Resolved Help with Interface settings for Arduino control please

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Simulator

1. Commercial or DIY: DIY
   
2. DOF (Number of axles ): 1
   
3. Actuators (DIY, SCN5 etc.): Stepper Motor
   
4. Interface (Arduino, SCN, Mega, DIY etc. ): Arduino

SimTools

1. Version Number: 2.1 (current version, where can you find the version number in the software?)
   
2. Game Plugin where the error is happening: Default
   
3. Settings (Relevant settings): Screenshots below

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Hi everyone, I'm wondering if anyone can provide me with some guidance on setting up Game Engine for an Arduino?

I've started with the RCModel code by EAOROBBIE from here which I've modified to work with only 1 axis (P for pitch) and to drive a stepper motor (code below if it helps).

Code:

//********************************************************************************************
// Simtools Stepper 1 Axis code
// Based on code By EAOROBBIE (Robert Lindsay)
// By Peter Brennan

//********************************************************************************************

#include <AccelStepper.h>

#define DEBUG 1                                    // comment out this line to remove debuggin Serial.print lines

// Define a stepper and the pins it will use
AccelStepper stepper(1, 9, 8);

const char kEOL = '~';                              // End of Line - the delimiter for our acutator values
const int kMaxCharCount = 3;                        // some insurance...
int valueCharCount = 0;                             // how many value characters have we read (must be less than kMaxCharCount!!
int actuatorPosition = 0;                           // current Actuator position, initialised to 0
int newActuatorPosition = 0;                        // initialise variable to collect new motor position

// set up some states for our state machine
// psReadActuator = 0
// psReadValue = 1
int currentState = 0;

void setup()
{ 
  // Set base values for stepper speed and acceleration as well as setting current pos to 0
  stepper.setMaxSpeed(2000);
  stepper.setAcceleration(1000);
  stepper.moveTo(0);

   Serial.begin(9600); // opens serial port at a baud rate of 9600
}



// this code only runs when we have serial data available. ie (Serial.available() > 0).
void serialEvent() {
    char tmpChar;
    int tmpValue;

    while (Serial.available()) {
        // if we're waiting for a Actuator name, grab it here
       if (currentState == 0) {
            tmpChar = Serial.read();

#ifdef DEBUG 
Serial.print("read in ");           
Serial.println(tmpChar);
#endif

if (tmpChar == 'P') {

#ifdef DEBUG 
Serial.print("which is actuator ");           
Serial.println('P');
#endif

currentState = 1;                 // start looking for the Actuator position
valueCharCount = 0;                         // initialise number of value chars read in
                    break;
}
       }
  

// if we're ready to read in the current Actuator's position data
        if (currentState == 1) {       
         
            while ((valueCharCount < kMaxCharCount) && Serial.available()) {
             
                tmpValue = Serial.read();
               
                if (tmpValue != kEOL) {
                
                    tmpValue = tmpValue - 48;
       
                    if ((tmpValue < 0) || (tmpValue > 9)) tmpValue = 0;
                    // Determine the new position for the stepper
                    newActuatorPosition = newActuatorPosition * 10 + tmpValue;
                    valueCharCount++;
                }
                else break;
            }
           
            // if we've read the value delimiter, update the Actuator and start looking for the next Actuator name
            if (tmpValue == kEOL || valueCharCount == kMaxCharCount) {
#ifdef DEBUG           
Serial.print("Move to ");           
Serial.println(newActuatorPosition); 
#endif
// Transfer the new actuator value to the current one, and reset the new position
          actuatorPosition = newActuatorPosition;
          currentState = 0;
          newActuatorPosition = 0;
            }
        } }
    }
   
    void loop()
{
// Move the stepper to the desired position if nto already there
     stepper.moveTo(actuatorPosition);
stepper.run();
}

The code seems to be doing what it needs to, using the fomat that EAOROBBIE uses in his code, if I enter PXXX~ in the Arduino Serial Moniotor then the stepper will drive to the position determined by the value of XXX. I had assumed then that all I needed then was to have the interface output setting as P<Axis1a> to get me up and running with testing.

So then I tried to drive the stepper using the output testing of Game Engine, but I'm not seeing any signs of data being sent between SimTools and the Arduino, so any help in getting my settings right would be greatly appreciated.

My settings are:
Default Axis assignments:


Interface settings:


What should BitsPerSec be set to (I've seen all sorts of settings used in examples, shouldn't it be 9600, the rate I set in the Arduino code)?

So then I click on Output testing, turn it on and move the axis, I'm not seeing a response from the Arduino, either in the serial monitor or in the motor.



I'm guessing my problems stem from getting my information of correct setups from a number of sources and guides, most of whaich are for older versions of Simtools (or am I totally off track and have made a fundamental error in how this should all work), can anyone see what I might need to change here to get me up and running? Any help would be much appreciated, thanks!

Just a quick update, I hadn't been able to load the interface cfg file that EAOROBBIE posted with his code (I assume cause it was for SimTools 1) but just realised that it'd be a simple text file, so I've now setup the interface settings as for that file:

Com: COM3 (which is my Arduino)
BPS: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Parity: None
StopBits:1
Output Bit Range: 8
Output Type: Decimal
Interface Output: P<Axis1a>~

Still no response in Output Testing, any suggestions on what I'm doing wrong would be apprecaited.

OK, some progress, I installed some USB sniffing softwae which reset the usb ports and rebooted the machine, and I'm now seeing some response from the motor.

The only issue now is that it's a very much delayed response, when I move the testing slider the motor turns about 5 to 8 seconds later, has anyone else seen bahaviour like that before?

Thanks for the reply Yobuddy. no, haven't tested with any others yet (was away second half of last week), but I do have an RC servo lying around somewhere so will try it with the original RCModel sketch and check the main level slider tonight when I get home and then report back.

Thanks!

SimTools version displayed on the GM startup screen ...

Thanks Speedy!

Quick update, I had a little time to check a few more things last night, I didn't have time to conclusively answer the questions yobuddy asked, so I won't respond to those until I can answer those accurately, what I was able to quickly test was whether the accelstepper library was slowing things down (I removed the library and replaced the servo movement code with the standard blink with the blink speed determined by the data from simtools). This confirmed that even though I see a response pretty well immediately when the data is sent to the Arduino through the serial monitor, when the data comes from SimTools it's delayed by a number of seconds (the speed of the blinking changed a couple of seconds after I had moved the slider).

So I'm certain that using accelstepper library is not the cause of the issue (not the primary one at least).

While on the bus to work this morning I had another thought, it struck me that Simtools Game Engine has always responded quite slowly for me right from when I installed it (when clicking on the buttons down the left hand side, (Axis Assignments, Interface Settings, Output Testing) there's a delay of a couple of seconds before the main panel changes (like the program freezes for a few seconds each time it's asked to do something)). I had just assumed that's normal, but this morning I installed Simtools on my work machine (which is much lower spec than my home racing pc) and I've found that it responds much faster on this machine.

So I'm now thinking that the solution is more likely to be trying to find out why SimTools is running/responding slowly on my PC rather than trying to find flaws in my Arduino code.

I plan to uninstall and reinstall tonight to see if that helps, but it anyone has any ideas as to what might be causing that I'd appreciate hearing them.

Thanks.

OK, thanks for the suggestion, I'll give it a try, do I need to uninstall all versions of .net first?

You sir, win the helpful post of the day, in addition to my eternal gratitude! Uninstalled a couple of older versions of .net, rebooted, and now it's working beautifully! Thanks!

Will see if I can post some video soon. Now to put the hardware together and get it running so I can try out dirt on iRacing!

@pab61 I think I'm having the same issue you originally had, with getting information from Simtools to Arduino. I've started a new thread here:
https://www.xsimulator.net/communit...motion-data-to-arduino-via-serial-port.10827/
to ask about this.

Would you mind explaining to me about the cfg file, where it should go, and just basically how I get data from Simtools to Arduino Serial Monitor?

Are you able to see data from Simtools, coming into your Arduino Serial Monitor?

<AccelStepper.h>Brother, do you have a library?