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Where is the allocation of the shadowram array? How big is it? How much memory does your LED display code require? When using TVout, there’s very little memory left.
laurent,
I have written some custom firmware based on the requirements you had specified. It can be downloaded from
http://nootropicdesign.com/defusableclock/downloads/DefusableClock3.zipI think this is very close to what you want. You can enable your “key” functionality by changing the key() function.
Features:
– There is no clock functionality. It is only a countdown timer.
– The display shows the countdown value which can be adjusted by
the HOUR and MIN buttons. If ALARM button is held, countdown
can be decremented.
– When DET button is pressed, countdown time is written to EEPROM
to be used as default countdown duration when device is powered on.
– If device is defused successfully, countdown freezes and top LED
is lit.
– If device detonates, countdown displays 00:00 and DET LED is lit.
– HOUR or MIN button must be pressed to resume normal mode after
countdown defuse or detonate. This is only possible if function
key() returns true. This allows you to connect a key to an
input pin and test it in key().
– During the countdown, one wire is chosen to enable “fast
countdown”. If this wire is cut, the countdown starts going twice
as fast! This feature can be disabled by setting the variable
useFastCountdownMode = false;Hi Hamish,
First, I think there is a bug in VideoFrameCapture.pde that might affect you, so try changing the line:
EICRA = _BV(ISC11);to
EICRA = _BV(ISC01);Other questions: how are you driving the LED displays? That is, what software or libraries are you using? Does it use any interrupts or timers? If it uses timer1, then there would be a conflict with the VE software since TVout uses timer1. Feel free to post your code, surrounded by “Code” tags.
Regarding the chipKIT UNO32, nope, not a chance. The pin assignments on the UNO32 are all different. And the UNO32 is 3.3V, so you can’t use shields that have 5V CMOS chips.
See http://nootropicdesign.com/projectlab/2011/11/01/chipkit-uno32-review/It would be challenging to do what you propose on an Arduino. There is only 2K of memory, and that’s why Arduino video is limited to very low resolution. Since you need two frame buffers to compare, you’d be at even lower resolution. No color info is available using the Video Experimenter.
moe, glad you had success. Agree with trodoss that function pointers are more of an advanced concept in C, so not really something that everyone understands. I’m glad there’s enough SRAM for both the Worms and Breakout games.
A switch would be nice. When designing a product, it’s very important to keep costs down. Even a the cheapest of switches costs $.49 and the extra board space costs more, too. Most people don’t realize that for every $1 you add to the production cost, you add $2.77 to your retail price (so that there’s 40% margin for distributors and 40% margin for me). So being economical with the design is paramount. That’s why products are spartan in their design.
No, loop() is not like main(). Function main() is called once when a program starts. Function loop() is called over and over again (by main()). Just remember that Arduino programs are just C/C++ programs with the main() hidden. You should study Arduino and C/C++ before going much further with game development.
The code:
game = &breakout;does not call the function breakout(). It makes the function pointer “game” point to the function “breakout”.
What’s the difference between void and byte ?
Byte is an 8-bit data type. void means “no type” or “does not return a value”. This is basic C stuff and I think you will need to learn more C, or you’ll really not get far. (sorry)
Regarding your latest code post:
void initBreakout() {
loop();
}don’t call loop() in your code (ever). loop() is automatically called over and over again in Arduino programs.
You have a bug here where you use assignment (=) instead of comparison (==):
if (choice = true){I think you’re not understanding the structure of Arduino programs in general. Your loop() method needs to call either worms() or breakout(), depending on which game was chosen. You need to move the breakout game logic out of loop() and into a function called breakout(). If breakout is chosen from the menu, set
game = &breakout;just like was done with game = &worms;
Your loop() should invoke the function pointer “game” by calling it:
void loop() {
game();
}Does this make sense? Just follow the pattern in the Hackvision.pde firmware.
Moe,
The structure of this code is not right. The function setup() is automatically called once when your Arduino program starts to run. The purpose of setup() is to initialize things. Do not call draw() from setup().Your function draw() is calling setup() (which in turn calls draw(), which calls setup())….see what’s happening here? This is infinite recursion which will blow the call stack very quickly.
Your loop() function is what gets called over and over in Arduino programs. The general structure of an Arduino program is to have setup() for initialization, then loop() for continuous running of the code.
So take draw() out of setup() and move it to loop(). And take setup() out of draw().
Make sense?
Moe,
Glad you are trying to make your own game! Starting with the existing games is a good way to start. There are some simple ones on the games page:
http://nootropicdesign.com/hackvision/games.htmlWhy are you calling setup()? That is for initialization of the Arduino program and is only called when the program starts.
Maybe you should post your whole program, and enclose in code formatting so it is easy to read. Use the button “Code” when you post…
Awesome, Phil. Thanks. I added your images to the gallery:
Thanks for investigating the problem in depth, and sorry you’re having problems. The boards are electrically tested, but the board house claims there can still be a fault rate of up to 2%, so we have encountered a few bad boards out of hundreds sold. You may have been unlucky.
Have you tried reflowing the QB on the ‘595 and IC on the ‘247 pins? Maybe the solder mask is exposing part of the ground plane (bottom of board is ground plane) and there’s a tiny short. I’ve experienced some shorts like this and have fixed them by removing a bit of solder. If you can’t get it to work, I’ll replace the kit, of course. Just keep me posted.
The pin assignments seem funny because on the ‘595 in A is the most significant bit, but on the ‘247, pin D is the most significant bit. So the connections are (ABCD) -> (DCBA).
laurent,
Yes, all of these things are possible with programming different firmware. It would not be too difficult, but would take time. Are you experienced as a programmer?
