hello,
i am making a treat dispenser for my dog. It works by him breaking the beam of an IR Sensor and then move a servo motor to open a flap.
i have a loop to count how many time it has been tripped but the loop won't stop at the number i set it to.
Also is there a way i get it to reset the loop after say 24hours???
thanks in advance!
PS. i'm new to coding 
dog_treat.ino (1.45 KB)
Post code in line within code tags - don't attach
You're resetting count at the start of the loop. Try changing it to static.
#include <Servo.h>
Servo myservo;
const int MaxNum = 3;
const int LEDPIN = 6; // LED Pin
const int SENSORPIN = 4; // Servo Pin
const int Time = 100; // delay time for LED
const int Stime = 500; // delay time for Servo
// variables will change:
int sensorState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status
void setup() {
// Set the Servo pin
myservo.attach(2);
// initialize the LED pin as an output:
pinMode(LEDPIN, OUTPUT);
// initialize the sensor pin as an input:
pinMode(SENSORPIN, INPUT);
digitalWrite(SENSORPIN, HIGH); // turn on the pullup
}
void loop(){
// read the state of the pushbutton value:
sensorState = digitalRead(SENSORPIN);
int count = 0;
if (count < MaxNum) {
// check if the sensor beam is broken
if (sensorState == LOW) { // if it is, the sensorState is LOW
int X = 0; // loop to blink LED
do {
// turn LED on:
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, HIGH);
delay(Time);
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, LOW);
delay(Time);
X +=1;
} while (X <=5);
myservo.write(0); // Move Servo to angle 0 degree
delay(Stime);
myservo.write(30);
count++;
} else { // if beam is detected
// turn LED off:
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, LOW);
myservo.write(45); // Move Servo to angle 30 degree
}
} else {
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, LOW);
myservo.write(45); // Move Servo to angle 30 degree
}
}
Note that despite the thread title there is no such thing as an if loop
if (sensorState == LOW) { // if it is, the sensorState is LOW
Does that comment tell us anything we didn't already know?
int X = 0; // loop to blink LED
do {
// turn LED on:
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, HIGH);
delay(Time);
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, LOW);
delay(Time);
X +=1;
} while (X <=5);
A for loop would make a whole lot more sense. You REALLY should forget that do/while exists. It is almost never the right solution. I can count on one thumb the number of times I have used do/while in 35 years as a professional programmer. And, still have a thumb to spare.
myservo.write(45); // Move Servo to angle 30 degree
If you are going to have useless comments, you look really stupid when they don't match the code.
no need to be rude.
Some of the comments have not been corrected because i was playing with things.
i am new to programming, i have only done one course in coding
I'm looking at writing some code for my program that resets the loop after a certain amount of time.
I am new to coding. thanks in advance!
loop() runs over and over . . .
When you want to time things with software we use a function millis() and a bit of math.
Read these:
.
Is what i'm asking not possible then?
I'm making a dog treat dispenser, where my dog breaks an IR beam, and then it runs a servo motor.
I have a limit on it (so he doesnt eat too many haha) and i want it to reset after says 1 hour.
thanks
here is the section of code in program
int count = 0;
void loop(){
sensorState = digitalRead(SENSORPIN); // reads the state of Sensor:
if (count < MaxNum) { // check if the sensor beam is broken
digitalWrite(LEDPIN2, LOW);
if (sensorState == LOW) {
for (int x = 0; x <= 5; x ++) { // loop for LED.
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, HIGH);
delay(RTime);
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, LOW);
delay(RTime);
}
// runs Servo motor.
myservo.write(0);
delay(Stime);
myservo.write(30);
count++;
}
else { // if beam is detected
myservo.write(30); // Move Servo to angle 45 degree
}
}else if (count == MaxNum) { // if the max count has been reached
digitalWrite(LEDPIN2, HIGH);
myservo.write(30);
}
}
Always show us your complete code.
Use the </> icon to bring up code tags where you can paste your sketch.
I am not sure if your code works but this is a trivial task for the Arduino.
You almost never use delay(timeAmount); as it freezes code execution for this amount of time.
Use the BWD BlinkWithoutDelay technique (as talked about in the links) to do things at a particular time.
So, did you take the recommenation of post #2?
PaulS:
A for loop would make a whole lot more sense. You REALLY should forget that do/while exists. It is almost never the right solution. I can count on one thumb the number of times I have used do/while in 35 years as a professional programmer. And, still have a thumb to spare.
Geez I hope you're kidding but maybe you never did need a loop that depended on a condition other than count or perhaps for those cases you inserted a conditional that led to a break command.
A while loop with an index can be faster than a for-loop to do the same thing.
If you had chosen to tell the OP not to use int where byte would do, like for pin numbers, I would have agreed.
yea i did, all my issues are fixed! thanks!
i read the link and get the idea behind it but im still a little unsure about it and i have NO clue how to implement that in my program.
here is my entire program
#include <Servo.h>
Servo myservo;
const int MaxNum = 3; // number times beam can be tripped
const int LEDPIN = 6; // Red LED Pin
const int LEDPIN2 = 8; // White LED Pin
const int SENSORPIN = 4; // Servo Pin
const int RTime = 150; // delay time for Red LED
const int WTime = 150; // delay time for White LED
const int Stime = 500; // delay time for Servo
int sensorState = 0; // variable for reading the pushbutton status
void setup() {
myservo.attach(2);
pinMode(LEDPIN2, OUTPUT);
pinMode(LEDPIN, OUTPUT);
pinMode(SENSORPIN, INPUT);
digitalWrite(SENSORPIN, HIGH);
}
int count = 0;
void loop(){
sensorState = digitalRead(SENSORPIN); // reads the state of Sensor:
if (count < MaxNum) { // check if the sensor beam is broken
digitalWrite(LEDPIN2, LOW);
if (sensorState == LOW) {
for (int x = 0; x <= 5; x ++) { // loop for LED.
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, HIGH);
delay(RTime);
digitalWrite(LEDPIN, LOW);
delay(RTime);
}
// runs Servo motor.
myservo.write(0);
delay(Stime);
myservo.write(30);
count++;
}
else { // if beam is detected
myservo.write(30); // Move Servo to angle 45 degree
}
}else if (count == MaxNum) { // if the max count has been reached
digitalWrite(LEDPIN2, HIGH);
myservo.write(30);
}
}
The demo Several Things at a Time illustrates the use of millis() to manage timing. It may help with understanding the technique.
...R
DON'T DOUBLE POST. I have just wasted my time replying to this when you already had an answer in your other thread
...R
Geez I hope you're kidding but maybe you never did need a loop that depended on a condition other than count or perhaps for those cases you inserted a conditional that led to a break command.
I DO use while loops, often, when I don't know how many times something needs to happen. But, a while statement checks the condition, and then executes the body of the statement if the condition is true.
A do/while statement executes the body and then checks to see whether it should have. I have not yet found a case where that is the right thing to do.
PaulS:
A do/while statement executes the body and then checks to see whether it should have. I have not yet found a case where that is the right thing to do.
I like to think of it as doing something then checking if it needs to keep doing it.
It is a matter of how one arranges the flow of execution, you may never have a better-fit situation for do-while.
In the OP's case, a for-loop is the obvious choice.