Serial Transmission Suddenly Gets Delay

MadScience2728

I no longer know if this is a Arduino problem, or a Processing problem, so I will be posting this on both sites.

My problem is here in this video:

As you can see some time in the video after some time the serial transmission or receiving just slows down and gets a delay! I really don't know what is causing this and would appreciate help. Computer specs: http://i.imgur.com/MMs5I58.png

Codes:

Arduino:

const int S1 = 6; //D1 Speed Control
const int S2 = 5; //D2 Speed Control
const int D1 = 8; //D1 Direction Control
const int D2 = 7; //D2 Direction Control

const int rightEncoderPin = A0; // (If you and the rover are pointing the same direction)
const int leftEncoderPin = A1;

const int tonePin = 4;
const int leftLightPin = A3;
const int rightLightPin = A2;
const int leftTempPin = A4;
const int rightTempPin = A5;
const int rightEmfPin = A7;
const int leftEmfPin = A6;

const int trigPin = 3;
const int echoPin = 2;

int direct = 0;

int leftspeed = 255; 
int rightspeed = 255;

int leftLight = 0;
int rightLight = 0;
int leftTemp = 0;
int rightTemp = 0;
int leftEmf = 0;
int rightEmf = 0;
int sonicData = 0;

String string = "";
int lastSample = 0;

void setup() 
{
  pinMode(D1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(D2, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(S1, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(S2, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(trigPin, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(echoPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(rightEncoderPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(leftEncoderPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(rightLightPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(leftLightPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(rightTempPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(leftTempPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(rightEmfPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(leftEmfPin, INPUT);
  pinMode(tonePin, INPUT);

  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() 
{ 
  while( Serial.available() == 0);
  direct = Serial.read() -'0'; 

  string = String(leftLight) + ", " + String(rightLight) + ", " + String(leftTemp) + ", " + String(rightTemp) + ", " + String(leftEmf) + ", " + String(rightEmf) + ", " + String(sonicData);

  if (millis() - lastSample >= 50) // We can't be overloading our computers serial buffer now can we?
  {
    Serial.println(string);
    lastSample = millis();
  }

  //Serial.println(direct);

  sonic();
  datas();
  movement(); 
}

void datas()
{
  leftLight = analogRead(leftLightPin);
  leftTemp = analogRead(leftTempPin);
  leftEmf = analogRead(leftEmfPin);
  rightLight = analogRead(rightLightPin);
  rightTemp = analogRead(rightTempPin);
  rightEmf = analogRead(rightEmfPin);
}

void sonic()
{
  int duration, distance;
  digitalWrite(trigPin, HIGH);
  delayMicroseconds(1000);
  digitalWrite(trigPin, LOW);
  duration = pulseIn(echoPin, HIGH);
  distance = (duration/2) / 29.1;
  sonicData = distance;
}

void movement()
{
  switch(direct) 
  {
  case 0://Move Forward
    forward (leftspeed,rightspeed);
    break;
  case 1://Move Backwards
    reverse (leftspeed,rightspeed);
    break;
  case 2://Turn Left
    left (leftspeed,rightspeed);
    break;
  case 3://Turn Right
    right (leftspeed,rightspeed);
    break;
  case 4:
    stop();
    noTone(tonePin);
    break;
  case 5:
    tone(tonePin, 500);
    break;
  default:
    stop();
    break;
  } 
}


void stop(void) //Stop
{
  digitalWrite(S1,LOW);
  digitalWrite(S2,LOW);
}
void forward(char a,char b)
{
  analogWrite (S1,a);
  digitalWrite(D1,LOW);
  analogWrite (S2,b);
  digitalWrite(D2,LOW);
}
void reverse (char a,char b)
{
  analogWrite (S1,a);
  digitalWrite(D1,HIGH);
  analogWrite (S2,b);
  digitalWrite(D2,HIGH);
}
void left (char a,char b)
{
  analogWrite (S1,a);
  digitalWrite(D1,HIGH);
  analogWrite (S2,b);
  digitalWrite(D2,LOW);
}
void right (char a,char b)
{
  analogWrite (S1,a);
  digitalWrite(D1,LOW);
  analogWrite (S2,b);
  digitalWrite(D2,HIGH);
}  

Processing: import processing.serial.*; Serial port;

String data = "";

void setup() 
{
    size(800, 165);
    smooth();
    background(0);
    fill(255, 50, 0);
    textAlign(CENTER, CENTER);

    port = new Serial(this, "COM5", 9600);
    port.bufferUntil('\n');
}

void draw() 
{
  background(0);
  textSize(75);
  text("PROGRAM RUNNING", width/2, 59);
  textSize(15);
  text("Use WASD keys to navigate RoboRat-V1", width/2, 104);
  text("Incoming Serial Data: " + data, width/2, 140);

  if (keyPressed)
  {
    textSize(25);
    text(key, width/2, 16);
  }

  if (keyPressed)
  {

    if (key == 'w') {port.write('0');};
    if (key == 's') {port.write('1');};
    if (key == 'a') {port.write('2');};
    if (key == 'd') {port.write('3');};
    if (key == 'h') {port.write('5');};

  }
  else
  {
   port.write('4'); 
  }


}

void serialEvent (Serial port)
{
  data = port.readStringUntil('\n');
}

THANK YOU!

GoToLoop

I don't have Arduino, but I've re-factored your Processing code as much as I could! =:)
Dunno if it's gonna be any speedier though! :-??

// forum.processing.org/two/discussion/4208/
// serial-transmission-suddenly-gets-delay

import processing.serial.*;
Serial port;
String data;

static final byte[] letters = new byte['z' - 'a' + 1];

void setup() {
  size(800, 165, JAVA2D);
  frameRate(20);
  smooth(4);

  fill(255, 50, 0);
  textAlign(CENTER, CENTER);

  ( port = new Serial(this, "COM5", 9600) )
    .bufferUntil('\n');

  initLetters();
}

void draw() {
  background(0);
  displayInfo();
  if (keyPressed & key != CODED)  checkKeys();
}

void displayInfo() {
  translate(width>>1, 0);

  textSize(75);
  text("PROGRAM RUNNING", 0, 50);

  textSize(15);
  text("Use WASD keys to navigate RoboRat-V1", 0, 104);
  text("Incoming Serial Data: " + data, 0, 140);
}

void checkKeys() {
  final char k = (char) (key | 1<<5);
  if (k >= 'a' & k <= 'z')  port.write(letters[k - 'a']);

  textSize(25);
  text(k, 0, 12);
}

static final void initLetters() {
  java.util.Arrays.fill(letters, (byte) 4);

  letters['w' - 'a'] = 0;
  letters['s' - 'a'] = 1;
  letters['a' - 'a'] = 2;
  letters['d' - 'a'] = 3;
  letters['h' - 'a'] = 5;
}

void serialEvent(Serial port) {
  data = port.readStringUntil('\n');
}

MadScience2728

It turned out that it was a problem with Arduino, that had to be fixed by changing the processing code. It would seem that the arduino's serial buffer was being overloaded. I overlooked it because the fact that it was sending it at 60 times per second, but that was every 16ms and I thought it was 41ms. So I quick fixed it to fps of 20 and works great.

Loop your code didn't work :/ The rover didn't move when I pressed wasd or h... However there are some concepts I could learn from this code. Such as almost everything you added :P

Loop were did you learn all this?

GoToLoop

Loop your code didn't work. The rover didn't move when I pressed wasd or h...

Oops! A little mistake here. I've failed to realize you were sending an ASCII value rather than a number value! :@)

For example, in port.write( '3' );, I was thinking port.write( 3 );! b-(
Please, replace the buggy initLetters() w/ the fixed 1 below:

static final void initLetters() {
  java.util.Arrays.fill(letters, (byte) '4');

  letters['w' - 'a'] = '0';
  letters['s' - 'a'] = '1';
  letters['a' - 'a'] = '2';
  letters['d' - 'a'] = '3';
  letters['h' - 'a'] = '5';
}

Loop were did you learn all this?

You mean the ASCII/UNICODE char values? I've learned about it since when I programmed in BASIC a long time ago! :P

MadScience2728

I meant like "static final void", "java.util.Arrays.fill(letters, (byte) '4');" what in the world is that, and all that other stuff that makes noobs scratch their heads :?

MadScience2728

And funny thing was it wasn't working until I sent it as a char myself. I was bummed it wasn't working then I tried ('3') and voila. The code for serial transmission is from Jeremy Blum and the - '0' part was needed at the time. I know little to nothing about serial transmission stuffz.

GoToLoop

Surprisingly, Processing's reference page got definition for those 2:

• final http://processing.org/reference/final.html
• static http://processing.org/reference/static.html

Method fill() is from class Arrays:
http://docs.oracle.com/javase/8/docs/api/java/util/Arrays.html#fill-byte:A-byte-

MadScience2728

Oh yeah, I forgot again that processing uses final, not const

GoToLoop

... Processing uses final...

Not Processing itself, but its compiled language -> Java! :P