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    Forum
    Arduino
    Transmitter link up
    Example pulseIn() code to read RC RX pin (tested-working) /* This is example code for an RC switch */ unsigned long ch1; /* run setup code once*/ void setup() { pinMode(4, INPUT); // Set our input pins as such pinMode(3, OUTPUT); Serial.begin(115200); } /* loop code*/ void loop() { ch1 = pulseIn(4, HIGH, 22500); // Read the pulse width of the channel - timeout after X milliseconds if no change to pin if (ch1 > 0) { if (ch1 > 1700) { //assigned to a 2 position switch digitalWrite (3, HIGH); // turn on if (ch1 < 1300) { digitalWrite (3, LOW); // turn off } } Serial.println(ch1); // print value read to serial monitor } } Note: Pin 13 on many
    Arduino
    boards is connected to the onboard LED - This is great as a fast way to test code. Be aware that as the
    Arduino
    boots it normally flashes the led on pin 13 - so if you connect your switch circuit to pin 13 it will also switch on/off on board startup
    4 years ago by G6SWJ
    Forum
    Arduino
    Transmitter link up
    It’s going to be something like: void setup() { pinMode(1,INPUT); // PWM signal pinMode(13,OUTPUT); // lights } void loop() { if (analogRead(1) > 512) { // PWM signal ranges between 0-1023 digitalWrite(13,HIGH); // switch on lights } else { digitalWrite(13,LOW); // switch off lights } } The transmitter stick PWM range is probably closer to 250-750 but 512 will be somewhere in the middle. So anything higher and it’ll switch on pin 13. Check the max mA on the
    Arduino
    output pin before linking to LED’s. Sometimes it’s best to go via a NPN mosfet if powering higher amps. Although another cheat is to switch multiple outputs on at the same time which will get you a few more mA, just don’t melt the
    Arduino
    ! 🀣 πŸ”₯ Hope the above gives you a starting point. Just typed it out now! For something that latches and counts stick movements you’ll need to include variables. Let me know if you need an example for that too. I’m sure once you get into it, it’ll begin making more sense πŸ‘ Stephen
    4 years ago by fireboat
    Forum
    Arduino
    Transmitter link up
    Sometimes things are not as they seem! I was not trying to keep a secret - more wanting to be a responsible forum member. A few years back a forum was started for RC &
    Arduino
    - the majority of the content relates to model boats or subs. It was started as fellow modellers wanted to discuss and progress their
    Arduino
    adventures but clogging up a model boat forum with the minutiae of microprocessors and software syntax, the discussion and pursuit of misplaced semi colons, did seem fair on other members who had no interest in the subject. It was also not possible to structure and present the techie information in a way that a dedicated forum facilitates (sections/categories/groups etc) – hence we started our own forum. Our intention was/is that the detail would be kept away from cluttering up the modelling forum’s – the results however in all their glory would be published and celebrated on the various modelling sites and shared with all members – hopefully a win-win situation. My PM contained the link to the RC &
    Arduino
    forum where all are welcome to join – it is not my intention to divert posts, traffic away from the modelling sites as explained above – if admin do not approve of this post then please delete. RC &
    Arduino
    forum - http://rc
    Arduino
    .freeforums.net/ And yes to both β€˜K’s although I wouldn’t want to boast about the Ket ring one! _._
    4 years ago by G6SWJ
    Forum
    Musical Christmas Tree Project
    Hi Guys, If you are interested in
    Arduino
    and want to start as a complete beginner then may I suggest that you look at the lessons from Paul Mcwhorter on utube. There are 35 Lessons and he explains things right from the beginners point of view. If you purchase a
    Arduino
    STARTER KIT (from eBay) you can easily follow the experiment with him. He also teaches you to code and explains how to modify it. He tells you about the Free to download software that you will need. There is also a free to download
    Arduino
    for Dummies PDF on the Web.(just type in
    Arduino
    for Dummies) Hope this helps. Martin555.
    4 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    Musical Christmas Tree Project
    Been busy building something a bit different recently. Thought I'd share with you all, merely from an engineering point of view some of you might be interested! We have a competition in work, for best Christmas display. Normally people just hang some tinsel here and there, but I took it a little more seriously... put my
    Arduino
    coding skills to use and made a whole Christmas tree, choreographed to music. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KYC_tO_LVlY&list=PLKBzmRZ7qj... Raising a little money for charity by doing it. https://JustGiving.com/UnileverTree Taken 6 months to make in my spare time, started back in June! Most of the ornaments I already had, but they needed cutting in half and the old lighting stripping out of them. The whole lot uses addressable LED's, so technically only 3 wires throughout (12v, GND & Signal). Birds nest is literally sticks from the forest hot glued together. Same with the logs. The forest floor is sand I had spare from putting a patio down last summer, again glued down. Tree's and little cars are from home bargains. The street lights, traffic lights and logo was all 3D printed. Then roads, roundabouts etc simply painted. Software is relatively simple, but to get all the timings right I did have to make some desktop software that let me edit light effects in a time line, then export it all as
    Arduino
    code to load in. The
    Arduino
    has an MP3 breakout board attached, so any music can be loaded and played. 5 tracks in total on a loop, about 15 minutes worth. I'd like to have programmed 12 tracks, but ran out of time, maybe next year! There are also ribbon blowers at the top via drain pipes which I 3D printed centrifugal fans for. They work, but a little noisy so again something for next year! Hope you all enjoy too! Stephen
    4 years ago by fireboat
    Forum
    Arduino
    Transmitter link up
    Hi Elsrickle, It's easy to connect an
    Arduino
    to an RC RX and read the PWM output(s) from the receiver channels and then apply some 'logic' to this/these readings/states and then act on that logic to do something e.g. switch something on/off Working backwards - what types of lights do you want to switch? And I would say YES - it's possible for someone new to
    Arduino
    to achieve what you want with some guidance - we all started somewhere! With most things to do with
    Arduino
    you don't start with a completely blank sheet - you often use someone elses code and modify/add to it - you will find that there is not much you can think of that hasn't been done by someone else before using the internet. Do be aware that some of the
    Arduino
    forums can be scary places even for seasoned
    Arduino
    ers... _._
    4 years ago by G6SWJ
    Forum
    Arduino
    Transmitter link up
    Here is a link just to show that it can be done using
    Arduino
    . Martin555.
    4 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    Musical Christmas Tree Project
    Brilliant Stephen. Happy Christmas. I have recently bought a 32 project starter
    Arduino
    kit from ebay for £20. It is incredible value. The programming software is free on their site. It all looks very interesting. I will post a photo of the kit later today.😊
    4 years ago by MouldBuilder
    Forum
    Musical Christmas Tree Project
    Looks good - If you are into this type of things - check out free Vixen Lights software - sequencing software( looks simple but it's powerful software - takes a while to get used to - outputs serial commands to the like of
    Arduino
    - software downloads/install often flag as malware etc - they are 100% safe http://www.vixenlights.com/ Great use of RGB addressable LEDS And then you can do this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90oZ52M4IC0 _._
    4 years ago by G6SWJ
    Forum
    Musical Christmas Tree Project
    Hi Stephen. !!!ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!!! You'r timing is spot on. I just had to watch the other videos on utube. I tinker a little with
    Arduino
    but nothing as spectacular as that. What
    Arduino
    board did you use ? I would love to see a little of the code. You have inspired me to do more with the
    Arduino
    . Martin555.
    4 years ago by Martin555
    Blog
    HMS Cottesmore in 1/48 scale.
    Hi Guys, Well buildwise that is as far as I have got, lots more detail work to be done. I was a bit stuck as to how to switch on and off the lighting until I came across
    Arduino
    . So I purchased an
    Arduino
    PCB and then I looked on utube to see how to program it. I just picked up enough programming knowledge to be able to switch the lighting on and off in a loop sequence. There's a lot of really good tutorials about programming the
    Arduino
    on utube. My plan is as I have to fit suppression capacitors to the motors I will remove all of the removable trays and at the same time wire it all differently as when the superstructure is complete it will be very easy to break something off just to switch Cottesmore on and off. I will also learn a bit more programming so that lighting is more controllable. So that is about it at the moment I hope that this log has not been to boring. I will update this log from time to time when I get back to working on her. Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft
    ".... I have also been looking on utube at DIY CNC Machines using old DVD Drives and an
    Arduino
    board...." You can probably make a machine for nothing out of scrap if you know what you're doing - but I wouldn't advise a beginner to learn that way! The issue is getting the precision of movement together with enough stiffness to be able to apply adequate force when cutting and not have the structure bend. For modelling, we have an advantage in that many of our materials are thin and easy to cut, compared to typical professional requirements. A common cutting tool is a Dremel - which we often have, and you can see that a model boat motor can easily cut balsa - and probably light ply...
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    EeZeBilts From Keil Kraft
    Hi DG, I have seen your thread on your CNC Machine and I have also been looking on utube at DIY CNC Machines using old DVD Drives and an
    Arduino
    board. I will have to do a lot more research in to it as it is a good way to cut bits out for model making. Martin555.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    Hidden switches.
    Great Martin already checking out you tube. This opens up a whole new field in modelling for me. Looks like it will model building during the day and
    Arduino
    night school in the evening. Am committed with all my electronics in the Milford Star on this build. But am sure will try the
    Arduino
    on my next build. Ian
    5 years ago by Elsrickle
    Forum
    Hidden switches.
    Nice. I have only learnt enough
    Arduino
    programming to do very simple stuff. I really need to learn more as the
    Arduino
    board is a very cleaver gadget and Is capable of far more. Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    Hidden switches.
    Brilliant Martin, great use of technology. Pity more people who have fancy TXs don't use the full capability of those as well as control boards to control various functions using the programming. I've used my 9XR to do a number of things at once on planes such as setting up elevons and elevator to work together, flaps to come down slowly in tiny steps then go up smoothly at a faster speed, aileron and rudder working together etc. Saw an article in a model mag in which a guy was telling someone that the flashing lights on his plane were the work of his Taranis TX and not an on board module, which pushed me to play with settings and programmes. I made an experimental ducted fan quad controlled using a digital screen push button KK board (pic) which is a neat item.
    Arduino
    s have a better range of functions I think and are common in quad copters etc as you would know. John B
    5 years ago by jbkiwi
    Forum
    Hidden switches.
    Hi, If you type in
    Arduino
    on utube you will see lots of videos on the subject. Allso there are a lot of really good tutorials that teach you how to learn the programming. After a short time you will be able to write your own programs to do what ever you want it to do. Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    Hidden switches.
    Hi Doug, Thanks for that. Here are some close ups of the main mast of Cottesmore. The colour and positioning of the lights are from photos and drawings. I am going to have to rewrite my
    Arduino
    code for mine hunting mode. That is another mod I will eventually get around to doing. Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    Bit of an update on my CNC router. All up and running now and I am well chuffed with the results. I abandoned the
    Arduino
    based controller and opted instead for a Duet 2 WiFi board, a 32 bit controller with on board drivers. The machine can be loaded with a job directly from my computer/laptop/mobile phone and progress monitored from same. I have also added a 7 inch Paneldue touch screen display for when my daughter is hogging all the internet bandwidth. It has been going for a couple of weeks now and I haven't stopped making stuff, all for other folks! I need to find some DXF files for model boats now. I have a set of plans for a Lysander aircraft that my mate wants me to cut out for him, so far my efforts to convert PDF into useable vectors have come to nought.
    5 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Blog
    WTC/Sub Driver.
    Hi Guys I thought I would try and have a dummy run at assembling the WTC. but unfortunately I ran into a few problems, mainly with the pump hoses getting kinked. So I am trying to sort that out. I have also been experimenting with the navigation lighting and the signal light. I am by no means an electronic genius in fact I have not really got a clue about electronics, but after looking at utube I have managed to make a small circuit for the signal light. But it only turns an LED on and off at one second intervals. My original plan was to use an
    Arduino
    PCB for the lighting but I do not have the room in the tube for it. I have done a bit of
    Arduino
    programming before so I have ordered a small IC for two pounds (I think that is $2.60) and I will be able to program it with a small message in morse code. But I will also have to do a but of wiring modification. I have Posted a couple of photos of the small circuit on the bread board, and of the completed board.(555 Timer IC.) Anyway back to the modifications. Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Blog
    WTC/Sub Driver.
    Hi Guys, Another little update. I have installed the remote on/off switch in between the pump and the pump switch arrangement, fitted some connectors for the battery and battery charge systems,fitted a small digital volt meter and fuse holder. Completed the wiring and tested all systems. Everything in this WTC is bits and pieces that I have collected over the years. I must admit that using the standard servos made it a lot more difficult to get it all to fit in. Because I am using the BEC from one of the ESC’s it means That the battery position on the receiver is not used, so l have decided that I will power the navigation and running LED’s from it as when it is powered up I get 4.5 volts from it which is ideal for the LED’s. I did plan on having the signal light working in morse code using an
    Arduino
    board but I have not got the room to fit it in. I will see if I can make some sort of simple flashing system instead, if not then I will have to forget it. Here are some photos of the forward and aft modules being tested, and one photo of the forward module in the tube, you have to admit it is quite tightly packed. Martin.
    5 years ago by Martin555
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    Sounds like you might not have been waiting long enough for the
    Arduino
    to boot and load GRBL, so the port refused to connect, and then just stayed 'busy'.... If it happens again, try opening and closing another port, and then going back to 8. That seems to reset the flag...
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    Aha - I get that a lot. You have told UGCS that the
    Arduino
    is on port 8 at 115200 baud, haven't you? The first thing to note is that the
    Arduino
    takes an age to boot up. So plug it into the com port and wait a good 30 secs for it to settle down - or look at the lights on it and wait for them to show that it has booted and loaded GRBL. Even after that I can still get difficulty connecting. Do you have several available ports? I tend to get UGCS to open another port, then close that one, then open the correct one, and that often helps the connect. I suspect that interference on the line can cause quite a few issues - I have ferrite line filters at all available points. But the big problem I had was realising that the
    Arduino
    retains its settings over a power-off, so you can't just reboot and start again from scratch. If you have set it up incorrectly (as I did several times) you have to re-set it up properly before it will operate... and the com ports also seem to remember that they were busy and refuse to become free...
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    'How did you get on? We are all agog here...!' Well, everything lit up as it should, but zilch as regards motion. I have an idea it is a software issue I am having. GRBL uploaded without a hitch. When I try and connect Universal G Code Sender, it says 'can't connect, COM 8 ( Where
    Arduino
    is connected ) is already in use, access is denied. I am assuming that the
    Arduino
    needs to be on the same com port as UGS... Getting splinters in me fingers from scratching me bonce now...
    5 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    My plan is to trace PDF files into DSM and output as DXF, or work up my own drawings. I have DXF to G code so I guess I could deal with your files. When finished, my OX will be used for all sorts, cutting aluminium is a must, Daughter has demanded name plaques for her horses stable, she reckons her horsey pals will pay for nice carved name plaques so who am I to argue! ply and balsa cutting will be essential and possibly light brass sheet, hence my first choice of the 900 Watt DeWalt router. I may well end up with an arsenal of spindles/routers and eventually a laser head. I am using the CNC shield for now but the intention is to use a Rumba board, a versatile
    Arduino
    mega 2560 based board with loads of output options more commonly used on 3D printers, I have upgraded 2 of my printers with them already. Like 3D printers, the options for modifying/tweaking are endless. I will be fitting endstops, but I may use TMC 2130 drivers, which do not need endstops, as soon as they detect a substancial increase in current they switch off. My Mk3 Prusa has them, certainly reduces the ammount of wiring! I have a notion to draw up some plans for a series of warship boats at rc able size, ie, 47ft Whaler, Skimming Dish FML Cheverton Launch etc, interesting boats but rarely seen actually on the water as working models. I have a milling machine so a plentiful supply of milling cutters is available for a range of jobs.
    5 years ago by Nickthesteam
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    You seem to be doing pretty much the same thing as I am! I picked an eShapeoko whose mechanical kits are a fair bit cheaper, which meant I could afford the longer rails initially, but apart from that we are pretty much identical! Oh, and I'm using a different breakout board... You will be adding limit switches? I find them essential for decent control, but also found it a bit tricky to get data on the best way to connect them to an
    Arduino
    . Does Ox provide an advised circuit and pinouts? I see you are using DesignSpark. I don't think this accepts .DXF files, which are the standard 2-D interchange format. It will output them, but not import, which seems crazy to me! Which is a shame, because I could send you any of the model boat plans on the EeZeBilt or Marinecraft sites as a .DXF... Most of the EeZebilts can be made on the cutting area you have, and all the Marinecraft. You don't need a powerful router to cut balsa - a model boat motor is sufficient, with a cheap Chinese cutter for a couple of quid. The great thing about that is that there is essentially no cutting noise, just the quiet hum of the motor. A 4" wide plank with balsa edges will hold a sheet nice and firmly. What materials are you thinking of cutting? I am experimenting with cutting ply, and find that old dental burrs (which I got free from my dentist!) will go through 1/8" deal like butter powered by a Graupner Speed 400.
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    That's a later version of the Shapeoko, isn't it? Tell us more! Where did you get it? What are you using for the electrics - an
    Arduino
    and GRBL? How are you going to do workholding? What size cutting area do you have? And are you going to put G Code out for any of the parts you cut?
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Forum
    CNC boat kits...?
    A word about the electronics and software build.... Each stepper motor is driven by a 'driver' - a little switching unit like an ESC. This does the business of sending the power to the motor coils in the right order. They are quite cheap - about Β£10 each. To tell each driver to operate the motors in the right order you need a control box running the right software. You can use a dedicated laptop for this, running a stripped down system called LinuxCNC, but I opted to use an
    Arduino
    , which was the option advised by the vendor. So here is a picture of the
    Arduino
    (at the bottom - you can't really see it) with a breakout board on top carrying the four drivers (which have the little blue heatsinks on them). I made up an aluminium box to put them in, and attached it to the cutting gantry. The
    Arduino
    runs a control program called GRBL. I take the plans I have drawn in DXF format, run them through some software called DXF2GCode, which turns them into G-Code, and then send that file to the
    Arduino
    via a USB connection using 'Universal GCode Sender'. All these items of software are open source and free to download. The
    Arduino
    gets its power from the USB connection. The stepper motors get their power from a cheap Chinese 36v power supply, and the cutting motor gets its power from an old laptop power supply I had hanging around. If electronics frightens you then you probably won't want to do this, but the skills needed to wire up a boat motor are really as much as you need to put it all together....
    5 years ago by DodgyGeezer
    Response
    Re: Ollie ''G''
    Thanks Doug, under the umbrella of not knowing much about electronics, I sourced a micro / nano 2 phase 4 wire stepper motor and a 5v driver complete with remote controller and reduced the 12v supply accordingly with a regulator. I then retrained to be a "micro surgeon" to wire it! Results are not as good as I had hoped as the lowest speed is jerkey and the lowest smooth speed is a little too fast but I'll live with it for now and put it down to experience. Maybe it could be smoother with a
    Arduino
    controller but I couldn't find any constructive advice at the time and wasn't prepared to invest the study time. I'm guessing electronics is your thing πŸ€” At least I learned something!😌
    5 years ago by seafarer


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