RoboticsConnection User Forum / RoboticsConnection Software Support / Serializer .NET Library / Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB / Latest Posts

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

Don Lewis — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:42:04 GMT

Hi Jason,
I find the equation does ball park the readings well. I did
however, tweak it as I mentioned. I tested factor values of 4990.00
through 5010.80 and for my Sharp sensor the 4995.0 was a
good round average for the entire measurement range. I
find eliminating the equation and just using the result of the
equation saves some cpu cycles.
You are welcome to any of my results you find useful. You
are also welcome to improve on them as long as you share
your findings :)

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

jsummerour — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 23:04:20 GMT

Don,

Actually, I realize that I should ask your permission to use your equation first! :) If you don't mind, I'll add the new Sharp gp2y0a02yk sensor, that uses your equation.

Best Regards!

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

jsummerour — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 22:31:34 GMT

Thanks Don! This will be extremely useful to everyone! I meant to look at your link and forgot. :w00t:

Yep, there you go Kyle! Since Don has peformed all of the hard work, I'll do the easy part and add the gp2y0a02yk class to the next .NET lib release.

Best Regards,

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

Don Lewis — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 21:51:22 GMT

hello Kyle,
you can and should do all the excercises for your Sharp sensor but I have already if you
read my reply and looked at my web site. To get you started try this snippet from
some of my development work. It is named panIr here as it is on a pan/tilt
mechanism for object (radar like) sensing. The value 4995.0 is a result of
the Linearized data done here.
http://robotics.djlewis.us/hardware/sensors/gp2y0a02yk.html
------------------------------------begin-------------------------------
// 01/09/2010
// added Sharp GP2Y0A02 IR, distance measuring range: 20 cm to 150 cm (8" to 60")
//

private AnalogSensor PanIr; // PanScan IR 8" - 60"

double panIrVoltage = 0; // PanIr raw voltage
double panIrRange = 0; // range from voltage

private void InitializeSerializer()
{
serializer = new Serializer();
serializer.BaudRate = 19200;
serializer.PortName = "COM1";
serializer.CommunicationStarted += new SerializerEventHandler(serializer_CommunicationStarted);

PanIr = new AnalogSensor(serializer);
PanIr.Pin = AnalogPinId.Pin3;
PanIr.UpdateFrequency = 200;
PanIr.ValueChangedThreshold = 1;
PanIr.ValueChanged += new SerializerComponentEventHandler(PanIR_ValueChanged);

//much more non Sharp GP2Y0A02 IR left out.....
}

// New PanIr uses Sharp GP2Y0A02 IR, note, read samples, convert and display

void PanIR_ValueChanged(SerializerComponent sender)
{
panIrVoltage = PanIr.Value; // Int to Double conversion

panIrRange = (4995.0 / panIrVoltage); // adjusted constant more accurate long range
// Console.WriteLine(panIrRange); // debug line
if (panIrRange < 4) { panIrRange = 4; } // stay within actual sensor range
if (panIrRange > 70) { panIrRange = 70; } // helps with random spikes/dips

// Do what you want with the data returned by panIrRange, I send it to a GUI here.

}
-----------------------------------------end--------------------------

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

jsummerour — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 18:08:26 GMT

Nope, I haven't added it yet, but there's not reason that you can't implment it yourself. If you look at the GP2D120 and GP2D12 .NET classes, you'll see that they derive from AnalogSenosr, and IDistanceSensor classes. You can write a new GP2Y0A02YK class, which implements those interfaces, and converts the analog value to a distance.

Here's the internals of the GP2D12 class so you can see exactly how to modify it to work with the GP2Y0A02YK. You will obviously have to do some different math to obtain the correct distances. This will require you to calibrate the sensor, which means measuring the analog voltage for the entire distance range, recording those, and creating either a lookup table, or equation (preferred) to do the conversion of the voltage to distance.

As you can see, implemening the class is easy...the time is taken to create an equation or lookup table to describe the distances the sensor sees. :)

[code]

using RoboticsConnection.Serializer.Components;

using RoboticsConnection.Serializer.Ids;

using RoboticsConnection.Serializer;

using System;

using System.ComponentModel;

namespace RoboticsConnection.Serializer.Sensors

{

/// <summary>

/// Represents a Sharp GP2D12 Infrared Sensor.

/// </summary>

/// <include file='Docs\remarks.xml' path='/remarks/remarks[@name="GP2D12"]'/>

[DefaultEvent("DistanceChanged")]

[DefaultProperty("DistanceChangedThreshold")]

public class GP2D12 : AnalogSensor, IDistanceSensor

{

#region Public Constants

/// <summary>

/// The default value for the <c>DistanceChangedThreshold</c> property.

/// </summary>

public const float DistanceChangedThresholdDefault = 1;

#endregion

#region Ctors

/// <summary>

/// Initializes a new instance of the <c>Serializer</c> class.

/// </summary>

public GP2D12()

{

}

/// <summary>

/// Initializes a new instance of the <c>Serializer</c> class, attaching

/// it to the specified serializer instance.

/// </summary>

public GP2D12(Serializer serializer)

{

this.Serializer = serializer;

}

#endregion

#region Public Properties

/// <summary>

/// The distance, in inches, reported by the Sharp GP2D12 sensor.

/// </summary>

[Browsable(false)]

public double Distance

{

get { return distance; }

}

/// <summary>

/// Specifies the amount that <c>Distance</c> must change before <c>DistanceChangedThreshold</c> is signalled.

/// </summary>

[DefaultValue(DistanceChangedThresholdDefault)]

[Description("Specifies the amount that Distance must change before DistanceChanged is signalled.")]

public double DistanceChangedThreshold

{

get { return distanceThreshold; }

set { distanceThreshold = value; }

}

#endregion

#region Public Events

/// <summary>

/// Occurs when <c>Distance</c> has changed by an amount greater than <c>DistanceChangedThreshold</c>.

/// </summary>

[Description("Occurs when Distance has changed by an amount greater than DistanceChangedThreshold.")]

public event SerializerComponentEventHandler DistanceChanged;

#endregion

#region Protected Methods

/// <summary>

/// Overriden to interpret the analog value and set <c>Distance</c>

/// accordingly. Signals <c>DistanceChanged</c>, if necessary.

/// </summary>

/// <param name="a2d"></param>

protected override void OnSetValue(int a2d)

{

if (a2d < 4)

{

a2d = 4;

}

base.OnSetValue(a2d);

// convert the value to a distance:

distance = (6787 / (a2d - 3)) - 4;

distance = (distance < 80) ? distance : 80;

distance = (distance > 10) ? distance : 10;

if (Serializer.Units == Ids.Units.English)

{

distance = distance / 2.54; // convert to inches;

}

// else no-op - already in cm, and the raw reading can

// be obtained from the AnalogSensor base class Value property

// if distance change exceeds threshold, then fire event

if (Math.Abs(distance - lastDistance) > distanceThreshold)

{

lastDistance = distance;

Serializer.SignalEvent(DistanceChanged, this);

}

#endregion

#region Privates

private double distance = 0;

private double lastDistance = 0;

private double distanceThreshold = DistanceChangedThresholdDefault;

#endregion

}

[/code]

Best Regards!

Jason

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

KyleMckay — Tue, 27 Apr 2010 00:54:05 GMT

Hey Jason,

Any further progress on the for the support on the Sharp GP2Y0A02YK infrared sensor (8-60").

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

pondersome — Mon, 05 Apr 2010 17:21:17 GMT

Jason, I'm having trouble finding the serializer .net api source code. Can you point me at it?

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

EricZ — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 20:54:08 GMT

Any news on the availability of the .Net Serializer library source? I could really use the source for debugging purposes...

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

jsummerour — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:18:40 GMT

I'm going to open source the Serializer .NET API soon. :) I think that will make the .NET Lib not only better, but will make the Serializer an even better product. :)

I'm planning to open source it a few weeks after the new boards arrive.

Best Regards!

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

EricZ — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 22:38:09 GMT

I'd really like to get the source for the .Net library like you've provided for the C++ library. I would like to be able to add support for the digo command that is supported in the firmware, for example. Without the source, I end up having to write my own entire library to support this command since I can't share the serial port between two libraries.

Any chance you could publish the source?

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

jsummerour — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:57:23 GMT

You can currently control one bipolar stepper motor with the Serializer. :)

http://www.roboticsconnection.com/multimedia/libraries/MSDNDocumentation/_2bc1ci54h.htm

Best Regards!

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

r2mezo — Wed, 22 Oct 2008 05:53:30 GMT

Would like to see a stepper motor control.

RE: Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

jsummerour — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 05:59:06 GMT

I see no reason why we couldn't add that! We really should add support for all of the Sharp IR sensors. I'm working on adding support for the new Sharp GP2Y0A700K0F right now.
I don't know if you've seen it, but we have the generic I2C commands built into the Serializer firmware and an I2CDevice object to use it in the .NET Lib. We did this so that customers could use their I2C device with the Serializer, without having to wait on us to release a new library or firmware to support that sensor. So, you can take advantage of the I2CDevice object in the .NET lib to talk to the Devantech MD23. :) If you need some help figuring out the sequence of bytes, we can help out their too.

There's some useful user documentation for the I2CDevice object on the Serializer .NET Lib User Documentation page. It's located under the Senors->I2CDevice namespace (on the "Example Source Code" Topic page).

Best Regards!

Suggestions for addition to SerializerLIB

cjohns — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 21:56:50 GMT

For whatever it is worth, here are a couple things I'd like to see in a future Serializer.NET (and Robotics Studio) release:

1. A class for the Sharp GP2Y0A02YK infrared sensor (8-60").

2. A class for the Devontech MD23 (I2C H-Bridge).