I know that my question will sound like a very basic one, but I am new to this world and I hope I can get some help here. I tried to make some research by myself, but all the information that I found was very confusing to me.
I am using an Arduino Uno R3 for my project and I need to send serial data from the Arduino to my computer's USB, since the arduino has to be installed on a rotating platform I have to use a slip-ring and have only two wires available on it.
I was thinking to use Pin0 (RX) and Pin1 (TX) for the serial communication, bring the signal to the "stationary world" through the slip-ring, then connect the 2 wires directly to a USB's D+/D-, and into my computer.
I just wanted to know if that is possible, or if I need some kind of adaptor (I have been reding a lot about USB to serial converter, but didn't understand if I have to use it).
Only two wires ? I think that is not enough.
The USB wires and the serial RX and TX wires are completely different, there are converter modules to convert one into the other. Search Ebay for: serial ttl usb module.
Can you tell more ?
Do you want to update the sketch in the Arduino Uno, while it is on the rotating platform ? I guess not.
Do you only want to send serial data from the Arduino to the computer ? That is possible. One wire is the ground, the other wire is the TX from the Arduino. With such an converter module in the stationary world to convert the TX into the usb for the computer.
You can use an FTDI cable to connect from the PC USB port to the Rx Tx and Ground connections. You don't need both Rx and Tx if you are content with one-way comms.
Of course another option would be wireless Bluetooth.
Because of the way serial communication works any glitches caused by your slip rings could cause a great deal of trouble.