How to receive values from the arduino to a C# program

Using Arduino Interfacing w/ Software on the Computer
#1

There are probably a lot of similar questions in this forum however, no matter what I try, I can't make it work. So I decided to create new topic specific to my project.

So, what I want o accomplish is -- using an arduino duemilanove, 5 LED's and 5 phidgets force sensors -- to create a C# program that sends a set of commands for the arduino to light up the LED's in a specific order, which I've already accomplished, and then I want the arduino to send back the following information:

  • the time it took from the lighting of the LED to the force in the sensor (the LED shuts of when someone presses the respective sensor);
  • the maximum force on the sensor.

My problem is both in the arduino code and the C# code...

Arduino Code:

// First I defined all the variables, set the pinModes, and wrote Serial.Begin(9600);

void loop()
{
if(Serial.available())
{
command = Serial.read();
switch (command)
{
case 'a':
{
digitalWrite(ledPin1, HIGH);
} break; // LED 1
(...)
}
}

// If there's a command from the C# program, the LED turns on. I do this for five different cases. Five commands can come from the C# program (a,b,c,d and e)

sensorValue1 = analogRead(sensorPin1);
if (sensorValue1 > 100)
{
digitalWrite(ledPin1, LOW);
}
(...)
}

// the sensor is pressed the LED turns off. I also do this for every sensor/LED

Now I want to know what's the best way to send information to the C# program. I was thinking of using millis to measure the time difference, and connect each time value to the force value before sending it to the PC.

C# Code:

// This is the code I've tried to use for receiving the data and writing it on a text box. Which, of course hasn't been working. I've tried to change the arduino code to send a simple message to the PC, but I was unsuccessful.

SerialPort serialPort1 = new SerialPort();

public Form1()
{
InitializeComponent();
serialPort1.PortName = "COM4";
serialPort1.BaudRate = 9600;

serialPort1.DataReceived += new SerialDataReceivedEventHandler(serialPort1_DataReceived);
serialPort1.DtrEnable = true;

serialPort1.Open();
}

private static void serialPort1_DataReceived(object sender, SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)
{
SerialPort sp = (SerialPort)sender;
GlobalVars.values = sp.ReadExisting();
Form1 form1 = new Form1();
form1.textBox1.Text += GlobalVars.values;
}

Please Help! :blush: This is for an important University project

#2

Now I want to know what's the best way to send information to the C# program. I was thinking of using millis to measure the time difference, and connect each time value to the force value before sending it to the PC.

The ONLY way to send data to the C# application is to use Serial.print() (or write(), if it's binary data you want to send).

How you get that data, and what data you send, is entirely up to you.

private static void serialPort1_DataReceived(object sender, SerialDataReceivedEventArgs e)
{
      SerialPort sp = (SerialPort)sender;
      GlobalVars.values = sp.ReadExisting();
      Form1 form1 = new Form1();
      form1.textBox1.Text += GlobalVars.values;
}

The thread that handles serial communication can NOT write directly to the instances owned by the UI thread.

Creating a new Form every time there is serial data does not make sense.

#3