Need critique of programming idea and info!!!

[Asheron]

I am using EasyC

I was thinking of controlling the soleniods in the following manner (and this is psuedocode)

Setup info: I have a global button_counter(1) integer that keeps track of how many times a button has been pressed on the joystick, and I have a relay, and I have a button(1) variable that holds input from one of the joystick buttons. The example uses 'button1' and 'button_counter1' but could work for buttons 1 through for 4 to control seperate soleniods or relay attachments.

If button(1) is pressed
{
button_counter1 ++
// turn on relay in one positive direction

if button_count == 0

{ while (button not pressed again)
{
set relay1(1,0)
}
else if button_count == 1
{ while (button not pressed again)
{ set relay1(0,0) }
}
else if button_count == 2
{ while (button not pressed again)
{ set relay1(0,1) }
}

else { set relay1(0,0); button_count = 0;}

end if
end if

The purpose being to be able to have the flow controlled for each soleniod by only 1 button being pressed. I don't have access to the robot to know exactly how they work. I'm doing this code from remote location and need help as soon as possible. Let me know if it will work! Please PM me if you have a suggestion.

Also, how do I capture the event of a button press?

I don't know how to set a listener for an OI digital input that could then be the codition for the original if

[Ari Allyn-Feuer]

Basically, the way you access the button inputs on the joysticks (not addressing switch breakout boxes and the like) is by using the button flags that the IFI default code uses (of course you can edit the #defines). The tags look like p1_sw_trig. There's p1, p2, p3, p4 (for the four joystick ports on the OI) and sw_trig (trigger), sw_top (thumb on the kit JSs), sw_aux1, sw_aux2.

The relay outputs have two parts, fwd and rev. For pistons, you always want rev to be 0, and forward is 1 if you want the piston forward and 0 if you want it to retract.

The way I turn a button into a toggle and use it to control a relay is like this. You make an unsigned char called "p3_sw_trig_old", and at the end of your routine put:

p3_sw_trig_old = p3_sw_trig;

so that the RC will remember how the button was last time. The times you want to switch the output is the very first loop they push the switch, and then to wait until they press it again. So you do something like:

if(p3_sw_top && !p3_sw_top_old) //If it's pressed but wasn't last loop.
{
relay_1_fwd = 1 - relay_1_fwd; //Toggle the relay's forward part.
relay_1_rev = 0;
}

I hope this helps. Post again with any more issues.

Ari.

[Asheron]

I have the same setup on both sides of the robot; a pump that heads out/in to lower a ramp on either side (so its actually 2 pumps, 1 on each side of robot)

Could I use the same button to lower each and raise each by doing the following

OIToRelay (3,1,2,1) //jostick on port 3 trigger button forward to relay 2

OIToRelay (3,2,2,2) //joystick on port 3 thumb button reverse to relay 2

OIToRelay (3,1,3,1) //jostick on port 3 trigger button forward to relay 3

OIToRelay (3,2,3,2) //joystick on port 3 thumb button reverse to relay 3

Would it cause problems trying to use the same input to control relay outputs???