Adding a switch to Arduino data collection

Once an Arduino measurement system is reporting measurements such as distance described in the previous post, it's nice to add the capability to turn the data reporting on and off. This is because the Arduino continuously loops, making it difficult to extract "real" data from the stream of values being reported. One could add a delay to slow the reporting, but this will affect measurements like motion by limiting the range precision of position measurements and thus reducing the range of velocities that are measureable.

Let's look at having the Arduino report measurements only when a switch is "on". This is going to require us to understand the idea of digital input and output (I/O), which is different than the analog input we measure with the ultrasonic sensor.

A circuit can be constructed as shown above, where three digital pins (4, 5,6) from the Arduino are connected to the poles of a switch. The two outer digital pins (4 and 6) will be set to output particular values. Pin 4 will be digital HIGH or 1, and pin 6 will be digital LOW or 0. The center pole is connected to pin 5, which will be an input value we read. When the switch is left, it connects the middle input pin 5 to pin 6. In this case we read LOW or 0. We will equate this to "off", and will not report measurements to the Serial port. When the switch is right, it connects the middle input pin 5 to pin 4. In this case we read HIGH or 1. We will equate this to "off", and will report measurements to the Serial port. The conditional reporting of data is accomplished using an if-then-else statement as shown. We will first look at code for the switch only. Then, we will insert our distance sensor code appropriately.

  
 //This program will set digital pins 4 and 6 to HIGH and LOW.
 //It will also read the digital pin 5.
void setup() {
  // put your setup code here, to run once:
  Serial.begin(9600); //open communication b/w the Arduino and computer
  pinMode(4, OUTPUT);//set digital pin 4 as output
  pinMode(5, INPUT);//set digital pin 5 as input
  pinMode(6, OUTPUT);//set digital pin 6 as output
}

void loop() {
  // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
  digitalWrite(4, HIGH);
  digitalWrite(6, LOW);
  if(digitalRead(5) == HIGH){
    //check to see if the switch is "on"
    Serial.println("report data");//if "on" send to the serial port 
  }
  else{
    //if the switch is "off" 
    //do nothing and move on 
  }
  delay(200);
}
  

Compile and upload this code to your Arduino. Using the Serial Monitor, check that the switch functions properly. Once it is functioning properly, see if you can modify the program to include the distance sensor reading from our last lab. Don't forget there is a variable declaration at the beginning of the distance sensor program. The reading and reporting of the sensor should only occur if the switch is on.

Recompile and upload your code to check the functioning of your code. If it appears to work, test it in various conditions. For example, try to measure an object such as a ball rolling across the table. Use tape on the table to turn the switch on and off to capture the motion only while the ball is moving between the initial and final tape points.

Let's look at constant velocity motion with our sensors.

1. Look at the following graphs. You will be given printed copies of them. Label on the graphs each section corresponding to motion that is different from the section before and after. In the label, include the \(\Delta x, \Delta t\), and average velocity, \(\langle v\rangle\). Also, write one sentence explaining what happens in that section of motion, e.g., “The object undergoes a displacement in the positive direction of 2 meters over 1 second, giving a velocity of 2 m/s in the positive direction.”
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Use your motion sensor and Arduino to create duplicate graphs like these by moving in front of the sensor with a small whiteboard. You should be careful to produce the graphs as accurately as possible including the particular distances and times. Putting tape on the floor may help. Practice with the Serial Plotter, then use the Serial Monitor to collect data that you copy and paste into Excel. For the time variable, assume each data point corresponds to the delay of 100 ms. This is not quite right since the Arduino takes time to loop, but it is off by less than 1 ms.
3. In Excel make graphs of your motion to include in a lab report.
4. Expectations: The velocities are to be calculated correctly. Experimentally, the average velocity within each time segment of your LoggerPro graph should be within 1 m/s of the calculated value. Be sure to calculate these for each segment. Also the starting/ending times of each time segment of your LoggerPro graph should be within 1 second of those given in the position vs time graphs.

Lab Report

Write a summary report in Microsoft Word. You will save it to the shared OneDrive that I sent a link. Makes sure the relevant Excel work is in the Word document. I do not want your Excel document. In your lab report include:

1. The three questions from last week.
2. Do the answers to these questions affect the precision of today's measurements?
3. The labeled handout graphs. Take a picture of them with a webcam or phone.
4. Your Excel graphs and calculations of average velocity for each segment. Be clear about how you calculate average velocities by including \(x_i, x_f, t_i, t_f\).
5. Describe the motion sensor's coordinate system. How does it define positive and negative?

Motion Sensors and Arduino

We are using the MaxSonar-EZ1 ultrasonic rangefinder. It will be connected to an Arduino (the Metro Mini by Adafruit). Setting up the sensor is very simple since the rangefinder only needs 5 volts and ground for power. The output indicating the distance an object is from the sensor can be obtained in a variety of ways. Here we use the analog signal marked

"AN". The connections look like this.

The sensor continuously sends sonic pulses once the power connections are made to an Arduino that is powered. If you put your ear close to it, you can hear the ticking of the pulses. Although the sensor has three ways to measure a signal, the analog voltage output seems to be the most straightforward to use. The analog output is a voltage between 0 and 5 volts that is proportional to the distance an object is from the sensor. However, the Arduino reports this value as an integer between 0 and 1023. That is, 5 volts is reported as 1023 and 0 volts is reported as 0. Can you determine what value 2.5 volts is reported?

Once connected, we need to write a program to read the sensor and report the reading back to the computer. The code that is shown reads analog pin number 0 (A0) and stores the read value in a variable named ultrasonic_voltage. The value of ultrasonic_voltage is then written to the serial port and can be viewed by opening the Serial Monitor.

//This is a comment that does not affect the program.
//This program will read the analog 0 (A0) pin on an Arduino and report the value to the computer USB
int ultrasonic_voltage;//This is an integer variable that stores the analog reading
void setup() {
    // put your setup code here, to run once:
    Serial.begin(9600); //open communication between the Arduino and the computer
}

void loop() {
    // put your main code here, to run repeatedly:
    ultrasonic_voltage = analogRead(A0); 
    //put the calibration equation here once you have it
    Serial.println(ultrasonic_voltage); //write to the USB
}

Several things to know about Arduino. The programming is strict. Be careful about semicolons (;), curly brackets ({}), and comments (//).  The highlighting shows you in many cases when you have used something recognizable such as "Serial" or "analogRead". The Arduino can loop quickly. The actual speed depends on how big your program is. Generally speaking it can complete a loop in microseconds. Therefore, one may want to insert a delay of a few hundred milliseconds while calibrating the sensor. Anytime you make a change to the program, it needs to be recompiled and uploaded to the Arduino.

Now, let's calibrate the sensor by holding a large object such as a spiral notebook or dry erase board in front of the sensor. Using a meter stick, collect approximately 10 ultrasonic_voltages and corresponding meter stick distances. Put these values in Excel, and graph them.

Ultrasonic Voltage	Distance (m)
16	0.2
50	0.9
125	1.75
175	2.3
200	2.9
250	3.5
300	4.1
350	4.6
375	5.2
450	6.1
512	7.0

Add a trendline to your graph of distance (m) vs. ultrasonic_voltage. See the example below.

The trendline should be linear. Be sure to show the equation and R2 value. We now want to add this trendline to the Arduino code so that the serial port output is calibrated to real distance. To do this, a new variable should be created similar to

int ultrasonic_voltage;

However, we want the new variable to be capable of storing decimal numbers so it can report values down to 0.001 m (1 mm). To do this create a floating point variable on the line after the one shown above.

float distance;

In the Arduino program insert the trendline equation after the line with analogRead. Be sure to substitute the variable names "ultrasonic_voltage" and "distance" for x and y appropriately. And don't forget a semicolon at the end of the line. Finally, change the variable that is printed to the serial port to be distance. Recompile and upload this program. Test your calibration by repeating some measurements.

Questions to address:

1. Is there a minimum and maximum distance that can be measured?
2. Is there a minimum change in distance that can be measured?
3. Does the minimum change that can be measured change with distance from the sensor?

Use the answers to these questions to summarize the capabilities of your sensor to measure distances. Use the ideas of absolute and relative uncertainty that we discussed in class.