arduino.js

JavaScript-based Arduino Uno communication

[ 05/2011 update ] Demo video | this project is a bit stale, check the future: node-arduino + node-serialport

version: 2010.10.31

Analog Inputs

A_in0:
A_in1:
A_in2:
A_in3:
A_in4:
A_in5:

Apply variable current to the analog inputs (eg. a potentiometer) to see live graphs.

Standard I/O Pins

Pin 2
Pin 3
Pin 4
Pin 5
Pin 6
Pin 7
Pin 8
Pin 9
Pin 10
Pin 11
Pin 12
Pin 13

Pin 13/LED Blink Test

Pin 13 typically has a surface-mount LED (eg. as with the Uno) representing binary output.

Interval (msec):

Requirements

A small shopping list of software is needed to get everything working.

Arduino and Flash overview, steps #1 and 2
Arduino Uno (USB) running Standard Firmata 2.0+ software (via Arduino IDE)
Socket/serial proxy such as SerialNet.pde (Processing IDE-based script), or serproxy executable
Modern web browser with Flash 9 (for socket connection) and JavaScript enabled
If viewing offline, you may need to adjust some Flash player security settings; see Flash Troubleshooting.

Some serial/socks programs work better on Windows, but I've had good results with SerialNet. I found the Standard Firmata supplied with the Arduino IDE worked with SerialNet (in Processing), both set to run at 115200 baud on a Mac with Snow Leopard. SerialNet also worked nicely on a WinXP laptop.

Download

See the latest at github.com/scottschiller/arduino-js.

Startup Process

An approximation of how things begin:

arduino.config options can be set for flash (URL), debug, pin types etc.
arduino.js starts, loads flash SWF (for socket connection to proxy) - may time out if flash blocked/missing or security errors
User-assigned arduino.onload() fires - flash is ready to go, arduino.connect() can then be called
arduino.connect() is called, with parameters for host and port eg. 127.0.0.1 and 5331
Flash connects to socket proxy, talks to Arduino, reports back "OK"
On "OK", arduino JS applies pin types based on arduino.config.pins - I/O is now ready.

Setup

Calls are made via the "arduino" object; arduino.js and .swf are the only two files needed. Parameters as shown below can be set either inline or externally, and are then referenced at init/onload() time.

arduino.config.flash.url = '/path/to/arduinojs.swf';

arduino.config.debug.enabled = true; // useful for connection setup/troubleshooting

arduino.config.debug.flash.showUI = true; // helps when fixing flash/onload() problems

// configuring pins by type: digitalIn, digitalOut, pwmOut, servo: see arduino.config.pins array

arduino.onload = function() {

  // Flash has loaded, now we're ready to connect to the proxy..

  arduino.connect('127.0.0.1', '5331', function() { // host, port, "on connect..."

    // Yay, Arduino is now ready for I/O operations

    // write a high bit to digital pin 13, turn on built-in LED etc.
    arduino.writeDigitalPin(13, 1);

    // reading from digital inputs
    arduino.getDigitalData(<pin number>);

    // reading from analog inputs (0-5 on Arduino Uno, separate from digital pins)
    arduino.getAnalogData(<pin number>);

    // digital output
    a.writeDigitalPin(<pin number>, <0 or 1>);

    // pins configured with "PWM" type
    a.writeAnalogPin(<pin number>, <0 - 255>);

    // pins configured with "servo" type
    a.writeAnalogPin(<pin number>, <0-179>);

  });

};

Reading Data: onReceiveData()-style Events vs. Polling

When reading data from the Arduino, you can either use a setInterval-based polling-style approach that regularly calls getAnalogData() / getDigitalData(), or assign event handlers which will fire when analog and digital data is received. Depending on your use case, the latter may be more efficient.

In either case, arduino.js caches data from all onReceiveData-type events in a local JS array, so user API calls to get data don't have to hit Flash.

// Event callbacks for analog/digital RX

arduino.onAnalogReceiveData = function(pinNumber, port, value) {

  console.log('Analog RX: pin ' + pinNumber + ' = ' + value + ', port: '+port);

}

arduino.onAnalogReceiveData = function(pinNumber, port, value) {

  console.log('Digital RX: pin ' + pinNumber + ' = ' + value + ', port: '+port);

}

// Alternate: Polling-style, read inputs at regular interval

function readData() {

  console.log('Pin 13 value: ' + arduino.getDigitalData(13));
  console.log('Analog input 0 value: ' + arduino.getAnalogData(0));

}

setInterval(readData, 250);

Note that analog data RX events may fire quite regularly due to electrical noise and fluctuating input values.

Pin Configuration

Pins can be set up according to available types (options): digitalIn, digitalOut, pwmOut or servo. The dedicated analog ports are analogIn only.

arduino.config.pins = [

  // - type --------- label ----------- options ---

  null,            // Pin 0         null (is RX)
  null,            // Pin 1         null (is TX)
  'digitalOut',    // Pin 2         digitalIn or digitalOut
  'digitalOut',    // Pin 3         pwmOut or digitalIn or digitalOut
  'digitalOut',    // Pin 4         digitalIn or digitalOut
  'digitalOut',    // Pin 5         pwmOut or digitalIn or digitalOut
  'digitalOut',    // Pin 6         pwmOut or digitalIn or digitalOut
  'digitalOut',    // Pin 7         digitalIn or digitalOut
  'digitalOut',    // Pin 8         digitalIn or digitalOut
  'pwmOut',        // Pin 9         pwmOut or digitalIn or digitalOut or servo
  'pwmOut',        // Pin 10        pwmOut or digitalIn or digitalOut or servo
  'pwmOut',        // Pin 11        pwmOut or digitalIn or digitalOut
  'digitalIn',     // Pin 12        digitalIn or digitalOut
  'digitalOut',    // Pin 13        digitalIn or digialOut (LED connected)

  // -- dedicated analog inputs (Arduino Uno) ------

  'analogIn',      // Analog pin 0  analogIn
  'analogIn',      // Analog pin 1  analogIn
  'analogIn',      // Analog pin 2  analogIn
  'analogIn',      // Analog pin 3  analogIn
  'analogIn',      // Analog pin 4  analogIn
  'analogIn'       // Analog pin 5  analogIn

];

The pin configuration array is applied when the arduino connection is established, after connect() and before the connect success handler.

Flash Troubleshooting

If you are viewing this page offline (non-HTTP eg. file:// or c:\ and so on), you may need to adjust the Flash Player Security Settings and allow this file as a "trusted" location.

Check the arduinojs.swf file and see if it mentions security-related messages. If so, hit up the Flash Player Global Security Settings panel. You will need to add the current location (Edit Locations -> Add Location -> Browse For Folder) and choose the current directory/folder in order for JS + Flash communication to work offline.

General Disclaimer

Of course, this is experimental; check arduino.js for the actual code, other API methods and comments.

About

arduino.js is an experiment by Scott Schiller.

This project would not have been possible without open-source code and libraries made available by other Arduino fans. See license.txt for details.