week02

After playing with Tinkercad, I moved on to Wokwi where I could do more custom things with various controllers - like a Raspberry Pi Pico! Here is my code to get the light to fade different colors. I used a RGB LED.

// Define the pins for the RGB LED
#define RED_PIN 16
#define GREEN_PIN 17
#define BLUE_PIN 18

// Variables to store the PWM values for the RGB colors
int redValue = 0;
int greenValue = 0;
int blueValue = 0;
int fadeAmount = 10;  // How much to fade the LED by

void setup() {
  // Set up the RGB LED pins as outputs
  pinMode(RED_PIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(GREEN_PIN, OUTPUT);
  pinMode(BLUE_PIN, OUTPUT);
}
void loop() {
  // Fade from red to green
  for (int i = 0; i <= 255; i += fadeAmount) {
	redValue = 255 - i;
	greenValue = i;
	blueValue = 0;
	setColor(redValue, greenValue, blueValue);
	delay(50);  // Delay to make the fading smooth
  }
  // Fade from green to blue
  for (int i = 0; i <= 255; i += fadeAmount) {
	redValue = 0;
	greenValue = 255 - i;
	blueValue = i;
	setColor(redValue, greenValue, blueValue);
	delay(50);
  }
  // Fade from blue to red
  for (int i = 0; i <= 255; i += fadeAmount) {
	redValue = i;
	greenValue = 0;
	blueValue = 255 - i;
	setColor(redValue, greenValue, blueValue);
	delay(50);
  }
}

This seemed too easy - so I figured I would try to program an LED screen next with the RP 2040 Pico.

ChatGPT did provide the code!

After TA office hours, I was encouraged to try something a bit more challenging. I took at stab at using the SSD1306 OLED with a Raspberry Pico.

Initially, I didn't have my libraries installed. It was easy to add them in Wokwi.

I then continued to get a pgmspace.h error... with lots of ChatGPT and internet searching, I eventually decided to try a new microcontroller.
My major takeaway here is ChatGPT can sometimes make it worse when you ask it to troubleshoot errors like this.

I tried to the ESP32 and then eventually the Arduino Uno. After about 30 minutes of trouble shooting with Anthony we were finally able to get it to work.

#include <Wire.h>
#include <Adafruit_GFX.h>
#include <Adafruit_SSD1306.h>
#include <ssd1306.h> 
#define SCREEN_WIDTH 128  // OLED display width, in pixels
#define SCREEN_HEIGHT 64  // OLED display height, in pixels

// Declaration for SSD1306 OLED display connected using I2C (SDA, SCL pins)
#define OLED_RESET    -1  // Reset pin # (or -1 if sharing Arduino reset pin)
Adafruit_SSD1306 display(SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, &Wire, OLED_RESET);
void setup() {
  // Initialize serial communication for debugging
  Serial.begin(9600);

  // Initialize the OLED display
  if(!display.begin(SSD1306_PAGEADDR, 0x3c)) {
    Serial.println(F("SSD1306 allocation failed"));
    for(;;); // Don't proceed, loop forever
  }
  // Clear the buffer
  display.clearDisplay();
  // Display a welcome message
  display.setTextSize(1);      // Normal 1:1 pixel scale
  display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE); // Draw white text
  display.setCursor(30, 30);     // Start at top-left corner
  display.println(F("Hello, world!"));
  display.display();           // Display the buffer
  delay(2000);                 // Pause for 2 seconds

  // Clear display and draw shapes
  display.clearDisplay();
  display.drawLine(0, 0, SCREEN_WIDTH, SCREEN_HEIGHT, SSD1306_WHITE);
  display.drawLine(SCREEN_WIDTH, 0, 0, SCREEN_HEIGHT, SSD1306_WHITE);
  display.display();           // Show the buffer on the screen
  delay(2000);
}
void loop() {
  // You can add more code here to update the display or show animations
  display.clearDisplay();
  // Display a welcome message
  display.setTextSize(1);      // Normal 1:1 pixel scale
  display.setTextColor(SSD1306_WHITE); // Draw white text
  display.setCursor(30, 30);     // Start at top-left corner
  display.println(F("I finally figured it out!"));
  display.display();           // Display the buffer
  delay(2000);      

}

You can also watch it work here on Wokwi

Jana HD

Week 2: Compare architectures & workflows with a group

Week 2 (individual): Read the datasheet, write a program, and simulate