Week 08# - Journal

First, I prepared the components in Tinkercad .I gathered an Arduino, a breadboard, 12 LEDs, 12 resistors, a buzzer, and two switches and blutooth module

I couldn’t test the simulation on Tinkercad because it didn’t work, so I left last week’s videos as they were.However, it worked when I tested it in real life. The only change I made was replacing the two buttons with wireless ones in the code. Then, I attempted to integrate both the button and Bluetooth so the circuit could work with either the button or a mobile application and that was the tricky part.

I wired the Bluetooth module as shown in the picture and the Tinkercad simulation: VCC to positive, GND to negative, RX to pin 1 (TX), and TX to pin 0 (RX).

I also replaced the larger button with another slider switch since it was easier to use and helped reduce the number of wires.

This Arduino sketch is designed to play two different melodies using a buzzer while controlling LEDs. The melody playback is triggered via a Bluetooth serial connection, where different commands can start or stop the melodies. 

variables used:

tempo1, tempo2: Define the beats per minute (BPM) for two different melodies.

buzzer: PIN (9) where the buzzer is connected.

ledPins[]: Array storing the digital pins for controlling six LEDs.

numLeds: The number of LEDs.

melody1[], melody2[]: Arrays storing note frequencies and durations for two different melodies.

notes1, notes2: Calculate the number of notes in each melody.

wholenote1, wholenote2: Define the duration of a whole note based on the tempo.

divider, noteDuration: Used for calculating individual note durations.

incomingData: Stores received Bluetooth serial commands

Function used: 

setup() Function: Initializes serial communication at a 9600 baud rate. Configures the buzzer as an output. Configures LED pins as outputs.

loop() Function: Waits for Bluetooth data input. Reads the received command and performs actions: '1' Plays melody1 1, and2' Stops playing and turns off LEDs and '3' Plays melody2 and '4'  Stops playing and turns off LEDs

playMelody(): Loops through the melody array. Checks if a stop command ('2' or '4') is received. Determines note duration based on divider (if negative, it's a dotted note).Uses tone() to play the note on the buzzer.Lights up LEDs in sequence while playing the note. Stops the tone after each note

stopEverything() : Turns off the buzzer.Turns off all LEDs.

Since my project in Week 08 remained essentially the same as Week 07, with the only change being replacing physical buttons with mobile buttons via the Bluetooth module, the feedback, ideas, and suggestions were identical to those from Week 07.

Additionally, I had concerns regarding my final project. During the Makeathon, when we used a Bluetooth module to control the robotic arm, we encountered some challenges, ,specifically, the Bluetooth connection frequently dropped in and out. Because of this, I asked Abdelrahman whether I should include manual mode buttons to sync with the Bluetooth button sequences in case the connection failed. He explained that the issue occurred because multiple teams were using Bluetooth modules simultaneously, causing interference. He reassured me that this wouldn't be a problem in my final project since not many people would be using Bluetooth modules at the same time. Therefore, he advised that I stick with the Bluetooth approach rather than adding manual buttons.