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Arduino Disco Ball Cake Reviewed by Unknown on 13:38 Rating: 4.5

Arduino Disco Ball Cake


 

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 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I used version 1.6.4, which is probably way out of date...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I used version 3.0.3, which is also probably out of date.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.
 






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.


Description: Arduino Disco Ball Cake Rating: 3.5 Reviewer: Unknown ItemReviewed: Arduino Disco Ball Cake
NeoPixel Heart Beat Display Reviewed by Unknown on 01:11 Rating: 4.5

NeoPixel Heart Beat Display


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:


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/* ================================================================================================ 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.
 



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

 
Visit my ArduinoBasics Google + page.
Follow me on Twitter by looking for ScottC @ArduinoBasics.
I can also be found on Pinterest and Instagram.
Have a look at my videos on my YouTube channel.


 
 
             

 
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.




Description: NeoPixel Heart Beat Display Rating: 3.5 Reviewer: Unknown ItemReviewed: NeoPixel Heart Beat Display
433 MHz RF module with Arduino Tutorial 2 Reviewed by Unknown on 00:05 Rating: 4.5

433 MHz RF module with Arduino Tutorial 2




There are 4 parts to this tutorial:
To get the most out of this tutorial - it is best to start at tutorial Part 1, and then progress to Part 2 then Part 3 and then do Part 4 last. Doing the RF tutorials in this order will help you to understand the process better.


Project 2: RF Remote Copy

In the previous project, we transmitted a signal wirelessly from one Arduino to another. It was there to help troubleshoot communication between the modules. It was important to start with a very short distance (1-2 cm) and then move the RF modules further apart to test the range. The range can be extended by soldering an antenna to the module, or by experimenting with different voltage supplies to the modules (making sure to keep within the voltage limits of the modules.)
In this project - we aim to receive a signal from an RF remote. The remote that I am using is a Mercator Remote Controller for a Fan/Light. (Remote controller code is FRM94). It is important that you use a remote that transmits at the same frequency as your receiver. In this case, my remote just happens to use a frequency of 433MHz. I was able to receive RF signals from from a distance of about 30cm without an antenna (from my remote to the receiver).


Video





Here are the parts that you will need to carry out this project:
 

Parts Required


Remote Controller


You can quickly test your remote, by pressing one of the buttons in close proximity to the RF receiver (using the same sketch as in Project 1), and you should see the LED flicker on an off in response to the button press. If you don't see the LED flickering, then this project will not work for you.

Here is a picture of the remote controller that I am using:

 
 

Arduino Sketch - Remote Receiver

The following sketch will make the Arduino wait until a signal is detected from the remote (or other 433 MHz RF device). Once triggered, it will turn the LED ON, and start to collect and store the signal data into an array.
I did my best to keep the signal reading section of the sketch free from other functions or interruptions.The aim is to get the Arduino to focus on reading ONLY... and once the reading phase is complete, it will report the signal data to the Serial monitor. So you will need to have the Serial monitor open when you press the remote control button.
The remote control signal will be made up of HIGH and LOW signals - which I will try to illustrate later in the tutorial. But for now, all you need to know is that the Signal will alternate between HIGH and LOW signals, and that they can be different lengths.
This sketch aims to identify how long each LOW and HIGH signal is (to make up the complete RF remote signal). I have chosen to capture 500 data points(or 250 LOW/HIGH combinations).You may wish to increase or decrease the dataSize variable to accomodate your specific RF signal. In my case, I only really needed 300 data points, because there was a "flat" signal for the last 200 data points (characterised by 200 repetitions of a LOW signal length of 0 and HIGH signal length of 255)

--------------------------------------------------


Receiver Fritzing Sketch



Results

After pressing the button on the RF remote, the data signal is printed to the Serial Monitor. You can copy the data to a spreadsheet program for review. This is an example of the signal produced after pushing the button on the remote for turning the fan/light on.
The following code was produced from pushing the button responsible for turning the light off:
The code sequence above may seem a bit random until you start graphing it. I grabbed the LOW column - and produced the following chart:
The chart above is a bit messy - mainly because the timing is slightly out... in that sometimes it can squeeze an extra read from a particular signal. But what is important to note here is that you can differentiate a LONG signal from a SHORT signal. I have drawn a couple of red dotted lines where I believe most of the readings tend to sit. I then used a formula in the spreadsheet to calibrate the readings and make them a bit more uniform. For example, if the length of the signal was greater than 4 analogReads, then I converted this to 6. If it was less than 4 analogReads, then I converted it to 2. I used a frequency table to help decide on the cutoff value of 4, and just decided to pick the two values (2 for short, and 6 for long) based on the frequency tables below. I could have chosen 5 as the LONG value, but there were more 6's overall.

  **The meaning of "frequency" in the following tables relate to the "number of times" a specific signal length is recorded.


And this is the resulting chart:

You will notice that the pattern is quite repetitive. I helped to identify the sections with vertical red lines (near the bottom of the chart). In other words, the signal produced by the remote is repeated 6 times.
I then did the same for the HIGH signal column and combined the two to create the following chart:



 
You will notice that the HIGH signals also have a repetitive pattern, however have a Very long length at the end of each section. This is almost a break to separate each section.
This is what a single section looks like zoomed in:



SL = [Short LOW] signal. - or short blue bar
SH = [Short HIGH] signal - or short yellow bar
LL = [Long LOW] signal - or long blue bar
LH = [Long HIGH] signal - or long yellow bar
VLH = [Very long HIGH} signal - or very long yellow bar (~92 analogReads in length)


  You will notice that there are only about 6 different combinations of the signals mentioned above. We can use this to create a coding system as described below:


 
We can use this coding system to describe the signals. The charts below show the difference between turning the LIGHT ON and LIGHT OFF.


 


 
PLEASE NOTE: You may notice when you copy the signals from the Serial monitor that you get a series of (0,255) combinations. This is actually a timeout sequence - which generally occurs after the signal is complete.

 Here is an example of what I mean.



This is the end of tutorial 2. In the next tutorial, we will use the code acquired from the remote to turn the FAN LIGHT on and off (using the 433 MHz RF transmitter).

Click here for Tutorial 3



Description: 433 MHz RF module with Arduino Tutorial 2 Rating: 3.5 Reviewer: Unknown ItemReviewed: 433 MHz RF module with Arduino Tutorial 2
HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor Reviewed by Unknown on 21:47 Rating: 4.5

HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor


Introduction:

The HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor is a very affordable proximity/distance sensor that has been used mainly for object avoidance in various robotics projects . It essentially gives your Arduino eyes / spacial awareness and can prevent your robot from crashing or falling off a table. It has also been used in turret applications, water level sensing, and even as a parking sensor. This simple project will use the HC-SR04 sensor with an Arduino and a Processing sketch to provide a neat little interactive display on your computer screen.



Parts Required:
Freetronics Eleven or any compatible Arduino.
HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor
Mini Breadboard 4.5cm x 3.5cm
Protoshieldand female header pins (not essential - but makes it more tidy)
Wiresto connect it all together




The Video:




The Arduino Sketch:



     The above sketch was created using Fritzing.





Arduino Code:
You can download the Arduino IDE from this site.

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/*
HC-SR04 Ping distance sensor:
VCC to arduino 5v
GND to arduino GND
Echo to Arduino pin 7
Trig to Arduino pin 8

This sketch originates from Virtualmix: http://goo.gl/kJ8Gl
Has been modified by Winkle ink here: http://winkleink.blogspot.com.au/2012/05/arduino-hc-sr04-ultrasonic-distance.html
And modified further by ScottC here: http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com.au/2012/11/arduinobasics-hc-sr04-ultrasonic-sensor.html
on 10 Nov 2012.
*/


#define echoPin 7 // Echo Pin
#define trigPin 8 // Trigger Pin
#define LEDPin 13 // Onboard LED

int maximumRange = 200; // Maximum range needed
int minimumRange = 0; // Minimum range needed
long duration, distance; // Duration used to calculate distance

void setup() {
Serial.begin (9600);
pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(echoPin, INPUT);
pinMode(LEDPin, OUTPUT); // Use LED indicator (if required)
}

void loop() {
/* The following trigPin/echoPin cycle is used to determine the
distance of the nearest object by bouncing soundwaves off of it. */
digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
delayMicroseconds(2);

digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
delayMicroseconds(10);

digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);

//Calculate the distance (in cm) based on the speed of sound.
distance = duration/58.2;

if (distance >= maximumRange || distance <= minimumRange){
/* Send a negative number to computer and Turn LED ON
to indicate "out of range" */
Serial.println("-1");
digitalWrite(LEDPin, HIGH);
}
else {
/* Send the distance to the computer using Serial protocol, and
turn LED OFF to indicate successful reading. */
Serial.println(distance);
digitalWrite(LEDPin, LOW);
}

//Delay 50ms before next reading.
delay(50);
}

The code above was formatted using hilite.me





Processing Code:
You can download the Processing IDE from this site.

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/* The following Processing Sketch was created by ScottC on
the 10 Nov 2012 : http://arduinobasics.blogspot.com/

Inspired by this Processing sketch by Daniel Shiffman:
http://processing.org/learning/basics/sinewave.html

*/
import processing.serial.*;


int numOfShapes = 60; // Number of squares to display on screen
int shapeSpeed = 2; // Speed at which the shapes move to new position
// 2 = Fastest, Larger numbers are slower

//Global Variables
Square[] mySquares = new Square[numOfShapes];
int shapeSize, distance;
String comPortString;
Serial myPort;

/* -----------------------Setup ---------------------------*/
void setup(){
size(displayWidth,displayHeight); //Use entire screen size.
smooth(); // draws all shapes with smooth edges.

/* Calculate the size of the squares and initialise the Squares array */
shapeSize = (width/numOfShapes);
for(int i = 0; i<numOfShapes; i++){
mySquares[i]=new Square(int(shapeSize*i),height-40);
}

/*Open the serial port for communication with the Arduino
Make sure the COM port is correct - I am using COM port 8 */
myPort = new Serial(this, "COM8", 9600);
myPort.bufferUntil('\n'); // Trigger a SerialEvent on new line
}

/* ------------------------Draw -----------------------------*/
void draw(){
background(0); //Make the background BLACK
delay(50); //Delay used to refresh screen
drawSquares(); //Draw the pattern of squares
}


/* ---------------------serialEvent ---------------------------*/
void serialEvent(Serial cPort){
comPortString = cPort.readStringUntil('\n');
if(comPortString != null) {
comPortString=trim(comPortString);

/* Use the distance received by the Arduino to modify the y position
of the first square (others will follow). Should match the
code settings on the Arduino. In this case 200 is the maximum
distance expected. The distance is then mapped to a value
between 1 and the height of your screen */
distance = int(map(Integer.parseInt(comPortString),1,200,1,height));
if(distance<0){
/*If computer receives a negative number (-1), then the
sensor is reporting an "out of range" error. Convert all
of these to a distance of 0. */
distance = 0;
}
}
}


/* ---------------------drawSquares ---------------------------*/
void drawSquares(){
int oldY, newY, targetY, redVal, blueVal;

/* Set the Y position of the 1st square based on
sensor value received */
mySquares[0].setY((height-shapeSize)-distance);

/* Update the position and colour of each of the squares */
for(int i = numOfShapes-1; i>0; i--){
/* Use the previous square's position as a target */
targetY=mySquares[i-1].getY();
oldY=mySquares[i].getY();

if(abs(oldY-targetY)<2){
newY=targetY; //This helps to line them up
}else{
//calculate the new position of the square
newY=oldY-((oldY-targetY)/shapeSpeed);
}
//Set the new position of the square
mySquares[i].setY(newY);

/*Calculate the colour of the square based on its
position on the screen */
blueVal = int(map(newY,0,height,0,255));
redVal = 255-blueVal;
fill(redVal,0,blueVal);

/* Draw the square on the screen */
rect(mySquares[i].getX(), mySquares[i].getY(),shapeSize,shapeSize);
}
}

/* ---------------------sketchFullScreen---------------------------*/
// This puts processing into Full Screen Mode
boolean sketchFullScreen() {
return true;
}

/* ---------------------CLASS: Square ---------------------------*/
class Square{
int xPosition, yPosition;

Square(int xPos, int yPos){
xPosition = xPos;
yPosition = yPos;
}

int getX(){
return xPosition;
}

int getY(){
return yPosition;
}

void setY(int yPos){
yPosition = yPos;
}
}

The code above was formatted using hilite.me

 
 



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Description: HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor Rating: 3.5 Reviewer: Unknown ItemReviewed: HC-SR04 Ultrasonic Sensor
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