Serial.parseInt() vs Serial.read()?

Projects Programming
1

My code on tinkercad is given below:

int count;//number of led blinks

void setup()
{
  pinMode(13,OUTPUT);
  Serial.begin(9600);
  Serial.println("How many times do you want red led to blink?");
  while (Serial.available() ==0) {}
  count = Serial.parseInt();
}

void loop()
{
  for (int i=0; i<count; i++)
  {
    digitalWrite(13,HIGH);
    delay(500);
    digitalWrite(13, LOW);
    delay(500);
  }
  delay(5000);
}

If i replace Serial.parseInt(); with Serial.read(); it does not work properly . why?
Forexample if i want to blink led two times and i use Serial.parseInt();it works properly but if i use Serial.read(); led keeps on blinking,it does not stop?why?

According to my understanding of below given answers and my latest today experiences, Serial.read();converts the first character of given argument to ASCII while Serial.parseInt();considers the original argument in original form as such without any conversion

2

Read the documentation of both functions and answer your question yourself.

1 Like
3

Assume that your sketch contains Serial.read() instead of Serial.parseInt().

You enter 1 from the InputBox of the Serial Monitor, click on the Send Button and then check that the L (LED) blinks for 49 ('1' = 0x31 = 3x16 + 1 = 49) times, which is correct. This observation might help you to understand the difference between Serial.read()/parseInt() commands.

4

if you typed 2 then it probably blinked 50 times. just be patient

and if you read the docs you'll see why 2 converts into 50

5

Because Serial.read() and Serial.parseInt() perform COMPLETELY different functions? They are in no way directly interchangeable.

6

There is one common behavior -- both read the serial buffer.

7

Serial.parseInt() is specifically designed to return an integer. It will convert the characters it receives into an integer value. For example if you type '1', '3', [Send]... it will return the integer 13.

Serial.read simply returns a single byte... so as above it would return '1'. The character '1' in ASCII is 49 decimal... so it will return 49.

1 Like
8

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