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 █ www.freenove.com Contents 1

Contents
Note ........................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Contents ................................................................................................................................................................................................ 1
Preface ................................................................................................................................................................................................... 2
Processing Software ................................................................................................................................................................. 2
First Use ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 4
Chapter 1 Voltmeter.......................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Project 1.1 Voltmeter ............................................................................................................................................................... 6
Project 1.2 Voltmeter Dual Channel ................................................................................................................................. 11
Chapter 2 Oscilloscope .................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Project 2.1 Oscilloscope ........................................................................................................................................................ 14
Chapter 3 Control 2D and 3D Figures....................................................................................................................................... 18
Project 3.1 Ellipse .................................................................................................................................................................... 18
Project 3.2 Box 3D .................................................................................................................................................................. 21
Chapter 4 Snake Game .................................................................................................................................................................. 22
Project 4.1 Snake Game ........................................................................................................................................................ 22
Project 4.2 Snake Game 3D ................................................................................................................................................. 26
Chapter 5 Pong Game .................................................................................................................................................................... 28
Project 5.1 Pong Game ......................................................................................................................................................... 28
Project 5.2 Pong Game 3D .................................................................................................................................................. 32
What's next? ....................................................................................................................................................................................... 34
2 Preface www.freenove.com █

Preface
Processing is an easy-to-use, free and open source software for writing graphical programs to run on a
computer.

This document will show you how to use Processing to write programs to communicate with the control board.
By doing this, we can make virtual instruments, game consoles and other projects.

Processing Software

Processing software / Processing Development Environment (PDE) makes it easy to write programs.

Processing software uses Java programming language by default. Do not worry if you don't know Java,
because we provide complete code. You can learn Java later if you are interested in it.

First, install Processing software. Visit https://processing.org/, click "Download" to enter the download page.
 █ www.freenove.com Preface 3

Select the Mac, Windows, or Linux version, depending on what machine you have.

Installation on each machine is straightforward:

 On Windows, you'll have a .zip file. Double-click it, and drag the folder inside to a location on your
hard disk. It could be Program Files or simply the desktop, but the important thing is for the
processing folder to be pulled out of that .zip file. Then double-click processing.exe to start.
 The Mac OS X version is also a .zip file. Double-click it and drag the Processing icon to the
Applications folder. If you're using someone else's machine and can't modify the Applications folder,
just drag the application to the desktop. Then double-click the Processing icon to start.
 The Linux version is a .tar.gz file, which should be familiar to most Linux users. Download the file to
your home directory, then open a terminal window, and type:
tar xvfz processing-xxxx.tgz
(Replace xxxx with the rest of the file's name, which is the version number.) This will create a folder
named processing-2.0 or something similar. Then change to that directory:
cd processing-xxxx
and run it:
./processing
4 Preface www.freenove.com █

With any luck, the main Processing window will now be visible. Everyone's setup is different, so if the program
didn't start, or you're otherwise stuck, visit the troubleshooting page for possible solutions.

You're now running the Processing Development Environment (or PDE). There's not much to it; the large area
is the Text Editor, and there's a row of buttons across the top; this is the toolbar. Below the editor is the
Message Area, and below that is the Console. The Message Area is used for one line messages, and the
Console is used for more technical details.

First Use

In the editor, type the following:

1 ellipse(50, 50, 80, 80);

This line of code means "draw an ellipse, with the center 50 pixels over from the left and 50 pixels down from
the top, with a width and height of 80 pixels." Click the Run button (the triangle button in the Toolbar).
 █ www.freenove.com Preface 5

If you've typed everything correctly, you'll see a circle on your screen.

If you didn't type it correctly, the Message Area will turn red and complain about an error. If this happens,
make sure that you've copied the example code exactly: the numbers should be contained within parentheses
and have commas between each of them, and the line should end with a semicolon.

You can export this sketch to an application to run it directly without opening the Processing.
To export the sketch to the application, you must first save it.

So far, we have completed the first use. I believe you have felt the joy of it.
6 Chapter 1 Voltmeter www.freenove.com █

Chapter 1 Voltmeter
In this chapter, we will use the control board and Processing to make a simple voltmeter to understand the
mutual communication between them.

Project 1.1 Voltmeter

First, make a simple voltmeter.

Component list

Control board x1 USB cable x1

Freenove Projects Board

 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 1 Voltmeter 7

Circuit

Use pin A1 on the control board to detect the voltage of rotary potentiometer.
Schematic diagram Hardware connection

Hardware connection
Insert the Control Board to Freenove Projects Board, and then turn the corresponding switch to the
right(ON).
8 Chapter 1 Voltmeter www.freenove.com █

Communication protocol

We need to write code for control board and Processing to complete the interaction project of them,
respectively.

In order to simplify and facilitate the operation, we prepared a SerialDevice class for Processing to
communicate with the control board. To use this class, we need to upload the following sketch to the control
board:
Processing\ControlBoard\SerialDevice\SerialDevice.ino.
This sketch only need to be uploaded once, so the latter projects of this tutorial does not need to upload
again.

SerialDevice class and SerialDevice.ino defined the communication protocol between them. The futures
include:
 Recognize the control board uploaded SerialDevice.ino and establish connection with it, automatically.
No need to view and set the serial number of the control board connected to the computer, even if there
are a number of control board, it can be connected automatically.
 If control board uploaded SerialDevice.ino is not connected to computer, the Processing code will not
be executed until the connection is done. The Processing sketch does not need to be run again after the
connection is done.
 Send data to control board and receive data from it.
 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 1 Voltmeter 9

Sketch

Before running Processing sketch, make sure that SerialDevice.ino is uploaded to the control board.
Processing sketches is stored under the Processing\Processing folder.

Sketch Voltmeter
Use Processing to open Voltmeter.pde and click Run. Then, the following window will pop up and its
connection to the control board will be started.

If the control board has not been connected to computer, please connect the control board to your computer.
If the connection succeeds, the follow will be shown:

This sketch will obtain analog value from A1 port of control board, and convert it to voltage value to display.
You can adujust the potentiometer to observe the change of value, and you can also use the A1 port to
measure voltage value of other circuits. Note that the measurement voltage can not exceed 5V, which will do
damage to the control board.
10 Chapter 1 Voltmeter www.freenove.com █

Here, Processing sketch code will not be introduced in detail. Interested readers can learn it by yourself.

And as for syntax and standard functions of Processing, you can visit https://processing.org/ and click
Reference to view.

Or in the Processing software menu bar, click Help-Reference to view offline documents.
 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 1 Voltmeter 11

Project 1.2 Voltmeter Dual Channel

Now, let’s make a dual channel voltmeter.

Component list

Control board x1 USB cable x1

Freenove Projects Board

12 Chapter 1 Voltmeter www.freenove.com █

Circuit

Use A1, A2 ports on control board to detect the voltage of rotary potentiometers.
Schematic diagram Hardware connection

Hardware connection
Insert the Control Board to Freenove Projects Board, and then turn the corresponding switch to the
right(ON).
 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 1 Voltmeter 13

Sketch

Sketch Voltmeter_Dual_Channel
Use Processing to open Voltmeter_Dual_Channel.pde and click Run. Then, the following window will pop up
and its connection to control board will be started.

If the control board has not been connected to computer, please connect the control board to your computer.
If the connection succeeds, the follow will be shown:

This sketch will obtain analog value from A1 and A2 ports of control board, and convert them to voltage value
to display. You can adujust the potentiometers to observe the change of value, and you can also use the A1
and A2 ports to measure voltage value of other circuits. Note that the measurement voltage can not exceed
5V, which will do damage to the control board.

You can export the two Processing sketches in this chapter to the application as common tools.
14 Chapter 2 Oscilloscope www.freenove.com █

Chapter 2 Oscilloscope
We have implemented a simple virtual instrument voltmeter, before. In this chapter, we will make a more
complex virtual instrument, oscilloscope. Oscilloscope is a widely used electronic measuring instrument. It can
get the electrical signals not directly observed into visible image to facilitate the analysis and study of various
electrical signals change process.

Project 2.1 Oscilloscope

Now, let’s use Processing and control board to achieve an oscilloscope.

Component list

Control board x1 USB cable x1

Freenove Projects Board

 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 2 Oscilloscope 15

Circuit

Use pin A1 on the control board to detect the voltage of rotary potentiometer.
Schematic diagram Hardware connection

Hardware connection
Insert the Control Board to Freenove Projects Board, and then turn the corresponding switch to the
right(ON).
16 Chapter 2 Oscilloscope www.freenove.com █

Sketch

Sketch Oscilloscope
Use Processing to open Oscilloscope.pde and click Run. If the connection succeeds, the follow will be shown:

The green line is the waveform acquisited. Rotate the potentiometer, then you can see changes of the
waveform:
 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 2 Oscilloscope 17

Disconnect the A1 port from the potentiometer and connect it to the Pin 13 port. Pin 13 port output is
0.5Hz square wave. As is shown below:

The left side of the software interface is a voltage scale, which is used to indicate the voltage of the waveform.
The "1000ms" on top left corner is the time of a square, and you can press “↑” and “↓” key on keyboard to
adjust it.
The "0.00V" on top right corner is the voltage value of current signal.
You can press the space bar on keyboard to pause the display waveform, which is easy to view and analysis.

We believe that with the help of this oscilloscope, you can obtain more intuitive understanding of the actual
work of some electronic circuits. It will help you complete the project and eliminate the trouble. You can
export this sketch to an application used as a tool.
18 Chapter 3 Control 2D and 3D Figures www.freenove.com █

Chapter 3 Control 2D and 3D Figures

In this chapter, we will use connect board to make Processing program display figure changes. And we will
control 2D and 3D figures, respectively.

Project 3.1 Ellipse

First, control a 2D figure.

Component list

Control board x1 USB cable x1

Freenove Projects Board

 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 3 Control 2D and 3D Figures 19

Circuit

Use A1 and A2 ports on connect board to detect the voltage value of two rotary potentiometers inside joystick.
Schematic diagram Hardware connection

Hardware connection
20 Chapter 3 Control 2D and 3D Figures www.freenove.com █

Sketch

Sketch Ellipse
Use Processing to open Ellipse.pde, then click Run. If the connection succeeds, the following will be shown:

Then you can change the ellipse shape by shifting the joystick:
 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 3 Control 2D and 3D Figures 21

Project 3.2 Box 3D

Now control 3D figures.

Component list & Circuit

The same as last section.

Sketch

Sketch Box_3D
Use Processing to open Box_3D.pde, and click Run. If the connection succeeds, the following will be shown.
The left is a 3D box presented by line and the right is a 3D box entity.

Then you can change the space angle of two 3D box by shifting the joystick:
22 Chapter 4 Snake Game www.freenove.com █

Chapter 4 Snake Game

We have experienced controlling 2D and 3D figures before. Now, we use connect board to play the classic
snake game. You will experience both 2D and 3D version.

Project 4.1 Snake Game

First, let’s experience the 2D version game.

Component list

Control board x1 USB cable x1

Freenove Projects Board

 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 4 Snake Game 23

Circuit

Use A1 and A2 ports on connect board to detect the voltage value of two rotary potentiometers inside joystick.
Schematic diagram Hardware connection

Hardware connection
24 Chapter 4 Snake Game www.freenove.com █

Sketch

Sketch Snake_Game
Use Processing to open Snake_Game.pde and click Run. If the connection succeeds, the follow will be shown:

Press the space bar on keyboard to start the game:

 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 4 Snake Game 25

Shift the joystick to control the snake action. The game rules are the same as the classic snake game:

When the game fails, press space bar to restart the game:

Additionally, you can restart the game by pressing the space bar at any time.
26 Chapter 4 Snake Game www.freenove.com █

Project 4.2 Snake Game 3D

Now, let’s experience the 3D version game.

Component list

The same as last section.

Circuit

The same as last section.

Sketch

Sketch Snake_Game_3D
Use Processing to open Snake_Game_3D.pde and click Run. If the connection succeeds, the follow will be
shown:
 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 4 Snake Game 27

Press the space bar on keyboard to start the game:

Shift the joystick to control the snake action. The game rules are the same as the classic snake game:

The rest operation is the same as the 2D version.

28 Chapter 5 Pong Game www.freenove.com █

Chapter 5 Pong Game

We have experienced single-player game snake before. Now, let's use connect board to play classic two-
player pong game. You will experience both 2D and 3D version.

Project 5.1 Pong Game

First, let’s experience the 2D version game.

Component list

Control board x1 USB cable x1

Freenove Projects Board

 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 5 Pong Game 29

Circuit

Use A1, A2 ports on control board to detect the voltage of rotary potentiometers.
Schematic diagram Hardware connection

Hardware connection
Insert the Control Board to Freenove Projects Board, and then turn the corresponding switch to the
right(ON).
30 Chapter 5 Pong Game www.freenove.com █

Sketch

Sketch Pong_Game
Use Processing to open Pong_Game and click Run. If the connection succeeds, the follow will be shown:

Now you can try to turn the potentiometer to control the movement of paddle without ball. Press space bar
to start the game:
 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 5 Pong Game 31

Use potentiometer to control the movement of paddle to block the ball back. The game rules are the same
as classic pong game:

The game will be over when one side reachs three points. Pressing the space bar can restart the game:

Additionally, you can restart the game by pressing the space bar at any time.
32 Chapter 5 Pong Game www.freenove.com █

Project 5.2 Pong Game 3D

Now, let’s experience the 3D version game.

Component list

The same as last section.

Circuit

The same as last section.

Sketch

Sketch Pong_Game_3D
Use Processing to open Pong_Game_3D.pde and click Run. If the connection succeeds, the follow will be
shown:
 █ www.freenove.com Chapter 5 Pong Game 33

Now you can try to turn the potentiometer to control the movement of paddle without ball. Press space bar
to start the game:

Use potentiometer to control the movement of paddle to block the ball back. The game rules are the same
as classic pong game:

The rest operation is the same as the 2D version.

34 What's next? www.freenove.com █

What's next?
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