Connecting Arduino to ARC
Connecting to ARC
On the previous step, we programmed the Arduino to become an EZ-B. Now that the code is running on the chip, we can begin using it with ARC.
Load ARC and press the CONFIG button on the connection control
Press the SETTINGS tab and select the BAUD RATE for the EZB Index that will be your Arduino. If you're connecting to multiple devices (i.e. EZ-B v4, IoTiny and Arduino), you will want to have each device on a different connection index. I'm using connection index 0 (zero) in my example. Change the BAUD RATE for the connection index that you wish to use. The BAUD RATE was specified in the previous step. By default, most of the EZ-Arduino firmwares will be 57600 baud.
Press SAVE
Click on the ADDRESS input of the device index that you configured for the Arduino. In my example, I'm using index 0 (zero). The ADDRESS will display a number of detected addresses and devices, including a COMx port, which is the Arduino. Select the COMx port. My Arduino is on COM6.
Now press the CONNECT button and ARC will connect to the Arduino. The capabilities of the particular Arduino device are detected by ARC and displayed in the debug window. In the example below, I added a debug window to demonstrate the connection log.
Notice the capabilities detected by the Firmware used on this Arduino. There are a number of capabilities listed, but there's a larger number of capabilities missing. For example, there is no Video or Audio support. Consult the capability list of the firmware so you understand what features may be missing before using. If a feature is missing from the firmware, ARC will notify you when attempting to use the capability.
You may now begin using your Arduino with ARC. The port numbers align with the ports of the Arduino. Based on the Arduino hardware version, you may be limited to ports. For example, the Arduino UNO has 14 digital ports and only 2-13 are usable. This is because 0 and 1 are used for the USB. If you select a port higher than 13 in ARC, nothing will happen on the Arduino because there's no port. The same applies to Analog ports, as the UNO only has 6 ADC ports.
The Arduino Mega, however, has enough ports to satisfy ARC’s port selection dialog.
Thanks DJ, should prove a valuable tool!
:D
Wow. This is not what I was expecting when you said you were adding Arduino support. I thought you were going to have a pre-written application for connecting to an Arduino to extend the capabilities of ARC, or maybe the ability to compile scripts or autopositions into arduino apps that could run independently of an ARC computer for simple robots (still think either of those would be cool things) but this is a total surprise. Still processing what it all means, but I think you just dramatically reduced the price of entry for hobbyists.....
Alan
Double Wow! And I have only tried two digital and one PWM control. As soon as people see the power of ARC everywhere - well, I just hope I can keep up.
Thanks - good news is if you want to hard program sequences into the arduino, go ahead. The code is there so you can add your own commands or what ever you’d like to do. The capability firmware section of the website is being worked on. But essentially there will be a place where you can obtain a unique firmware ID that ARC recognizes and knows the capabilities. That way there’s an understanding between controls and hardware of what’s compatible when you make your own firmware with new features.
Another game changer from Synthiam! Nice job!
when i get home I will be al over this .....so cool...thanks DJ [font=OpenSans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, "Helvetica Neue", Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol", "Noto Color Emoji"]Synthiam!
Pardon my ignorance. Does this mean that I can now operate one of these platforms directly with ARC without having to go through an EZB? Would I be able to use EZ Script commands?
Dave - best to read the first 2 paragraphs of this tutorial