Python and Arduino Serial Communication: send and receive - python

What I want to do is actually query Arduino to get data. When I send a command from Python to Arduino, Arduino will send back some data depending on what the query keyword is. I am able to do this but with a very low speed, I wish to have a more efficient way to do this, for example, query at least 100 times per second. Any idea? Thanks!
The code I use:
Arduino:
int temp=1;
char s[2];
int speedIn=0;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(115200);
}
void loop() {
if(Serial.available()>0){
Serial.readBytes(s,1);
speedIn=int(s[0]);
if(speedIn==49){
Serial.println(">Data1Send<");
speedIn=0;
}
else if(speedIn==50){
Serial.print(">");
Serial.print(temp);
Serial.println("<");
speedIn=0;
}
else{
Serial.println(">Wrong Data<");
speedIn=0;
}
}
if(temp<300){
temp=temp+1;
}
//delay(100);
}
Python:
import serial
import time
if __name__=="__main__":
sc = serial.Serial('/dev/tty.usbmodem1421',timeout=None,baudrate=115200)
sc.flush()
while True:
#s=raw_input()
s=str(50)
if len(s) >0:
if s.isdigit():
sc.write(chr(int(s)))
time.sleep(1.0)
if sc.inWaiting()>0:
print(sc.read(sc.inWaiting()))
If I change the time delay in Python from 1.0sec to 0.1sec, it will not work any more (no data can be received and just in waiting state).

It looks like your python code does this:
Send a command
Sleep for some time (presumably to give the arduino time to reply)
Read the reply
If no reply, repeat from step 1
You mentioned that it doesn't work if the sleep period is too short. I wonder if the following could be happening. Imagine there were no sleep period. The python code will immediately check for a reply, which may not exist because the arduino hasn't had time to respond. In that case, it will immediately try to send another command. This could keep happening repeatedly--the python code could essentially flood the line with requests that the arduino can't keep up with. You prevent this from happening using the sleep period, but the sleep period probably takes longer than the arduino actually needs, which would reduce your data rate.
If that's the case, it might work to do this in the python code instead:
Send a command
Wait for the arduino to reply (but not using sleep). Ideally, use a read command that blocks until input is received. A less preferable alternative is to busywait--enter a loop that does nothing but check whether a reply has been received and terminates when input is available.
Read the reply
Repeat from step 1

Related

How do I get python IDLE/ GUI communicating with mbed board?

I need to have a python GUI communicating with an mbed (LPC1768) board. I am able to send a string from the mbed board to python's IDLE but when I try to send a value back to the mbed board, it does not work as expected.
I have written a very basic program where I read a string from the mbed board and print it on Python's IDLE. The program should then ask for the user's to type a value which should be sent to the mbed board.
This value should set the time between LED's flashing.
The python code
import serial
ser = serial.Serial('COM8', 9600)
try:
ser.open()
except:
print("Port already open")
out= ser.readline()
#while(1):
print(out)
time=input("Enter a time: " )
print (time)
ser.write(time.encode())
ser.close()
and the mbed c++ code
#include "mbed.h"
//DigitalOut myled(LED1);
DigitalOut one(LED1);
DigitalOut two(LED2);
DigitalOut three(LED3);
DigitalOut four(LED4);
Serial pc(USBTX, USBRX);
float c = 0.2;
int main() {
while(1) {
pc.printf("Hello World!\n");
one = 1;
wait(c);
two=1;
one = 0;
wait(c);
two=0;
c = float(pc.getc());
three=1;
wait(c);
three=0;
four=1;
wait(c);
four=0;
}
}
The program waits for the value to be entered in IDLE and sent to the mbed board and begins to use the value sent to it but suddenly stops working and I cannot figure out why.
You need to take this line:
c = float(pc.getc());
out of your loop.
The reason your program stops working is that line is holding until you send something again. If you only send once it waits forever.
If you want to dynamically set wait time after the program enters the while loop, I would suggest attaching a callback function to a serial RX interrupt.
RawSerial pc(USBTX, USBRX);
void callback() {
c = float(pc.getc());
}
Serial uses mutex and cannot be used in ISR on mbed OS5. Use RawSerial instead.
int main() {
pc.attach(&callback, Serial::RxIrq);
while(1) {
// your code for LED flashing
// no need to call pc.getc() in here
one = 1;
wait(c);
one = 0;
wait(c);
}
}
This way, the LED continues to blink and you can update c whenever the mbed receives a value.
Also, it looks like you are sending ASCII characters. ASCII 1 is 49 in decimal. So, pc.get() returns 49 when you send '1'. I don't think that is what you want. If you are always sending a single digit (1~9), an easy fix is pc.getc() - 48. But you better parse string to int and do error handling on python side.

Pyserial out_waiting always returns zero

I'm working on a simple project which requires me to write a Python script that will send data through a serial port from a PC to an Arduino. As part of this project I want to be able to check how many bytes are in the 64 byte input buffer of the Arduino. The issue is that when I try to write data and then use pySerial's out_waiting method, it always returns zero. This is a toy model I have been using for testing.
Arduino code:
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop() {
}
Python code:
import serial
import time
Arduino = serial.Serial('COM5',9600)
for i in range(20):
Arduino.write('1'.encode())
time.sleep(1)
print(Arduino.out_waiting)
Arduino.flushOutput()
Arduino.flushInput()
print(Arduino.out_waiting)
Arduino.close()
I would expect the first print statement to output 20 and the second to output 0. They both output 0, and I really can't figure out why.
Here is a link to the pySerial documentation: pySerial docs
Thanks in advance for any help.
you can initialise write_timeout=0 before start writing message to port

sending serial commands to arduino

I've been trying to find a way to send serial commands from my PC (Windows 7) to an Arduino Uno R3. I've been working on this simple program, where you're supposed to send a simple "1" through the USB cable, in order to turn on the onboard LED. My Arduino code should be working (what I know of, but I'll make sure to upload it).
I've been trying to send this command using Python and pySerial, but I can't seem to get pySerial to work. Also I've tried using CMD, but it seems like CMD freezes when i type in my command (ECHO 1 > COM3 BAUD:9600).
I'm the adminstrator of my PC.
This is my arduino coding
int var = 0;
int LEDPin = 13;
int val = 0;
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(LEDPin, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
if (Serial.available()>0){
val = Serial.read();
}
if (val == 1){
digitalWrite(LEDPin, HIGH);
}
digitalRead(LEDPin);
if (LEDPin==HIGH){
var ++;
delay (1000);
if(var==10){
digitalWrite(LEDPin,LOW);
var = 0;
val = 0;
}
}
}
And the short Python program I've got :)
import serial
ser = serial.Serial('COM3', 9600, timeout=0)
while 1:
var = 1
ser.write(var)
delay(12000)
With Kind Regards
Michael Vedel.
just to be sure - is Arduino really connected to COM3?
In order to check serial connection manually you can use for example Putty. With help of it you can connect to the needed serial port and send command manually. And in order to check whether Arduino received it, you can add Serial.println(val); just after val = Serial.read();, with this Arduino should sends back to serial whatever characters it receives.
Does the code work when you type a '1' into the Serial Monitor in the Arduino IDE? If so, check the COM port. On my PC (also Windows 7), COM3 is never the Arduino port, as it is used internally for something else.
By the way everything after the digitalRead() statement will do nothing, since you're comparing LEDpin (which is declared as 13) to HIGH (which is defined as 1). I think you mean to see if the digitalRead output is HIGH, but I'm not sure that will work, either, since the pin is declared as an OUTPUT. You'd be much better off putting that logic in the (val == 1) section.
just save this code as .bat and make sure that you are using com 6.
This code lets you enter and sends your commands to serial port at 9600bpm
mode com6:9600,N,8,1
#echo off
:start
cls
Set /p commands="enter command:"
echo|set /p= %commands% >com6
goto start
Now you have to read serial using this in Arduino
Serial.read();
I think the root problem is in the Python code in the call to write. The argument has to be bytes (or something compatible). You're passing an integer value. You need to explicitly convert that value to a bytes object. I'm not a Python expert, but I think one way to do that is to replace:
var = 1
with
var = b'\x01'
Oh, and you might need to call flush as well.
BTW, your experiment with ECHO doesn't do what you intended. It sends the character value for '1', which is 49. Since 49 != 1, your Arduino code won't respond to it.
I find the easiest way to test serial commands is to use the Arduino Serial Monitor, which will have all the right defaults as long as you match the baud rate. This will enable you to ensure the Arduino code is right before debugging the Python code. (Then again, it may be difficult to send control characters with the Serial Monitor, so consider using printable text in your protocol. For example 'A' for on and 'B' for off. Printable text can be easy to work with among all these tools (Python, C, Serial Monitor, ECHO, etc.).)
do this it works better for me, just change the com4 for the port you have connected to
#echo off
:start
cls
set /p commands="enter command:"
mode com4 baud=115200 parity=n data=8 stop=1 to=on xon=off odsr=off octs=off dtr=off rts=off idsr=off && echo %commands% > com4
cls
goto start
I think Arduino is stable and easy enough to handle the data from serial, the cause of that as I used same library with Pyserial in python 3 was that event of reading the serial get fired once which is way faster than Arduino board and to solve that you should use a thread method that runs in the background and make it always try to read the incoming data from serial.
I've made this function that recieved the opened serial :
def read_from_port(ser):
while True:
try:
reading = ser.read().decode()
handle_data(reading)
except EXCEPTION:
print("error while decoding" + str(EXCEPTION))
after I have got the serial from the list and assigned it with the desired baud rate and send it to the Thread :
serial_me = serial.Serial(serial_port1, 115200, timeout=3)
try:
thread_x = threading.Thread(target=read_from_port, args= (serial_me,))
thread_x.daemon = True
thread_x.start()
except EXCEPTION:
print('couldn\'t start thread')
print(Exception)

Arduino serial timeouts after several serial writes

I noticed with my board from DIY drones a strange behavior when I use my custom firmware.
Here is an example function which is called in my firmware running on an Arduino board:
void send_attitude(float roll, float pitch, float yaw) {
hal.console->printf("{\"type\":\"sens_attitude\",\"roll\":%.4f,\"pitch\":%.4f,\"yaw\":%.4f}\n",
roll, pitch, yaw);
}
As you can see, the code just writing a message in the serial port set in setup (hal.uartA).
I call this function every 0.5s:
inline void medium_loop() {
static int timer = 0;
int time = hal.scheduler->millis() - timer;
// send every 0.5 s
if(time > 500) {
send_attitude(OUT_PIT, OUT_ROL, OUT_YAW);
timer = hal.scheduler->millis();
}
}
Now to the strange thing. If I use the serial monitor or read the board with another program or script everything is fine. Every 0.5s the proper LED is blinking and message is shown. But if I don't read it out, after appr. 10s the LED is flushing up continuously and no connection/communication is possible anymore. I have to unplug the board then. The same behavior is observed the other way round. If I send to my board over serial port (in my case USB) and don't flush the input buffer, the LED is flushing up continuously and I get a timeout. The following code works:
def send_data(line):
# calc checksum
chk = chksum(line)
# concatenate msg and chksum
output = "%s*%x\r\n" % (line, chk)
try:
bytes = ser.write(output)
except serial.SerialTimeoutException as e:
logging.error("Write timeout on serial port '{}': {}".format(com_port, e))
# Flush input buffer, if there is still some unprocessed data left
# Otherwise the APM 2.5 control boards stucks after some command
ser.flush() # Try to send old message
ser.flushInput() # Delete what is still inside the buffer
If I comment out this line:
ser.flushInput() # Delete what is still inside the buffer
I don't use more settings then this.
I get (depending on the message interval) a timeout sooner or later. In my case I send every 20ms a signal which results in a timeout after ~10s. Also dependent on the length of message. Bigger messages cause it faster than smaller ones.
My settings are shown in the following snippets. Client side python code:
com_port = '/dev/ttyACM0'
baud_rate = '115200'
try:
ser = serial.Serial(com_port, baud_rate, timeout=0.1, writeTimeout=0.1, rtscts=1)
The if these timeouts happen, then I also get one if I set the timeout to something like 2s. In my case I need a very low latency, which is indeed possible if I keep reading and flushing. Firmware code from my Arduino:
void setup() {
// Set baud rate when connected to RPi
hal.uartA->begin(115200);
hal.console->printf("Setup device ..\n");
// Followed by motor, compass, barometer initialization
My questions are:
What exactly happens with my board?
Why it is not reacting anymore if I just write in my serial port without reading or flushing the buffer?
Is it really a buffer or driver problem associated with this strange behavior and is this problem related to all Arduino boards or maybe just mine APM 2.5 from DIY drones?
Last but not least: I was finding no functions in the library which are targeting such problems. Are there maybe any I don't know?
The complete source code is #google code: https://code.google.com/p/rpicopter/source/browse/
What board are you using and what processor does it have? My guess would be that your board is based on the ATmega32U4, or some other microcontroller that has a built-in USB module. If so, I have seen similar behavior before here is what I think is happening:
There is a buffer on your microcontroller to hold serial data going to the computer. There is a buffer in the computer's USB serial driver to hold serial received from the chip. Since you are not reading bytes from the COM port, the buffer on the computer will fill up. Once the buffer on the computer fills up, it stops requesting data from the microcontroller. Therefore, the buffer on the microcontroller will eventually fill up.
Once the microcontroller's buffer is full, how do you expect printf command to behave? For simplicity, the printf you are using is probably designed to just wait in a blocking loop until buffer space is available and then send the next character, until the message is done. Since buffer space will never be available, your program gets stuck in an infinite loop.
A better strategy would be to check to see if enough buffer space is available before calling printf. The code might look something like this:
if(console_buffer_space() > 80)
{
hal.console->printf(...);
}
I don't know if this is possible in the DIY drones firmware, and I don't know if the max buffer space can actually ever reach 80, so you will have to research this a bit.
I don't understand the use of:
ser.flush() # Try to send old message
ser.flushInput() # Delete what is still inside the buffer
Lets say your device is connected to PC and the python code is writing the (line, chk):
ser.flush() - why are you using it?
ser.flushInput() - will "delete" the Serial input buffer at the PC
It looks like other people have the same problem. And thanks to the Mod-Braniac who deleted my minimal example. My bet is, that's a problem with Arduino USB controller chip or the firmware on it.

Control a specific pin on the Arduino Uno board using pyserial

I have a python code that sends in a pattern, in which a light has to blink in. (say eg. 101010. pattern may vary every time the code is run). when it is executing this infinitely i want an interrupt( again sent by the python code )to save the present conditions of the lights (say it is running 1 of the sequence) and perform a specific task like turn off the lights for 10 seconds and then resume the sequence.
one way of doing this is by interrupting the program by making the interrupt pin high. The question is can this making of high/low controlled by the pyserial.
So a simple pseudo code would be :
PYTHON part of the code:
Read the sequence:
Send the sequence to the arduino board using pyserial.
while(1)
{
Run a timer for 15 second.
When the timer overflows interrupt the arduino.
}
ARDUINO part of the code :
Read the sequence
while (1)
{
keep repeating the sequence on the LED.
}
// if interrupted on pin2 // assuming pin2 has the interrupt procedure
// Pyserial has to enable the interrupt WITHOUT using a switch for enabling the pin.
ISR
{
Save the present state of execution.
Turn off the LED.
}
FOR A BETTER UNDERSTANDING :
I built up small codes to show the doubts i had :
CODE FOR THE ARDUINO IS :
int ledpin1 = 13;
int speedy;
int patterns;
void setup()
{
Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.print("Program Initiated: \n");
pinMode(ledpin1,OUTPUT);
//activate the blackout ISR when a interrupt is achieved at a certain pin. In this case pin2 of the arduino
attachInterrupt(0,blackout,CHANGE);
}
void loop()
{
if (Serial.available()>1)
{
Serial.print("starting loop \n");
patterns = Serial.read();
patterns = patterns-48;
speedy = Serial.read();
speedy = (speedy-48)*1000;
while(1)
{
patterns = !(patterns);
Serial.print(patterns);
digitalWrite(ledpin1,patterns);
delay(speedy);
}
}
}
/*
void blackout()
{
// ***Save the present state of the LED(on pin13)***
Serial.print ("The turning off LED's for performing the python code\n");
digitalWrite(ledpin,LOW);
//wait for the Python code to complete the task it wants to perform,
//so got to dealy the completion of the ISR
delay(2000);// delay the whole thing by 2 seconds
//***Continue with the while loop by setting the condition of the light to the saved condition.***
}
*/
==================================================================================
CODE FOR THE PYTHON FRONT IS :
import serial
import time
patterns=1
speedy=1
ser = serial.Serial()
ser.setPort("COM4")
ser.baudrate = 9600
ser.open()
def main():
if (ser.isOpen()):
#while(1):
ser.write(patterns)
ser.write(speedy)
blackoutfunc()
#ser.close()
def blackoutfunc():
while(1):
time.sleep(2)
print "Performing operations as required"
===============================================================================
Now the questions I had :
1) Is there a way to be able to activate the "blackout ISR" depending on the conditions of a pin(in this case pin2 which is the INT0 pin) without using a physical switch present on the pin. Hence the pin state has to be manipulated by the software.
2) Is it possible to perform the operations as mentioned in the comments of the blackout functions?
3) In the python code is it possible to just send in the data(i.e. patterns,speedy) only once and make the arduino perform the pattern in a infinite way without again sending the data by the serial.write command. Hence avoiding the while(1) loop after the ser.isOpen().
Have a look at this:
https://github.com/ajfisher/arduino-command-server
It's something I pulled together on the Arduino side to issue arbitrary commands like switch a pin high / low and set PWM levels etc. It works over both serial and network though it's a touch buggy on the network side at the moment.
To use it, put the code on your arduino then you just write a python script (or any other language that can use a serial connection) to connect over the serial connection and then tell it what you want to do eg DIGW 1 HIGH etc
Also have a look at: https://github.com/ajfisher/arduino-django-visualiser which is where I use a variation of this library to control some LEDs based on some things going on in Django - it's more heavily python based.

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