Pull one value from a data stream

Using Arduino Programming Questions
7

Hi again,

I want to say thanks again for the help. Robin2, your page Serial Input Basics was very helpful for me. I was able to get the Arduino to read the sensor data and store each in an array, then print them out to the Serial Monitor. I followed your example with the start and end markers. Now I am getting output like this:

000114.2927
000114.2928
000114.2926

And this is the code I am using:

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
#define paroRX 8
#define paroTX 9

SoftwareSerial paroSerial(paroRX, paroTX);

const byte numChars = 16;
char paroChars[numChars];     //array to store received data
char paroToSend[numChars];      //array to transmit
boolean newParoData = false;

void setup(){
  Serial.begin(9600);     //with transmitter radio
  paroSerial.begin(9600);
}

void loop(){
  paroSerial.listen();
  readParo();      //read from Paro and store values in paroChars
  if(newParoData == true){
    for(int i=0; i<16; i++){
      paroToSend[i] = paroChars[i];
    }
    Serial.print(paroToSend); Serial.print('\n');     //transmit Paro data with a new line for each value
    newParoData = false;
  }
}

void readParo(){
  static boolean receiveInProgress = false;
  static byte index = 0;
  char startMarker = '*';
  char endMarker = '\n';
  char pd;
  while(paroSerial.available() && newParoData == false){
    pd = paroSerial.read();
    if(receiveInProgress == true){
      if(pd != endMarker){
        paroChars[index] = pd;
        index++;
        if(index >= numChars){
          index = numChars - 1;
        }
      }else{
        paroChars[index] = '\0';      //terminate string
        receiveInProgress = false;
        index = 0;
        newParoData = true;
      }
    }else if(pd == startMarker){
      receiveInProgress = true;
    }
  }
}

I have another related question. The sensor is programmed to continuously output data at a frequency of 10Hz. With my code, the Arduino seems also to read and print at 10Hz. How can I read and print a data value just once every second? The obvious choice to me was to put a delay in the loop, but after trying delay(1000) and using the millis() function, I get distorted readings. Although they do print at 1Hz to the Serial Monitor.

#include <SoftwareSerial.h>
#define paroRX 8
#define paroTX 9

SoftwareSerial paroSerial(paroRX, paroTX);

const byte numChars = 16;
char paroChars[numChars];     //array to store received data
char paroToSend[numChars];      //array to transmit
boolean newParoData = false;

void setup(){
  Serial.begin(9600);     //with transmitter radio
  paroSerial.begin(9600);
}

void loop(){
  paroSerial.listen();
  readParo();      //read from Paro and store values in paroChars
  if(newParoData == true){
    for(int i=0; i<16; i++){
      paroToSend[i] = paroChars[i];
    }
    Serial.print(paroToSend); Serial.print('\n');     //transmit Paro data with a new line for each value
    newParoData = false;
  }
   delay(1000);
}

void readParo(){
  static boolean receiveInProgress = false;
  static byte index = 0;
  char startMarker = '*';
  char endMarker = '\n';
  char pd;
  while(paroSerial.available() && newParoData == false){
    pd = paroSerial.read();
    if(receiveInProgress == true){
      if(pd != endMarker){
        paroChars[index] = pd;
        index++;
        if(index >= numChars){
          index = numChars - 1;
        }
      }else{
        paroChars[index] = '\0';      //terminate string
        receiveInProgress = false;
        index = 0;
        newParoData = true;
      }
    }else if(pd == startMarker){
      receiveInProgress = true;
    }
  }
}

With this code, I get this kind of output on the Serial Monitor:

000114.4927
***000114.4948
***000114
4947
*000114

What is my problem here? How can I read at a specified frequency of 1Hz when I have a continuous stream of data?