RPM,Cell1,Cell2,Cell3,Cell4,Cell5,Cell6";
char buffer0[33]; // Buffer for I2C received data
char buffer1[33]; // Buffer for I2C received data
String logEntry = " GOT NO DATA "; //52 bytes
void setup() {
Wire.begin();
Serial.begin(115200);
pinMode(Startpin, INPUT_PULLUP);
pinMode(Stoppin, INPUT_PULLUP);
// Attach an interrupt to the ISR vector
attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(Startpin), start_ISR, LOW);
attachInterrupt(digitalPinToInterrupt(Stoppin), stop_ISR, LOW);
esc.attach(9, 1000, 2000);
// attaches the ESC on pin 9 to the servo object and sets min and max pulse width
esc.write(HALT); // Shut down Motor NOW!
increment = 180 / (steps - 1);
// Number of degrees to move servo (ESC) per step (servo travel is 0-180 degrees so 180 = 100% throttle)
delay(500);
Serial.println(" Thrust Meter I2C Master");
//Print program name
//Initialize SD Card
if (!SD.begin(CS_pin)) {
Serial.println("Card Failure");
}
Serial.println("Card Ready");
//Write Log File Header to SD Card
writeSD(header);
Serial.println(header);
}
void loop() {
if (START) {
Serial.println("Start Pressed");
while (!STOP) {
for (throttle = 0; throttle <= 180; throttle += increment) {
for (int x = 0; x < readings; x++) {
if (STOP) {
esc.write(HALT); // Shut down Motor NOW!
Serial.println("Halting Motor");
} else {
wait (pause);
esc.write(throttle); // increment the ESC
wait (200);
ESC = throttle * 100 / 180;
getData(buffer0);
wait (100);
getData(buffer1);
String logEntry = String(ESC) + "," + String(buffer1) + "," + String(buffer0);
writeSD(logEntry);
Serial.println(logEntry);
}
}
}
for (throttle = 180; throttle >= 0; throttle -= increment) {
for (int x = 0; x < readings; x++) {
if (STOP) {
esc.write(HALT); // Shut down Motor NOW!
Serial.println("Halting Motor");
} else {
wait (pause);
esc.write(throttle); // increment the ESC
wait (200);
ESC = throttle * 100 / 180;
getData(buffer0);
wait (100);
getData(buffer1);
String logEntry = String(ESC) + "," + String(buffer1) + "," + String(buffer0);
writeSD(logEntry);
Serial.println(logEntry);
}
}
}
Serial.println("End of Test Pass");
wait (testDelay);
}
esc.write(HALT); // Shut down Motor NOW!
}
}
void writeSD(String logdata) {
File logFile = SD.open("NANO_LOG.csv", FILE_WRITE);
if (logFile) {
logFile.println(logdata);
logFile.close();
} else {
Serial.println("Error writing log data");
}
}
void wait(unsigned long i) {
unsigned long time = millis() + i;
while(millis()<time) { }
}
void start_ISR() {
START = 1;
STOP = 0;
}
void stop_ISR() {
STOP = 1;
START = 0;
}
void getData(char* buff) {
Wire.requestFrom(9, 32);
for (byte i = 0; i < 32 && Wire.available(); ++i) {
buff[i] = Wire.read();
if (buff[i] == '#') {
buff[i] = '\0';
break;
}
}
}
This is the SD card contents:
% Thr,Thrust,Curr,Volts,RPM,Cell1,Cell2,Cell3,Cell4,Cell5,Cell6
0,-12,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
0,-12,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
0,128,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
This is the output from the serial monitor:
Thrust Meter I2C Master
Card Ready
% Thr,Thrust,Curr,Volts,RPM,Cell1,Cell2,Cell3,Cell4,Cell5,Cell6
Start Pressed
0,-12,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
0,-12,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
0,128,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
25,2062,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
25,2520,0.00,15.75,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
25,2710,0.00,15.75,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
50,519,0.00,15.75,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
50,216,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
50,2288,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
75,890,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
75,891,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
75,1386,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
100,2621,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
100,2424,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
100,692,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
100,3409,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
100,227,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
100,3349,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
75,2220,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
75,2249,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
75,509,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
50,1977,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
50,2986,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
50,546,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
25,3746,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
25,3337,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
25,3015,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
0,96,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
0,-12,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
0,-14,0.00,15.76,0,3.10,4.20,3.96,3.96,0.00,0.00
End of Test Pass
The solution to the problem was to replace the SD card with a faster one. Once I did that the data logged as it should. Thanks Patrick for the suggestion.

Arduino calculating the frequency - what am I doing wrong here?

I'm a newbie when it comes to electronics and Arduino - so the best way is to just to play around with it, right?
I have started a small project that utilize and LDR (Light Density Resistor) and want to use it to calculate the frequency that a light beam is blocked or turned off.
For debugging purposes I setup a small LED that blinks at a defined frequency (5 Hz etc.) and use a LCD to display the output.
I have a problem with my top right corner... It seems as it performs wrongly. It was the intention that it should show the registered frequency, but while debugging I have set it to show the number of counts in an interval of 5 sec (5,000 msec). But it appears as 24 is the max no matter what frequency I set (When I get it to show the right number [5 sec x 5 Hz = 25] I will divide by the time interval and get the results in Hz). It also shows 24.0 for 9 Hz etc..
I also have this: YouTube video
...but some fumbling in the beginning caused the LED to move a bit so it counted wrong. But in the end it "works".. But the 24.0 keeps being constant
This is my code:
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>
LiquidCrystal lcd(7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 12);
int booBlocked = 0;
int counter = 0;
int checkValue = counter + 1;
int ledPin = 3; // LED connected to digital pin 3
int value = LOW; // previous value of the LED
long previousMillis = 0; // will store last time LED was updated
long freqency = 5; // Hz (1/sec)
long thousand = 1000;
long interval = thousand / freqency; // milliseconds
//long interval = 59; // interval at which to blink (milliseconds)
int tValue = 0; // Threshold value used for counting (are calibrated in the beginning)
long pMillis = 0;
long inter = 5000;
int pCount = 0;
float freq = 0; // Calculated blink frequency...
void setup() {
lcd.begin(16, 2);
lcd.setCursor(0,1); lcd.print(interval);
lcd.setCursor(4,1); lcd.print("ms");
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
lcd.setCursor(0,0); lcd.print(freqency);
lcd.setCursor(4,0); lcd.print("Hz");
}
void loop() {
// Print LDR sensor value to the display
int sensorValue = analogRead(A0);
lcd.setCursor(7,1);
lcd.print(sensorValue);
delay(100);
if (millis() > 5000){
doCount(sensorValue);
updateFreq();
lcd.setCursor(7+5,0);
lcd.print(freq);
} else {
setThresholdValue(sensorValue);
lcd.setCursor(7+5,1);
lcd.print(tValue);
}
// LED BLINK
if (millis() - previousMillis > interval) {
previousMillis = millis(); // remember the last time we blinked the LED
// if the LED is off turn it on and vice-versa.
if (value == LOW)
value = HIGH;
else
value = LOW;
digitalWrite(ledPin, value);
}
}
void updateFreq(){
long now = millis();
long t = now - pMillis;
if (t >= 10000) {
freq = (float) (counter - pCount);
//freq = ((float) (counter - pCount)) / (float) 10.0;
pMillis = now; // remember the last time we blinked the LED
pCount = counter;
}
}
void setThresholdValue(int sensorValue){
if (sensorValue > int(tValue/0.90)){
tValue = int (sensorValue*0.90);
}
}
void doCount(int sensorValue){
// Count stuff
if (sensorValue < tValue){
booBlocked = 1;
//lcd.setCursor(0,0);
//lcd.print("Blocked");
} else {
booBlocked = 0;
//lcd.setCursor(0,0);
//lcd.print(" ");
}
if (booBlocked == 1) {
if (counter != checkValue){
counter = counter + 1;
lcd.setCursor(7,0);
lcd.print(counter);
}
} else {
if (counter == checkValue){
checkValue = checkValue + 1;
}
}
}
UPDATE
A more "clean" code (please see my own answer)
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>
// Initiate the LCD display
LiquidCrystal lcd(7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 12); // see setup at http://lassenorfeldt.weebly.com/1/post/2013/02/ardunio-lcd.html
long updateInterval = 150; // ms
long updateTime = 0;
// Declare the pins
int ledPin = 3; // LED connected to digital pin 3
// LED setup
int value = LOW; // previous value of the LED
long previousMillis = 0; // will store last time LED was updated
long freqency = 16; // Hz (1/sec)
long thousand = 1000;
long blinkInterval = thousand / freqency; // milliseconds
//// LDR counter variables ////
// Counting vars
static int counter = 0;
int booBlocked = 0;
int checkValue = counter + 1;
// Calibration vars
long onBootCalibrationTime = 5000; // time [time] to use for calibration when the system is booted
static int threshold = 0; // Value used for counting (calibrated in the beginning)
float cutValue = 0.90; // Procent value used to allow jitting in the max signal without counting.
// Frequency vars
float freq = 0; // Calculated blink frequency...
long frequencyInterval = 5000; // time [ms]
long pMillis = 0;
int pCount = 0;
void setup() {
// Setup the pins
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
// display static values
lcd.begin(16, 2);
lcd.setCursor(0,0); lcd.print(freqency);
lcd.setCursor(4,0); lcd.print("Hz");
lcd.setCursor(0,1); lcd.print(blinkInterval);
lcd.setCursor(4,1); lcd.print("ms");
// Setup that allows loggin
Serial.begin(9600); // Allows to get a readout from Putty (windows 7)
}
void loop() {
long time = millis();
int sensorValue = analogRead(A0);
// Blink the LED
blinkLED(time);
// Calibrate or Count (AND calculate the frequency) via the LDR
if (time < onBootCalibrationTime){
setThresholdValue(sensorValue);
} else {
doCount(sensorValue);
updateFreq(time);
}
// Update the LCD
if (time > updateTime){
updateTime += updateInterval; // set the next time to update the LCD
// Display the sensor value
lcd.setCursor(7,1); lcd.print(sensorValue);
// Display the threshold value used to determined if blocked or not
lcd.setCursor(7+5,1); lcd.print(threshold);
// Display the count
lcd.setCursor(7,0);
lcd.print(counter);
// Display the calculated frequency
lcd.setCursor(7+5,0); lcd.print(freq);
}
}
void blinkLED(long t){
if (t - previousMillis > blinkInterval) {
previousMillis = t; // remember the last time we blinked the LED
// if the LED is off turn it on and vice-versa.
if (value == LOW)
value = HIGH;
else
value = LOW;
digitalWrite(ledPin, value);
}
}
void setThresholdValue(int sValue){
if (sValue > int(threshold/cutValue)){
threshold = int (sValue*cutValue);
}
}
void doCount(int sValue){
if (sValue < threshold){
booBlocked = 1;
} else {
booBlocked = 0;
}
if (booBlocked == 1) {
if (counter != checkValue){
counter = counter + 1;
}
} else {
if (counter == checkValue){
checkValue = checkValue + 1;
}
}
}
void updateFreq(long t){
long inter = t - pMillis;
if (inter >= frequencyInterval) {
freq = (counter - pCount) / (float) (inter/1000);
pMillis = t; // remember the last time we blinked the LED
pCount = counter;
}
}
This code does not fix my question, but is just more easy to read.
The issue with your plan is that a light density resistor is going to pick up all the ambient light around and therefore be completely environment sensitive.
Have any other project hopes? This one seems like an engineering learning experience, not a coding one.
Have you thought of motor projects? Personally I'm more into home automation, but motor projects are almost instantly rewarding.
I'd recommend to re-write your doCount() function along these lines to make things simpler and easier to grasp:
void doCount(int sensorValue){
static int previousState;
int currentState;
if ( previousState == 0 ) {
currentState = sensorValue > upperThreshold;
} else {
currentState = sensorValue > lowerThreshold;
}
if ( previousState != 0 ) {
if ( currentState == 0 ) {
counter++;
}
}
previousState = currentState;
}
Let lowerThreshold and upperThreshold be, for example, 90% and 110%, respectively, of your former tValue, and you have a hysteresis to smoothen the reaction to noisy ADC read-outs.
I think i found one of the bugs.. I was using a delay() which caused some trouble..
I cleaned up the code:
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>
// Initiate the LCD display
LiquidCrystal lcd(7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 12); // see setup at http://lassenorfeldt.weebly.com/1/post/2013/02/ardunio-lcd.html
long updateInterval = 150; // ms
long updateTime = 0;
// Declare the pins
int ledPin = 3; // LED connected to digital pin 3
// LED setup
int value = LOW; // previous value of the LED
long previousMillis = 0; // will store last time LED was updated
long freqency = 16; // Hz (1/sec)
long thousand = 1000;
long blinkInterval = thousand / freqency; // milliseconds
//// LDR counter variables ////
// Counting vars
static int counter = 0;
int booBlocked = 0;
int checkValue = counter + 1;
// Calibration vars
long onBootCalibrationTime = 5000; // time [time] to use for calibration when the system is booted
static int threshold = 0; // Value used for counting (calibrated in the beginning)
float cutValue = 0.90; // Procent value used to allow jitting in the max signal without counting.
// Frequency vars
float freq = 0; // Calculated blink frequency...
long frequencyInterval = 5000; // time [ms]
long pMillis = 0;
int pCount = 0;
void setup() {
// Setup the pins
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
// display static values
lcd.begin(16, 2);
lcd.setCursor(0,0); lcd.print(freqency);
lcd.setCursor(4,0); lcd.print("Hz");
lcd.setCursor(0,1); lcd.print(blinkInterval);
lcd.setCursor(4,1); lcd.print("ms");
// Setup that allows loggin
Serial.begin(9600); // Allows to get a readout from Putty (windows 7)
}
void loop() {
long time = millis();
int sensorValue = analogRead(A0);
// Blink the LED
blinkLED(time);
// Calibrate or Count (AND calculate the frequency) via the LDR
if (time < onBootCalibrationTime){
setThresholdValue(sensorValue);
} else {
doCount(sensorValue);
updateFreq(time);
}
// Update the LCD
if (time > updateTime){
updateTime += updateInterval; // set the next time to update the LCD
// Display the sensor value
lcd.setCursor(7,1); lcd.print(sensorValue);
// Display the threshold value used to determined if blocked or not
lcd.setCursor(7+5,1); lcd.print(threshold);
// Display the count
lcd.setCursor(7,0);
lcd.print(counter);
// Display the calculated frequency
lcd.setCursor(7+5,0); lcd.print(freq);
}
}
void blinkLED(long t){
if (t - previousMillis > blinkInterval) {
previousMillis = t; // remember the last time we blinked the LED
// if the LED is off turn it on and vice-versa.
if (value == LOW)
value = HIGH;
else
value = LOW;
digitalWrite(ledPin, value);
}
}
void setThresholdValue(int sValue){
if (sValue > int(threshold/cutValue)){
threshold = int (sValue*cutValue);
}
}
void doCount(int sValue){
if (sValue < threshold){
booBlocked = 1;
} else {
booBlocked = 0;
}
if (booBlocked == 1) {
if (counter != checkValue){
counter = counter + 1;
}
} else {
if (counter == checkValue){
checkValue = checkValue + 1;
}
}
}
void updateFreq(long t){
long inter = t - pMillis;
if (inter >= frequencyInterval) {
freq = (counter - pCount) / (float) (inter/1000);
pMillis = t; // remember the last time we blinked the LED
pCount = counter;
}
}
Its not as precise as I wished.. but I believe that this is might due to the way I blink the LED.
I also discovered that float cutValue = 0.90; has an influence... lowering the bar to 0.85 decrease the calculated frequency.. ??
I changed the code completely after Albert was so kind to help me out using his awesome FreqPeriodCounter library
I also added a potentiometer to control the frequency
Here is my code:
#include <FreqPeriodCounter.h>
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>
// FrequencyCounter vars
const byte counterPin = 3; // Pin connected to the LDR
const byte counterInterrupt = 1; // = pin 3
FreqPeriodCounter counter(counterPin, micros, 0);
// LCD vars
LiquidCrystal lcd(7, 8, 9, 10, 11 , 12); // see setup at http://lassenorfeldt.weebly.com/1/post/2013/02/ardunio-lcd.html
long updateInterval = 200; // ms
long updateTime = 0;
// LED vars
int ledPin = 5; // LED connected to digital pin 3
int value = LOW; // previous value of the LED
float previousMillis = 0; // will store last time LED was updated
static float freqency; // Hz (1/sec)
static float pfreqency;
static float blinkInterval; // milliseconds
boolean logging = true; // Logging by sending to serial
// Use potentiometer to control LED frequency
int potPin = 5; // select the input pin for the potentiometer
int val = 0; // variable to store the value coming from the sensor
void setup(void){
// Setup the pins
pinMode(ledPin, OUTPUT); // sets the digital pin as output
val = analogRead(potPin);
freqency = map(val, 0, 1023, 0, 25); // Hz (1/sec)
pfreqency = freqency;
blinkInterval = 1000 / (freqency*2); // milliseconds
// LCD display static values
lcd.begin(16, 2);
lcd.setCursor(0,0); lcd.print(freqency);
lcd.setCursor(4,0); lcd.print("Hz");
lcd.setCursor(14,0); lcd.print("Hz");
lcd.setCursor(0,1); lcd.print(blinkInterval);
lcd.setCursor(4,1); lcd.print("ms");
//
attachInterrupt(counterInterrupt, counterISR, CHANGE);
// Logging
if (logging) {Serial.begin(9600);}
}
void loop(void){
// Loop vars
float time = (float) millis();
float freq = (float) counter.hertz(10)/10.0;
// Blink the LED
blinkLED(time);
if (logging) {
if(counter.ready()) Serial.println(counter.hertz(100));
}
// Update the LCD
if (time > updateTime){
updateTime += updateInterval; // set the next time to update the LCD
lcdNicePrint(7+3, 0, freq); lcd.setCursor(14,0); lcd.print("Hz");
val = analogRead(potPin);
freqency = map(val, 0, 1023, 1, 30);
if (freqency != pfreqency){
pfreqency = freqency;
blinkInterval = 1000 / (freqency*2); // milliseconds
lcdNicePrint(0,0, freqency); lcd.setCursor(4,0); lcd.print("Hz");
lcd.setCursor(0,1); lcd.print(blinkInterval);
lcd.setCursor(4,1); lcd.print("ms");
}
}
}
void lcdNicePrint(int column, int row, float value){
lcd.setCursor(column, row); lcd.print("00");
if (value < 10) {lcd.setCursor(column+1, row); lcd.print(value);}
else {lcd.setCursor(column, row); lcd.print(value);}
}
void blinkLED(long t){
if (t - previousMillis > blinkInterval) {
previousMillis = t; // remember the last time we blinked the LED
// if the LED is off turn it on and vice-versa.
if (value == LOW)
value = HIGH;
else
value = LOW;
digitalWrite(ledPin, value);
}
}
void counterISR()
{ counter.poll();
}

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