Week 8 - Journal

Imagine going back in time just for 100 years ago, and tell people that they can control stuff wirelessly! They wouldn't have believed you for sure! Okay, well, talking to and communicating with things became more and more familiar recently. This ranges from communicating with home appliances and mobile phones to cars! Wireless Communication can be through IR, Bluetooth, and Wi-Fi.

Through your journey through this week assignment documentation, you'll have unmatched experience to turn on/off a motor (a simulation of a vehicle engine) just with your voice, and to play your favorite sound clip at your finger using your mobile!

LET'S GIVE IT A SHOT!

I used an HC-05 Bluetooth module to establish a wireless communication between the Arduino UNO from one side and a DC motor and a buzzer from the other side via Bluetooth using mobile applications. I have written anArduino IDE code and the microcontroller by then uses it TX & RX communication pins to transmit/receive data to/from Bluetooth module.

Before writing the code on Arduino IDE, and connecting the real components, I drew a flow chart for inputs and expected outputs of the circuit that code is supposed to do.

I performed the compiling check in Arduino IDE and here is the code lines:

// Play your favorite sound clips with your mobile

char IncomingData = '0';

#define buzzer 9

#define motor 12

void setup() {

Serial.begin(9600);

pinMode(buzzer, OUTPUT);

pinMode(motor, OUTPUT);

}

void loop() {

while (Serial.available() == 0);

IncomingData = Serial.read();

if (IncomingData == '1')

{tone(9, 131, 100); // play tone 36 (C3 = 131 Hz)

delay(150); // Wait for 150 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 131, 100); // play tone 36 (C3 = 131 Hz)

delay(150); // Wait for 150 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 147, 500); // play tone 38 (D3 = 147 Hz)

delay(550); // Wait for 550 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 131, 500); // play tone 36 (C3 = 131 Hz)

delay(550); // Wait for 550 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 175, 500); // play tone 41 (F3 = 175 Hz)

delay(550); // Wait for 550 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 165, 500); // play tone 40 (E3 = 165 Hz)

delay(550); // Wait for 550 millisecond(s)

delay(1000); // Wait for 1000 millisecond(s)

;

}

else if (IncomingData == '2') {

noTone(9);

tone(9, 165, 100); // play tone 40 (E3 = 165 Hz)

delay(150); // Wait for 150 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 156, 100); // play tone 39 (D#3 = 156 Hz)

delay(150); // Wait for 150 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 165, 100); // play tone 40 (E3 = 165 Hz)

delay(200); // Wait for 200 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 156, 150); // play tone 39 (D#3 = 156 Hz)

delay(200); // Wait for 200 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 165, 150); // play tone 40 (E3 = 165 Hz)

delay(200); // Wait for 200 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 123, 150); // play tone 35 (B2 = 123 Hz)

delay(200); // Wait for 200 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 147, 150); // play tone 38 (D3 = 147 Hz)

delay(200); // Wait for 200 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 131, 150); // play tone 36 (C3 = 131 Hz)

delay(200); // Wait for 200 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 110, 500); // play tone 33 (A2 = 110 Hz)

delay(550); // Wait for 550 millisecond(s)

noTone(9);

delay(1000); // Wait for 1000 millisecond(s)

}

else if (IncomingData == '3'){

tone(9, 220, 350); // play tone 45 (A3 = 220 Hz)

delay(350); // Wait for 350 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 196, 350); // play tone 43 (G3 = 196 Hz)

delay(350); // Wait for 350 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 175, 350); // play tone 41 (F3 = 175 Hz)

delay(350); // Wait for 350 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 165, 350); // play tone 40 (E3 = 165 Hz)

delay(350); // Wait for 350 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 220, 350); // play tone 45 (A3 = 220 Hz)

delay(350); // Wait for 350 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 196, 350); // play tone 43 (G3 = 196 Hz)

delay(350); // Wait for 350 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 175, 350); // play tone 41 (F3 = 175 Hz)

delay(350); // Wait for 350 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 165, 200); // play tone 40 (E3 = 165 Hz)

delay(200); // Wait for 200 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 208, 200); // play tone 44 (G#3 = 208 Hz)

delay(200); // Wait for 200 millisecond(s)

tone(9, 220, 100); // play tone 45 (A3 = 220 Hz)

delay(150); // Wait for 150 millisecond(s)

noTone(9);

delay(1000); // Wait for 1000 millisecond(s)

} else {

noTone(9);

}

// Turn on your car engine with your voice!

if (IncomingData == '4') {

digitalWrite(motor, HIGH);

}

else if (IncomingData == '5') {

digitalWrite(motor, LOW);

}

else {Serial.println("Invalid Value");

}

Serial.print("You entered ");

Serial.println(IncomingData);

}

A real circuit simulation is shown in the videos below after uploading the code to the Arduino. First, I controlled the buzzer and DC motor via BT Terminal smart phone application, afterwards, I controlled the two output components via Arduino Bluetooth Control smart phone application via touch buttons and voice commands.

I participated with Ghazaly and Merit in the EOW session Makeathon! All three of us, especially me, as I have never imagined that I can, one day, build, program, assemble, and control a robotic arm successfully! I really benefited a lot from the group work and shared the ideas how to correctly approach the tasks from planning, components wiring, coding, troubleshooting, and eventually fishing some awesome 'wooden' fishes 😄 !

I was quite confused a little bit with the 'Servo motor' library calling, servo naming and controlling. With the kind help of Esraa during the EOW (Saturday) Makeathon session, I managed to understand and use Servo motor correctly😄.