Chapter 5 Challenges

Questions
1. What kind of electrical connection is a whisker?
A normally open, momentary, single-pole, single-throw tactile switch.

2. When a whisker is pressed, what voltage occurs at the I/O pin

monitoring it? What binary value will the digitalRead function return? If
digital pin 8 is used to monitor the whisker circuit, what value
does digitalRead return when a whisker is pressed, and what value does it
return when a whisker is not pressed?
Zero (0) volts, resulting in binary zero (0) returned by digitalRead.

digitalRead(8) == 0 when whisker is pressed.

digitalRead(8) == 1 when whisker is not pressed.

3. If digitalRead(7)== 1, what does that mean? What does it mean

if digitalRead(7)== 0? How about digitalRead(5)==
1 and digitalRead(5)== 0?
digitalRead(7)== 1 means the right whisker is not pressed.

digitalRead(7)== 0 means the right whisker is pressed.

digitalRead(5)== 1 means the left whisker is not pressed.

digitalRead(5)== 0 means the left whisker is pressed.

4. What statements did this chapter use to call different navigation

functions based on whisker states?
This chapter used ifs and if else statements to evaluate whisker
conditions and call navigation functions.

5. What is the purpose of having nested if statements?

If one condition turns out to be true, you have to check the other
condition to make ensure the if is enlisted.
Exercises
1. Write a routine that uses a single variable named whiskers to track
whisker contacts. It should store a 3 when no whiskers are contacted, a 2 if
the right whisker is contacted, a 1 if the left whisker is contacted, or 0 if both
whiskers are contacted. Hint: multiply the result by two.
// Robotics with the BOE Shield Chapter 5, Exercise 1
 // Value from 0 to 3 indicates whisker states:
// 0 = both, 1 = left, 2 = right, 3 = neither.

void setup() // Built-in initialization block

{
tone(4, 3000, 1000); // Play tone for 1 second
delay(1000); // Delay to finish tone

pinMode(7, INPUT); // Set right whisker pin to input

pinMode(5, INPUT); // Set left whisker pin to input

Serial.begin(9600); // Set data rate to 9600 bps

}

void loop() // Main loop auto-repeats

{
byte whiskers = 2 * digitalRead(5);
whiskers += digitalRead(7);

Serial.println(whiskers); // Display wLeft

delay(50); // Pause for 50 ms

2. Modify the loop function in RoamingWithWhiskers so that it makes the

BOE Shield-Bot stop and not restart when both whiskers contact at the same
time.
void loop() // Main loop auto-repeats
{
byte wLeft = digitalRead(5); // Copy right result to wLeft
byte wRight = digitalRead(7); // Copy left result to wRight

if((wLeft == 0) && (wRight == 0)) // If both whiskers contact

{
pause(500); // Pause motion for 0.5 seconds
backward(1000); // Back up 1 second
 turnLeft(800); // Turn left about 120 degrees
}
else if(wLeft == 0) // If only left whisker contact
{
pause(500); // Pause motion for 0.5 seconds
backward(1000); // Back up 1 second
turnRight(400); // Turn right about 60 degrees
}
else if(wRight == 0) // If only right whisker contact
{
pause(500); // Pause motion for 0.5 seconds
backward(1000); // Back up 1 second
turnLeft(400); // Turn left about 60 degrees
}
else // Otherwise, no whisker contact
{
forward(20); // Forward 1/50 of a second
}

3. Add a function named pause to RoamingWithWhiskers. It should make

the BOE Shield-Bot stay still for a certain amount of time.
void pause(int time) // Pause drive wheels
{
servoLeft.writeMicroseconds(1500); // Left wheel stay still
servoRight.writeMicroseconds(1500); // Right wheel stay still
delay(time); // Maneuver for time ms

4. Modify the loop function so that the BOE Shield-Bot stays still for 0.5
seconds before backing up and turning.
void loop() // Main loop auto-repeats
{
byte wLeft = digitalRead(5); // Copy right result to wLeft
byte wRight = digitalRead(7); // Copy left result to wRight
 if((wLeft == 0) && (wRight == 0)) // If both whiskers contact
{
pause(500); // Pause motion for 0.5 seconds
backward(1000); // Back up 1 second
turnLeft(800); // Turn left about 120 degrees
}
else if(wLeft == 0) // If only left whisker contact
{
pause(500); // Pause motion for 0.5 seconds
backward(1000); // Back up 1 second
turnRight(400); // Turn right about 60 degrees
}
else if(wRight == 0) // If only right whisker contact
{
pause(500); // Pause motion for 0.5 seconds
backward(1000); // Back up 1 second
turnLeft(400); // Turn left about 60 degrees
}
else // Otherwise, no whisker contact
{
forward(20); // Forward 1/50 of a second

Projects
1. Modify RoamingWithWhiskers so that the BOE Shield-Bot stops and
makes a 4 kHz beep that lasts 100 ms before executing its usual evasive
maneuver. Make it beep twice if both whisker contacts are detected during
the same sample. HINT: Use the pause function you developed in the
Exercises section to make it pause immediately after the tone starts playing.
Also, a 0.2 second pause after the tone call separates the 0.1 second tone
from servo motion, or allows you to hear a second tone.
2. Modify RoamingWithWhiskers so that the BOE Shield-Bot roams in a 1
yard (or 1 meter) diameter circle. When you touch one whisker, it will cause
the BOE Shield-Bot to travel in a tighter circle (smaller diameter). When you
touch the other whisker, it will cause the BOE Shield-Bot to navigate in a
wider diameter circle.