James, our Aussie friend who worked here with us in Paris, came back to Sydney to make one of the most interesting things on this planet: the Ninja Blocks.
The Ninja Blocks platform makes it trivial to build web & mobile apps that talk to hardware. Get up and running in minutes, and begin talking to hardware & connected devices with the web languages you already know. Focus 100% on your app, and never have to worry about embedded programming, electronics, & networking protocols again.
What can we do with Ninja Blocks?
Rule the connected devices in your lifeWith the Ninja Rules Engine we can create rules that turn on the lights when we're not at home, or send an SMS to our phone when someone is at the front door.
Run apps for the internet of things
With apps built on REST API, the Ninja Block can be whatever we want it to be. It's our security system, our wine monitor, our cat's entertainer, it's our home thermostat, and more.
Build a web connected security solutionWithin five minutes we can create a security system that texts us whenever motion is detected, or if a door or window is opened. We can even have images saved to Dropbox.
Monitor and control our things anywhereMake sure the iron is turned off or if the kids are at home? With the remote control app we can control things or keep an eye on our home from wherever we go.
Included inside the Ninja Kit are:
1x Wireless motion sensor
1x Wireless door/window contact sensor
1x Wireless button
1x Wireless temperature and humidity sensor
1x Ninja Block (BeagleBone Linux computer with and Arduino)
1x USB Wi-Fi module
1x Ethernet Cable
1x 5VDC 3 Amp Power supply with connectors for US, EU, UK, and AU
Porting Android on Raspberry Pi so that we can transform our TV into a big Android tablet or a connected cheap Google TV? This is a dream of many Raspberry Pi owners. Needless to say, if this can be realized, it will be a cool Smart TV device, even cheaper than the popular MK802 Android Mini-PC!
Despite the great technical difficulties and failures, after being discussed thousands of times, for the first time in history, the porting has been proven to be successful.
An image based on Cyanogenmod 7.2 version of Android 2.3 has been successfully cooked for Raspberry Pi.
It really runs, slowly, but runs! Here is a video of how it works in action:
This is pretty much smoother than the previous CM9 version two days ago.
Hackers from both the Raspberry Pi and Android communities are trying to add hardware acceleration to create faster and more usable images.
Despite the popularity of the IOIO board for Android (a tool for adding external hardware to Android devices), which has the largest developer/hacker community, Google does not abandon its Accessory Development Kit (ADK). At Google I/O 2012, the team made another demo of ADK, using another board different from what we saw (or used) last year.
ADK 2011:
This time, you get some serious design:
ADK 2012:
The new Audio dock API and HID API seem to be the main interests of this ADK 2.0, which are very easy to implement.
For example, for those of you who want to make an external audio dock for Android that is able to play audio over a USB connection, simply grab a device running Android 4.1 (API Level 16) or higher (e.g., Galaxy Nexus), prepare your ADK 2012 board, open your favorite Arduino IDE, and start your pleasant development now.
The ADK 2012 provides a reference implementation of this functionality for accessory developers. No software application is required to be installed on the connected Android device, accessory developers only need to support AOA v2. This implementation demonstrates audio output of 16bit, 44.1kHz stereo PCM source data compressed into a single channel due to the audio hardware available on the accessory.
Using the audio output features provided by the ADK library requires only a few function calls. The first few calls are in the accessory setup() routine, which prepare the accessory for USB connections and audio output, as summarized in the code example below:
For more information about the ADK::audioInit() function, see the libraries/ADK/Audio.c library file. For more information about the ADK::usbh_init() function, see the libraries/ADK/Usbh.c library file.
After completing this setup, the loop() function calls ADK::adkEventProcess() to handle audio output and other ADK functions:
void loop(void)
{
...
L.adkEventProcess(); //let the adk framework do its thing
...
}
This call executes task queuing for the ADK and as part of the execution process, the task queue executes usbh_work() inlibraries/ADK/Usbh.c, which handles audio output requests. Review the implementation of this function for details. For additional implementation details on audio output, see the libraries/ADK/accessory.c library file.
For those of you who are not familiar with an infrared helicopter, please search "SYMA S107" on eBay or on YouTube. It's a little indoor coaxial helicopter around 20 USD, recharged through USB cable.
The original remote control that comes with the helicopter is pretty good, at least a lot easier to use than a touchscreen.
However, our passion doesn't end here with mere manual control. Inspired by all those robodance projects, we need more joy of robotic automation.
Let's hack the SYMA S107 helicopter to give it some artificial intelligence!
You might wonder why this particular model (Syma S107)? Well, simply because it is perhaps the most popular one in the IR helicopter market. And many brilliant hackers have already done the work for us. We don't have to reinvent the wheel to hack it again.
As usual, let's start with an Arduino, the most simple way to prototype electronic projects. Our goal here is to make an arduino based IR transmitter to programmatically control the helicopter.
Step 1. Prepare the circuit
The circuit is extremely simple, we just need:
1 Arduino, 1 IR LED and 1 resister of 200 to 1000 ohm.
Optional: an IR receiver (for testing).
That's all to transmit IR signal from Arduino to the helicopter. If you already have an Arduino board, it costs you almost nothing to get the rest parts.
If you are interested in IR tests, here is a detailed tutorial: http://www.ladyada.net/learn/sensors/ir.html
Otherwise, we can directly load the Arduino code and control the helicopter!
Step 2. Program the Arduino
Fortunately, there are several existing Arduino projects we can directly use and customize.
The first working code (tested):
//Arduino code to control a helicotper.
int IRledPin = 12;
int incomingByte = 0;
String incomingString;
int pulseValues[33];
int pulseLength = 0;
void setup() {
// initialize the IR digital pin as an output:
pinMode(IRledPin, OUTPUT);
pinMode(13, OUTPUT);
Serial.begin(9600);
for (int i=0; i < 13; i++)
pulseValues[i] = 0;
}
void loop()
{
SendCode();
}
void pulseIR(long microsecs) {
cli(); // this turns off any background interrupts
while (microsecs > 0) {
// 38 kHz is about 13 microseconds high and 13 microseconds low
digitalWrite(IRledPin, HIGH); // this takes about 3 microseconds to happen
delayMicroseconds(10); // hang out for 10 microseconds
digitalWrite(IRledPin, LOW); // this also takes about 3 microseconds
delayMicroseconds(10); // hang out for 10 microseconds
// so 26 microseconds altogether
microsecs -= 26;
}
sei(); // this turns them back on
}
void Zero()
{
pulseIR(300);
delayMicroseconds(300);
pulseLength += 600;
}
void One()
{
pulseIR(300);
delayMicroseconds(600);
pulseLength += 900;
}
void sendPulseValue(int pulseValue)
{
if (pulseValue == 1)
One();
else
Zero();
}
void checkPulseChanges()
{
if (Serial.available() > 0)
{
incomingByte = Serial.read();
//Pulse 1
if (incomingByte == 'a')
pulseValues[0] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'A')
pulseValues[0] = 1;
//Pulse 2
if (incomingByte == 'b')
pulseValues[1] = 0;
if (incomingByte =='B')
pulseValues[1] = 1;
//Pulse 3
if (incomingByte == 'c')
pulseValues[2] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'C')
pulseValues[2] = 1;
//Pulse 4
if (incomingByte == 'd')
pulseValues[3] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'D')
pulseValues[3] = 1;
//Pulse 5
if (incomingByte == 'e')
pulseValues[4] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'E')
pulseValues[4] = 1;
//Pulse 6
if (incomingByte == 'f')
pulseValues[5] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'F')
pulseValues[5] = 1;
//Pulse 7
if (incomingByte == 'g')
pulseValues[6] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'G')
pulseValues[6] = 1;
//Pulse 8
if (incomingByte == 'h')
pulseValues[7] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'H')
pulseValues[7] = 1;
//Pulse 9
if (incomingByte == 'i')
pulseValues[8] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'I')
pulseValues[8] = 1;
//Pulse 10
if (incomingByte == 'j')
pulseValues[9] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'J')
pulseValues[9] = 1;
//Pulse 11
if (incomingByte == 'k')
pulseValues[10] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'K')
pulseValues[10] = 1;
//Pulse 12
if (incomingByte == 'l')
pulseValues[11] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'L')
pulseValues[11] = 1;
//Pulse 13
if (incomingByte == 'm')
pulseValues[12] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'M')
pulseValues[12] = 1;
//Pulse 14
if (incomingByte == 'o')
pulseValues[13] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'O')
pulseValues[13] = 1;
//Pulse 15
if (incomingByte == 'p')
pulseValues[14] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'P')
pulseValues[14] = 1;
//Pulse 16
if (incomingByte == 'q')
pulseValues[15] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'Q')
pulseValues[15] = 1;
//Pulse 17
if (incomingByte == 'r')
pulseValues[16] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'R')
pulseValues[16] = 1;
//Pulse 18
if (incomingByte == 's')
pulseValues[17] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'S')
pulseValues[17] = 1;
//Pulse 19
if (incomingByte == 't')
pulseValues[18] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'T')
pulseValues[18] = 1;
//Pulse 20
if (incomingByte == 'u')
pulseValues[19] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'U')
pulseValues[19] = 1;
//Pulse 21
if (incomingByte == 'v')
pulseValues[20] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'V')
pulseValues[20] = 1;
//Pulse 22
if (incomingByte == 'w')
pulseValues[21] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'W')
pulseValues[21] = 1;
//Pulse 23
if (incomingByte == 'x')
pulseValues[22] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'X')
pulseValues[22] = 1;
//Pulse 24
if (incomingByte == 'y')
pulseValues[23] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'Y')
pulseValues[23] = 1;
//Pulse 25
if (incomingByte == 'z')
pulseValues[24] = 0;
if (incomingByte == 'Z')
pulseValues[24] = 1;
//Pulse 26
if (incomingByte == '1')
pulseValues[25] = 0;
if (incomingByte == '2')
pulseValues[25] = 1;
//Pulse 27
if (incomingByte == '3')
pulseValues[26] = 0;
if (incomingByte == '4')
pulseValues[26] = 1;
//Pulse 28
if (incomingByte == '5')
pulseValues[27] = 0;
if (incomingByte == '6')
pulseValues[27] = 1;
//Pulse 29
if (incomingByte == '7')
pulseValues[28] = 0;
if (incomingByte == '8')
pulseValues[28] = 1;
//Pulse 30
if (incomingByte == '9')
pulseValues[29] = 0;
if (incomingByte == '!')
pulseValues[29] = 1;
//Pulse 31
if (incomingByte == '@')
pulseValues[30] = 0;
if (incomingByte == '#')
pulseValues[30] = 1;
//Pulse 32
if (incomingByte == '$')
pulseValues[31] = 0;
if (incomingByte == '%')
pulseValues[31] = 1;
//Pulse 33
if (incomingByte == '^')
pulseValues[32] = 0;
if (incomingByte == '&')
pulseValues[32] = 1;
}
}
void SendCode() {
while (true)
{
checkPulseChanges();
pulseIR(4000);
delayMicroseconds(2000);
pulseLength=6000;
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[0]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[1]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[2]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[3]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[4]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[5]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[6]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[7]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[8]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[9]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[10]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[11]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[12]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[13]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[14]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[15]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[16]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[17]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[18]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[19]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[20]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[21]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[22]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[23]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[24]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[25]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[26]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[27]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[28]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[29]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[30]);
sendPulseValue(pulseValues[31]);
//Footer
pulseIR(360);
delayMicroseconds( (28600 - pulseLength) );
}
}
This is the processing code to control the helicopter using the PC's camera and mouse wheel:
import processing.serial.*;
import controlP5.*;
import JMyron.*;
JMyron m;
ControlP5 controlP5;
CheckBox checkbox;
Button b;
float boxX;
float boxY;
int boxSize = 20;
boolean mouseOverBox = false;
byte[] previousFlags = new byte[32];
byte[] flagsToSend = new byte[32];
Serial port;
String outString;
int helicopterUpSpeed = 0;
int helicopterPitch = 63;
int helicopterYaw = 68;
void setup() {
m = new JMyron();
m.start(640,480);
size(640, 480);
controlP5 = new ControlP5(this);
checkbox = controlP5.addCheckBox("checkBox", 20, 20);
// make adjustments to the layout of a checkbox.
checkbox.setColorForeground(color(120));
checkbox.setColorActive(color(255));
checkbox.setColorLabel(color(128));
checkbox.setItemsPerRow(8);
checkbox.setSpacingColumn(30);
checkbox.setSpacingRow(10);
// add items to a checkbox.
checkbox.addItem("1", 0);
checkbox.addItem("2", 0);
checkbox.addItem("3", 0);
checkbox.addItem("4", 0);
checkbox.addItem("5", 0);
checkbox.addItem("6", 0);
checkbox.addItem("7", 0);
checkbox.addItem("8", 0);
checkbox.addItem("9", 0);
checkbox.addItem("10", 0);
checkbox.addItem("11", 0);
checkbox.addItem("12", 0);
checkbox.addItem("13", 0);
checkbox.addItem("14", 0);
checkbox.addItem("15", 0);
checkbox.addItem("16", 0);
checkbox.addItem("17", 0);
checkbox.addItem("18", 0);
checkbox.addItem("19", 0);
checkbox.addItem("20", 0);
checkbox.addItem("21", 0);
checkbox.addItem("22", 0);
checkbox.addItem("23", 0);
checkbox.addItem("24", 0);
checkbox.addItem("25", 0);
checkbox.addItem("26", 0);
checkbox.addItem("27", 0);
checkbox.addItem("28", 0);
checkbox.addItem("29", 0);
checkbox.addItem("30", 0);
checkbox.addItem("31", 0);
checkbox.addItem("32", 0);
checkbox.deactivateAll();
controlP5.addButton("Up", 0, 120, 120, 35, 20);
controlP5.addButton("Down", 0, 120, 160, 35, 20);
controlP5.addButton("Forward", 0, 180, 120, 45, 20);
controlP5.addButton("Backward", 0, 180, 160, 45, 20);
controlP5.addButton("TurnLeft", 0, 60, 120, 40, 20);
controlP5.addButton("TurnRight", 0, 60, 160, 40, 20);
port = new Serial(this, Serial.list()[0], 9600);
for (int i=0;i<32;i++)
{
flagsToSend[i] = 0;
previousFlags[i] = 0;
}
addMouseWheelListener(new java.awt.event.MouseWheelListener() {
public void mouseWheelMoved(java.awt.event.MouseWheelEvent evt) {
mouseWheel(evt.getWheelRotation());
}
}
);
startSetUp();
}
String addForwardZeroesTT(String inputString, int totalLength)
{
String outString = "";
for (int i = 0; i < (totalLength - inputString.length()); i++)
outString += "0";
outString = outString + inputString;
return outString;
}
//Incremental like bits
//0000, 0001, 0010, 0011, 0100, etc
void Up()
{
String currentSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterUpSpeed), 7);
if(helicopterUpSpeed <= 125)
helicopterUpSpeed += 1;
String newSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterUpSpeed), 7);
setNewSpeed(currentSpeed, newSpeed);
}
void Down()
{
String currentSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterUpSpeed), 7);
if (helicopterUpSpeed > 0)
helicopterUpSpeed -= 1;
String newSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterUpSpeed), 7);
setNewSpeed(currentSpeed, newSpeed);
}
void Backward()
{
String currentSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterPitch), 7);
helicopterPitch += 1;
String newSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterPitch), 7);
setNewPitch(currentSpeed, newSpeed);
}
void Forward()
{
String currentSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterPitch), 7);
helicopterPitch -= 1;
String newSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterPitch), 7);
setNewPitch(currentSpeed, newSpeed);
}
void TurnLeft()
{
String currentSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterYaw), 7);
helicopterYaw -= 1;
String newSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterYaw), 7);
setNewYaw(currentSpeed, newSpeed);
}
void TurnRight()
{
String currentSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterYaw), 7);
helicopterYaw += 1;
String newSpeed = addForwardZeroesTT(binary(helicopterYaw), 7);
setNewYaw(currentSpeed, newSpeed);
}
void setNewSpeed(String currentSpeed, String newSpeed)
{
//Compare each bit and see if it needs changing.
if (newSpeed.charAt(6) != currentSpeed.charAt(6) )
checkbox.toggle(23);
if (newSpeed.charAt(5) != currentSpeed.charAt(5) )
checkbox.toggle(22);
if (newSpeed.charAt(4) != currentSpeed.charAt(4) )
checkbox.toggle(21);
if (newSpeed.charAt(3) != currentSpeed.charAt(3) )
checkbox.toggle(20);
if (newSpeed.charAt(2) != currentSpeed.charAt(2) )
checkbox.toggle(19);
if (newSpeed.charAt(1) != currentSpeed.charAt(1) )
checkbox.toggle(18);
if (newSpeed.charAt(0) != currentSpeed.charAt(0) )
checkbox.toggle(17);
}
void setNewPitch(String currentSpeed, String newSpeed)
{
if (newSpeed.charAt(6) != currentSpeed.charAt(6) )
checkbox.toggle(15);
if (newSpeed.charAt(5) != currentSpeed.charAt(5) )
checkbox.toggle(14);
if (newSpeed.charAt(4) != currentSpeed.charAt(4) )
checkbox.toggle(13);
if (newSpeed.charAt(3) != currentSpeed.charAt(3) )
checkbox.toggle(12);
if (newSpeed.charAt(2) != currentSpeed.charAt(2) )
checkbox.toggle(11);
if (newSpeed.charAt(1) != currentSpeed.charAt(1) )
checkbox.toggle(10);
if (newSpeed.charAt(0) != currentSpeed.charAt(0) )
checkbox.toggle(9);
}
void setNewYaw(String currentSpeed, String newSpeed)
{
if (newSpeed.charAt(6) != currentSpeed.charAt(6) )
checkbox.toggle(7);
if (newSpeed.charAt(5) != currentSpeed.charAt(5) )
checkbox.toggle(6);
if (newSpeed.charAt(4) != currentSpeed.charAt(4) )
checkbox.toggle(5);
if (newSpeed.charAt(3) != currentSpeed.charAt(3) )
checkbox.toggle(4);
if (newSpeed.charAt(2) != currentSpeed.charAt(2) )
checkbox.toggle(3);
if (newSpeed.charAt(1) != currentSpeed.charAt(1) )
checkbox.toggle(2);
if (newSpeed.charAt(0) != currentSpeed.charAt(0) )
checkbox.toggle(1);
}
void startSetUp()
{
//First clear the arduino.
port.write('a');
port.write('b');
port.write('c');
port.write('d');
port.write('e');
port.write('f');
port.write('g');
port.write('h');
port.write('i');
port.write('j');
port.write('k');
port.write('l');
port.write('m');
port.write('o');
port.write('p');
port.write('q');
port.write('r');
port.write('s');
port.write('t');
port.write('u');
port.write('v');
port.write('w');
port.write('x');
port.write('y');
port.write('z');
port.write('1');
port.write('3');
port.write('5');
port.write('7');
port.write('9');
port.write('@');
port.write('$');
port.write('^');
//Set the pulse to the basic configuration.
checkbox.toggle(1);
checkbox.toggle(6);
checkbox.toggle(10);
checkbox.toggle(11);
checkbox.toggle(12);
checkbox.toggle(13);
checkbox.toggle(14);
checkbox.toggle(15);
checkbox.toggle(16);
checkbox.toggle(25);
checkbox.toggle(28);
checkbox.toggle(29);
checkbox.toggle(30);
}
void draw()
{
background(200);
m.update();
int[] img = m.image();
//first draw the camera view onto the screen
loadPixels();
for(int i=0;i<640*480;i++){
pixels[i] = img[i];
}
updatePixels();
noFill();
int[][] a;
CheckHelicopterPosition();
text(" Current Speed: " + helicopterUpSpeed, 230, 135);
text(" Pitch: " + helicopterPitch, 230, 165);
text(" Yaw: " + helicopterYaw, 230, 195);
}
void CheckHelicopterPosition()
{
noFill();
int[][] a;
m.trackColor(255,255,0,255);
//draw bounding boxes of globs
a = m.globBoxes();
stroke(255,0,0);
int averageY = 0;
for(int i=0;i<a.length;i++){
int[] b = a[i];
rect(b[0], b[1], b[2], b[3]);
averageY += b[1];
}
if (a.length > 0)
{
averageY = averageY / a.length;
line(0,averageY,640,averageY);
text(" Average Y: " + averageY, 230, 215);
if (averageY > 240)
{
text(" Action: up ", 350, 20);
delay(150);
//Up();
}
else
{
text(" Action down ", 350,20);
//delay(250);
//Down();
}
}
}
void controlEvent(ControlEvent theEvent) {
if (theEvent.isGroup()) {
for (int i=0;i<theEvent.group().arrayValue().length;i++)
{
byte n = (byte)theEvent.group().arrayValue()[i];
flagsToSend[i] = n;
//there was a change in the flags, send the update.
if (previousFlags[i] != flagsToSend[i])
{
println(i);
if (i==0) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('a');
}
else {
port.write('A');
}
}
if (i==1) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('b');
}
else {
port.write('B');
}
}
if (i==2) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('c');
}
else {
port.write('C');
}
}
if (i==3) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('d');
}
else {
port.write('D');
}
}
if (i==4) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('e');
}
else {
port.write('E');
}
}
if (i==5) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('f');
}
else {
port.write('F');
}
}
if (i==6) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('g');
}
else {
port.write('G');
}
}
if (i==7) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('h');
}
else {
port.write('H');
}
}
if (i==8) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('i');
}
else {
port.write('I');
}
}
if (i==9) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('j');
}
else {
port.write('J');
}
}
if (i==10) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('k');
}
else {
port.write('K');
}
}
if (i==11) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('l');
}
else {
port.write('L');
}
}
if (i==12) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('m');
}
else {
port.write('M');
}
}
if (i==13) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('o');
}
else {
port.write('O');
}
}
if (i==14) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('p');
}
else {
port.write('P');
}
}
if (i==15) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('q');
}
else {
port.write('Q');
}
}
if (i==16) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('r');
}
else {
port.write('R');
}
}
if (i==17) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('s');
}
else {
port.write('S');
}
}
if (i==18) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('t');
}
else {
port.write('T');
}
}
if (i==19) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('u');
}
else {
port.write('U');
}
}
if (i==20) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('v');
}
else {
port.write('V');
}
}
if (i==21) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('w');
}
else {
port.write('W');
}
}
if (i==22) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('x');
}
else {
port.write('X');
}
}
if (i==23) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('y');
}
else {
port.write('Y');
}
}
if (i==24) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('z');
}
else {
port.write('Z');
}
}
if (i==25) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('1');
}
else {
port.write('2');
}
}
if (i==26) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('3');
}
else {
port.write('4');
}
}
if (i==27) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('5');
}
else {
port.write('6');
}
}
if (i==28) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('7');
}
else {
port.write('8');
}
}
if (i==29) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('9');
}
else {
port.write('!');
}
}
if (i==30) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('@');
}
else {
port.write('#');
}
}
if (i==31) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('$');
}
else {
port.write('%');
}
}
if (i==32) {
if (n == 0) {
port.write('^');
}
else {
port.write('&');
}
}
}
previousFlags[i]=n;
}
}
}
void mouseWheel(int delta) {
if (delta == 1)
Down();
else
Up();
}
We have tested it. It worked like a charm. Exactly as the project creator says:
"Utilizing the input from the webcam, it adjusts the speed until the helicopter is in the middle of the screen.
If it goes too high, it lowers the speed. If it gets too low or is stopped, it slowly increases the upwards speed."
The second working code (not yet tested by DIY Phone Gadgets):
Of course, your SYMA S107 helicopter might not always be exactly the same as others'. The first code might not work for your helicopter. Don't worry, it is possible that you have a 3-channel (30-bit) version, which uses a different protocol. Just load the following Arduino code:
/* S107 3-channel with checksum helicopter control code
* Copyright (C) 2012, Andrew Barry, Dan Barry
*
* Uses an Arduino to control a S107 helicopter
*
*
* Instructions:
* Connect an IR LED array to pin 8 (using a FET to amplify the signal)
* and use the serial monitor to send commands to the system
*
*/
#define LED 8
#define STATUS 13
//#define TAKEOFF_THROTTLE 240
//#define HOLDING_THROTTLE 130
byte yawCmd, pitchCmd, throttleCmd, trimCmd;
// Set this value for the default channel
// A = 0
// B = 1
// C = 2
byte channel = 0;
/*
* Setup function that initializes the serial port and
* sets some default values for the control variables.
* Also sets up the pins we'll be using.
*/
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(STATUS,OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(STATUS,LOW);
pinMode(LED,OUTPUT);
digitalWrite(LED,LOW);
yawCmd = 8;
pitchCmd = 8;
trimCmd = 0;
throttleCmd = 0;
Serial.println("throttle = 0, standing by for commands.");
}
/*
* Function that does the actual work of converting commands into
* IR LED pulses and changes the pins in the appropriate manner.
*/
byte sendPacket(byte yaw, byte pitch, byte throttle, byte trim)
{
int packetData[100];
int pulseNum;
digitalWrite(STATUS,HIGH);
float channelDelayValue = 136500;
// channel A B or C
// A is 10 with 136500us packet delay
// B is 01 with 105200us packet delay
// C is 11 with 168700us packet delay
if (channel == 0)
{
packetData[0] = 1;
packetData[1] = 0;
channelDelayValue = 136500;
} else if (channel == 1)
{
packetData[0] = 0;
packetData[1] = 1;
channelDelayValue = 105200;
} else {
packetData[0] = 1;
packetData[1] = 1;
channelDelayValue = 168700;
}
packetData[2] = 0;
packetData[3] = 0;
// pitch
packetData[7] = (pitch & 0b1000) >> 3; // direction bit
if (pitch < 8) { pitch = 8 - pitch; } packetData[6] = (pitch & 0b0100) >> 2; // others are speed bits, note that they are reversed
packetData[5] = (pitch & 0b0010) >> 1;
packetData[4] = (pitch & 0b0001);
// throttle
// bits are reversed in the throttle command
packetData[15] = (throttle & 0b10000000) >> 7;
packetData[14] = (throttle & 0b01000000) >> 6;
packetData[13] = (throttle & 0b00100000) >> 5;
packetData[12] = (throttle & 0b00010000) >> 4;
packetData[11] = (throttle & 0b00001000) >> 3;
packetData[10] = (throttle & 0b00000100) >> 2;
packetData[9] = (throttle & 0b00000010) >> 1;
packetData[8] = (throttle & 0b00000001);
// yaw
packetData[19] = (yaw & 0b1000) >> 3; // direction bit
if (yaw < 8) { yaw = 8 - yaw; } packetData[18] = (yaw & 0b0100) >> 2;
packetData[17] = (yaw & 0b0010) >> 1;
packetData[16] = (yaw & 0b0001);
// these 4 bits are the checksum, so make sure they
// are 0s so they don't change the XOR later on
packetData[20] = 0;
packetData[21] = 0;
packetData[22] = 0;
packetData[23] = 0;
// yaw trim / yaw adjust (the little dial on the controller)
// 6 bits
packetData[24] = 0;
packetData[25] = 0;
packetData[26] = 0;
packetData[27] = 0;
packetData[28] = 0;
packetData[29] = 0;
// these bits are never sent but we do the checksum
// computation in 4-bit chunks, with the trailing two
// bits set to zero, so we set them to zero here to make
// the checksum a bit easier to compute
packetData[30] = 0;
packetData[31] = 0;
int i;
int checksum[10];
checksum[0] = 0;
checksum[1] = 0;
checksum[2] = 0;
checksum[3] = 0;
// compute checksum -- bitwise XOR of 4-bit chunks
// with two zeros padding the *end* of the last two bits
for (i=0; i 0)
{
if (Serial.available() == true)
{
Serial.println("HOLD ABORTED");
break;
}
packetDelay = sendPacket(yawIn, pitchIn, throttleIn, trimCmd);
delayTime = delayTime - packetDelay;
delay(packetDelay);
delay(delayAmount);
delayTime = delayTime - delayAmount;
}
Serial.println("Done holding.");
}
void Land()
{
static int i;
Serial.println("Landing");
for(i=throttleCmd;i>0;i--){
HoldCommand(8,8,throttleCmd,50);
}
throttleCmd = 0;
}
/*
* Function that manages receiving data from the serial port.
* Mostly changes the global variables that are passed to the
* control functions.
*/
void serialEvent()
{
char cmd = Serial.read();
Serial.println();
Serial.print("command received is ");
Serial.println(cmd);
switch (cmd)
{
// Take off with 't'
case 't':
Serial.println("Taking Off");
// Yaw: 1-15
// 8 = no turn
// 1 = max right turn
// 15 = max left turn
//
// Pitch: 1-15
// 8 = no pitch
// 15 = max forward
// 1 = max backwards
//
// Throttle: 0-255
// 0 = off
// ~130 = steady flight
// ~240 = fast climb
// First, go up with lots of throttle for 650ms
// yaw: 8 --> no yaw
// pitch: 8 --> no pitch
// throttle: 240 --> fast climb
// delay: 650ms --> enough time to climb, not too long so won't hit ceiling
// HoldCommand: a function that sends the same data for a given amount of time
// HoldCommand(yaw, pitch, throttle, time-to-hold-in-ms);
HoldCommand(8, 8, 240, 650);
// set the *global* throttle to steady flight throttle
throttleCmd = 130;
break;
// land with 'x' or 'q'
case 'x':
case 'q':
Land();
break;
// throttle commands
case '0':
case '1':
case '2':
case '3':
case '4':
case '5':
case '6':
case '7':
case '8':
case '9':
throttleCmd = atoi(&cmd) * 25; //single character, so we can go from 0 to 255 by inputting 0 to 9 in the serial monitor
break;
// turn left
case 'a':
if (yawCmd < 15) { yawCmd ++; } Serial.print("Yaw is "); Serial.println(yawCmd); break; // turn right case 'd': if (yawCmd > 1)
{
yawCmd --;
}
Serial.print("Yaw is ");
Serial.println(yawCmd);
break;
// move forwards
case 'w':
if (pitchCmd < 15){ pitchCmd ++; // moves forward } Serial.print("Pitch is "); Serial.println(pitchCmd); break; // move backwards case 's': if (pitchCmd > 1)
{
pitchCmd --; // moves backward
}
Serial.print("Pitch is ");
Serial.println(pitchCmd);
break;
// increase throttle
case 'u':
if (throttleCmd < 255 - 6) { throttleCmd += 6; } Serial.print("Throttle is "); Serial.println(throttleCmd); break; // decrease throttle case 'j': if (throttleCmd > 6)
{
throttleCmd -= 6;
}
Serial.print("Trottle is ");
Serial.println(throttleCmd);
break;
// change channel
case 'c':
Serial.println("Changing channel");
if (channel >= 2)
{
channel = 0;
} else
{
channel ++;
}
Serial.print("Channel is: ");
Serial.println(channel);
break;
// reset yaw and pitch
case 'r':
Serial.println("resetting yaw and pitch");
yawCmd = 8;
pitchCmd = 8;
break;
default:
Serial.println("Unknown command");
}
Serial.print("Throttle is at ");
Serial.println(throttleCmd);
}
/*
* Loops continuously sending and delaying for the transmission
*/
void loop()
{
// Note that serialEvent() gets called on each path of the loop
// and runs if there is data at the serial port
// we call delay here on the return value of sendPacket because that will
// cause us to put the right amount of time between packets. The delay is
// not constant, but is instead based on how long the packet was
// that we sent
delay(sendPacket(yawCmd, pitchCmd, throttleCmd, trimCmd));
}
To use the code, open the Serial Monitor (Tools > Serial Monitor) and use the following commands:
0-9: throttle
w: forward
a: left
s: backwards
d: right
t: take off
u: increase throttle
j: decrease throttle
r: reset pitch and yaw
Now that we can successfully send programmatical commands from Arduino, we can take advantage of the solutions we have learned here in DIY Phone Gadgets to control the IR helicopter using PCs, game consoles, Kinect, tablets, smartphones or whatever electronic gadgets.
Here is a project using Kinect:
Here is a project using brain (your mind) to control a helicopter:
Or a Nunchuk-Wiimote-controlled helicopter, if you need more accuracy:
How to decode IR signal (very useful if you don't have a SYMA S107):
Of course, you can always decode the IR signal from scratch, if your helicopter is not SYMA S107. Here is a great video tutorial:
Needless to say, using Arduino as a bridge, we can easily control helicopters. Here is "Yan's helicopter Controller" from DIY Phone Gadgets.
Here is how it works:
1. The Android phone is controlling the Arduino using bluetooth.
2. Arduino is controlling the original helicopter transmitter.
3. The transmitter is programmatically controlling the helicopter.
DIY Phone-controlled helicopters with audio dongle:
There are already some fantastic existing tools in the toy market that are really helpful. Like these audio jack dongles:
These dongles capture the audio signal in the 3.5 audio jack and translate the audio signal into wireless signal.
For normal users, these dongles are just wireless transmitters, compatible with Android or iPhone apps. They can use it to control the helicopter with their smartphones.
For DIYers, the dongles should be capable of transmitting IR or other wireless signals from any smartphone or tablet (Android, iPhone, Blackberry or Windows Phone). You simply produce programmatically some audio sound from the phone. To make a touchscreen controller is so boring because the physical joysticks are way better and more precise. A phone should be a mobile command station to interact with the helicopter with a lot more intelligence. The helicopter should be able to dance with your own written program!
The easiest way to get these dongles is searching "iPhone Android Helicopter" on eBay. Then write your iOS or Android code to produce some audio signal, control your TV, fly your helicopter! Don't forget to share your exciting discoveries with the DIY Phone Gadgets community.
Imagine that you are playing your favorite music while watching a bunch of helicopters dancing in the sky, following the melody and rhythm. Yes, that's so geeky. But you are so happy. What's more beautiful than a creative mind?
I have always wanted to talk about my favorite thing of the year: the cheap tiny linux PC - Yes, the Raspberry Pi!
It will be avaiblable soon by the end of the year 2011, let's hope.
Size: same as a credit card (for model A, even smaller, like a pen)
Price: 25 dollars
It is a full linux PC on which we can install Ubuntu, or even play Quake smoothly.
2. Why is Raspebrry Pi so interesting for DIY Phone Gadgets?
Android = Gorgeous user Interface, portable telecommunications services and the Internet of things everywhere with you
Raspberry Pi = Cheap, smart, tiny linux PC that can be powerful brains of any intelligent gadget and easily uses the USB port to add Microcontrollers like Arduino to control any motor or light or whatever sensors
Conclusion: Every project that combines Android and Raspberry Pi can make a powerful gadget.
3. How to make DIY Phone Gadgets combining Rasperry Pi and Android?
Mode 1. Android as a standalone remote control and Raspebrry Pi as a part of the gadget.
There are two possible types of communications:
a. Short range low delay communication
We can plug USB WiFi or Bluetooth dongles on Raspberry Pi, connecting it to the Arduino or whatever microcontroller, and use Android to interact with it.
Typical examples can be home automation gadgets such as an NFC lock or an intelligent airconditionner, showing user interface on the Android phone. WiFi toys with augmented reality feature can be interesting too. In UAV, you can connect Raspberry Pi to ArduPilot, and do some near real-time telemetry and video feedback via WiFi to be displayed on the Android phone, seamlessly working with Google Maps.
b. Cloud communication
We can connect the Raspberry Pi powered gadget to the Internet, and use Android to "chat" with it from everywhere in the world.
An example that I can imagine would be a surveillance robot with USB camera at home (of course its brain is the tiny Raspberry Pi). While the robot is wandering at home, we can chat with it on Google Talk using our Android phone from another end of the world. The QoS on some 3G or 4G networks can be good enough to support video chat and voip. Android will use XMPP, Web RTC or whatever promising or classical Internet protocols to interract with the gadget.
Mode 2. Android and Raspberry Pi together as a part of the gadget.
This mode takes advantage of the Android's built-in software and hardware (GPS, sensors, WiFi, bluetooth, etc) and the advantage of Raspberry Pi's good hardware extensitivity (because it is a linux PC with USB 2.0 OTG ports).
In this mode, the Android is directly connected to Raspberry Pi using a USB cable, just as it is connected to any PC. So ADB and USB tethering can be great protocols to help realizing fast bidirectional communication.
An example can be a sophisticated RC controller with many physical buttons and joysticks, and of course Android's large touch screen. You can download many different Android applications for this gadget, or add different 2.4Ghz radio modules. So there is a both a greater software and hardware flexibility compared to the classical radio controls from different manufacturers.
Mode 3. Installing Android on Raspberry Pi...And make cheap gadgets.
This seems a bit difficult for now because higher versions of Android are demanding in terms of hardware capabilties.
3. What can be done to help developers of DIY Phone Gadgets?
The idea is to buid up some good libraries in Raspberry Pi that can work with a special microcontroller such as Arduino, while supporting different types of connections with Android. The ultimate purpose is to provide a simple and single way to develop, instead of always developing on different platforms and trying to figure out how to bridge.
I really like the way how projects like IOIO and Amarino integrate the electronics programming in Android development. If Raspberry Pi can provide such a platform to handle PWM, UART etc while easily supporting WiFi dongles, and it is so cheap, why not?
4. Limitations of using Raspebrry Pi in DIY Phone Gadgets
Unfortunately, as Raspeberry Pi is so tiny and squeezes all cool things into a small board, there are not enough I/O pins for hardware developers. This is what is better considered on the more expensive BeagleBone. However, we can always connect a cheap Arduino board to it and it's all done easy and clean. Remember it is a PC and it is USB-friendly. For those of you who are curious about the I/O on Raspberry Pi, please read the official WiKi:
There are approximately 16 spare GPIOs, which on the Alpha board are brought out to 1.27mm pin-strip. Voltage levels are 3v3. The connector choice is deliberately annoying to connect to directly; there is no over-voltage protection on the board so the intention is that people interested in serious interfacing will use an external board with buffers, level conversion and analog I/O rather than soldering directly onto the main board. It brings 2x I2C (3v3), I2S and an SPI (3v3) interface out to the same connector. It supports one slave interface for I2C and one for SPI. The UART has four PINs: 3.3V, GND, TX and RX. Kernel boot messages go to this UART at 115200bps.
