Remote-Serial-Control-for-Arduino

This program allows a client to send commands over a network to an Arduino (via USB serial connection on a remote host computer). Originally developed for a rather intricate theater prop, the setup includes commands for controlling a matrix of pins connected to the Arduino (i.e. LED matrix), displays connected to the remote host computer, and other aspects of the host operating system. The library developed to send serial commands to the Arduino (ardcommands.py) can also stand alone and be imported into other projects for use without the networking aspects of this particular setup.

main.py

python main.py -help

will display the help menu, and

python main.py -c

will display the full list of available commands.

main.py is run on the remote host machine, which should be connected to the Arduino via USB.

client.py

client.py can be used to connect to the remote host from any other computer. Multiple simultaneous connections are supported but take care as timed commands will overlap.

client.py accepts both an optional IP address followed by any number of commands to initially execute.

Example:

python client.py loop() blink(2) blink(3) loop(5) blink([2, 3, 4, 5], 10) close

Example with optional IP:

python client.py [192.168.1.103] loop() blink(2) blink(3) loop(5) blink([2, 3, 4, 5], 10) close

This command would blink pins 2 and 3 in succession, for one second each, 5 times. After exiting the loop, the command would finish by blinking pins 2, 3, 4, and 5 a single time, simultaneously, for 10 seconds (10s on/10s off) and finally, closing the client.py window. Most commands accept either an integer or list and have additional parameters for controlling timing and repetition (see main.py -c for the command list with all parameters).

Commands entered in the client.py command line follow similar syntax and form but can only be entered one line at a time:

192.168.1.103[10000] $$>blink(2)
192.168.1.103[10000] $$>blink(3)
192.168.1.103[10000] $$>turnOn(getColumn(3))
192.168.1.103[10000] $$>turnOn(getRow(3))
192.168.1.103[10000] $$>turnOff(getDiagonal(1, "LR"))
192.168.1.103[10000] $$>turnOff(1)
192.168.1.103[10000] $$>turnOff(ledPins)
192.168.1.103[10000] $$>turnOff(allInputPins)

ardcommands.py

ardcommands.py is a library containing the commands related to controlling and querying the Arduino over serial. This library can stand alone and be imported into other projects requiring Arduino serial control.

Other Information

All information, warnings, and errors are logged to the main.py window on the remote host screen. The most convenient way to work with the system is to SSH into the remote host, start main.py, and leave the shell visible on the client computer.

Windows Batch File and Multiplay Integration

client.py commands can be executed from a batch file in a manner similar to the following:

cd /d %~dp0
cd ../
python client.py loop() blink(2) blink(3) loop(5) blink([2, 3, 4, 5], 10) close

A host of example batch files and a template for custom commands are included in the bat directory. These can be used to quickly send common groups of commands, create intricate patterns, or connect to different host addresses using the optional client.py IP argument. Similar to OSC-Control, these .bat files can be selected in the Command field of a Multiplay launch cue. This integration allows a user to deliver commands to the remote system without having to leave the Multiplay cue list.

For more detailed setup or usage instructions, please contact me. Though the project was not designed with reuse in mind, I would be glad to help anyone interested and will hopefully find time to provide better documentation soon.

System Requirements

• Python 2.7 (available here for 64-bit Windows or here for 32-bit Windows)
• nanpy
• Arduino IDE

This video describes how to setup an Arduino as a serial slave with nanpy.

Contact

Jack McKernan (jmcker@outlook.com)