tessel-summer-camp

project

This repository houses the libraries for the Seattle Academy Tessel summer camp. These libraries were built to allow easy access to the Tessel’s servo shield, accelerometer shield, and GPIO pins. This will allow students to move around a small robot and allow it to interact with its environment.

software setup

The controller.js file contains all of the libraries needed. To import this library, simple install it on npm. This will put it in the node_moduels folder.

npm install 

To import the module into your program, just use require.

var Controller = require("tessel-summer-camp");

hardware setup

The button class in the tessel-summer-camp module allows the user to choose which port to use. However, every other class requires specific ports or pins to be used. Below is the tessel wiring layout:

accelerometer

To use the controller’s accelerometer function, you need to initialize the object first. Run

Accelerometer = new Controller.Accelerometer(function()
{
});

This code will create the accelerometer object and call the anonymous function after sensor setup has begun. Once the sensor is initialized, it will gather data automatically as fast as it comes in. Just use the properties of the accelerometer prototype to get the sensor’s data. The following command gets a bool that represents whether or not the sensor is configured.

Accelerometer.Congifured

The following three commands get floats that represent the position of the accelerometer sensor.

Accelerometer.X
Accelerometer.Y
Accelerometer.Z

servo

To use the controller's servo function, you first need to initialize the servo object. LeftServoNumber is the position of the robot’s left servo on the servo shield, and RightServoNumber is the position of the robot’s right servo on the servo shield. The anonymous function is called when the servos have been setup and are ready to receive commands.

Servo = new Controller.Servo(LeftServoNumber, RightServoNumber, function()
{
});

The move function is used to move the servos once they are configured. The Servo argument indicated which servo to move, and must be either "left" or "right". The speed argument is the speed at which the servo should move, and must be between -100 and 100.

Servo.Move(Servo, Speed);

The configured property is a bool which will return true is the servos are setup.

Servo.Configured;

button

To use the button command, just initialize a new instance of the button object. The pin variable will be the GPIO pin, as a string. This could look like "G3" or "G6". The function variable will be the function that is called when the button is pressed.

new Controller.Button("G3", function() {
	console.log("Pressed!");
});

led matrix

For the LED Matrix to work properly, additional setup steps need to be taken. The code located in the directory node_modules/tessel-summer-camp/ArduinoLEDMatrix needs to be installed onto an ardiuno mini pro. Now you are ready to go!

None of this code worked and Kale got angry so he rewrote the function so strings are passed from the tessel over serial. The serial communication is pretty much useless and all screwed up so strings become numbers that are in no way related to the strings. Now there are two key works that will write things on the LCD. Writing on into the function writes a 1 on the LED matrix while writing off into the function writes a 2 on the LED matrix.

Controller.Display("on");

sound

To use the controller's Sound function, you first need to initialize the object. The Port variable should be set to 0, 1, or 2. These port values correspond with the G4, G5, and G6 GPIO pins. The Callback function will be called when the Sound function has been configured.

This also didn't work and sound capability has been moved to the arduino. Therefore communications are passed through serial communication (which is hardly usable in this instance). Use the function to toggle sound on and off.

Controller.Sound();