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ardTouch codes

Schema

Abbreviations I will use:

• TS : TouchShield from LiquidWare
• Ard2009 : Arduino Duemillanove (2009)

Summary

Like a iPh0ne/iP0d (no I don't have neither want one), the touch-sensitive display shows many buttons that when pressed, will send a message to the pc and do some action (run program, change volume, format hard-drive, ...). Each button on the display has a unique code associated that will be intepreted by the pc.
That project has 2 distincts sides :

1. The ard2009/TS side : display, manage user interaction, basic functions...
2. The PC side : read the serial port messages and make the according command (Windows C# .Net)

Communications

PC <-> Arduino 2009

Communication done by ARCPO packages, both ways :

• When the PC sends a message : show new unread mail, change brightness,...
• When the Arduino notifies the PC of something : the key with code 'x' has been pressed

NB: for now, I limited the unique code of the "keys" on TS to be 1 char. Still gives 256 possibilities, but it's not that fantastic however. This is one thing that has high chance to change in the future.

Arduino 2009 <-> TouchSlide

Communication done by "simple" serial characters send/receive, both ways :

• When the arduino sends a message : it sends at least 3 chars coming from the PC (explanation here under), plus for instance the mail title. But it's the very basic serial communication.
• When the TS notifies the Arduino of something : serial send the key's code that has been pressed

Q: Why not implementing also the ARCPO packages stuff between Ard2009 and TS ?
A: Because for now that library uses the Serial object, but between the Ard2009 and the TS it is Software serial ! (ard2009 side at least). I need to rewrite this and then I'll 100% sure implement it. But since for now there is no need, let's live like that some time...

The Arduino side

Code is very short and simple :

• when receive a message from PC, extract interresting stuff and forward to the TS Uses ARCPO library.
• when read a char from the TS, make a packet and send to PC

Current version bin/src

Source Slide_Arduino2PC.pde

Ideally, the ard2009 could do more thing, like read the temperature, read buttons, make funky rgb mood color, ... but I have not implemented that yet. It is here for comfort and make future evolutions easy.
I develop it on the official Arduino software because it seems the gadget stuff don't work well on my pc. Except that, no mystical reason involved.

The TouchShield Slide side

The big part. It makes extensive use of the TouchSlideExt library so check for this on that site.

Current version bin/src

Source Slide_ARDTouch.0.5.zip

The PC side

-> See ardTouchConnector <-