Thursday, May 8, 2014

The Main Event - A Simple Event Handler for Microcontrollers

Every application has some type of event handler. Typically, an interrupt will occur, and the interrupt service routine (ISR) will then set a flag, and then the ISR will exit to return to the normal application. This approach is used to minimize the time spent in the ISR. Next, in the main application, the event flags are read, and if any were set then the application processes each event.

I've been looking through the Anaren Bluetooth Low Energy software lately, and I saw this rather cool event handler. It uses a table of function pointers that are the functions to be called when the event occurs.

The Event Handler Functions

We will create a typedef for our function pointer. All functions in our Event Handler Table need to be this type.
/* Typedef for the event handler functions that will go into our table */
typedef void (*Hal_Handler)(void);

Next, for convenience we also create a type for the event flag bitmask. For speed, make this the same as the processor's data size.
/* The type of integer that we will use for our event bitflag. uint32 = 32 possible events */
typedef uint32_t EventFlags;

We also create the global variable that will be the bitflag of any events that get set.
/* Bitflag of the events that need to be processed */
static volatile EventFlags handlerEvents = 0;

To complete the initialization, we define a few events, and create our event handler table.
#define NUM_HANDLERS 3
#define BUTTON_HANDLER_ID      0
#define TICK_HANDLER_ID        1
#define DISPATCH_HANDLER_ID    2

#define KNOB_INCREMENT_HANDLER_ID  3
#define KNOB_DECREMENT_HANDLER_ID  4

/* Table of handler function pointers */
static Event_Handler handlerTable[NUM_HANDLERS];

This table will contain function pointers for the function that gets called when the corresponding event gets called. For example, when the knob gets rotated clockwise, its ISR will set bit #3 in the handlerEvents function. Then the main loop will call the function that is located at handlerTable[3].

We initialize our list by adding event handlers to the event handler table using the method below:
 int addEventHandler(uint8_t index, Event_Handler handler)
 {
     if (index > NUM_HANDLERS)
     {
         return -1;
     }
     handlerTable[index] = handler;
     return 0;
 }

We then call this in our main() function, which we'll explain in a bit.

Set a flag when an event occurs

When an event happens, in the ISR we need to set the bitflag that corresponds to that event. This is done in the postEvent() method as shown below. This bitflag will be read later in our main event handling loop. For safety, we disable interrupts while we are modifying the handlerEvents variable.
/** Set the corresponding bitflag for the eventId */
void postEvent(uint8_t handlerId)
{
    //Note: you should check that handlerId < NUM_HANDLERS here
    IntMasterDisable();
    handlerEvents |= 1 << handlerId;
    IntMasterEnable();
}

In the ISRs, you will need to add a call to postEvent. For example, in a button ISR, add:
postEvent(BUTTON_HANDLER_ID);

Configuring The Actions

When the bitflag for an event gets set, we want the event handler to do something. It does so by calling a function pointer that points to the function that we want to get called when that event happens. For example, when a button is pressed we just want to tell the user. Same for knob, as shown below:
void buttonHandler(void)
{
    printf("Button Pressed!\r\n");
}
void knobIncrementHandler(void)
{
    printf("Knob Up!\r\n");
}
void knobDecrementHandler(void)
{
    printf("Knob Down!\r\n");
}

Now, we need these in the Event Table so in main() we add them with the function we created earlier:

    addEventHandler(BUTTON_HANDLER_ID, buttonHandler);
    addEventHandler(KNOB_INCREMENT_HANDLER_ID, knobIncrementHandler);
    addEventHandler(KNOB_DECREMENT_HANDLER_ID, knobDecrementHandler);

Now we've configured the event setting, and the event processing, so now we can implement the main event handler.

The Main Event (handler)

The Main Event Handler is fairly simple. It continually loops, and processes any events that were set by postEvent(). If a bitflag was set, then it calls the corresponding function pointer.
void eventHandler(void)
{
    IntMasterEnable();
    for (;;)
    {
        /* First, disable interrupts so we don't get messed up while we are reading events */
        IntMasterDisable();

        /* While interrupts are disabled, copy the current list of events that need to be processed */
        EventFlags events = handlerEvents;

        /* ... and clear the master bitflag of events */
        handlerEvents = 0;

        /* Now, process any events that need to be processed */
        if (events)
        {   // dispatch all current events
            IntMasterEnable();     // Enable interrupts - note that we do this before calling each handler function
            /* mask will be the bitflag that we use to check the events bitflag. Starts at 0x1, then 0x2, 0x4, 0x8 etc. */
            uint16_t mask;
            /* The numeric index of the event - 0 through 31 */
            uint8_t id;
            /** Iterate through all possible events */
            for (id = 0, mask = 0x1; id < NUM_HANDLERS; id++, mask <<= 1)
            {
                if ((events & mask) && handlerTable[id]) // If we need to process the event
                {                                      // AND there is an event handler for it
                    handlerTable[id]();                  // ... Then process the event
                }
            }
        } else {          // No events to handle, so wait for more
            /* If using a battery powered device, you could go back to sleep here. Just be sure to enable interrupts! */
            IntMasterEnable();        // Enable Interrupts
        }
    }
}





Friday, May 2, 2014

Using Bluetooth Low Energy to Do Something


In the previous post we looked at how to get up and running with Bluetooth Low Energy. Now we're going to do something useful. This section assumes that you have completed the previous tutorial successfully.

Load on-line Help

First, we want to load the on-line help for the FirstApp example. Open Em-Builder and select Help > Em-Builder > Primer Contents and you'll see a number of lessons available:
 Select "Lesson 01 - Your First App" and the workspace will change to load the on-line help:

Run Unmodified FirstApp

Just like you did for Blinker, now right-click on the FirstApp project in the left hand column and select "Run Em-Builder Example". If you had an error, be sure that your development board is attached, and try the Em-blinker example too. Now open Em-Browser on your iPhone and connect to your development board. You should be able to read and write a variable with the unoriginal name of "data". Fun.

Customizing FirstApp

The first thing that we're going to do to get our feet wet with the Emmoco software is to do something very simple: change the name of the "data" variable to "pcbTemperature". This will give us a good exposure to what Emmoco uses to communicate. Make the change in the schema, FirstApp.ems.


 If you try to build it, then you will get an error, complaining of an unknown type name.

Now in the schema (FirstApp.ems) change the name of the variable "data". This will cause the build to fail, because we need to change all the other variables. If you go to FirstApp.h then you can see declarations of the new typedef and functions.
Now, make these changes to FirstApp.c
Now that we've renamed the variables, we should be able to build successfully. Run the example (Right-click on project and select "Run Em-Builder Example") and it will be loaded on the development board. Using Em-Browser you should be able to read and write a resource named pcbTemperature.

Do Something When We Receive a New Value

Ok, now we're rolling.

Now, just for fun, we modify the function pcbTemperatureC_store() as shown below to blink LED twice whenever we get a new value.
Now, in Em-Browser, write a value to pcbTemperature and you'll see the LED blink twice. Cool! Too bad we don't have printf() here though; it would be nice to be able to see it.

Adding Another Variable

Now we want to add another variable. I looked through the schema examples and saw that there's a 'num' type where you can set the range and interval. This is useful so that the phone application will only send us valid values. We want to control a light, so we add a variable, called 'level'. This can vary between 0% (totally off) and 100% (totally on), in steps of 1 percent each.
Now right click on the project and select"Build Project". It will report a few errors but more importantly it will automatically generate the typedefs and function declarations that we need. This will make our lives easier.
Here we can see that the Emmoco framework created a bunch of new stuff for us, including the following.
The min, max, step, and scale values are there because in the schema we defined our variable as a number with range of 0 to 100 and in steps of 1. We can copy/paste the function declarations into our application to make life easier. Now we need to add these to our application.

In FirstApp-Prog.c, add a variable:
static FirstApp_level_t intensity = 10;
Also add two new functions:
/* Send resource TO phone */
void FirstApp_level_fetch(FirstApp_level_t* output)
{
    *output = intensity;
}

/* Receive new value FROM phone */
void FirstApp_level_store(FirstApp_level_t* input)
{
    intensity = *input;
}

Run the Example

Now, try building again - 'Run Em-Builder Example'. You shouldn't have any errors.
Now open Em-Browser on the iPhone. You can now see that we have a new resource, called Level, and we can write to it and read it.
Clicking on 'level' shows us more information about it. Note that if you try to write a level above 100 then it will be limited to 100.


Conclusion

In this tutorial we demonstrated how to modify one of their examples to do something useful and how to add another variable.








Get Started with Bluetooth Low Energy

This tutorial will show you how to develop an application with Bluetooth Low Energy and do something useful. Going through all the steps in this post will take between 30-60 minutes, depending on if you run into any issues. Bluetooth Low Energy (aka BLE) is all the rage right now, and rightfully so, as it is an easy to use low power RF communications protocol. All the new iPhones and some Android phones incorporate a BLE radio, so you can now easily design RF peripherals to communicate with the iPhone.

I like to use a module for BLE because it is easier and less expensive for quantities less than 10k. For this post I'm trying out the Anaren BLE Module which is available on a Development kit from Digikey for $60. You will also need a Texas Instruments Launchpad. I'm using the TI Tiva Launchpad which available from Digikey for about $14. These are so cheap that I recommend buying two. Below is a picture of the Anaren Board mounted on the Tiva Development Board.
 For this tutorial, you will need:
  • Anaren BLE Development Kit
  • Mini-USB cable for above (comes with the kit)
  • Texas Instruments Tiva Launchpad
  • Micro-USB cable for above (comes with the kit)
  • iPhone, 4S or later to run phone examples
  • iPhone apps "Em-Blinker" & "Em-Browser", available for free from the App Store
  • Basic knowledge of C

Hardware Connections

First, mate the two boards as shown above. Next, connect the Tiva's "Debug" USB port to your computer. Be sure that the slider switch is in the "DEBUG" position. Finally connect the "Admin UART" USB port on the Anaren Board to your computer.

Get the Software

The Anaren module uses a framework from Emmoco to make development easier. Go to www.em-hub.com. You will need to create an account to be able to download the software. Click on the "Sign-Up" link. The access code that it wants is printed on a sticker on the Anaren board. It is on the black connector, on the far left of the above image. Enter that code and your other information. Next, click on the "Downloads" link and select v13, and then "Em-Builder IDE Container" for your operating system.

Install the Software

After it downloads, install the software. It will also install some drivers too. When you first start the application it will look rather empty, like below.
Now we'll follow along the instructions in the left pane. Select Help > Em-Builder > Em-Hub Credentials and enter the same username and password you used to create your account.

Update Development Board Firmware

Next, you'll connect to the board and update the firmware. The hardest part on this step is figuring out which serial port is used for the "UART-ADMIN" port. I tried each of them but figured out finally that it was COM75 on mine. If the application is showing an error, then one thing to try is to press the "MCU Reset SOC" button on the Anaren Board; that allowed the two devices to connect. This took me awhile to figure out.

Once you have updated the firmware, it will be happy:
If you want, you can also change the name of the device here. Call it "SHAMU" or whatever you would like as long as it's all upper case. Now we're done updating the module firmware. If you want, you can remove the USB cable from the "ADMIN UART" port now.

Get the Example Projects

Now we need to import some examples so that we can start playing with them. GO to File > Import > Em-Builder > Example Projects, and select EK-TM4C123GXL as shown below.



Now, the application should have a few example projects:

Running an Example Application

Now we are ready to do something useful. Be sure that the USB cable to the Tiva board is connected to your computer. Right-click on the "Blinker-EK-TM4C123GXL" example and select "Run Em-Builder Example". It should compile and build, as shown below.
Now, open the "Em-Blinker" application on your phone. It should look something like below:
It doesn't do anything yet, you need to tell it to connect to your board. Press the button in the upper right corner to select the board. Previously we named our board "SHAMU" so we select that one. On the Tiva board, the Red LED should illuminate to indicate that it is connected to a phone.
Now, press "Start" or "On" depending on your version of Em-Blinker, and you should now see the blue LED on the Tiva board blink.

Conclusion

In this tutorial we started from zero and ended with a phone connected to our embedded device. Next time we'll look at making our own application.