Reaction time game. How to solve infinite loop.

Answers

• Chrisir

  January 2016 Answer ✓

  Somehow your code is not complete at the very end

  Anyway. I suggest you work with states. Like states of a program

  Google state within the forum.

  You can use

  if(state==stateWaitForRestart) {

  etc.

  When you define stateWaitForRestart as

  int stateWaitForRestart=6;

  Before setup()

  make an if else if clause for each state

  Nothing I repeat nothing is allowed outside the if ... else if {...} clause in draw()

  but thus you get a very readable code and all things will fall into place
• Chrisir

  January 2016

  Just handle the states and the Transformation between them right
• luisandresgonzalez

  January 2016

  Thanks @Chrisir. I've followed your advice and from everyone else and I've revamped the code to deal with states. Now the problem is that I can't manage to make the reaction timer to work. It shows an ever-increasing ammount of time.

  /* REACTION TIME (with 2 leds) v3.0 beta
      Luis Andrés Gonzalez
     Reaction time original version from http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Reaction-Time-Tester/?ALLSTEPS
     Send data to processing via the Serial Port original from By Elaine Laguerta http://url/of/online/tutorial.cc
  */
  #define TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS  5000UL  // not too tough; make smaller for a bigger challenge
  
  const char* const stateText[] = { "Stand By", "Active Game", "Early Press", "Good Press", "Late Press"};
  
  enum GameState {
    STAND_BY,
    ACTIVE_GAME,
    EARLY_PRESS,
    GOOD_PRESS,
    LATE_PRESS,
  };
  enum Outcomes {
    GOOD,
    EARLY,
    LATE,
  };
  
  const byte buttonPin = 6;  // pin where the button will be connected
  const byte ledPin1 = 3 ;   // Left LED
  const byte ledPin2 = 8 ;   // Middle LED
  const byte ledPin3 = 12;   // Right LED
  
  GameState gameState = STAND_BY;
  Outcomes outcome;
  GameState lastState;
  
  // declare some variables:
  boolean lastButton = LOW;
  boolean pressed = LOW;
  unsigned long lastMillis = 0;
  unsigned long elapsedMillis;
  
  
  boolean gameStarted = false;  // true if game has started
  boolean timerFlag = false;    // true if timer is running
  long startTime;
  long endTime;
  int randomSeconds;
  long beginTime;
  float elapsedTime;
  int maxTimer = 5 * 1000;
  float totalTime;
  int brightness = 0;    // how bright the LED is
  int fadeAmount = 5;    // how many points to fade the LED by
  
  
  
  
  void setup() {
    // Setup button and LEDs:
    pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
    pinMode(ledPin1, OUTPUT);
    pinMode(ledPin2, OUTPUT);
    pinMode(ledPin3, OUTPUT);
  
    // Begin serial communication
    Serial.begin(9600);
    Serial.println(stateText[gameState]);
  }
  
  void loop() {
  
    // read the pushbutton input pin in the current loop:
    pressed = checkButton();
      
    if (gameState == STAND_BY) {
      Fade();
      if (pressed) {
        Light(ledPin1, "off");
        randomSeconds = random(2, 5) * 1000; // generates a random number of seconds between 2 and 5
        Blink(1);
        startTime = millis();
        gameState = ACTIVE_GAME;
        Serial.println("9090"); // signal code for start sound
        Serial.println(stateText[gameState]);
        
      }
    }
  
    else if (gameState == ACTIVE_GAME) {
      elapsedMillis = millis() - lastMillis;
          
      if (elapsedMillis >= randomSeconds) {
        if (elapsedMillis < randomSeconds + TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS) {
          Light(ledPin1, "on");
          
        }
        else if (elapsedMillis > randomSeconds + TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS) {
          Serial.println("TimeOut!!");
          Light(ledPin1, "off");
          gameState = LATE_PRESS;
        }
  
      }
      else if (pressed)
      {
        if (digitalRead(ledPin1))
        {
          long myTime = millis() - startTime;
          Serial.println(float (myTime/1000));
          gameState = GOOD_PRESS;
          Serial.println(stateText[gameState]);
        }
        else
        {
          gameState = EARLY_PRESS;
        }
      }
  
  
    }
    else if (gameState == EARLY_PRESS) {
  
      Serial.println("1010"); // signal code for early response
      Blink(3);
      gameState = STAND_BY;
      Serial.println("Standing by...");
      delay(1000);
  
    }
    else if (gameState == GOOD_PRESS) {
      gameState = STAND_BY;
      Serial.println("Standing by...");
      delay(1000);
  
      if (pressed)
      {
  
      }
    }
    else if (gameState == LATE_PRESS) {
      gameState = STAND_BY;
      Serial.println("Standing by...");
      delay(1000);
    }
  
  
  }
  
  
  
  
  bool checkButton()
  {
    static byte lastButtonState = 1;
    byte buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);
    if (buttonState == 0 && lastButtonState == 1 && millis() - lastMillis > 75UL) // 
• Chrisir

  January 2016

  In line 100 the else makes no sense.

  I feel the version is still too complicated

  You need more states: activegame_begin // led off

  activegame_waiting // led on

  Also you still have code outside if state== etc.

  Also you have delay (1000) you shouldn't..... handle this with new states
• luisandresgonzalez

  January 2016

  The main goal is to make things work the way it was sketched. This program is never intended to work this way, so I think adding more states is an extra work for no purpose.

  The if around the else in line 100 is the one that checks if the button is pressed before the light is turned on. Is not as elegant as declaring a state like LIGHT_ON but I like the fact that relies directly on the fact that the light is actually turned on.

  Anyways, you're right the code is messy. I solved the issue around the timer and remove some clutter. Here's the last code that does the trick.

  /* REACTION TIME (with 2 leds) v3.0 
      Luis Andrés Gonzalez
     Reaction time original version from http://www.instructables.com/id/Arduino-Reaction-Time-Tester/?ALLSTEPS
     Send data to processing via the Serial Port original from By Elaine Laguerta http://url/of/online/tutorial.cc
  */
  #define TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS  5000UL  // not too tough; make smaller for a bigger challenge
  
  const char* const stateText[] = { "Stand By", "Active Game", "Early Press", "Good Press", "Late Press"};
  
  enum GameState {
    STAND_BY,
    ACTIVE_GAME,
    EARLY_PRESS,
    GOOD_PRESS,
    LATE_PRESS,
  };
  
  
  const byte buttonPin = 6;  // pin where the button will be connected
  const byte ledPin1 = 3 ;   // Left LED
  const byte ledPin2 = 8 ;   // Middle LED
  const byte ledPin3 = 11;   // Right LED
  
  GameState gameState = STAND_BY;
  GameState lastState;
  
  // declare some variables:
  boolean lastButton = LOW;
  boolean pressed = LOW;
  unsigned long lastMillis = 0;
  unsigned long elapsedMillis;
  
  
  long startTime;
  long endTime;
  int randomMillis;
  long beginTime;
  float elapsedTime;
  
  float totalTime;
  int brightness = 0;    // how bright the LED is
  int fadeAmount = 5;    // how many points to fade the LED by
  
  void setup() {
    // Setup button and LEDs:
    pinMode(buttonPin, INPUT);
    pinMode(ledPin1, OUTPUT);
    pinMode(ledPin2, OUTPUT);
    pinMode(ledPin3, OUTPUT);
  
    // Begin serial communication
    Serial.begin(9600);
    
  }
  
  void loop() {
    startTime = millis ();
    // read the pushbutton input pin in the current loop:
    pressed = checkButton();
  
    if (gameState == STAND_BY) {
      Fade();
      Light(ledPin1,"off");
      if (pressed) {
        endTime = millis();
        Light(ledPin1, "off");
        randomMillis = random(2, 8) * 1000; // generates a random number of milliseconds between 2 and 5
        Blink(1);
  
        gameState = ACTIVE_GAME;
        Light(ledPin3,"off");
        Serial.println("9090"); // signal code for start sound
        beginTime = millis() - lastMillis;
        
  
      }
    }
  
    else if (gameState == ACTIVE_GAME) {
      elapsedMillis = millis() - lastMillis;
  
      if (elapsedMillis >= randomMillis) {
        if (elapsedMillis < randomMillis + TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS) {
          Light(ledPin1, "on");
          
  
  
        }
        else if (elapsedMillis > randomMillis + TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS) {
          Serial.println("7777");
          delay(1000);
          Light(ledPin1, "off");
          gameState = LATE_PRESS;
        }
  
      }
      else if (pressed)
      {
        if (digitalRead(ledPin1))
        {
          gameState = GOOD_PRESS;
  
        }
        else
        {
          gameState = EARLY_PRESS;
        }
      }
  
  
    }
    else if (gameState == EARLY_PRESS) {
  
      Serial.println("1010"); // signal code for early response
      Blink(3);
      gameState = STAND_BY;
      delay(1000);
  
    }
    else if (gameState == GOOD_PRESS) {
  
      gameState = STAND_BY;
      
      long reactionTime = (startTime - endTime - randomMillis);
      Serial.println(reactionTime);
      
      
    }
    else if (gameState == LATE_PRESS) {
      gameState = STAND_BY;
      delay(1000);
    }
  
  
  }
  
  
  
  
  bool checkButton()
  {
    static byte lastButtonState = 1;
    byte buttonState = digitalRead(buttonPin);
    if (buttonState == 0 && lastButtonState == 1 && millis() - lastMillis > 5UL) // 
• Chrisir

  January 2016

  Great that you accomplished it!

  I really think states help to make a program better. You can hunt errors easier, you got better compartmentalization / sections ...

  It's better readable, better maintainable

  States are not a goal i itself but only a tool. A powerful tool.

  You can auto-format your code with ctrl-t btw (iirc for arduino as well)
• GoToLoop

  January 2016 edited January 2016

  const byte buttonPin = 6;  // pin where the button will be connected
  const byte ledPin1 = 3;    // Left LED
  const byte ledPin2 = 8;    // Middle LED
  const byte ledPin3 = 11;   // Right LED
  

  Since those above are also constants, just like TIMEOUT_MILLISECONDS, STAND_BY, OUTPUT, etc., the convention dictates they should be entirely capitalized too! Either as const or #define: ;;)

  const byte BTN_PIN = 6;  // pin where the button will be connected
  const byte LEFT_LED_PIN_1   = 3;   // Left LED
  const byte MIDDLE_LED_PIN_2 = 8;   // Middle LED
  const byte RIGHT_LED_PIN_3  = 11;  // Right LED
  

  #define BTN_PIN = 6;  // pin where the button will be connected
  #define LEFT_LED_PIN_1   = 3;   // Left LED
  #define MIDDLE_LED_PIN_2 = 8;   // Middle LED
  #define RIGHT_LED_PIN_3  = 11;  // Right LED