help-with-arduino

[obtuse spruce]

run the cheker program - and compre the voltage at the data in to the last led that is lit... and the data out of that led

don't resolder if you can check connectivity

you have a multimeter?

[gray holly]

Will it work if I do both red and black touching that middle thing?

[obtuse spruce]

that isn't really enough information to know what youre talking aout... show me a picture of the solder joints at the end of the first stirp

[gray holly]

What I mean is

[obtuse spruce]

ah - no multimeter - saddly

[gray holly]

Should I use both the red and black things on the voltage checker on the data thing?

[obtuse spruce]

so you can't test connectivity

[gray holly]

The wire looks a bit frayed

Maybe I'll resolder

[obtuse spruce]

to see a voltage - you connect black from the voltage tester to GND (which will be one of the two power lines - make sure you use the right one) - and touch the other, red, lead from the voltage tester to the thing you want to test. It will tell you the voltage between those two points. Since GND is - by definition, 0V -- you read the voltage on the thing touched by the red probe

[gray holly]

I see

[gray holly]

It doesn't seem to be able to pick up any voltage from the data line in or out of the working lights

[obtuse spruce]

doesn't surprise me - that voltage tester isn't really designed for digital signals. It is a power tester.

[gray holly]

Maybe poor soldering?

[obtuse spruce]

Notice that the bottom range of it is 1.5V ~ 12V -- If you are on a 3.3V system, then the data, 50% on, 50% off, would ideally register 1.6V -- but could be less, and that device isn't designed for that kind of task

[obtuse spruce]

You need a decent multimeter for these kind of projects. $18 https://www.adafruit.com/product/2034 and will serve fine... Or if you want to go up: $75 https://www.adafruit.com/product/308 (what I have)

Looking at that joint - I see a single strand of that middle wire suspiciously close to the GND pad.

[gray holly]

So, the main issue is most likely a data cable soldering issue somewhere. Any other causes?

[unborn frost]

I am looking to detect the distance of 2 Arduino devices, I've tried Bluetooth and found that its only practical and easy with an esp32, and even then it is only one way meaning I would need an Bluetooth transmitter module and an esp32 in each device in order to detect ranges of all of them from each other. Is there a way of getting the distance using espnow (used for esp boards to talk with each other) or for an esp board to detect range when searching for mac addresses? any tips or suggestions would be really helpful. ping me with anything plz. thanks

[pine bramble]

Good evening, again, and sorry for the previous delays. I am set to go to finish this up. Could anyone help me with this coding and circuit, if you happen to have spare time? (For this circuit, I want the potentiometer to determine the angle of the servo motor. I want the phototransistor to determine whether or not the piezo “buzz”’es. And finally, I want the button to act as a reset button.) (Code : https://pastebin.com/dsLtdLbp ) (Picture of Circuit :

[north stream]

That depends: what problem are you having? What does work? What doesn't work?

[pine bramble]

If I may ask, just to clarify, were you questioning me or @unborn frost ? I felt more inclined to believe you were asking Redstone based upon his situation, so I didn't ask/reply before.

[obtuse spruce]

I think he meant you, @pine bramble

[pine bramble]

If that's the case, the coding for this circuit isn't working entirely, but I have the right idea, I think, for how I want it to function. I'm trying to get the potentiometer to determine the angle of the servo motor, the phototransistor to determine whether or not the piezo “buzz”’es, and the button to act as a reset button.

[obtuse spruce]

let's start with this line of code:

  if (pushButton == 0)  { //If button is NOT being pushed

What do you think that does?

[pine bramble]

If the button isn't being pushed

then do this *

[obtuse spruce]

Well- pushButton is just a variable, declared with the initial value of 13.

So - it isn't reading any button.

[pine bramble]

Oh right so digitalRead, I see now

pushButtonHere = digitalHere(pushButton);

[obtuse spruce]

first things first - help your future self... on every pin number declaration, lines 4 to 12 --- start them with the word const:

const int piezoPin = 7;
const int LED1 = 8;
const int LED2 = 9;
const int LED3 = 10;
const int ServoMotor = 11;
const int photoTrans = 12;
const int pushButton = 13;
const int potpin = A0;
const int LED[] = {LED1, LED2, LED3};

[pine bramble]

Would that work ?

[obtuse spruce]

This will tell the compiler that you don't expect those value to ever change - they are just nice names for pin numbers.

[pine bramble]

Oh, so less likely for mistakes?

[obtuse spruce]

exactly - or if you make a mistake, the compiler will tell you - rather than the program running and just not working

yes, before the first if in the function loop() ,

  int buttonState = digitalRead(pushButton);
  if (buttonState == LOW) {
    ...

[pine bramble]

Does it need to be defined as a variable?

[obtuse spruce]

you don't need the state of the button to be global (outside of loop()) - it is only used within loop() - so we declare it in there

The int in front of the buttonState = means that we are declaring it as a variable - just a variable local to the loop() function.

[pine bramble]

Does digitalread need to be defined as a variable? I'm still not certain on whether or not it's a necessity, but it does make sense.

[obtuse spruce]

let's look very carefully at this line:

int buttonState = digitalRead(pushButton);

digitalRead is a function - it was declared as part of the declarations you get with Arduino automatically. it is also defined by the standard Arduino library. You don't need to declare or define it.
The use on this line means that you are calling it - asking it to run, passing the value pushButton (the number of the pin) as the argument.
the result of calling digitalRead will be returned...... to.....

int is a type - it says "I'm about to declare something that can hold a integer"

buttonState is the name of thing being declared & defined.

int buttonState tells the compiler: please make room for a variable of type int, and call it buttonState

[pine bramble]

Oh, so it clarifies what's actually happening in the code to the coder themselves, in this case with the arduino?

[obtuse spruce]

the = means that the initial value will be .... the result of calling digitalRead()

well - you must define each thing in the program once. And just once. If you use buttonState again, you don't declare it again, you just use it. Like we're going to just use it in if (buttonState == LOW)....

[pine bramble]

Even in another void?

[obtuse spruce]

first - they are not called "void" - void is the type returned by the those functions - they return nothing, and nothing has the type void in C++.

In another function - you can declare a variable also called buttonState if you wish - but that varible and this variable will be different - just happen to ahve the same name.

[pine bramble]

oh, I meant other functions that use the void scope, such as "buzz" in this case.

[obtuse spruce]

there is nothing called "void scope" ---

use the word "function"

[pine bramble]

sorry I'm trying to imply what I generally know haha

[obtuse spruce]

I know - I just want to be sure you get use to using the right terminology

it will really help you as you go ---- the trick in programming is to gain an understanding of what is going on in this world that you can see directly into. So naming is really important!

[pine bramble]

so anything declare with a void is a function? And anything declared with "int" is a variable?

[obtuse spruce]

oh no! Well, you can't really have void variables (they'd hold ... nothing!) But you can have functions that return int

int doubleIt(int x) {
  return x + x;
}

[pine bramble]

Oh those are two separate questions, sorry to confuse you.

A variable defining a string of code?

[obtuse spruce]

No - that is a function that returns a int

int is the name of the type of data that holds an integer

void is the name of the type of data that holds nothing

char is the name of the type of data that holds an 8-bit character

[pine bramble]

Oh it's implying the name of the string of code, doubleIt, and generally makes it a variable?

[obtuse spruce]

the type name before a variable name is the type the variable will hold.

the type name before a function name is the type of data the function returns

[pine bramble]

Mk, I believe I have a better understanding of those portions

[obtuse spruce]

No - doubleIt is a function - not a variable

[pine bramble]

Isn't it being defined as a variable?

[obtuse spruce]

nope

[pine bramble]

The whole thing is defined as a variable? Or just "doubleIt(int x)?

[obtuse spruce]

it is not defined as a variable.

[pine bramble]

Oh .

[obtuse spruce]

it is defining a function

a function named doubleIt

[pine bramble]

what does the int do in this case?

[obtuse spruce]

that takes a single int as an argument: the (int x) tells you this

and returns a single int as the result: the int before the function name tells you this

okay... moving on....

LED1Here = digitalRead(LED1); // Reading the digital output of LED1

this code? What are you trying to do? You are calling digitalRead on a pin that you've set as an OUTPUT

[pine bramble]

Oh sorry, I remember you saying that the other day and I forgot to make a new pastebin on that

That implies for all outputs?

[obtuse spruce]

please please please let's look at the latest code

I'm not sure - what are you trying to do by reading an output pin?

[pine bramble]

At first, I thought digitalread was a line of code used to compare two values, or rather variables, in order to obtain specific results. I didn't know it only implied for other pins that didn't read as output until you said so the other day.

[obtuse spruce]

Well - let's clarify it: digitalRead is a function, that takes the number of a pin, and returns the current logic state of the pin, either HIGH or LOW. It doesn't compare anything. It will work for all pins, returning something... but in general it is only useful to call for input pins -- since for output pins you generally already know the logic value, since you must have set it earlier.

[pine bramble]

Oh, since it's a desired result, per se.

[obtuse spruce]

moving on... the next line to look at is:

  else if (pushButton == 1){ //if the button is being pushed

[gray holly]

About the previous issue, I checked again, and there seems to be no shorts on the data line. Is it possible that the data line is damaged somewhere on the strip of 3?

[obtuse spruce]

now, above we changed the if condition to be pushButton == LOW
so you might expect we'd change this to pushButton == HIGH

@gray holly quite possible - neopixels are a bit fragile - and if you heavily solderd it might have heat damanged it

[gray holly]

I'll make a new strip of 3

Thanks

[pine bramble]

Yeah, does this mean I have to rename it as buttonState, as it was already defined before.

[obtuse spruce]

@pine bramble but the button can only have two states: HIGH and LOW - so testing for both is redundant....so:

  if (pushButton == LOW) {
     ...
  }
  else {
    ...
  }

[pine bramble]

oh, so 0 and 1 are replaced with LOW and HIGH?

[obtuse spruce]

There is no need to have another if and conditional on the else side - you already know, if it isn't LOW... then it must be HIGH.

[pine bramble]

Oh

[obtuse spruce]

Yes - 0 and 1 will work... but don't express what you are doing -- better to use the defined named LOW and HIGH here to make it clear what you think is happening. Your next-week-future-self will thank you.

[pine bramble]

what if I wanted to add something else if it was HIGH, would it still be effective?

[obtuse spruce]

so - first - do you accept that pushButton can only be HIGH or LOW?

  if (pushButton == LOW) {
     // do what you want here when it is LOW
     ...
  }
  else {
     // do what you want here when it is HIGH
     ...
  }

[pine bramble]

Yeah I want it to be defined as LOW at first.

[obtuse spruce]

"to be defined"? no I don't think you are defining anything.

[pine bramble]

Isn't the "else" portion stating else, if the pushbutton is being pushed, do this.

[obtuse spruce]

you are testing if it is LOW

[pine bramble]

established *

testing rather than establishing or defining?

[obtuse spruce]

yes, the else clause will execute if the if conditional was false... so if pushButton isn't LOW ..... then the else clause will exectue

[pine bramble]

Wouldn't that initiate the other line of code for the pushbutton if it's HIGH? or would I have to make another function for the reset button?

[obtuse spruce]

yes - it is a conditional test -- we say test because it makes it clear that it is only checking right at that moment. "establishing" makes it sound like it will be certain to be true for all time. And "defining" has a very specific meaning in C++ (and in most languages).

Yes, the else clause will execute if pushbutton isn't LOW ... that is, if it is HIGH -- my only point was you don't need to code it as:

  if (pushButton == LOW) {
    ...
  }
  else if (pushButton == HIGH) {
    ...
  }

The way I coded it above is a better habit

Okay moving on

right after that else you have:

    pushButtonHere = digitalRead(pushButton);  // Reading the digital input of pushButton

but why are you reading the pushbutton pin after you've already tested it?

[pine bramble]

I'm revising on a separate document, but previously I "over-codded" for certainty, which I didn't think stating buttonState would be stated again on the other else if portion

[obtuse spruce]

okay moving on

    LED1Here = digitalRead(LED1);  // Reading the digital output of LED1

like above - this doesn't do anything useful to your program.... so remove it

[pine bramble]

that's in else if?

[obtuse spruce]

anywhere! digitalRead of an output pin is almost certainly wrong anywhere

    LightLevel = digitalRead(photoTrans); //Reading the digital input of hotoTrans

What does this do? read the photo transistor. Do you expect that to be a digital signal (HIGH or LOW) or an analog one?

    pieznoPinHere = digitalRead(piezoPin); //Reading the digital output of piezoPin

Again, reading an output pin - doesn't accomplish anything... again, not sure what you wanted to happen on this line.

[pine bramble]

a digital signal for both, though I believe piezo is set as an output

[obtuse spruce]

if (photoTransHere <= 25) {tone(piezoPin, 262); } 

photoTransHere is never set anywhere in the program, only initialized to 0. So, I'm not sure what you want....

BUT

perhaps you wanted

if (LightLevel <= 25) ...

[pine bramble]

Yeah, sorry on my end about that as well haha

[obtuse spruce]

But you just told me that LightLevel is digital, so comparing to 25 isn't useful.

okay - that is a lot of code to clean up... you should clean that up and run it and see if you see what is not working correctly.

[pine bramble]

Oh, I thought it was comparing to the value of the phototransistor?

[obtuse spruce]

You just told me it was digital.... is it analog?

you are getting a value that is the amount of light? or just on or off?

[pine bramble]

Isn't it digital if it's on a digital pin? Or is that not the case?

Yeah a specific amount of light

to determine if the piezo will turn on

[obtuse spruce]

many (most!) pins can be used either a digital or analog

then you need analogRead()

[pine bramble]

Oh,

oh analogRead for a range of values instead of 0, 1, or -1?

[obtuse spruce]

yes - the are called GPIO - "general purpose input output" pins because most of them can be analog or digital, and input or output. Many of them can be many other things as well. Depending on the functions you use with the pins, they will get configured to be one thing or the other.

just like you already used for the pot

[pine bramble]

yeah, I did so because it was on the analog pin, GPIO is the general known term for that in this case?

[obtuse spruce]

I'm off to dinner - you have a lot to work with now. laters

[pine bramble]

Thank you, and later

[pine bramble]

If you're back, or anyone else, the phototransistor isn't coding for the piezo, and the potentiometer isn't coding for the servo motor. Is this a circuit issue or is it regarding the code? (Pastebin : https://pastebin.com/7dseMPAK) Picture :

[pine bramble]

Actually, just the button and the piezo now. I forgot to put the attach command for the servo haha . . .

[wide coyote]

The 2.13in e-paper display says its compatible with *All * feathers but I havent had any luck with my nrf52840 feather express. Does anyone know the pinouts of this? https://www.adafruit.com/product/4195

[heavy furnace]

interestingly Arduino IDE also complains about SPI writes, but the verification step doesn't fail, and the code runs fine.

[frank skiff]

Hey, does anyone here have experience with the Arduino 1400 GSM? I was wondering whether you would cause damage to it by turning it on with the antenna unplugged

[pine bramble]

what languages can I use for the Trinket

[north stream]

It depends on the Trinket. The M0 Trinket supports both Arduino/Wiring and CircuitPython. The other Trinkets only support Arduino/Wiring.

@pine bramble It looks like the code is using the button instead of the phototransistor. Also, you could optimize your code somewhat to make it more readable and responsive

[gray holly]

If lights on a neopixel turn on while it isn't connected to data, is it faulty?

[vivid rock]

no, this is normal

[gray holly]

I can't get it to work with the data either

One strip I got working by resoldering data but the data here looks good

[vivid rock]

it is possible that the strip is damaged

[gray holly]

Frick

Will cutting off the ones that light up without data help?

And then connecting back to one with data

[gloomy karma]

Hi I need some help with Arduino

[rough torrent]

Well, what's the question? Better to post the question and wait for someone who knows on the topic.

[gloomy karma]

I am kinda hesitating because I don't know the English words for some parts... But I am trying to connect an 12V airpump and I got a pin 120 with an 20V adapter

I can make a picture of what I have now, I just don't know if I'm connecting it right

I don't want to make things explode haha

Does someone know if I connected it right?

[candid topaz]

i dont see anything connected to resistor on row 22

[obtuse spruce]

is that a power regulator in the breadboard?

[gloomy karma]

Uhmmm

[candid topaz]

what part number of that thing?

[obtuse spruce]

the part in rows 26, 27, 28 - what is it?

[gloomy karma]

My teacher told me it's a tip 120? I think or he told me to search that

I'll look at it

Yeah pin 120

Sorry I know absolutely nothing about arduino or coding

[obtuse spruce]

pin 120? that doesn't seem to be the name of a device that I know of

[candid topaz]

https://pdf1.alldatasheet.com/datasheet-pdf/view/625650/SAVANTIC/TIP120.html

[gloomy karma]

Tip sorry 😅

Yes it's that device

[obtuse spruce]

Wait - what? That's a transistor for 60V and up

I'm assuming this pump is waaaay smaller than that

[gloomy karma]

When I did it at school it worked fine I have a video

[obtuse spruce]

okay - well - it will work - it is just "overkill"

anyhow, looking at the schematics - you've got it all fine except

the line from the arduino to the bread board should go into row 22, not 11

and you have nothing powering the bottom + rail --- so a line from the +5V pin on the arduino to that red rail on the breadboard

(assuming the pump takes +5V... )

[candid topaz]

bottom rail powers motor

12v no?

[obtuse spruce]

right - there's nothing into the bottom power rail to supply power

[gloomy karma]

Ohh yes I got an adapter

[obtuse spruce]

oh - also no ground connection ebtween the ground rail and the Arduino

need that too

so the pump is using a separate power supply?

what voltage, pls?

and if so, you don't connect the power rail on the breadboard to power on the arduino

but you still must connect the grounds

[gloomy karma]

The adaptar is 12V if I got that right and the airpump as well

I've got nothing on row 11? Or am I looking wrong

[obtuse spruce]

ah - okay, good ---- so power adapter +12V goes to the red rail, the power adapter GND goes to the black rail
AND you still connect the black rail to GND on the Arduino

in the image it looks like the data output pin from the Arduino is connected to row 11 on the breadboard

[candid topaz]

thats 17

[obtuse spruce]

I'm guessing you want that line to switch the transistor on and off, through the resistor

[gloomy karma]

Wait I'm a bit lost I've done this now

[obtuse spruce]

ah - so yeah, move it from 17 to 22 - one end of the resistor (the other end is in the row with the base of the transistor)

[candid topaz]

common ground

connect "-" rail to arduino gnd

[gloomy karma]

What is common ground?

[candid topaz]

shared ground/ common ground idk how to say

[obtuse spruce]

Ground is the signal line that is taken to be 0V. Think of it this way - in order for the transistor to see a voltage on the data line --- to know if it is high or low... it needs to know what 0V is. The ground connection (between the - rail and the GND pin on the arduino) ensure that 0V on the breadboard is the same as 0V on the arudino... and so the voltage on the data line means the same thing to both parts.

[Yes, it is a bit of a mind shift to realize you can't tell how much voltage is on a wire without comparing it to something else, usually GND. So when we say a line has +3.3V - we really mean it is 3.3V above ground. Even the power supply you have, we say it is +12V... but really it is the red line is 12V above the black line. If we call the black line "ground" and call it "0V", then the red one is +12V.]

[gloomy karma]

I've done this?

I put a black line into ground and then to the board

Im not sure if that's what you meant

[obtuse spruce]

that's it

[gloomy karma]

Phew

So so now it's done? 😁

[waxen blaze]

is it even possible to controll a 12v motor directly with arduino

[gloomy karma]

I'm going to test it later

I thank you all who helped me

[candid topaz]

@waxen blaze why not?

[waxen blaze]

doesnt it need a mosfet of sorts

[candid topaz]

he has

on breadboard

[waxen blaze]

i see now

iv said nuthin

[gray holly]

I can't control one of my neopixel strips

It just has 2 lights on when connected to power and no data

And if I connect data, nothing changes

Is this a problem with the strip?

[marsh charm]

Anyone have familiarity with the SCT013 current clamps?

I am not getting any reading at all with mine

[errant hound]

No... but I assume you've read over this/something similar (re bias voltage)

https://learn.openenergymonitor.org/electricity-monitoring/ct-sensors/interface-with-arduino?redirected=true @marsh charm ?

To connect a CT sensor to an Arduino, the output signal from the CT sensor needs to be conditioned so it meets the input requirements of the Arduino analog inputs, i.e. a positive voltage between 0V and the ADC reference voltage.

[marsh charm]

This is what I've followed thus far.

Is this not correct?

[pine bramble]

https://stackoverflow.com/questions/65316646/how-can-i-make-a-web-server-with-arduino-that-support-multiple-file I would appreciate it if we coould answer this question for me.

[cedar mountain]

The general principle would be to have the code actually (minimally) parse the incoming HTTP request to extract the requested URL, then use that to reply with the data contents of a file that your code reads via whatever means you are storing your data, like using an SD Card library or perhaps built-in flash storage if the files are part of your program data.

[north stream]

It looks like you'd just include the beginning of the second one (variable declarations and the playTheTone() function) in the first one, and then replace the tone() and delay() in the first one with the contents of loop() in the second one.

[candid topaz]

instead of saying "solved", he deleted it.. :/

[unkempt knoll]

Wondering if anyone has any input on a project I had in mind. I'm still learning the ropes of electronics but wondering if anyone knows a clean-cut way to display the linear distance traveled of a wheel attached to a rotary encoder in feet/inches.

I tried a fair share of googling, didn't really net any results that seemed to fit my project exactly. I did find one that counted steps, maybe I could then apply the step count to inches.

[fierce plank]

Which part are you struggling with specifically? Measurement, conversion or display? If it's the conversion part, you can use the fact that a full rotation corresponds to the circumference of the circle. I.e. if a full rotation is 10 steps, the linear distance between each step is 2pi * R/(10) , where R is the radius in your preferred units.

[unkempt knoll]

Is it a fair answer to say everything? Just where to start, what might the best hardware choices be, etc. I've barely touched any of this sort of stuff, I'm more on the physical design side of things rather than the code side of things.

[flint smelt]

I'm having some issues with the PyGamer; if I _data[offset] = value; and then print each element of the array, all of them are 0 except the first two which are not my data offset = sizeof(_data) - 2;

[stuck coral]

What type is _data?

[flint smelt]

uint8_t _data[127];

[stuck coral]

Thats why Nevermind, you did use sizof right

[flint smelt]

that's not how offset gets set, but that is it's value

[stuck coral]

Usually, you cannot use sizeof like that to get an array index

[flint smelt]

Yeah, if it were a uint16_t or other larger type, sure

But again, no typeof's were used in the setting of that variable 😛

[stuck coral]

Could I have a code snippet?

[flint smelt]

template <unsigned int Size>
class RandomAccessMemory : public Peripheral<Size> {

  public:

  RandomAccessMemory(Word start);

  Byte read(Word address) override;
  void write(Word address, Byte value);

  private:

  Byte _data[Size];

};

template <unsigned int Size>
RandomAccessMemory<Size>::RandomAccessMemory(Word start) :
  Peripheral<Size>(start)
{ }

template <unsigned int Size>
Byte RandomAccessMemory<Size>::read(Word address) {
  return _data[Peripheral<Size>::getOffset(address)];
}

template <unsigned int Size>
void RandomAccessMemory<Size>::write(Word address, Byte value) {
  Word offset = Peripheral<Size>::getOffset(address);

  if (address >= 0xFF80) {
    Serial << "address: " << Format<7>("0x%04X", address) << endl;
    Serial << "offset: " << Format<7>("0x%04X", offset) << endl;
    Serial << "value: " << Format<5>("0x%02X", value) << endl;
  }

  _data[offset] = value;
}

[stuck coral]

Im not sure if the question fit the issue here bill

[flint smelt]

address: 0xFFFC
offset: 0x007C
value: 0x2B

High RAM:
         0x00 0x01 0x02 0x03 0x04 0x05 0x06 0x07 0x08 0x09 0x0A 0x0B 0x0C 0x0D 0x0E 0x0F 

0x0000   0x48 0x94 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x80 0x00 0xA0 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
0x0010   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
0x0020   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
0x0030   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
0x0040   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
0x0050   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
0x0060   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00
0x0070   0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 0x00 

[stuck coral]

Oh jesus I thought this had to be a simple question about a C array, not a debugging session, I spent a whole day of that and am unwinding 😂

Ah, pygamer, I should have read more into that

[flint smelt]

Haha sorry

I think I figured it out though!

The function that prints that table of RAM was trying to read from the wrong location

[lusty mountain]

Hmm

Anyone here have problems with EMF?

the circuit works just fine without the AC input, but as soon as I even do as much as plug it in, it makes the timer and relays do random stuff

[somber burrow]

#include <math.h>

#define GREENPIN 11
#define REDPIN 10
#define BLUEPIN 9

#define FADESPEED 2

const int numReadings = 10;

int readings[numReadings];      // the readings from the analog input
int readIndex = 0;              // the index of the current reading
float total = 0;                  
float average = 0;                
float rgb[3];
float inputPin = A4;




void change_color(int r, int g, int b)
{
  analogWrite(REDPIN, r);
  analogWrite(BLUEPIN, b);
  analogWrite(GREENPIN, g);
}
float fract(float x) { return x - int(x); }

float mix(float a, float b, float t) { return a + (b - a) * t; }

float step(float e, float x) { return x < e ? 0.0 : 1.0; }
float hsv2rgb(float h, float s, float b) {
  float rgb[3];
  rgb[0] = b * mix(1.0, constrain(abs(fract(h + 1.0) * 6.0 - 3.0) - 1.0, 0.0, 1.0), s);
  rgb[1] = b * mix(1.0, constrain(abs(fract(h + 0.6666666) * 6.0 - 3.0) - 1.0, 0.0, 1.0), s);
  rgb[2] = b * mix(1.0, constrain(abs(fract(h + 0.3333333) * 6.0 - 3.0) - 1.0, 0.0, 1.0), s);
  return rgb;
}





void setup() {
  pinMode(REDPIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(GREENPIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(BLUEPIN, OUTPUT);
  
  Serial.begin(9600);
  for (int thisReading = 0; thisReading < numReadings; thisReading++) {
    readings[thisReading] = 0;
  }
}

void loop() {
  // smoothing input by finding average:
  total = total - readings[readIndex];
  
  readings[readIndex] = analogRead(inputPin);
  
  total = total + readings[readIndex];
  
  readIndex = readIndex + 1;

  if (readIndex >= numReadings) {
    readIndex = 0;
  }
  average = (total / numReadings);



  // light patterns:
 
  average = map(average, 570, 620, 0, 255);

  rgb = hsv2rgb(average, 1.0, 1.0);
  
  average >= 5 ? change_color(rgb[0], rgb[1], rgb[2]) : change_color(0, 0, 0);

  Serial.println(average);
}

audio_visualizer_final_maybe:28:7: error: expected identifier before numeric constant

 float[3].h hsv2rgb(float h, float s, float b) {

       ^

audio_visualizer_final_maybe:28:7: error: expected ']' before numeric constant

C:\Users\franc\OneDrive\Desktop\audio_visualizer_final_maybe\audio_visualizer_final_maybe.ino:28:6: warning: decomposition declaration only available with -std=c++1z or -std=gnu++1z

 float[3].h hsv2rgb(float h, float s, float b) {

      ^

audio_visualizer_final_maybe:28:6: error: decomposition declaration cannot be declared with type 'float'

C:\Users\franc\OneDrive\Desktop\audio_visualizer_final_maybe\audio_visualizer_final_maybe.ino:28:6: note: type must be cv-qualified 'auto' or reference to cv-qualified 'auto'

audio_visualizer_final_maybe:28:6: error: empty decomposition declaration

audio_visualizer_final_maybe:28:9: error: expected initializer before '.' token

 float[3].h hsv2rgb(float h, float s, float b) {

         ^

C:\Users\franc\OneDrive\Desktop\audio_visualizer_final_maybe\audio_visualizer_final_maybe.ino: In function 'void loop()':

audio_visualizer_final_maybe:72:9: error: 'hsv2rgb' was not declared in this scope

   rgb = hsv2rgb(average, 1.0, 1.0);

         ^~~~~~~

exit status 1

expected identifier before numeric constant



This report would have more information with
"Show verbose output during compilation"
option enabled in File -> Preferences.

line 28 it says expected identifier before numeric constant

any clue what that means?

[cedar mountain]

I don't see where the float[3].h is coming from, as it's just float in the code snippet you posted. Is there some other edit in the file being compiled?

[somber burrow]

i closed all other tabs that i had open b4

C:\Users\franc\OneDrive\Desktop\audio_visualizer_final_maybe\audio_visualizer_final_maybe.ino: In function 'float hsv2rgb(float, float, float)':

audio_visualizer_final_maybe:37:10: error: cannot convert 'float*' to 'float' in return

   return rgb;

          ^~~

C:\Users\franc\OneDrive\Desktop\audio_visualizer_final_maybe\audio_visualizer_final_maybe.ino: In function 'void loop()':

audio_visualizer_final_maybe:76:34: error: incompatible types in assignment of 'float' to 'float [3]'

   rgb = hsv2rgb(average, 1.0, 1.0);

                                  ^

exit status 1

cannot convert 'float*' to 'float' in return



This report would have more information with
"Show verbose output during compilation"
option enabled in File -> Preferences.

now this is the error

[cedar mountain]

That's more straightforward, yeah. The float hsv2rgb declaration says it returns one number, but you're returning rgb, which is an array of 3 numbers.

[somber burrow]

so how do i change it to return the array rgb

float[] hsv2rgb?

[cedar mountain]

This unfortunately is somewhat complex in C. https://stackoverflow.com/questions/11656532/returning-an-array-using-c

[somber burrow]

💀

do u think i could just get rid of the function lol

[cedar mountain]

One alternative to consider is to define a type for the color, liketypedef struct { float r; float g; float b; } RGB_t;and then you can pass around RGB_t variables and refer to the color channels like rgb.r, rgb.g, etc. That will behave like you expect.

[somber burrow]

would i make this outside of the void loop()

[cedar mountain]

Yes, typically types are declared up at the top of the file right after your defines and before your global variables.

[somber burrow]

alright, ive never used a typedef struct before

is it kinda like a dictionary?

[cedar mountain]

It's two things. A struct is a composite variable, where you're just saying this one thing is actually composed of a float and three ints together, or whatever. And then the typedef says to abbreviate that with a particular name, so you can more easily declare variables of that type, likeRGB_t my_color;instead of float my_number;

It's kind of like a dictionary, except that the keys are completely fixed by the code, so you can't dynamically add more like you could in Python or other languages.

[somber burrow]

i think i mixed up the math on my hsv to rgb converter too

its giving me really weird numbers

[magic field]

show math

i hope you don't call it often...... all that float math will be slow on AVR

[north stream]

There's a nice fast HSV to RGB converter out there that has good performance on hardware like that.

[valid kiln]

How can I connect one
74HC595 Shift Register to one 74LS47 BCD driver to 3 7seg displays. I know that I need to multiplex and use PNP transistors. But I don’t know how to connect it to each other

[quartz furnace]

Good afternoon, wating to make sure I understand if a RTC (Real Time Clock) does what I think it can do. I am using one with an interupt pin . So if I am not mistaken, I can conecct to my arduino pin for waking up out of sleep? Example wake up once at midnight -The idea would be to 'interrupt out of deep sleep" and run code at that time

[woven mica]

yes

[quartz furnace]

@woven mica So the stpes would be, load the time on the RTC, (then optional check the time on the RTC), then use a sketch to set an alarm on the RTC. And the RTC can be unplugged and remember the time setting?. Then final step do a sketch for the arduino board with deep sleep and with a capable pin ? In other words the final sketch does not have to have the RTC/alarm and the full deep sleep code, correct ?

rememebr the alarm time setting***

[spring walrus]

Has anyone integrated a PH probe with a adafruit dev board? I purchased the Atlas Scientific I/F but checking for a good header file and base source.

[woven mica]

RTC must have backup battery to remember time

[storm harness]

ph64 = ph * morph;
ph = ph64 % 4294967296;

does anyone know how i can optimize this

so i dont have to use a 64 bit int and modulo

it is very processor intensive rn

This is effectively what i am doing, where ph is x, and morph is a

https://www.desmos.com/calculator/kv1afbsjkx

[vivid rock]

@storm harness "Unsigned integer arithmetic is always performed modulo 2^n
where n is the number of bits in that particular integer. E.g. for unsigned int, adding one to UINT_MAX gives ​0​, and subtracting one from ​0​ gives UINT_MAX": https://en.cppreference.com/w/cpp/language/operator_arithmetic

thus, you should be able to use

uint32_t ph;
...
ph=ph*morph;

[storm harness]

I just tried this and it seemed to behave like saturated multiplication (i think that is the word)

it basically just maxed out

and didnt loop back round

[vivid rock]

did you declare ph as uint32_t?

[storm harness]

as uint32_t

yeah

[vivid rock]

hmm... let me test

how was morph declared?

[storm harness]

as a float

[vivid rock]

that is probably why... then ph*morph has type float

[storm harness]

so should i try (uint32_t)(ph * morph)

[vivid rock]

that should work
not sure if it really makes it faster than what you had originally

[storm harness]

I will see if i can get any improvement from doing it

It is running at audio rate so speed is pretty important

[north stream]

It's just modulo 2^34, so you can "and" it with 2^34-1, which can be done in chunks

[vivid rock]

2^32

[storm harness]

so i still use a 64 bit int

but and it with 2^31

?

[vivid rock]

I do not think there is any way to avoid using a 64 bit integer

[storm harness]

yes i think you are right

it may be the modulo function that is slow though

[vivid rock]

the only question is what is faster:

ph=ph64%4294967296;

or

ph=ph64 & 0xFFFFFFFF;

(hope I correctly counted the number of Fs)

[storm harness]

& is very fast usually

i think only a few instructions

[vivid rock]

or just

ph = (uint32_t) ph64;

(the complier might throw a warning that this could lead to truncation and data loss)

[storm harness]

I'm gonna test both now

ph=ph64 & 0xFFFFFFFF; is faster than ph=ph64%4294967296;

[obtuse spruce]

If you are looking for fast, and audio rate... float is suspicious. Are you sure you need float? Depending on the processor you're on, this could be very expensive.

[storm harness]

on m7

so not too big a problem

[obtuse spruce]

Okay- so you get float for cheap

In general, it is often the case that audio algorithms try either do things all in fixed point, or all in float if they have the FPU (you do). Skipping back and forth is often expensive.

[storm harness]

yeah i have been trying to stick to fixed point, but for this i couldn't really see a way to do it nicely without float

[obtuse spruce]

you can use fmod to stay in floating point.

[storm harness]

hm im not familiar with fmod

[obtuse spruce]

it's just % for floats: fmod(x, y)

Mind you, if you were doing your signal path in float, you'd probably normalize so that signal 1.0 is indeed 1.0f (rather than 2^32) - and then you just have ph = fmod(ph * morph, 1.0f); or even easier: ph = trunc(ph * morph);

(note: the above assumes #include <cmath> -- if you prefer #include <math.h> then you need to use fmodf and truncf)

[storm harness]

yeah i only have a few bits in float right now (mostly the stuff which is user controllable) but fmod will definitely come in useful as i am currently using floor() and ceil()

on a few different functions

[obtuse spruce]

On the other hand, if morph is a 32 bit value, with 16bits of fraction ... then ph = (uint32_t)((uint64_t)ph * (uint64_t)morph >> 16);

[median bay]

Assuming that I hook up a hc-05 which will be pairing to a different hc-05 device, and another hc-05 using softwareserial- both onto the same Pro Micro, is it possible to transfer the data from the first hc-05 to the one using softwareserial via a global variable or some other method?

[cedar mountain]

Yes, you'd just have loop code which continually reads from one serial and writes to the other, and vice-versa.

[lusty mountain]

Got one of these things. Can it be used as a direct replacement for a set of buttons?

I bought it with the purpose of moving some buttons off a breadboard and cleaning up my project, but it seems to use different programming than the buttons

[north stream]

@lusty mountain Yes, I think it's just 4 switches with a shared common lead on one side and individual leads on the other. If your set of buttons can have a common lead (many setups can), that should work fine.

[wooden girder]

hello. I'm trying to replace the lost remote controler of an old Philips MCM240 radio/cd player. I found some infos, like the part number of the remote controler, the protocol used (RC5), and controltower sent me the 4 codes I needed to turn radio on and control volume. but I don't understand how to use those codes. I tried with IrScrutinizer but it failed... any hint to help me connect the dots ?

(I'm trying to use an arduino nano with a IR led, of course)

[reef ravine]

@wooden girder is your IR LED around 940 nm?

[wooden girder]

I took it from an universal remote controler, I guess it works well

I still have to test it but my problem is not yet there

[reef ravine]

should be OK, the receivers have a fairly good optical bandpass

are you using a lib or something? the codes need to be modulated at about 38KHz

[wooden girder]

I just discovered a newer lib than the IRremote one, that manage the RC5 protocol

https://bengtmartensson.github.io/Infrared4Arduino/

and what I received from controltower was

function: POWER TOGGLE

code1: sendir,1:1,1,36000,1,1,32,32,32,32,32,32,64,64,65,33,32,32,32,32,32,65,32,32,64,32,32,3266

hex code1: 0000 0073 0000 000B 0020 0020 0020 0020 0020 0020 0040 0040 0041 0021 0020 0020 0020 0020 0020 0041 0020 0020 0040 0020 0020 0CC2

code2: sendir,1:1,1,36000,1,1,32,32,64,64,64,64,64,32,32,32,32,32,33,64,32,32,64,32,32,3262

hex code2: 0000 0073 0000 000A 0020 0020 0040 0040 0040 0040 0040 0020 0020 0020 0020 0020 0021 0040 0020 0020 0040 0020 0020 0CBE```

I'm reading, but any hint to input that in IrScrutinizer is welcome

[reef ravine]

I'm loading the IRScrutinizer now, this topic comes up on my day job from time to time, I'd like to understand as well 🙂

[wooden girder]

I think I got it this time

taking it raw with data from the column 4

[reef ravine]

Column 4?

[wooden girder]

well maybe not

it looks better starting with column 3 (and subsequent)

[reef ravine]

not sure what you mean by columns in IRScrutinizer

when i drop the codes above in it appears to correctly detect that it is RC5 and device type 20

[wooden girder]

I use import/text-csv form

ok I didn't get how it works, I think I get it now

and the parameters I'm looking for are just here... wonderfull

[reef ravine]

I'll have to experiment further, glad it's giving you what you want

[tawdry flint]

I have a problem with using DHTest and the DHT22 sensor

This was all working earlier today but now it stopped working.

#include <DHTesp.h>
DHTesp dht;
int dhtPin = D4;
dht.setup(dhtPin, DHTesp::DHT22);

With this I get the error 'dht' does not name a type. Why would this be? I am making an instance of the class above but then the setup method doesn't work. I have not used arduino that much yet.

The weird thing is that if I later call dht.getTemperature(); that I do not get an error (but it does return a nan value).

I also tried re-installing DHTesp but that did not help

[reef ravine]

what board are you using?

[tawdry flint]

esp8266

[reef ravine]

what happens when you try the example? https://github.com/beegee-tokyo/DHTesp/blob/master/examples/DHT_ESP8266/DHT_ESP8266.ino

[tawdry flint]

Ehh ok

The output is now
TIMEOUT nan nan nan nan nan

Over and over again

[reef ravine]

pin assignment?

at least it compiles 🙂

[tawdry flint]

oh yeah

Ok yes I just copied the code with the right pin it now gives
OK 58.1 21.7 71.1 21.4 70.6 🥳

So I must be doing something wrong

[reef ravine]

now you have a reference point anyway, make small changes and see where it crashes

[tawdry flint]

Yeah I he is defining dht.setup(D5, DHTesp::DHT22); in void setup() I am defining this in a different file that might be it

[tawdry flint]

But I should atleast be able to get it working now!

Trying the example is a good idea!

I was just scared that the example was not going to be of my board or something

Thanks!

[wooden girder]

I got it working now, thanks for helping. It's good not to feel alone when stuck 🙂

[tawdry flint]

Yes this is so true

[half totem]

hey quick question arduino is wirtten in C++ right

[stuck coral]

They call it wiring, its C++ with a framework

So yes

[half totem]

good

time to hit some codeacdemy and learn C++

[gilded gazelle]

#help-with-projects message

[fleet sand]

Hello, I have a task from the fingerprint scanner to upload the image to the server.
Now I have a scanner similar to ZFM-20 or AS608 and Arduino UNO.
The standard Adafruit-Fingerprint-Sensor-Library does not have an image upload function. I've finished writing it and now I'm getting some data, but I still can't figure out what format it's being uploaded in.

Could you help either with a scanner that can upload the image itself in some common format, or help with decoding the current data.

are there any similar projects\stories similar to mine?

[obtuse spruce]

@fleet sand - Let me see if I understand: You want to use the 0x0a and 0x0b commands to transfer images to/from the sensor device itself. The image data, according to the google-translated-spec-sheet is going to be 256px x 288px, 4 bit grey scale, packed two pixels per byte. In addition, communication with the device is packetized 64 bytes of data at a time so the 36,864 bytes will be transferred over several packets (there is an indicator in each packet to show if it is the last one.) I think the writeStructuredPacket and getStructuredPacket methods will help you here.

[sinful saffron]

I cannot seem to get the DMXSerial library to work with an Arduino Mega ( https://github.com/mathertel/DMXSerial ). I see data/bits coming from the output pin of the board via an oscilloscope but the library doesn’t appear to pick that data up. I’m using an Arduino Mega and have altered the .cpp file to include " #define DMX_USE_PORT1 “ ( http://mathertel.blogspot.com/2013/05/update-for-dmxserial-library.html ) and have connected the output of the board to RX1 on the Mega. Is there something else I have to do in the code, or change in hardware? (I was able to check to see if the Arduino is/was seeing high low signals via the onboard LED with a simple test program as well).

[fleet sand]

@obtuse spruce Yes, we are using 0x0A command, but for now when i using getStructuredPacket my arduino goes to restart loop, but sometimes its gets only one packet and then nothing. That blowing up my brain. Why is this happening? (Other, simple sketches work fine)
Im attaching the code just in case.

[obtuse spruce]

@fleet sand You aren't giving it enough data buffer --- and probably over running it:
Try this:

  uint8_t data[256];

I don't know how long the data packets can be... I think only 64 bytes

ERRRR - never mind that --- Adafruit_Fingerprint_Packet has it's own data buffer.

when you get one packet - what does your code print on Serial? (Both the code you have in your .ino file, and the debugging code you inserted into the library)

[tawdry flint]

Hello this might be a noob question but I am running the TSL2591 Digital Light Sensor from adafruit with an esp8266. I think I connected the wires right but when I run the example I only get readings of 0. This might be because the pin numbers are not right so it might not be reading from the right inputs but in the example there is nowhere where you can change the pins it is reading from. So does anyone maybe have any experience with this sensor and the esp8266?

The sensor has the input pins of power and ground I got those right probably.

Then there is a pin on the sensor called SDA the guides said to connect this to I2C clock or the SCA on the board. The pictures of the pin out said that D2 was SCA so I connected that to D2

And there is a pin called SCL the guides said to connect this SCL on the board. The pictures of the pins of the ESP8266 said that D1 was SCL so I connected that to D1

With the example runs but the readings say 0 😦

I am a bit confused why I don't have to say to which pins I connected the sensor. How does the library know? Does anyone maybe have any tips? thanks

[safe shell]

The library assumes the default I2C pins for SDA & SCL, there may be optional parameters if you are using non-standard pins. SDA is data, SCL is clock. They are typically on pins 4 and 5, though different boards may label them differently. You may have them swapped. See for example, https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp8266-pinout-reference-gpios/.

[sinful saffron]

https://www.arduino.cc/en/reference/wire have to also #include <Wire.h>

[tawdry flint]

Thanks the example does have this

[tawdry flint]

Ok I will look into that

[safe shell]

This site says SDA is D1 and SCL is D2 https://diyprojects.io/getting-started-i2c-bus-arduino-esp8266-esp32-wire-library/, so maybe they are swapped

[sinful saffron]

some other boards are even different, like the Yun, I tried to do a drop in replacement to find it was a different set of pins than the Uno

[safe shell]

This site says D1 is SCL https://randomnerdtutorials.com/esp8266-pinout-reference-gpios/ 🤷

[tawdry flint]

I was using this picture https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https%3A%2F%2Frandomnerdtutorials.com%2Fesp8266-pinout-reference-gpios%2F&psig=AOvVaw0SBMZFn5h_-YY1ihVD7CwH&ust=1608588147235000&source=images&cd=vfe&ved=0CAIQjRxqFwoTCLjnu_rH3e0CFQAAAAAdAAAAABAD

[safe shell]

There was a note on the Adafruit ESP8266 Huzzah page that different chip versions changed the 4 & 5 assignments, so that could account for the different answers around the internet

What specific 8266 are you using? Did you try swapping the SDA & SCL wires (it won't hurt anything)?

[tawdry flint]

Ok I have now tried swapping them and still 0

I am looking for the model number

[safe shell]

Do you have another I2C device you can try to verify the I2C pins? If that works, then I'd focus on the sensor.

[sinful saffron]

different default address maybe?

[tawdry flint]

This is the first thing I am ever working on I bought more sensors but I that might be another rabit hole

[tawdry flint]

Perhaps, I was thinking this aswell but it is not really clear to me how I change it

[sinful saffron]

https://playground.arduino.cc/Main/I2cScanner/

[tawdry flint]

So the board setting is actually on this

[safe shell]

The Adafruit breakout is address 0x29 . Are you using the Adafruit library? https://github.com/adafruit/Adafruit_TSL2591_Library

[tawdry flint]

Yes

This is the example

[safe shell]

can you post a photo of your hardware, showing the soldering and wiring?

(you should get errors if not connected properly, but...

[tawdry flint]

I did have to change the Serial.begin(9600) to 115200

[safe shell]

yeah, it just has to match whatever you are using for your serial console

[tawdry flint]

ok that makes sense

[tawdry flint]

Running this test gave me:

Scanning...
No I2C devices found```

I am getting a picture

[sinful saffron]

not sure but it might be possible to set the pins: Limitations of the Wire.h library for ESP32 and ESP8266

Adapting the Wire.h library for ESP32 and ESP8266 development boards does not allow assigning an address to secondary equipment. We cannot therefore create an I2C network to communicate several ESP32 or ESP8266 together.

However, the SDA and SCL pins can be specified. Here, for example, pins 21 (SDA) and 22 (SCL) are manually assigned to the I2C bus by calling the method like this Wire.begin(pin_sda, pin_scl) .

Wire.begin(21,22);

[tawdry flint]

Where did you read this?

[sinful saffron]

https://diyprojects.io/getting-started-i2c-bus-arduino-esp8266-esp32-wire-library/#.X9_NiS2z26s

[safe shell]

it's hard to tell from the picture, but are the breakout pins soldered to the headers?

[sinful saffron]

I'd also recommend doing the minimal number of connections for testing

[safe shell]

e.g., no need to run two yellow wires through the power rail, just connect directly for testing with one I2C device

[tawdry flint]

So first I tried to set it to 21,22 that gave a bunch of address not found messages

Then I tried Wire.begin(D2,D1); and it still said no ic2 found

[tawdry flint]

I tought as it was some sort of clock I needed to connect it to other sensors later

[sinful saffron]

it would just be a number

[tawdry flint]

I have not soldered anything yet

[safe shell]

oh

you really need to solder the breakout... it will not have good electrical connection

[tawdry flint]

I thought that if I just sort of pressed it it would be fine

[sinful saffron]

ah, yeah, definitely going to need to solder

[tawdry flint]

Ok

[sinful saffron]

also, the header should be below

[pulsar junco]

Also your pins are on wrong, make sure to fix htem before soldering

[sinful saffron]

so they are full length

into the breadboard

[tawdry flint]

With the black thing on the bottom of the sensor?

[safe shell]

like so https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-tsl2591/assembly

[sinful saffron]

^

[tawdry flint]

Ok I see

I will do that first and then try again

Thanks for the help!

[gray holly]

Can someone help me with this sketch? It's kind of big. It worked fine once and then after that none of the neopixel would turn on

https://content.instructables.com/ORIG/F1I/L1NY/K6ZAL3M4/F1IL1NYK6ZAL3M4.ino

The lights work fine with a sketch for testing leds

[obtuse spruce]

why is your loop() written in that inverted form with all the lastXxxx globals?

pretty sure that is why nothing is happeneing.

[pine bramble]

is there a PlatformIO centric place?

discord

[frosty finch]

Hello there !
I have a problem with my HC-06. When I want to connect him with my phone, the red led continues flashing. If this has ever happened to you, can you help me ?
Thanks for your answers 🙂

[lone ferry]

@frosty finch What phone do you have?

[frosty finch]

@lone ferry I have a Huaweii P30

[lone ferry]

Don't know about that one. (Not all phones can connect to a HC-06.)

[frosty finch]

I will buy a new HC-06 to maybe see a change...

[frosty finch]

I discover the problem It was the fact that I don't connect my phone with an application
Thanks for your fast answer 🙂

[gray holly]

Is there a way to simulate a button press to a certain data line?

[pulsar junco]

Depends on what you mean but you could drive the line hi or low?

[hexed agate]

Does anyone know if I can check a pin def is an adc?

[pine bramble]

which target board

[hexed agate]

Any, but esp8266 atm

I mean programmaticallty

[pine bramble]

The SAMD series has 'variant.cpp'

metro M0, Linux:

 $ egrep ADC ~/.arduino15/packages/adafruit/hardware/samd/1.6.3/variants/metro_m0/variant.cpp | egrep -v "No_ADC" 

Online:
https://github.com/adafruit/ArduinoCore-samd/blob/master/variants/metro_m0/variant.cpp

[hexed agate]

I am doing it in code

I did find this digitalPinHasPWM()

and NUM_ANALOG_INPUTS, but nothing exactly I can use hmm

[pine bramble]

I use vendors who document thoroughly.
Adafruit carries an ESP8266 breakout:
https://learn.adafruit.com/adafruit-huzzah-esp8266-breakout/pinouts

No ADC out, one ADC input, if I'm reading correctly.

[safe shell]

(8266 ADC limited to <1.0v)

[pine bramble]

ADC out is DAC iirc. ;)

[hexed agate]

LOL, I am checking a pin definition to determine if it is a digital or analog pin, IN code

It looks like I will be stuck with a custom solution per ic, esp32 has an ANALOG pinmode def, and esp8266 only has 1 so checking the pinmask might work, mode returns FFFFFF

[pine bramble]

Once you find out how it's coded in the board support package, you can (then) automate (somewhat) if your code is to assume there's an ADC input pin or not, and where it gets assigned and all that.

[hexed agate]

Yeah it will be board specific, not seeing anything in arduino level that will help

oh well

[pine bramble]

The AVR series isn't supported using the same structures (no variant.cpp for example).

I usually download all the development software, the recursively search for terms I'm interested in, and try to get a feel for some kinds of problems that way.

 $ cd ~/.arduino15
 $ ag ADC

something along those lines.

https://github.com/ggreer/the_silver_searcher

[obtuse spruce]

@hexed agate - you can use PinDescription and g_APinDescription[] in WVariant.h Adafruit and Arduino cores have this --- not sure if it is everywhere.

bool isPinAnalogCapable(int pin) {
  return g_APinDescription[pin].ulPinAttribute & (PIN_ATTR_ANALOG | PIN_ATTR_ANALOG_ALT);
}

or perhaps

bool isPinAnalogCapable(int pin) {
  return g_APinDescription[pin].ulPinType == PIO_ANALOG;
}

These will, however answer the question about the pin, as numbered by the Arduino Wiring core lib. -- and about how that core lib. assigns functions.

[stuck coral]

Has anyone happened to upload a custom sketch to the Metro M4 airlift coprocessor? The guide for updating firmware uses a precompiled bin for WiFiNINA and if I compile a .bin using the Arduino IDE and upload to the ESP32 I get the following from the ESP32 debug boot text-

invalid header: 0x4008fc66
invalid header: 0x4008fc66
...

Which I assume means I placed the BIN at the wrong address and misunderstand something

[stuck coral]

Lol, figured it out python3 -m esptool --chip esp32 --port /dev/ttyACM0 --before no_reset write_flash -z --flash_mode dio --flash_freq 80m --flash_size detect 0xe000 /home/samuel/.arduino15/packages/esp32/hardware/esp32/1.0.4/tools/partitions/boot_app0.bin 0x1000 /home/samuel/.arduino15/packages/esp32/hardware/esp32/1.0.4/tools/sdk/bin/bootloader_dio_80m.bin 0x10000 /tmp/arduino_build_509286/esp32_coprocessor_ovule_dev.ino.bin 0x8000 /tmp/arduino_build_509286/esp32_coprocessor_ovule_dev.ino.partitions.bin

[gray holly]

My arduino nano keeps getting the avrdude error and clicking the reset button does nothing

Only one green light is on

[stuck coral]

avrdude is the program on your computer that uploads the firmware what is the error exactly? Usually the issue is a bad USB cable

[gray holly]

it says avrdude out of sync

I'm loading the ide now

avrdude: stk500_recv(): programmer is not responding
avrdude: stk500_getsync() attempt 1 of 10: not in sync: resp=0x00

[stuck coral]

Yep, it cannot connect to the board

[gray holly]

Is the board broken? Usually I see multiple green and red lights but here there's just one green light

[stuck coral]

Probably not, is this a new board?

[gray holly]

relatively

about 2 weeks

[stuck coral]

And is the red led doing something? Like blinking

[gray holly]

the reset button does nothing, it usually flashes a red light when I press it

nothing

just solid green

[stuck coral]

There is a red and a green right? The green is solid, what does the red do?

[gray holly]

red is off

[stuck coral]

It only comes on for a moment on reset?

[gray holly]

it usually does that but not anymore

[stuck coral]

Hm, where did you buy the board?

[gray holly]

https://www.amazon.com/ATmega328P-Microcontroller-Board-Cable-Arduino/dp/B00NLAMS9C/ref=asc_df_B00NLAMS9C/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309776868400&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=9147363653050768616&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9031421&hvtargid=pla-593018008274&psc=1

I heard about a way to do a reset circuit but idk what they mean by shorting the pin

[stuck coral]

Hm, have you tried a different USB cable or USB port?

[gray holly]

I've tried different ports and made sure to click the right serial

let me get a different cable

[stuck coral]

Now when you say right serial, do you see multiple that shouldnt be there anymore?

[gray holly]

There's a port that disappears if I unplug the board, so I use that one

[stuck coral]

Okay, hm, Im thinking you are having a bootloader issue, normally the bootloader is locked, but the cheap boards from china sometimes dont lock it.

[gray holly]

I have old atmega bootloader selected

It worked fine until today

[stuck coral]

What do you mean by that?

[gray holly]

on the ide

it worked fine with that until today

[stuck coral]

That doesnt do anything unless you press burn bootloader, you could have accidentally over written a section of bootloader which would cause this issue

[gray holly]

I would screenshot but I can't screenshot menus

So I should get a new bootloader?

[stuck coral]

Yep. But you need another arduino or a ISCP device

[gray holly]

I have a raspberry pi

Will that work?

[stuck coral]

It would with ARM micros, I have not tried with an old AVR

Maybe someone else here can answer about that

It should

[gray holly]

Is it hard to do?

[stuck coral]

Not really, just time consuming

[pulsar junco]

Are you on windows? If so there's a neat trick with the screen cap tool, you can set a delay which should let you get into the menu before freezing the screen

[gray holly]

I'm using linux mint

[pulsar junco]

ah gotcha

[stuck coral]

Have you uploaded a sketch on that install before? You have permission to use the serial device?

[gray holly]

I've succesfully uploaded sketches and run them before

I've run blink and controlled led strips

So I need another arduino?

[stuck coral]

You just need to flash a new bootloader, sadly that Arduino and the UNO are a pain

[gray holly]

but I need another board to flash it?

[stuck coral]

Either that or figure out how to use the pi

[gray holly]

bruh it says I need a breadboard 😔

I think the best option is to just get a new nano

[stuck coral]

A breadboard just helps you make connections, Im not sure why you would need it as long as you can wire it up without the breadboard

[gray holly]

is mine real or a clone

[stuck coral]

A clone

[gray holly]

bruh I got tricked into buying a knockoff

[stuck coral]

Not really, it doesnt state its genuine

The logo isnt on the board

That is really common

[gray holly]

why does arduino let people make knockoffs

[stuck coral]

Yes, its open source hardware, you can make your own if you want, you are just not allowed to put the genuine arduino logo on the silkscreen

[gray holly]

https://www.amazon.com/Geekstory-ATmega328P-Controller-Compatible-Arduino/dp/B081ZR6VXN/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=arduino+nano&qid=1608594251&sr=8-8

better value

[stuck coral]

More clones, made by Geekstory

[gray holly]

Are clones lower quality?

[stuck coral]

If you shop by price, yep

[gray holly]

Do they work differently?

[stuck coral]

There are nice clones, but if you buy the cheapest boards you can they probably wont be great. And most are exact clones

Some differ slightly but will function the same

[gray holly]

Do you think geek story is good?

[stuck coral]

For instance, I have MEGAs that can switch between 5V and 3.3V IO. And idk, never bought from them

[gray holly]

my dad is not gonna like this

[woeful gorge]

sorry if this is a dumb question, I'm new to arduinos and have very little knowledge of C+, I know more about python but obviously that doesnt help here. Is there anyway I can base an if statement off of an output, for instance, lets say I have a motor i want to control and an LED, could i say; if(Motor==HIGH){digitalWrite(LED,HIGH)}?

[rough torrent]

Almost got it correct, Motor in your statement would be digitalRead(Motor) and there would be a semicolon after digitalWrite(LED, HIGH) so it would look like this:

// in your loop function
if (digitalRead(Motor) == HIGH) { // assuming Motor is a number which is the pin number the input is connected to
  digitalWrite(LED, HIGH) // assuming LED is a pin number
}

But motors are generally output devices, so I'm not sure what you mean by Motor, so I'm assuming it's a pin number that provides an input.

[woeful gorge]

not exactly, im using the motor as an output, i just want it to be where if the motor is on, so is the LED

oh im kinda dumb, i would just turn them both on and off at the same time, I havent really gotten good with inputs yet, im just starting, so im literally just going through basic stuff like using variables and turning things on and off

[lusty mountain]

hmmm

I get these errors when I try to upload some code to my arduino uno

[rough torrent]

To check the blatantly obvious:

1. Correct board?
2. Correct port?
3. Arduino is actually plugged in?
4. Nothing attached to pins 0/1?

[green heath]

I need a tip with my electronics. Ive wired up an ATmega to a programmer. the problem is I want to feed it with 3 AA batteries. but the programmer wont recognize the device when it runs with less than 5 volt (the batteries read 4.26)

thus I am feeding it with the programmers 5 volt. but the way its wired up right now is probably a bit dangerous as there is nothing seperating the voltage sources and I dont want to mess up the AVR or my laptop

how can I best solve that issue

[north stream]

I'd probably use steering diodes to separate the power supplies. Probably Schottky diodes for low voltage drop, or MOSFETs configured as diodes.

[frank linden]

Another option I have seen are USB isolators. I personally have not used one but if I remember correctly, this was the challenge they were hoping to resolve.

[green heath]

well the other option is providing a stable 5 volt source. I am also trying to run a stepper motor with 5v...

I am also getting this error when I run the command as a bat file

the command otherwise works fine through the console

okay nevermind. something weird happened and it wasnt using the correct dash...

[shadow marlin]

Using variables is exactly right. In this case you would use a variable to keep track of whether you wanted the motor on or off.

[pallid rose]

Hello

[woven mica]

hello

[pallid rose]

I am looking to connect and Arduino and an PLC. What could be the best way?

An Arduino with sensors sends data via USB to a PC. But I don't know how to link the Arduino with an PLC

I am thinking about cables and other thinks like this because it's for an industrial machine

[gilded swift]

@pallid rose this might help you get started

https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=69574.0

[sacred ivy]

To add to that: I would also look into Ethernet as most plcs have Ethernet on them. You may have to do some leg work PLC side though.

[frank skiff]

I'm not too familiar with i2C, but SPI. How would the entire message be formatted?

To turn the display ON

Im using Wire.h on the arduino

  // Turn on Display
  Wire.beginTransmission(DEVICE_ID); // Transmit to device at 0x3C
  //Wire.write(byte(0x00));            // Control Byte?
  Wire.write(byte(0xAF));            // Command to turn display ON
  Wire.endTransmission();
  delay(200);

[lusty mountain]

Yes, yes, yes, and no

Should probably mention that before I started having problems, I did try to set pin 0 and 1 as output low

[rough torrent]

Is it in the code? If so, maybe that's affecting the upload sequence.

[lusty mountain]

Yes

[rough torrent]

If it is, you should be able to use another Arduino as an ISP to upload code without using the serial stuff

[lusty mountain]

I'm worried that they might be set to low, and I can't change it because it's basically locked me out

Is there any way to erase the code from the arduino without using serial?

Lucky for me I already ordered another arduino, was just hoping I could get the project working before that comes in

[rough torrent]

Most likely what happened

[rough torrent]

Not that I know off

You will want to see this guide: https://www.arduino.cc/en/pmwiki.php?n=Tutorial/ArduinoISP

[lusty mountain]

Alright, thanks

[cosmic mango]

hello, I'm looking for some help with reading and writing to a flash memory ic with SPI

[elder hare]

with the ArduinoJson lib how would i get the "air_temperature" so i can print it out?

[frank skiff]

Which IC?

[cosmic mango]

EN25T80

[frank skiff]

Check the datasheet but it says it supports either SPI modes 0 and 3

probably best to download the datasheet but there's all the instructions

[cosmic mango]

yeah i've read (some of) the datasheet. im confused at what the 3-byte address is

[frank skiff]

void output(byte data)  {
  byte instruction = 0x02;

  digitalWrite(CS, LOW);
  SPI.transfer(instruction);
  SPI.transfer(0x00);       // 8-Bit part of address
  SPI.transfer(0x00);
  SPI.transfer(0x00);
  SPI.transfer(data);       // 8-bit data
  digitalWrite(CS, HIGH);
}

this is one i wrote for an SRAM chip

[cosmic mango]

so this would write to the start of the first page?

[frank skiff]

It's not very neat but you can see the (READ) instruction followed by 3 byte address and then the data

You'd have to adapt it a little

[cosmic mango]

the SPI.transfer(data); line

does that read or write??

[frank skiff]

well since the first instruction is to write it would write that data

so its WRITE/READ

ADDRESS

DATA

[cosmic mango]

i see. and in my case, the instruction would be 0x03?

[frank skiff]

for READ yeah

[cosmic mango]

ok

[frank skiff]

I forget, is a page one byte?

[cosmic mango]

a page is 256 bytes

[frank skiff]

you've got to tell it which mode

because it'll expect a certain amount of data to write

[cosmic mango]

whats the difference between the modes?

[frank skiff]

Wait maybe this chip only supports page writes

oh its not ram

[cosmic mango]

seems like the modes only affect the clock?

[frank skiff]

theres 4 but its different combinations of clocking data on the falling or rising edge

but use either 0 or 3

[cosmic mango]

i set the mode with this? SPI.setDataMode(0);

[frank skiff]

yep

[cosmic mango]

ok. going back to the address thing.

in your example, you had
SPI.transfer(0x00); x 3

is that for the start of the memory?

what would be the address for, say, the 3rd page

[frank skiff]

honestly it would be easier to read as 0x000000

[cosmic mango]

wait, can we read one byte at a time, or do we need to read the entire page?

[obtuse spruce]

I'd suggest looking at the Adafruit SPIFlash library - even if it doesn't support your chip directly - it has full examples of all these operations.

[frank skiff]

Yeah much easier to just use a library

but it looks like it reads continuously

honestly i'd have to read the datasheet more but i've gotta go

[cosmic mango]

yeah i just saw that too, looks like I give it a start address and it just reads from there

[frank skiff]

i'd say make it easy on yourself and use a library

[obtuse spruce]

You generally read in more than one byte at a time - and you can write arbitrarily.... BUT - subject to the Flash erasing: You must erase a whole sector (set it all to 1s) - from that point you can write anyway you want... it the writes will only turn 1s into 0s.

[cosmic mango]

i'll have a look at that library

[obtuse spruce]

If the chip is "standard" enough - you can just use that library - supplying your own block of configuration info for the chip you are using.

[cosmic mango]

so after some fiddling around, everything I try to read is 0

even the manufacturer and device id

did i kill it? or is it more likely I am just doing something wrong

my code:

[elder hare]

anyone ever used the SD-Card slot on a TFT 2.5" LCD Touch Screen befor?

[frank skiff]

If you really want to write your own it would be worth combining the instruction and adress into one 32bit (unsigned) integer

Would reduce issues with leading zeroes as long as you format the message correctly

Youd probbaly need to use a combination of bitmasks and bitshifts

int input() {
  byte instruction = 0x03;
  int data = 0;

  digitalWrite(CS, LOW);
  SPI.transfer(instruction);
  SPI.transfer(0x00);       // 8-Bit part of address
  SPI.transfer(0x00);
  SPI.transfer(0x00);
  data = SPI.transfer(0x00);
  digitalWrite(CS, HIGH);
  return data;
}

This is how i wrote my read function

[turbid path]

Is it possible to use the LIS3DH library with circuit playground express? I want to use the library instead of the circuit playground library for my current project.

[storm harness]

*(arbdata + index + bl + tableOffset)

How can i store this as a variable

[gilded gazelle]

make the var an array? guessing

[lone ferry]

x = arbdata[index + bl + tableOffset];

[storm harness]

arbdata is a pointer

the rest are integers

[lone ferry]

where x is the type of the thing inside arbdata.

[storm harness]

so x is another pointer?

or an int value

[lone ferry]

Depends. What is the type of arbdata?

[storm harness]

int16_t

[lone ferry]

Then int16_t x = ... is how you'd write it. It's not a pointer but an int16_t value.

[storm harness]

ah ok

i think i got it

[dreamy minnow]

hello! i tried adapting a code which puts an esp8266 into acces point mode, then starts a webserver in which you input wifi credentials, but this is my first go at using ap mode and a webserver, could anyone point me in the right direction? https://pastebin.com/kTNGMt25 please ping me as it's 6 am for me and i'm going to get some sleep. P.S. i am aware of the existence of wifimanger and the such, but i want to learn this side of things.

[sacred dagger]

Does anyone knows how to code in assembly on Tinkercad? I wanna try to sort an array.

[pine bramble]

Really? Wow. That's very cool. Just heard about Tinkercat, like, yesterday.

Autodesk had a CAD program that fit on a single diskette in 1989 - we had a free copy at the computer store I worked in.

(It was more useful than Linux' dia) .. varkon in Linux excellent general parameter-driven CAD - haven't seen it in many years though.

ex.
https://sourceforge.net/projects/varkon/

There's freecad in Debian:

https://termbin.com/jma6

[proven mauve]

Hey, I've got a question. I've seen pointers to classes before, like this:

  &midi01, &midi02};
uint8_t type = midilist[0]->getType(); ```
and they can be used to cycle through class methods in for loops, stuff like that. But now I've got a class....I can make a pointer to it... 

AutoMap * singlePotMaps[] = {&cutOffPotMap, &resFreqPotMap, &LFOratePotMap, &LFOresPotMap}; But the issue is I can't figure out how to use it then, because instead of being a class.function() call, it's just a class() call to use the automaps, as in to use one you just call: cutOffPotMap(300);```
If it were cutOffPotMap.useMe(300); that would be easy, I would just add the -> to the pointer call in the loop...

I hope this makes sense with my phrasing...

[lone ferry]

What you do mean by "a class() call", @proven mauve

[proven mauve]

so, to use those AutoMaps, you create them/name them, but then they only really do one thing. So instead of
cutOffPotMap.doTheThing(300); it's just
cutOffPotMap(300);
If I needed to add the .doTheThing to the call, I have an example of how to do that with the pointer by using ->. But I don't know how to do it when there isn't

[lone ferry]

The class() syntax is used to instantiate the class, you can't do it afterwards. But I'd need to see the actual AutoMap code (but it's time to make dinner now).

[summer wave]

sounds like they're used more like functions than classes. i don't recall much c++, can you just singlePotMaps[i](300)?

[proven mauve]

no, the compiler doesn't like that 😦

expression cannot be used as a function

I'm not sure how to go about googling this either, I lack the vocabulary

To give a clearer example, I could totally use this:

AutoMap resFreqPotMap(0, 1023, 20, 210);
AutoMap * singlePotMaps[] = {&cutoffFreqPotMap, &resFreqPotMap};
for (int i = 0; i < 2; i++) {
  singlePotMaps[i]->doTheThing(300);
}```

But instead of the AutoMaps working by using cutoffFreqPotMap.doTheThing();, the work by using cutoffFreqPotMap(); after you initialize them.

[snow pier]

Hello, i am using 2 arduinos, connected via Bluetooth to send sensor and button data to an other arduino with DMX-shield.

I got the problem, that i cant read incoming data on one of the arduinos, it seems to stuck.

if (ble.available()) { delay(5); String receiveMsg = ble.readStringUntil('\n');

works on one arduino pretty well.
But the other arduino cant read a incoming String, it dosent go into the "if"

Anyone worked with bluetooth and might help me a little?

[summer wave]

i probably have the syntax wrong. the concept i'm thinking of is function pointers, maybe referred to as jump tables or similar. those might help narrow your searching.

[proven mauve]

I just found a method inside the library, .next(). It looks like I can reference that, and using the class() like that just processes a .next call 😀

[lone ferry]

Yes, you need to call next() it looks like.

[proven mauve]

But I really do appreciate the help, I'm going to look into those so I can research them more, I would like to understand this better

[lone ferry]

Although it does have an operator () so you can use it as singlePotMaps[i](value);

[proven mauve]

the compiler gets upset at me over those lol

[lone ferry]

What does it say?

[proven mauve]

expression cannot be used as a function

[lone ferry]

What is the expression?

[proven mauve]

int atkVal = dualPotMaps[0](osc[oscSelect][ATTACK]);

[lone ferry]

What is the definition of dualPotMaps?

[proven mauve]

#define ATTACK_POT A5    // select the input pin for the attack/decay potentiometer
AutoMap atkPotMap(0, 1023, 25, 3000);  // remap the attack pot to 3 seconds
AutoMap dkyPotMap(0, 1023, 25, 3000);  // remap the decay pot to 3 seconds
#define RELEASE_POT A4    // select the input pin for the  sustain/release potentiometer
AutoMap relPotMap(0, 1023, 25, 3000);  // remap the release pot to 3 seconds
AutoMap susPotMap(0, 1023, 0, 255);  // remap the sustain pot to appropriate level
AutoMap * dualPotMaps[] = {&atkPotMap, &dkyPotMap, &relPotMap, &susPotMap};```
However, this is working as intended:
```int atkVal = dualPotMaps[0]->next(osc[oscSelect][ATTACK]);```

[lone ferry]

Try AutoMap dualPotMaps[] = { ... } without the *

[proven mauve]

So, including the operator() definition in the class is what makes it so I can reference the instance without a method, and that's whats making it into a .next call? Like, operator() in any class will do that?

[lone ferry]

No, they had to implement that in the AutoMap class.

[proven mauve]

conversion from 'AutoMap*' to non-scalar type 'AutoMap' requested

compiler error

[lone ferry]

Yeah it's because you're turning them into pointers.

[proven mauve]

But, using ->next will totally work for me, I can add all these to the control detection loops I already have set up now instead of having to implicitly calling each one

[lone ferry]

And an array is also a pointer, so the array is pointers-to-pointers.

[proven mauve]

I just didn't want to edit the library to make it easy for someone else to do after me

[lone ferry]

If you wanted to use () the syntax is probably: int atkVal = (*dualPotMaps[0])(osc[oscSelect][ATTACK]); because you need to deference the pointer.

[proven mauve]

Yes, this compiles and also works after uploading

Thank you very much, I'm going to do it that way so I can reference it later when I've moved onto other projects, I already have a reference for using -> 😀

I've always had trouble fully grasping pointers

@lone ferry yeah, I've got it added into the control loops now and it works perfect. Thank you again!

[loud horizon]

Hello, I'm trying to work with simhub, and in earlier updates you were able to go to the arduino ide, but I'm unable to

[next jetty]

Silly question... I note the arduino have multiple ground pins... is this a convenience thing or should they be used/distributed evenly? (or can I just use the one to my external circuit)

[vivid rock]

just a convenience thing

[next jetty]

thanks

[somber burrow]

whenever i unplug my arduino from the usb port just goes crazy, i dont really know how to explain it. I have it plugged into a 12v power supply because im controlling an led strip that used 12v but when i unplug the usb port the arduino doesnt work the same way it would if it was plugged in

anybody know why this is happenign?

[pulsar junco]

Maybe it's rebooting?

[somber burrow]

i think its a power problem

but i have no other power supplies or anything like that

so

[pulsar junco]

Oh i misread your post my apologies, in what way does it work differently?

[somber burrow]

it just freaks out

thats the best way to describe it

so i have an rgb strip that came with a 12v 3a power supply, and im just plugging that directly into the arduino. when i discornnect the usb the lights start flickering in unusual ways

[pulsar junco]

do they continue to flicker or does it go back to normal?

[somber burrow]

they flicker forever

as far as i can tell

[pulsar junco]

hm

[somber burrow]

but it isnt warm to the touch

so i dont think its overheating

[pulsar junco]

does it flicker if you unplug everything and the plug in only the power supply?

[somber burrow]

ya

lemme try it again hold on

yeah it still does it

and it isnt like a constant flicker eitehr, random pulses

also random colors

[somber burrow]

if anybody finds a solution, ping me, imma sleep now lol

[vivid rock]

which arduino is it?

[pine bramble]

When you sequence two power supplies, one sequence is preferential to the opposite one.

If you power them in the wrong sequence, one supply will backfeed to the MCU in ways that will make it behave oddly.

So for example, I have an STM32F407 Discovery, an Adafruit CP2104 Friend, a Lumex 96x8 display, and a 5 volt 2A power supply.

Everything except the Lumex is powered through CP2104 which is fed by its USB connection to the host PC.

I always plug in the 5V 2A supply first, then the USB cable.

For disconnect, I disconnect the USB cable, then disconnect the 5V 2A supply.

(I bond the 5V pin of the CP2104 Friend to the 5V pin of the STM32F407 Discovery, so CP2104 board is powering the STM32 board and its MCU).

My solution (haven't tried it yet): add 10k resistors inline between TX (Lumex) and RX (STM32), and the mating wire (TX from STM32 running to RX on the Lumex board).

The idea is to current-limit any backfeeding happening via the TTL serial connections between the Lumex display and the MCU responsible for sending it messages in English. ;)

Ideally: a master power switch that engages all power supplies at the same moment.

That's what you have with commercial products, after all.

- -

The reason why sequencing is problematic: if you power your MCU properly, it will ignore 'backfeeding' via its port pins (as that will be weaker).

If you start the MCU with its port pins backfed some amount of current from elsewhere, then even though you've applied the correct power to it locally, it tends to be unreliable in how/if it starts up.

🛩️

[somber burrow]

arduino uno

[somber burrow]

ic, how do i fix it?

do i use a smaller supply?

[pine bramble]

@somber burrow Use a 10k resistor in series with a GPIO pin, if you're connecting to any of them. Try that.

Exception might be: lighting an LED with that pin. In that case, just use the regular current-limiting resistor.

[somber burrow]

yeah im using 9, 10, 11 to control the LED's

[pine bramble]

Those aren't where the backfeeding comes from as they don't interact with another powered device .. they are endpoints in themselves.

The problem is on communication lines to other MCU's.

[somber burrow]

im using A4, is that what you mean?

[pine bramble]

I don't remember things like that.

[somber burrow]

im not using any of the io pins besides those 3

[pine bramble]

Then that's not what's going on .. backfeeding requires a second voltage source.

(Only happens when there are more than one power supplies)

[somber burrow]

yeah, the problem isnt when im using mutliple power supplies, its when im only using one (the 12v 3a one)

[pine bramble]

Why are you using 12V?

[somber burrow]

thats the supply that came with the LED strip

[pine bramble]

Well you might need some isolation on the data line controlling that strip.

What's the logic/signalling voltage level on the input port for that strip?

[somber burrow]

its not individually adressable

is that not what you mean?

[pine bramble]

Sorry, Discord Canary decided I had to upgrade.

[somber burrow]

all good lol

[pine bramble]

Okay if it's not individual then you're just PWM'ing for colors, right?

[somber burrow]

yep

[pine bramble]

You're driving transistors (BJT's or MOSFETS) right?

[somber burrow]

yep

[pine bramble]

And the MCU is acting flaky. Right?

[somber burrow]

https://learn.adafruit.com/rgb-led-strips/usage

this configuration^

yeah it is

[pine bramble]

I thought you said it is reliable if you don't do <foo> but I don't remember what <foo> is.

[somber burrow]

it is reliable when it is plugged into my computer + using the 12v supply, it is not reliable when i am only using the 12v supply

[pine bramble]

Yeah so the 12V supply is 'simply' noisy.

(probably)

[somber burrow]

yeah ig so

[pine bramble]

It's probably putting out enough hash to reset the micro occasionally, or cause it to glitch.

[somber burrow]

that makes sense, so do i need a new supply? or can i just add a capacitor for good luck lol

[pine bramble]

A few well-placed bypass capacitors could help.

If you get any consistent improvement by that method, you may be onto something with the noisy 12V PSU theory.

If you had a known clean 12 V PSU to substitute that could make things go faster.

(speed up troubleshooting)

[somber burrow]

ill look for one, but what is the reason for it working when i have it plugged into the usb port on my computer

shouldnt it be broken either way

[pine bramble]

I'm just guessing on that and don't have a clear idea going just yet.

The PC may simply be providing a path for the noise to be shunted to ground.

I'm just making this up since I'm not sure I understand enough of the problem.

[somber burrow]

imma look for another supply brb

[pine bramble]

Is everything on a single 120 volt AC electrical outlet?

[somber burrow]

yep

[pine bramble]

How is the 12V PSU grounded?

[somber burrow]

To the outlet

[pine bramble]

Yeah see I don't know if you can bond the minus lead of the 12V supply to the MCU or not.

Working without a schematic makes it difficult to spot obvious errors.

[somber burrow]

i dont have a drawn up schematic, what exactly do you need to see

thats teh supply im using

which goes to the arduino

[pine bramble]

Oh so you have a 12V PSU with a 2.1 mm plug on the end of it and are powering the Arduino Uno form factor target board, and your project only runs properly when the USB connection to the target is made.

It doesn't do anything wrong with the USB connection there?

[somber burrow]

nope, it works perfectly with the usb connection

as far as i can tell

[pine bramble]

What does it do wrong with the USB removed?

[somber burrow]

it flickers and stuff, i can send a video if you want

[pine bramble]

I was raised by wolves in fresh air and sunshine, so I'm not attracted to this 'video' magic you speak of.

[somber burrow]

lol

so basically the only way to explain it is that the board freaks out and does random things

no specific order

[pine bramble]

I like things that either don't move when you look at them, or that are apt to say hello to you (eventually) if they do move, when you look at em.

Random things like what?

[somber burrow]

technically it doesnt move

but..

[somber burrow]

the lights on the board also flicker, including the rgb strip

the green and yellow ones

[pine bramble]

Yeah that doesn't sound very good. ;)

[somber burrow]

the green one is brighter than the yellow one

[pine bramble]

Sounds a bit systemic.

[somber burrow]

o so the mcu is broken u think?

[pine bramble]

Not at all. You said it works under USB + 12V

[somber burrow]

yep

the only real reason the 12v is there is to power the led's

[pine bramble]

If you had 12VDC batteries (several D cells in series) that might clean it up.

[somber burrow]

wont it run out of battery really quicly

i have this running almost all day

[pine bramble]

Why would a thirty second test take all day?

[somber burrow]

oh ok

i thought this was a permanant thing

ill get some batteries

[pine bramble]

I would program the Arduino to blink the strip on and off in an unpredictable pattern, to prove it's running under program control.

For example, have it count. 1 blink ; pause; 3 blinks ; pause ; 5 blinks ; pause ; 2 blinks ; pause ; 4 blinks ..

[somber burrow]

Gotta put these together first

[pine bramble]

Hehe I've used rolled up paper like from a copier machine, and some elmer's glue-all to make up some tight fitting D cell tubes.

Seven cells produce about 11.27 volts.

 $ dc -e '5 k 1.61 7 * p q'
11.27

You need to reduce the load the LED strip puts on those AA cells.

Probably the easiest way is to adjust them to super dim while the project is functioning (with USB connected and the old PSU).

D cells are not AA cells.

Even a set of D cells will be taxed pretty hard by even a moderately dimmed strip.

[somber burrow]

o wait what

d cells are not aa cells?

uh

[pine bramble]

D cells are very large in diameter.

[somber burrow]

lol

[pine bramble]

Like near one inch in diameter.

[somber burrow]

Biggest one i got

[pine bramble]

At any rate see what you can do to dim the strip before you connect the batteries.

[somber burrow]

O yeah it says d cell on it lol

[pine bramble]

Yeah that's a D cell (or a C cell, I can't tell from here).

[somber burrow]

How many do I need?

[pine bramble]

What exactly did you spend your entire childhood on, that you don't know which batteries a given object needs to run? Every kid I knew learned which ones to steal and who had them in which appliance, to steal them from. ;)

[somber burrow]

Different times ig lol

[pine bramble]

Are they brand new batteries?

[somber burrow]

Idts but they all work

Some I have never used

[pine bramble]

Assume 1.4 volts per cell and about 7 volts minimum.

Try five and see how it goes.

4x cells give 6.4 volts when new.

(roughly 1.6V per cell out of the package)

[somber burrow]

Small problem, only 3 of them actually work

[pine bramble]

haha.

Well try dimming the strip so it's very weak.

See if that improves the behavior at all.

[somber burrow]

How is this going to dim the strip?

Do u want me to use the arduino?

[pine bramble]

You have to do that.

I don't have a schematic. So it's either the program (reduce the duty cycle) or the schematic (change the circuit).

You might be taxing your power supply.

Why did they provide a power supply?

[somber burrow]

https://www.amazon.com/Lepro-Ultra-Long-Controller-Changing-Adapter/dp/B086TYT7MT/ref=sr_1_25?dchild=1&keywords=rgb+led&qid=1609022434&sr=8-25

i bought this and just took the led strips and the power suply

and the ir sensor, but thats not for this project

[pine bramble]

https://amzn.com/B086TYT7MT/

So did the remote function well?

[somber burrow]

yes

[pine bramble]

How long did you own and use this system?

[somber burrow]

about a week

i bought it for this project

[pine bramble]

That's not a lot of time but at least you saw it working.

[somber burrow]

yeah every function on there works fine

[pine bramble]

That almost eliminates the PSU since the white box had a remote control that had to get power from that PSU (the 'listener' had to get power from it).

If that PSU was putting out serious noise it should have glitched the gadget inside that white box.

[somber burrow]

which it didnt

[pine bramble]

Maybe your connections aren't as free of intermittency as one might have assumed.

How did you physically connect things up?

[somber burrow]

btw the project itself is an audio visualizer, i have a 3.5 mm jack that is plugged into a circuit that amplifies it and uses an envelope detector, that goes into the arduino, then the arduino controlls the lights. thought that might be helpful

[pine bramble]

Yeah that's another physical connection.

Another source of backfed power and of noise.

[somber burrow]

lol it wont let me send in the photo because its explicit content

anyway, thats what the connections look like

[pine bramble]

Yeah that'd flicker. ;)

[somber burrow]

wait why??

[pine bramble]

Intermittent solder joints and the like.

It's likely DC wiring issues.

[somber burrow]

but if that were the case, why does it work fine when i have it plugged into the usb

[pine bramble]

Maybe the MCU is held up by VUSB which is dependable.

You should be able to add a 5V LiPo with a USB-A jack in substitution for the connection to the host PC.

Like the ones sold to recharge your cell phone.

[somber burrow]

yeah that would work

except it would look funky

sacrifices i guess

cause this is my setup...

[pine bramble]

Right but it helps in troubleshooting to show that it does work.

[somber burrow]

o just for testing

got it

[pine bramble]

I'd really have to inspect the solder joints visually to even guess if they're just fine or are going to be a problem.

[somber burrow]

I went through everything with a multimeter. Nothing is shorted

[pine bramble]

I'd also try pressing on different points to see if i could start the Arduino successfully, using that third arm that sticks out of my chest, and the tiny hand I have there.

Get like a 2x2 foot sheet of plywood and tape everything down so nothing moves at all.

Then just press on things until the behavior changes.

When you can't make it change after trying quite a few things it's probably stable.

(stable good or stable broken) ;)

[somber burrow]

pressing on things in the curcuit i made or in the mcu?

[pine bramble]

The soldering job you did and all cables connected to it.

[somber burrow]

just to be clear we are talking about pressing it with a multimeter in the diode mode thing