next topic »

[on:]

Hey all,

I am relatively new to micro controllers and am having some problems with my relatively easy code. I have an LCD screen that I want to display values. I have down how to control the LCD. What I want to do is compare values, the actual value (from a thermistor) and a target value (user selected). The LCD screen I am using has 5 buttons and I want to use the oriented vertically. The analog read from them is 1433 (up) and 3303 (down). I was trying to get myself started by just getting one part of the code to work which was a positive increase of value every time I press the up button and then have the value displayed to verify my work. Here is my code so far:

// include the library code:
#include <LiquidCrystal.h>

int tempUpPin = 5;

// initialize the library with the numbers of the interface pins
LiquidCrystal lcd(8, 9, 4, 5, 6, 7);

void setup() {
  // set up the LCD's number of columns and rows:
  lcd.begin(16, 2);
  int TU = 0;
  int val = 0;
 
  pinMode(tempUpPin, INPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop() {
 
 int temp = 70;    //set a baseline
 int TU = analogRead(0);   //set analong read variable for temp up
 if (TU == 1433){
 int val = temp + 1;
  lcd.setCursor(0,0);    // set cursor top left corner
  lcd.print("Value:");   // print value
  lcd.setCursor(0, 1);   // set cursor bottom left corner
  lcd.print(val);       // print increased value
  delay(50);             // delay 50 ms
}
}

Nothing is displayed on my LCD with this code, any suggestions?
Thanks all

[Reply #1 on:]

Code:

if (TU == 1433){

Well, a ten bit ADC...

The analog read from them is 1433 (up) and 3303 (down). I

Seriously?

[Reply #2 on:]

The analog read from them is 1433 (up) and 3303 (down).

The analogRead function returns a value in the range 0 to 1023. Neither of the values you show are in that range. Where did those numbers come from?

[Reply #3 on:]

analogRead() only returns 0-1023, so the == 1433 can never be true.

______
Rob

[Reply #4 on:]

Thats the values I get when I checked them. I pressed the buttons and with the analog read and wrote all the numbers down.

[Reply #5 on:]

Where did you check them and with what...OK I just read what you did.

BUT

You can't get those values from analogRead() unless there's a bug in it.

Can you replace loop with

Code:

void loop() {
 
 int TU = analogRead(0);   //set analong read variable for temp up
 Serial.println (TU, DEC);
}

And tell us the results when you press the buttons.

______
Rob

[Reply #6 on:]

I used the LCD screen and the printed the values from analogRead (0), pressed each button and recorded the displayed value. Of the five buttons I got, 7393, 5023, 1433, 3303, and 0023.

[Reply #7 on:]

See above, I just edited.

I suspect you aren't printing the numbers correctly to the LCD.

______
Rob

[Reply #8 on:]

The new values are 739, 502, 143, 330 , and 0. What was that DEC variable for?

[Reply #9 on:]

What was that DEC variable for?

Just to print in decimal.

Those values look better, so you have a bug in the LCD printing.

______
Rob

[Reply #10 on:]

I added the last 2 lines...

void loop() {
 
 int TU = analogRead(0);   //set analong read variable for temp up
 Serial.println (TU, DEC);
 lcd.setCursor(0,0);
 lcd.print(TU);
}

And still get my same wacky values, it appears the numbers that don't change, stay on the screen, hence why all my values had a extra 3 on the end. How do I de-bug something like this? Is my screen messed up?

[Reply #11 on:]

I've not used the LCD library, does lcd.print() accept an int?

Maybe it should have a string as the argument.

______
Rob

[Reply #12 on:]

OK I see, you have a 3 there from another print and it's staying there. You need to clear the screen or at least the few characters at that position.

______
Rob

[Reply #13 on:]

Well at any rate, back to my original question. How can I set up my code to keep incrementing the user input every time a button is pressed. It seems to my like when the loop repeats it wont hold the set value, but return to the default.

[Reply #14 on:]

you need a global variable to hold the users target value.
like

Code:

int tempUpPin = 5;

then it will hold its value between calls of loop().