1/8/2018 Arduino and Visual Basic Part 2: Receiving Data From the Arduino | Martyn Currey

Martyn Currey
Mostly Arduino stuff

Arduino and Visual Basic Part 2:

Receiving Data From the Arduino
Posted on June 12, 2015

This post continues from Arduino and Visual Basic Part 1: Receiving Data From the Arduino

In the previous post we received a stream of data from the Arduino and displayed it inside a Visual Basic
text box. This is all well and good but we did not know what the data was, we simply received it and
displayed it.

The next step is to send data that has some kind of meaning and display it in an appropriate field. This
could be a temperature, a wind speed, a switch state or anything else. In the following example I am
using a 1 wire temperature probe (it’s actually got 2 wires…), a potentiometer and a button switch.

Commands or Codes
To identify which values are which we will use a simple code attached to the actual value:
B for button switch
P for potentiometer
T for temperature

So we know when we have a complete data segment or code we will use start and end markers, “<” and
“>”. The Visual Basic app will ignore anything not inside the markers.

The button switch only has 2 states HIGH or LOW / pressed or not pressed so a single character can be
used for the value. In this example H for HIGH and L for LOW. The full codes are:
<BH>, button switch HIGH or pressed
<BL>, button swtich LOW or not pressed

The potentiometer gives a value between 0 and 1023. To make things a little easier the example uses
ascii characters for the value (“1000″ instead of 1000) and a fixed length of 4 characters; “0000” to

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“1023”. Of course this means the value has to be converted to a string before sending.
<Pnnnn>, P for potentiometer and nnnn = the value of the potentiometer
<P0000>, potentiometer value of zero
<P1023>, potentiometer value of 1023

In line with keeping things simple, an integer is used to store the value of the temperature probe (you
would normally use a float). This means we can treat it the same as the potentiometer and use a string
of 4 characters for the value; “0000” to “1023”
<Tnnnn>, T for temperature and nnnn = the value of the temperature probe
<T0504>, temperature probe value of 504
<T0400>, temperature probe value of 400

The Arduino Set Up

Set up the Arduino with the following:
– The temperature probe is connected to A0.
– The potentiometer is on A1.
– The button switch is connected to D4

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Circuit Diagram

Arduino Sketch
The Arduino sketch polls the values of the pins and then, if the value has changed, creates the code and
then sends the code out over the serial connection.

/*
*
* Sketch Arduino to Visual Basic 002 - Receiving Data From the Arduino
*
* Read pin state / value and send to a host computer over a serial connection.
* This is a one way communication; Arduino to a host computer No data is received from the

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This is a one way communication; Arduino to a host computer. No data is received from the
*
* Pins
* A0 - a 2 wire temperature probe (sending raw data only. Not the actual temperature)
* A1 - a potentiometer
* D4 - button switch
* The above can be changed to something else
*
*
* It should noted that no data is sent until something changes
* The sketch can be expanded so that an initial value is sent
*
*/

// When DEGUG is TRUE send an newline to the serial monitor

const boolean DEBUG = true;

const byte tempPin = A0;

const byte potPin = A1;
const byte buttonSwitchPin = 4;

unsigned int oldTempVal = 0;

unsigned int newTempVal = 0;
unsigned int oldPotVal = 0;
unsigned int newPotVal = 0;

boolean oldButtonSwitchState = false;

boolean newButtonSwitchState = false;

// used to hold an ascii representation of a number

// [10] allows for 9 digits but in this example I am only using 4 digits
char numberString[10];

void setup()
{
// set the button switch pin to input
pinMode(buttonSwitchPin, INPUT);

// open serial communication

Serial.begin(9600);
Serial.println("Adruino is ready");
Serial.println(" ");
}

void loop()
{

// read the pins

newTempVal = analogRead(tempPin);
newPotVal = analogRead(potPin);
newButtonSwitchState = digitalRead(buttonSwitchPin);

if (newTempVal != oldTempVal)
{
oldTempVal = newTempVal;
formatNumber( newTempVal 4);

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formatNumber( newTempVal, 4);

Serial.print("<T");
Serial.print(numberString);
Serial.print(">");
if (DEBUG) { Serial.println(""); }
}

//The pot I am using jitters +/-1 so I only using changes of 2 or more.

if ( abs(newPotVal-oldPotVal) > 1)
{
oldPotVal = newPotVal;
formatNumber( newPotVal, 4);
Serial.print("<P");
Serial.print(numberString);
Serial.print(">");
if (DEBUG) { Serial.println(""); }
}

if (newButtonSwitchState != oldButtonSwitchState)
{
oldButtonSwitchState = newButtonSwitchState;
if (oldButtonSwitchState == true)
{

Serial.print("<BH>");
}
else
{
Serial.print("<BL>");
}

if (DEBUG) { Serial.println(""); }

delay (100);

void formatNumber( unsigned int number, byte digits)

{
// formats a number in to a string and copies it to the global char array numberString
// pads the start of the string with '0' characters
//
// number = the integer to convert to a string
// digits = the number of digits to use.

char tempString[10] = "\0";

strcpy(numberString, tempString);

// convert an integer into a acsii string

itoa (number, tempString, 10);

// create a string of '0' characters to pad the number

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// create a string of 0 characters to pad the number

byte numZeros = digits - strlen(tempString) ;
if (numZeros > 0)
{
for (int i=1; i <= numZeros; i++) { strcat(numberString,"0"); }
}

strcat(numberString,tempString);

Load the sketch and open the serial monitor. You should get something like the following:

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Press the button switch and you should get:

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Turn the potentiometer and you should see something similar to:

Now that the Arduino side is working the Visual Basic app is next.

We can use the Visual Basic app from Arduino and Visual Basic Part 1: Receiving Data From the
Arduino as the starting point but we need to make some changes. Unlike the previous example, the data
is now inside start and end markers and we we need to determine what data we are receiving.

Visual Basic App

The program is fairly simple:
It waits for the user to select a COM port and click the connect button.
It then makes a connection the Arduino.
Checks for incoming serial data
Parses the data
Updates the form.

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Here is a screen shot of the Visual Basic App in action.

Visual Basic Program

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Here is the main form

The form is the same one used in the previous example. New labels have been added to show the
temperature, the potentiometer value and the switch state. I have also included labels to show the timer
interval and the number of commands processed.

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I have left the text box and use it to display the current command. You can also use the text box for
debugging.

The code
'
' Arduino and Visual Basic Part 2: Receiving Data From the Arduino
' An example of receiving data from an Arduino using start and end markers
'

Imports System
Imports System.IO.Ports

Public Class Form1

Dim comPORT As String

Dim receivedData As String = ""
Dim commandCount As Integer = 0

Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handl

Timer1.Enabled = False
TimerSpeed_lbl.Text = "Timer speed: " & Timer1.Interval

comPORT = ""
For Each sp As String In My.Computer.Ports.SerialPortNames
comPort_ComboBox.Items.Add(sp)
Next
End Sub

Private Sub comPort_ComboBox_SelectedIndexChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Hand

If (comPort_ComboBox.SelectedItem <> "") Then
comPORT = comPort_ComboBox.SelectedItem
End If
End Sub

Private Sub connect_BTN_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles connect_BTN.Clic

If (connect_BTN.Text = "Connect") Then
If (comPORT <> "") Then
SerialPort1.Close()
SerialPort1.PortName = comPORT
SerialPort1.BaudRate = 9600
SerialPort1.DataBits = 8
SerialPort1.Parity = Parity.None
SerialPort1.StopBits = StopBits.One
SerialPort1.Handshake = Handshake.None
SerialPort1.Encoding = System.Text.Encoding.Default 'very important!
SerialPort1.ReadTimeout = 10000

SerialPort1.Open()
connect_BTN.Text = "Dis-connect"

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comPort_ComboBox.Enabled = False
Timer1.Enabled = True
Timer_LBL.Text = "Timer: ON"
Else
MsgBox("Select a COM port first")
End If
Else
Timer1.Enabled = False
SerialPort1.Close()
connect_BTN.Text = "Connect"
comPort_ComboBox.Enabled = True

Timer_LBL.Text = "Timer: OFF"

comPort_ComboBox.Text = String.Empty
RichTextBox1.Text = ""

End If

End Sub

' clear the text box

Private Sub clear_BTN_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles clear_BTN.Click
RichTextBox1.Text = ""
End Sub

Private Sub Timer1_Tick(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick

'stop the timer (stops this function being called while it is still working
Timer1.Enabled = False
Timer_LBL.Text = "Timer: OFF"

' get any new data and add the the global variable receivedData
receivedData = ReceiveSerialData()

'If receivedData contains a "<" and a ">" then we have data

If ((receivedData.Contains("<") And receivedData.Contains(">"))) Then
parseData()
End If

' restart the timer

Timer1.Enabled = True
Timer_LBL.Text = "Timer: ON"
End Sub

Function ReceiveSerialData() As String

' returns new data from the serial connection
Dim Incoming As String
Try
Incoming = SerialPort1.ReadExisting()
If Incoming Is Nothing Then
Return "nothing" & vbCrLf
Else

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Return Incoming
End If
Catch ex As TimeoutException
Return "Error: Serial Port read timed out."
End Try

End Function

Function parseData()

' uses the global variable receivedData

Dim pos1 As Integer
Dim pos2 As Integer
Dim length As Integer
Dim newCommand As String
Dim done As Boolean = False

While (Not done)

pos1 = receivedData.IndexOf("<") + 1
pos2 = receivedData.IndexOf(">") + 1

'occasionally we may not get complete data and the end marker will be in front o
' for exampe "55><T0056><"
' if pos2 < pos1 then remove the first part of the string from receivedData
If (pos2 < pos1) Then
receivedData = Microsoft.VisualBasic.Mid(receivedData, pos2 + 1)
pos1 = receivedData.IndexOf("<") + 1
pos2 = receivedData.IndexOf(">") + 1
End If

If (pos1 = 0 Or pos2 = 0) Then

' we do not have both start and end markers and we are done
done = True

Else
' we have both start and end markers

length = pos2 - pos1 + 1

If (length > 0) Then
'remove the start and end markers from the command
newCommand = Mid(receivedData, pos1 + 1, length - 2)

' show the command in the text box

RichTextBox1.AppendText("Command = " & newCommand & vbCrLf)

'remove the command from receivedData

receivedData = Mid(receivedData, pos2 + 1)

' B for button switch

If (newCommand(0) = "B") Then
If (newCommand(1) = "L") Then
buttonSwitchValue_lbl.Text = "LOW"
ElseIf (newCommand(1) = "H") Then

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buttonSwitchValue_lbl.Text = "HIGH"
End If
End If ' (newCommand(0) = "B")

' P for potentiometer

If (newCommand.Substring(0, 1) = "P") Then
potentiometerValue_lbl.Text = newCommand.Substring(1, 4)
End If '(newCommand.Substring(0, 1) = "P")

'T for temperature

If (newCommand.Substring(0, 1) = "T") Then
temperatureValue_lbl.Text = newCommand.Substring(1, 4)
End If '(newCommand.Substring(0, 1) = "P")

commandCount = commandCount + 1
commandCountVal_lbl.Text = commandCount

End If ' (length > 0)

End If '(pos1 = 0 Or pos2 = 0)

End While

End Function
End Class

Code run through

on start up, the Form1_Load function is called. This updates the timer interval label, and populates the
combobox with the available COM ports.

Private Sub Form1_Load(ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As System.EventArgs) Handles M

Timer1.Enabled = False
TimerSpeed_lbl.Text = "Timer speed: " & Timer1.Interval

comPORT = ""
For Each sp As String In My.Computer.Ports.SerialPortNames
comPort_ComboBox.Items.Add(sp)
Next
End Sub

The program then waits for the user to select a COM port and hit the Connect button. If the Connect
button is clicked without a COM port selected an error message is displayed. If a COM port has been
selected then the serial port attributes are set and the program tries to open the port. If successful the
Connect button text is change to “Dis-connect” and the timer started. The timer is used to check for

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incoming data. The timer is set to 100ms. This means there are 10 checks a second to see if there is
any new serial data.

If there is an existing connection (the Connect button text is not equal to “Connect”) then the serial port
is closed.

Private Sub comPort_ComboBox_SelectedIndexChanged(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles

If (comPort_ComboBox.SelectedItem <> "") Then
comPORT = comPort_ComboBox.SelectedItem
End If
End Sub

Private Sub connect_BTN_Click(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles connect_BTN.Click

If (connect_BTN.Text = "Connect") Then
If (comPORT <> "") Then
SerialPort1.Close()
SerialPort1.PortName = comPORT
SerialPort1.BaudRate = 9600
SerialPort1.DataBits = 8
SerialPort1.Parity = Parity.None
SerialPort1.StopBits = StopBits.One
SerialPort1.Handshake = Handshake.None
SerialPort1.Encoding = System.Text.Encoding.Default 'very important!
SerialPort1.ReadTimeout = 10000

SerialPort1.Open()
connect_BTN.Text = "Dis-connect"
comPort_ComboBox.Enabled = False
Timer1.Enabled = True
Timer_LBL.Text = "Timer: ON"
Else
MsgBox("Select a COM port first")
End If
Else
Timer1.Enabled = False
SerialPort1.Close()
connect_BTN.Text = "Connect"
comPort_ComboBox.Enabled = True

Timer_LBL.Text = "Timer: OFF"

comPort_ComboBox.Text = String.Empty
RichTextBox1.Text = ""
End If

End Sub

When the timer function is called, any new serial data is added to a buffer in the form of a global variable
called receivedData. Adding the new data to a buffer like this ensures we get full commands. Only
checking the latest received data means we are likely to miss commands. The received data could be
fragmented like this; “34<“, “T011″, “1><BH><P0245><BL><T01″.

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If the buffer contains a start marker (“<“) and also an end marker(“>”) then we have a complete
command (not 100% true!) and the function parseData() is called. Because receivedData is a global
variable we do not need to pass it to the parseData() function.

Private Sub Timer1_Tick(sender As Object, e As EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick

'stop the timer (stops this function being called while it is still working
Timer1.Enabled = False
Timer_LBL.Text = "Timer: OFF"

' get any new data and add the the global variable receivedData
receivedData = ReceiveSerialData()

'If receivedData contains a "<" and a ">" then we have data

If ((receivedData.Contains("<") And receivedData.Contains(">"))) Then
parseData()
End If

' restart the timer

Timer1.Enabled = True
Timer_LBL.Text = "Timer: ON"
End Sub

All the heavy work is done in the parseData() function.

Because the received data buffer may have more than one command the function loops through the
received data removing the first complete command from the buffer on each loop. The positions of the
start and end markers are used to determine if we still have a complete command.

pos1 = receivedData.IndexOf("<") + 1
pos2 = receivedData.IndexOf(">") + 1

If (pos1 = 0 Or pos2 = 0) Then

' we do not have both start and end markers and we are done
done = True

Using the positions of the first start and end markers the first command can be copied to the variable
newCommand.

length = pos2 - pos1 + 1

If (length > 0) Then
'remove the start and end markers from the command
newCommand = Mid(receivedData, pos1 + 1, length - 2)

' show the command in the text box

RichTextBox1.AppendText("Command = " & newCommand & vbCrLf)

'remove the command from receivedData

receivedData = Mid(receivedData, pos2 + 1)

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Once we have the command we can check which one it is and update the form.

' B for button switch

If (newCommand(0) = "B") Then
If (newCommand(1) = "L") Then
buttonSwitchValue_lbl.Text = "LOW"
ElseIf (newCommand(1) = "H") Then
buttonSwitchValue_lbl.Text = "HIGH"
End If
End If ' (newCommand(0) = "B")

' P for potentiometer

If (newCommand.Substring(0, 1) = "P") Then
potentiometerValue_lbl.Text = newCommand.Substring(1, 4)
End If '(newCommand.Substring(0, 1) = "P")

'T for temperature

If (newCommand.Substring(0, 1) = "T") Then
temperatureValue_lbl.Text = newCommand.Substring(1, 4)
End If '(newCommand.Substring(0, 1) = "P")

commandCount = commandCount + 1
commandCountVal_lbl.Text = commandCount

Downloads

Arduino_to_Visual_Basic_002_-_Receiving_Data_From_the_Arduino -
Arduino Sketch 1.73 KB
Download (http://www.martyncurrey.com/?wpdmdl=2509)

Arduino and Visual Basic Part 2 - VB App 157.18 KB

Download (http://www.martyncurrey.com/?wpdmdl=2511)

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20 THOUGHTS ON “ARDUINO AND VISUAL BASIC PART 2: RECEIVING DATA FROM THE ARDUINO”

Dan Farber
on June 5, 2016 at 6:36 am said:

Thank you for this article- I still did not read it but it looks good- I will try it pretty soon-
again thanks for you effort

Pingback: Arduino and Visual Basic Part 1: Receiving Data From the Arduino | Martyn
Currey

Dan Farber
on July 15, 2016 at 11:06 am said:

I ran the program and sometimes it works good and sometimes it gets stuck.
The VB says (after it compiles the program) that there might be a null exeption when
running the program since the parse() function may not return a value for all cases. Is
there a cure for that?
Appreciate an answer to my E- mail
Thanks a lot

Martyn
on July 15, 2016 at 1:29 pm said:

Hi Dan,

I haven’t used this for a while but I never had an issue in the past and I use the
same code on my dropController project which runs without a problem.

The parseData() does not return a value. It looks for the start and end markers
and then takes the data they contain. If it finds data it checks what the data is.

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Can you post a more specific error and possible show the program line in the
code.

Tasos
on January 27, 2017 at 11:59 am said:

The null you see from the vb could be an empty com port. Or not existing tha port

I have the same issue

By the way it is very good example and very well comment, it helps a lot !!!! Well done!!!

Kind regards
Tasos

John
on March 15, 2017 at 6:43 pm said:

Hi Martyn,

I have a problem and was wondering if you could guide what the issue could be?

Setup:
I setup a board with 2 switches, Switch A and Switch B. Switch A = Pin D2 and Switch
B = Pin D4. Used the same code of yours in the vb software to monitor both pins. In the
arduino, I programmed them as AH, AL (for Switch A) and BH, BL (for Switch B).
Attached 10K ohm resistor against Switch A as per your diagram and again one more
10K ohm resistor against Switch B in the same manner and polarity.
Power Source: USB from the laptop (no external power).

Problem:
Both the pin outputs keep swapping between H and L after every few seconds (ranges

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between 3 seconds to 15 seconds but averages at about 6-8 seconds). Could there be
an issue with the circuitry? By turning on/off the switch – i am still not able to make out if
its affecting the signals as the output keeps swapping between H and L for both pins
every few seconds.

Could you guide what could be the issue?

John
on March 15, 2017 at 7:03 pm said:

Hi Martyn,

Here is a sample output with timestamp. You can notice the difference in
seconds. This keeps repeating for ever.

00:30:40 – Command = AL
00:30:40 – Command = BL
00:30:47 – Command = AH
00:30:47 – Command = BH
00:30:50 – Command = AL
00:30:50 – Command = BL
00:30:58 – Command = AH
00:30:58 – Command = BH
00:31:02 – Command = AL
00:31:02 – Command = BL
00:31:09 – Command = AH
00:31:09 – Command = BH
00:31:13 – Command = AL
00:31:13 – Command = BL
00:31:20 – Command = AH
00:31:21 – Command = BH
00:31:24 – Command = AL
00:31:24 – Command = BL

Martyn
on March 16, 2017 at 7:01 am said:

My first thought is an issue with the switches or lose connections. Are

you moving the circuit while using it?

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Try different switches if you can. If not, remove the switches and replace
with a short length of wire and then use the wire as a switch.

Also try just using the serial monitor.

John
on March 16, 2017 at 1:01 pm said:

Hi Martyn,

Thanks for your guidance. Yes, I verified everything that you said.
The circuit is not moving, its static on a table. Infact, I dont have
switches at the moment as I am still prototyping. I am using two
short wires instead as a switch.

Upon further research, I found many people are having similar

issues. I even measured the voltage across the pins in a H and L
state and they were reporting 0.45-0.50 volts – which is almost
an OFF state.

I found there could be 2 possible issues:

1) Circuit is incorrect. I will start from scratch again. This is

because voltage drop across the PINs are 0.45v during H and L
– indicates an incorrect circuit setup.

2) The OFF and ON swaps are explained due to tri-state of the

PINs. I read a lot about everyone having this issue. One link
here: https://forum.arduino.cc/index.php?topic=183977.0 and
many of them are suggesting different methods to rule out the tri-
state of the PINS.

I will address both issues above if possible and post the outcome
soon. Thanks a lot for your guidance though and it was helpful to
start looking in the right direction towards trouble shooting the
issue.

Also, Yes, Output in Serial Monitor was also behaving the same
way as explained yesterday.

Thanks so much. I will keep you posted on how this goes.

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Regards,
John.

John
on March 16, 2017 at 1:11 pm said:

Here’s the link

http://arduino.stackexchange.com/questions/12951/testin
g-tri-state-pin-erroneous-results-with-internal-
pullup/12955#12955 that explains the behaviour I was
having. Unfortunately, I am not very good at designing
circuits, so I cannot interpret how to come up with the
schematics for this suggestion, so i will have to consult
someone or maybe you could help with a diagram if time
allows you. If not, its ok, i will manage somehow. Isn’t this
the exact behavior i reported initially? pretty much so.

Thanks once again. Will post further updates.

Regards,
John.

Martyn
on March 16, 2017 at 1:15 pm said:

I would expect this behaviour if the pin was

floating, do you have the it set for input?

What is the voltage from the VCC rail? The

opposite side of the switch. This is marked +5V on
the switch in the diagram above.

You also try switching the polarity of the switch.

Make the resistor pullup and then connect the
switch to GND. This swaps how the switch works.
HIGH is not pressed, GND is pressed.

John

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on March 16, 2017 at 9:27 pm said:

Hi Mark,

See my responses below.

I would expect this behaviour if the pin was

floating, do you have the it set for input?
Yes, both were set to INPUT.

What is the voltage from the VCC rail? The

opposite side of the switch. This is marked +5V on
the switch in the diagram above.
Constantly getting >4.5v.

You also try switching the polarity of the switch.

Make the resistor pullup and then connect the
switch to GND. This swaps how the switch works.
HIGH is not pressed, GND is pressed.
Am bad at understanding electronic language
technically but I sort of get the idea of what you
are suggesting. Also, I even tried adding >1M
Ohm resistor and using that PULLUP PIN idea
from the other post – even that didn’t work.

Going by your suggestion to use PULLUP, I found

a way to make it work. Not sure if this is good
enough for a production environment but the
outcome is perfectly as expected.

I removed all the resistors and converted both the

pins from INPUT to INPUT_PULLUP. Then,
directly connected pins to switch (aka the 2 wires
as I do not have physical switches) and from
switch to ground thereby using the internal pullups
of the nano. It worked perfectly after that. Only
had to reverse the logic like you suggested that it
would return HIGH when not pressed and GND
when pressed.

This was my new schematic setup here

https://www.arduino.cc/en/Tutorial/InputPullupSeri

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al and I setup 2 switches instead of one with the

changes explained above and now it works
perfectly. Thank you so much for your suggestions
and directions.

Thanks for all your help.

I would still be interested to resolve the issue with

your suggestion though. I am still not convinced
why it didn’t work with the external resistors and I
will update you when i get to work on it.

But for now – it worked perfect after using both

pins as pullups.

Thanks for all your help.

Cheers.

Regards,
John.

Rick Paul
on May 1, 2017 at 5:49 pm said:

Thank you so much for this posting. It was exactly what I needed to start a project. Your
sharing is greatly appreciated.

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fauzi
on May 24, 2017 at 3:13 pm said:

halo sir,

I want to ask something about this project, i made something a little different from the
program you created, i just use push button without potentiometer etc, i set the program
on arduino to send serial data “” if pushbutton one is pressed and ” “If not pressed, I try
to simplify the program you have created with the sole purpose of changing the text
label and changing the fill color of a shape I have created using the program in the
timer1 section as follows:

Private Sub Timer1_Tick (ByVal sender As System.Object, ByVal e As

System.EventArgs) Handles Timer1.Tick

ReceivedData = ReceiveSerialData ()
Tbxinput.Text & = receivedData
If (receivedData = “”) Then
Lbllampu1.Text = “lampu1: On”
Lampu1.FillColor = Color.Blue
End If
End Sub
No error message appears but the program does not work as I like(the text label is
unchanged and the fill color does not change), can you show me where the mistake I
made and how it should be, please help me, thanks

Martyn
on May 25, 2017 at 1:20 pm said:

Don’t use “” use something with an actual value like “Lamp: Off”. On the Arduino, keep
the switch state in a variable and only send “Lamp: Off” when the state changes to off.

fauzi
on May 25, 2017 at 2:51 pm said:

http://www.martyncurrey.com/arduino-and-visual-basic-part-2-receiving-data-from-the-arduino-part-2/ 25/26
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I’m sorry sir, I do not mean to write “” (empty) in the comment field, but I write
(“”), if I write “” + (inside), the word in it suddenly disappears after the comment
is sent and I do not know why Like that, sorry I did not realize it
Back to my program, actually what I mean in the “” sign is not empty, but there is
a word if push button on press and if pushbutton is removed and with the
program I use above does not work as desire

fauzi
on May 25, 2017 at 2:52 pm said:

Why if i write in comment always disappear hehehe

fauzi
on May 25, 2017 at 2:58 pm said:

I just change the serial data I send from arduino because if the write in this
comment always disappear: P, sorry sir I repeat the question

I send the data serial “1H” if pushbutton is pressed, and “1L” if pushbutton is
released, the serial data is received and read in the textbox, and I want to use it
to change the text and change the shape color,

ReceivedData = ReceiveSerialData ()
Tbxinput.Text & = receivedData
If (receivedData = “1H”) Then
Lbllampu1.Text = “lampu1: On”
Lights1.FillColor = Color.Blue
End If
End Sub

No error message appears but the program does not work as I like (the text
label is unchanged and the fill color does not change), can you show me where
the mistake I made and how it should be, please help me, thanks

Martyn
on May 26, 2017 at 3:29 am said:

http://www.martyncurrey.com/arduino-and-visual-basic-part-2-receiving-data-from-the-arduino-part-2/ 26/26