Hi Arduino folks,
I wrote a sketch that makes two (or more) LEDs blink a set number of times independantly. I need help cleaning it up, or making it more elegant / less clustered, since I know for a fact that my approach is very immature - especially the part with the state variable.
What I’m trying to do:
For example, for a puzzle in an Escape Room Game I need LED1 to blink 3 times, then 6 times and then 4 times. The gap (800) inbetween these “digits” is twice as long as the interval between the blinks (400). At the end there should be a longer pause (3000), and then it starts from the beginning.
What I was aiming for:
A function that I could use like this.
blink(pin, 3, 6, 4, blinkGap, pauseGap);
Ideally it would work for multiple LEDs, that each blink independantly with their own pattern.
Here’s what I have so far:
(For better readability I deleted the second function for the second LED - it’s just a copy of the first one with different variables ugh)
#define LED1 7
int state1 = 1; // Used to control the steps
unsigned long previousMillis1 = 0;
unsigned long counter1 = 0; // Used to count the number of blinks
void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600);
pinMode(LED1, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
blink1(LED1, 3, 6, 4, 400, 800);
}
void blink1(int pin, int num1, int num2, int num3, const long blinkGap, const long pauseGap) {
if (state1 == 1) { // Number 1
if (counter1 < num1 * 2) { // *2 because I'm counting on and off blinks
for (int i = 0; i < num1 * 2; i++) {
if (millis() - previousMillis1 >= blinkGap) {
previousMillis1 = millis();
digitalWrite(pin, !digitalRead(pin));
counter1 += 1;
}
}
} else {
counter1 = 0;
state1 = 2; // Go to pause section
}
}
if (state1 == 2) { // Pause 1
if (millis() - previousMillis1 >= pauseGap) {
previousMillis1 = millis();
state1 = 3; // Go to second "digit"
}
}
if (state1 == 3) { // Number 2
if (counter1 < num2 * 2) {
for (int i = 0; i < num2 * 2; i++) {
if (millis() - previousMillis1 >= blinkGap) {
previousMillis1 = millis();
digitalWrite(pin, !digitalRead(pin));
counter1 += 1;
}
}
} else {
counter1 = 0;
state1 = 4;
}
}
if (state1 == 4) { // Pause 2
if (millis() - previousMillis1 >= pauseGap) {
previousMillis1 = millis();
state1 = 5;
}
}
if (state1 == 5) { // Number 3
if (counter1 < num3 * 2) {
for (int i = 0; i < num3 * 2; i++) {
if (millis() - previousMillis1 >= blinkGap) {
previousMillis1 = millis();
digitalWrite(pin, !digitalRead(pin));
counter1 += 1;
}
}
} else {
counter1 = 0;
state1 = 6;
}
}
if (state1 == 6) { // Pause 3 (long)
if (millis() - previousMillis1 >= 3000) {
previousMillis1 = millis();
state1 = 1;
}
}
}
PROBLEMS
- Right now it only works for one LED, since I need different state, previousMillis and counter variables. I know that just copying and renaming the function would not be the smartest way. What else could I do?
- Is there a way around the if state - structure? I tried a switch too, but essentially it does the same thing.
What I can’t wrap my head around:
How can I control the flow “1st digit, pause, 2nd digit, pause, 3rd digit, long pause” in a non-blocking way? I cannot use while-loops or delay() since I need multiple LEDs blinking independantly.
I appriciate any input or push in the right direction. Please excuse my noob coding, I’ve just started out and am eager to learn how to write better code.
Can’t wait to work through it though and try to understand what’s going on.
