Functions - Arduino

 As your programs become more complicated we try to break up the code into

more easily managed blocks.

We break them up into "functions".

 

The arduino main reference page lists all the major functions:

https://www.arduino.cc/reference/en/

The two essential functions in any sketch are

void setup (){}

and 

void loop (){}

 All functions must have these basic things:

1. unique name [alphanumeric characters (A to Z; a to z; 0 to 9) and the underscore (_).]

    You can't start the name with a number.

2. the name must be followed by ()

3. they must have a return type : eg void

4. The body of the function is enclosed in braces {}

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

Structure of functions.

This is an example of a function that was created to print the numbers 123456789. 

In this example the name "NumbersAcend()" is the function name.

In this example "void" is referred to as the return type

void NumbersAcend()

{

      Serial.println("123456789");

 }

 

 

 Links

+ https://www.arduino.cc/en/Reference/FunctionDeclaration

+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VHK69SB3lo4

+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HBmrEkqQ4Ds

+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DrDB4oYtJrA

+ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAclRmEFn9s 

 

 

 ---------------------------------

+ Arduino Index 

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Known Space - Part 4 - Faster-Than-Light (2651 AD and later)

This is part 4 of  a suggested reading order for Larry Niven's novels set in Known Space.

Parts 1 & 2 covering the Belter & Slower Than Light Stories are here. 

Part 3 covering the years 2351 - 2650 AD (including the The Man - Kzin Wars)is here

 

There are about 9 novels and 35 short stories set in this universe spanning  over 1000 years in the future. The region covers a small portion of the Milky way.

Beginning with the first human explorations of the solar system, the later stories describe humanity's expansion into other near systems.

 

You can probably divide this time span into 4 periods:

1.  Early Exploration (Pre 2000 AD)

2.  Slower-Than-Light (2000 to 2350AD)

3.  Years 2351 - 2650 AD (including the The Man - Kzin Wars)

4.  Faster-Than-Light (2651 AD and later)

 

This period is covered in Ringworld, Crashlander, MKW (Man-Kzin Wars), Neutron Star.

and the Fleet of Worlds - FoW series

• 
  
  [2650-2652] Fleet of Worlds
• Set 200 years before the discovery of Ringworld
  

 The Fleet of World series consists of five books by the same authors:

• Fleet of Worlds (2007)
• Juggler of Worlds (2008),
• Destroyer of Worlds (2009)
• Betrayer of Worlds (2010) and
• Fate of Worlds: Return from the Ringworld (2012).

The first four novels are prequels to Ringworld; the last one is a sequel.

• 
  
  [2658] Ghost (Crashlander)

 Novelette

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2658] Betrayed (JoW)

 Juggler of Worlds is the second book in the Fleet of Worlds series which is intended to serve as a prequel to Ringworld.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2658 AD] Fly By Night (MKW 9)

 

• 
  
  [2658 AD] The Soft Weapon (Neutron Star)

  It was first published in the February 1967 issue of If

The story introduces the character of Nessus, a Puppeteer who later became one of the main characters of the novel Ringworld.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2658-2660 C.E.] The Outsiders-Epilogue (JoW)

 

• 
  
  [2675 AD] Destroyer of Worlds

 Destroyer of Worlds is the third book in the Fleet of Worlds series which is intended to serve as a prequel to Ringworld. 

It is set ten years after Juggler of Worlds, drawing heavily from Protector

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2780-2781 AD] Betrayer of Worlds
  

 Betrayer of Worlds is the fourth book in the Fleet of Worlds prequel series to Ringworld. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2686 C.E.] The Color of Sunfire (LarryNiven.net)

 http://www.larryniven.net/stories/color_of_sunfire.shtml

• 
  
  [2830 AD.] There Is A Tide (TKS)

 First printed in Galaxy, July 1968.

The reprinted in the collections A Hole in Space 1974, Tales of Known Space 1975 and Three Books of Known Space 1996.

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2850-2851 AD.] Ringworld

 + Ringworld - Larry Niven  

 ***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2871-2881 AD.] The Ringworld Engineers

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• 
  
  [2882-2893 AD.] The Ringworld Throne

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2892 C.E.] Peter Robinson (MKW10)

 

• 
  
  [2893 AD.] Ringworld’s Children

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• [2893-2894 AD.] Fate of Worlds: Return from the Ringworld

 

• [2895 AD] String (MKW12)
• [2899 AD] The Hunting Park (MKW 11)
• [2965 AD.] Peace and Freedom (MKW12)]

 

• 
  
  [3101 AD.] Safe at Any Speed (TKS)

First published in the Magazine of fantasy and science fiction may 1967 

You can also find this in Larry Niven's "Tales of Known Space". 

 

 

 

 

 

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In alphabetical Order, The stories & novels set in the Known Universe are:

 

 

• The Adults (short story)
• ARM (short story)
• At The Bottom Of A Hole (short story)
• At The Core (short story)
• Becalmed In Hell (short story)
• The Borderland Of Sol (short story)
• Choosing Names (short story)
• Cloak Of Anarchy (short story)
• The Coldest Place (short story)
• The Deceivers (short story)
• The Defenseless Dead (short story)
• The Ethics Of Madness (short story)
• Eye Of An Octopus (short story)
• Flatlander (short story)
• Fleet Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
  • Juggler Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
  • Destroyer Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
  • Betrayer Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
  • Fate Of Worlds (novel, written in collaboration with Edward M. Lerner)
• Fly-By-Night (short story)
• Ghost (short story)
• A Gift From Earth (novel)
• Grendel (short story)
• The Handicapped (short story)
• How The Heroes Die (short story)
• The Hunting Park (short story)
• The Jigsaw Man (short story)
• Madness Has Its Place (short story)
• N-Space (anthology)
• Neutron Star (short story)
• The Organleggers (short story)
• The Patchwork Girl (novel)
• Procrustes (short story)
• Protector (novel)
• A Relic Of The Empire (short story)
• Ring World (novel)
  • The Ringworld Engineers (novel)
  • The Ringworld Throne (novel)
  • Ringworld's Children (novel)
• Safe At Any Speed (short story)
• Slowboat Cargo (short story)
• There Is A Tide (short story)
• The Soft Weapon (short story, adapted into an episode of Star Trek: The Animated Series)
• Wait It Out (short story)
• The Warriors (short story, introduced the Kzin)
• The Woman In Del Rey Crater (short story)
• World Of Ptavvs (novel)

Do let me know is there are any mistakes, errors or omissions.  

--------------------------------------------

sci Fi Index

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The coldest Place - Larry Niven

 This story first appeared in the December 1964 issue of If magazine.

 

It is Larry Niven's first published work.

The "coldest Place" refers to the far side on Mercury. ... the side that faces away from the Sun.

Back then, it was thought that Mercury was "tidal locked" in a 1:1 orbit, it's "day" equal to its "year" and that it's dark side would be colder even than the outer planets as it never rotated.

 

Then in 1965, the astronomer Giuseppe Colombo,  discovered that it did in fact rotate with a 3:2 spin orbit resonance.

 

The story revolves around a manned mission to Mercury to search for life which was detected 2 years earlier by the Messenger VI  probe.

There are two crew on this mission : Howie & Eric.

Eric appears to be some form of AI or a live brain hooked up to the ship.

 

 

 

"Eric looked much like an electrical network, 

    except for the grey mass at the top which was his brain."

"In all directions from his spinal cord and his brain....

Eric's nerves reached out to master the ship"

...... "If Eric dies, I die, because Eric is the ship"

If I die, Eric dies .... Insane".

 

They catch what appears to be an amoeba shaped blob of Helium II. Is this life ???

"It's only helium!"

"I get it now Howie"
"Helium II. That's all our monsters are."

"Nuts"

"Helium II, the superfluid that flows uphill"
"Check them for contaminants."
"For what?"
"Contaminants. My body is hydrogen oxide with contaminants. If the contaminants in the helium are complex enough, it might be alive."
"There are plenty of other substances".

 

 

 

The interesting bit about this story isn't the discovery of life. Rather I think it's Eric.

This idea of a "sentient ship" predates Arthur C Clarke's depiction of HAL in the novel 2001: A Space Odyssey, which was published in 1968. 

Eric appears to be emotionally sensitive,.....  maybe even a tad unstable.

Today, the concept of a sentient spaceship is quite common. "Ancilliary Justice" by Ann Leckie freatures a ship's AI that is reduced to a single soldier. The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey is another great example as are many of the novels of Ian M. Banks.

 

"The ship who sang" is particularly interesting.

Anne wrote these stories in the 1960's

They feature one person, Helva, who becomes brainship XH-834.  

The Ship Who Sang novel was published in 1969, however the first five chapters incorporate

early magazine Novelettes.

• "The Ship Who Sang", The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction, April 1961
• "The Ship Who Mourned", Analog, March 1966
• "The Ship Who Killed", Galaxy Magazine, Oct 1966
• "Dramatic Mission", Analog, Jun 1969
• "The Ship Who Dissembled" (chapter title), published as "The Ship Who Disappeared", If, March 1969

So maybe Anne McCaffrey can claim the title as the first to write about a sentient ship.

In any case, The Coldest Place is really short ... just 3 pages , but Larry Niven manages to pack in quite a lot.

Well worth a read.

--------------------------------------------

sci Fi Index

----------------------------------------------

San Franscisco - Alcatraz Island.

 Alcatraz Island.

The Guards Apartments & entrance to the island.

 

If you look closely, you can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the distance rising up through the fog

San Fran architecture

Serial Monitor - Reading numbers

This is all about how to read data from the serial monitor.

The serial monitor, allows you to capture and enter data in real time.

It is the 'tether' between the computer and your Arduino - it lets you send and receive text messages

which is handy for debugging and also controlling the Arduino from a keyboard! 

 

The Arduino IDE serial monitor looks like this:

 

 

Below is some code on entering data into the serial monitor.

The arduino will wait till you have entered a value.

This serial monitor is in TinkerCad. 

Example 1

// variables
int myNumber;
String msg="Please Enter Your Number:";
String msg2="Your Number is: ";

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(9600);
}

void loop()
{
  // 3 things we do: ask wait read
  Serial.println(msg); //ask
  while (Serial.available()==0){
    // while there is no data
    //on the serial loop do nothing ..wait
   }
    //read
 
    myNumber=Serial.parseInt();
    Serial.print(msg2);

    Serial.println(myNumber);
 
  }

-----------------------------------------------------

Example 2

// we want the user to select how many times to blink the LED

// we want the user to select how many times to blink the LED

// variables
int numBlinks;
String msg="How many blinks do you want?:";
int j;
int bt=100;
int redPin=12;


void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(9600);
  pinMode(redPin,OUTPUT);
}

void loop()
{
  // 3 things we do: ask wait read
  Serial.println(msg); //ask
  while (Serial.available()==0){
    // while there is no data
    //on the serial loop do nothing ..wait
  }
    //read
    numBlinks=Serial.parseInt();
  for (j=1;j<=numBlinks;j=j+1){
    digitalWrite(redPin,HIGH);
    delay(bt);
    digitalWrite(redPin,LOW);
    delay(bt);
  }
      
   
 
}

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Example 3

Not using the LED this time.

-------

// calculate the area of a circle

// variables

String msg="What is the radius of your circle ?:";
float radius;
float area;
String msg2="Your Circle Has an Area of : ";
float pi=3.14;

void setup()
{
  Serial.begin(9600);
 
}

void loop()
{
  // 3 things we do: ask wait read
  Serial.println(msg); //ask
  {
  while (Serial.available()==0);
    // while there is no data
    //on the serial loop do nothing ..wait
}
    //read
    radius=Serial.parseFloat(); // parseFloat  not parseInt
  area=pi*radius*radius;
  Serial.print(msg2);
  Serial.println(area);
 
      
   
 
}

 ----------------------------------------------

Links

+ Paul McWhorter Tutorial 18

 

 ---------------------------------

+ Arduino Index 

------------------------------------- 

Adding more steps to the pioneer squid sequence

 Increasing track length.for the Toraiz squid

The standard number of steps in a sequence is 16.

So just 1 bar.

This can be increased to 32, 48, and 64 (4 bars) by pressing "shift" and the "->" buttons .

 

Doing this once will add a new set of 16 steps ,linked with the previous 16, to create a 32 step pattern.

Pressing the <- and -> buttons allows you to toggle between the pages.

 

 -----

 

 

Deluge Effects - Reverb

The Reverb grid Short cuts  are
Room size - Room size applied to the whole song
Dampening
Width
Pan - Enables panning to one side or the other.
Amount

1. Press Shift + the pad to activate.
    You must be in Clip view.
2. turn (SELECT) to adjust the value.


Room Size
Larger rooms would provide longer delay
range: 0-50.

Dampening
emulates things like curtains, furniture, people -- things that absorb the sounds
Adds warmth and reduces high frequencies.

Width
 Sets the spread of the reverb to give stereo effects
range: 0-50.

Pan
 - Enables panning to one side or the other.
Range is 32L-0-32R.

Amount
This Sets the amount of signal sent to the reverb.
The sound can come from a synth or a sample or kit.
range: 0-50.

Side
Reverb has a specific side chain compressor
 You can only access this via the select menu knob.
1. clip view
2. Press select knob
3. Navigate to the FX section and press (SELECT).
4. Navigate to the ‘rEVE’ section and press (SELECT).
5. Select ‘SidE’ - sidechain. Press (SELECT)
6. Select ‘VoLU’ - volume level. Press (SELECT)

options : 0 - 50 & AUTO
AUTO takes its parameters from the sidechain compressor of the
sound with the highest reverb.


-------------------------------------------------------

You can also use the gold knobs to effect the reverb
 1. Ensure in clip view for a kit, synth.
2. Press [SIDECHAIN / REVERB] affect button. Button illuminates orange.
3. Turn (LOWER) to change reverb amount.