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[on:]

Is there a mechanism to permanently store some information, such as a couple numbers, and have those numbers read after a power down and restart?   

[Reply #1 on:]

Is there a mechanism to permanently store some information, such as a couple numbers, and have those numbers read after a power down and restart?   

Yes, the 328p AVR chip includes 1K byte of EEPROM memory for just that purpose.

Lefty

[Reply #2 on:]

Yes. Have your code write them to the internal EEPROM.

[Reply #3 on:]

(I must be slow typing today)

[Reply #4 on:]

(I must be slow typing today)

Today? I've always found you on the somewhat tardy side.  

I though fencing sped up one's reflexes?


Lefty

[Reply #5 on:]

Depends what your definition of permanent is. The EEPROM is only good for 20 years at 85°C or 100 years at 25°C.

In most cases though, that should be sufficient

[Reply #6 on:]

Depends what your definition of permanent is. The EEPROM is only good for 20 years at 85°C or 100 years at 25°C.

In most cases though, that should be sufficient

At my age that seems as good as infinite time. 

[Reply #7 on:]

ok, then.  I didn't realize that some had EEPROM.   

Anyone have a clever way of not consuming a large amount of clock cycles, but yet "saving" a variable that can get changed by the user?   It is supposed to boot initially with a default and operate from it.   Should the user ever decide to alter that default, they change it via an input and after that, it uses the saved, not the default, when it starts up after that. 

Just looking for a mechanism, not necessarily code.  So far, I'm a bit stymied as to how to do that.  Normally, computer data is saved at the end of  the program.  But since these have no 'end' and are just randomly powered down, one can't use that trigger to "save".  I wanted to use user input to change the default as the trigger to save.   If I do that, how do I not substitute whatever's randomly in EEPROM at boot time until it has been written?   

[Reply #8 on:]

If I do that, how do I not substitute whatever's randomly in EEPROM at boot time until it has been written

Well the key is that EEPROM memory unless written to by user program coding will not contain 'random' values, but rather all 0xFF bytes at every location. So your sketch in it's setup code can just read a specific address in EEPROM and if it contains other then 0xFF values then it can assume that was a saved new default value to use.

Make sense?

Lefty

[Reply #9 on:]

Oh, I've got good reflexes, just slow fingers sometimes!

[Reply #10 on:]

If I do that, how do I not substitute whatever's randomly in EEPROM at boot time until it has been written

Well the key is that EEPROM memory unless written to by user program coding will not contain 'random' values, but rather all 0xFF bytes at every location. So your sketch in it's setup code can just read a specific address in EEPROM and if it contains other then 0xFF values then it can assume that was a saved new default value to use.

Make sense?

Lefty

Ok, I wasn't aware of that.  I had, for whatever reason, assumed it was just "random" set bits. 

If I can depend on that, then I don't see any issue.