Arduino coding vs , code that would graph the data, etc

Thread Starter

DarthVolta

Joined Jan 27, 2015
521
I'm super new to Arduino, and learning modern coding, and I'm mixing up some things, like thinking I should have code in the sketch, to visually graph stuff, like the serial plotter. I don't mean to upload that section of code, to the Arduino btw.

I'm using the standard Arduino program. Is that meant to be somehow used to make a visual program, for say on computer, for whatever I'm working on ?

So if Arduino is C based, do I just get a C+ editor and write something ? Or is it all built into the Arduino editor ? Or what's a good program that does take MCU data, and do stuff like graph it or display it on screen in what ever way, etc.
 

djsfantasi

Joined Apr 11, 2010
9,156
The Arduino IDE is used as a code editor for the Arduino variant of C or C+. The programs written with it are for a subset of microprocessors. Then entire Arduino family plus a few others, such as the ATTiny series of microprocessors.

Note a couple of things. The Arduino editor, program or IDE is used for a subset of microprocessors. It cannot write PC Programs.

Your graphical or visual output would be difficult on a microprocessor. For two reasons.

Microprocessors don’t have much memory. Graphical processing is a memory hog.

Secondly, what are you going to use as a display? Monitors are way to complex to be used by a microprocessor.

Not impossible but incredibly difficult

Microprocessors are good at what they do. PCs are good at what they fin
 

Papabravo

Joined Feb 24, 2006
21,159
The best you can hope for is outputting a file to a serial port which is picked up by a machine that can do what you want it to do. Think of a .CSV file which is used by Excel, R, LibreOffice and others to represent comma separated variables. These can then be turned into graphical output.
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,714
There are micros that are capable of displaying beautiful graphics.
There are PC programs that can display beautiful graphics from data you give it.

Decide which you want.
Do you want a stand-alone micro with a graphics LCD to show graphs
or do you want an MCU to collect data and send it to a PC for display and storage purposes?
 

Thread Starter

DarthVolta

Joined Jan 27, 2015
521
I def. don't want to try running graphics from the MCU, I just mean as a way for the programmer, to see what's going on, without having to attach a DMM/scope. Yeah once someone's used to the the way all this works, I guess that won't matter much anyways.

And yeah this is meant for super small programs, line by line, not reporting back what it's doing at the same time. No problem
 

MrChips

Joined Oct 2, 2009
30,714
I def. don't want to try running graphics from the MCU, I just mean as a way for the programmer, to see what's going on, without having to attach a DMM/scope. Yeah once someone's used to the the way all this works, I guess that won't matter much anyways.

And yeah this is meant for super small programs, line by line, not reporting back what it's doing at the same time. No problem
Oh, you mean a real time code debugger.
I don't do Arduino.

What I do know is that every software development platform I use for the different MCUs that I program all have real time code debuggers. You can monitor your program line by line, both C code and ASM code. You can also single-step your code in slow motion and watch the bits move from one register to another if you enjoy watching paint dry.

You need to step up to the real programming world.
 

jpanhalt

Joined Jan 18, 2008
11,087
An auctioneer pronounces 250 to 400 words per minute. That is fast. Most people hear the rhythm but not the content. At 5 characters per word, that is only 2000 baud. Why in the world would anyone want to slow down a 500,000 baud SPI interface to that rate? Speech is not all that some people say it is. :)
 

Thread Starter

DarthVolta

Joined Jan 27, 2015
521
Oh, you mean a real time code debugger.
I don't do Arduino.

What I do know is that every software development platform I use for the different MCUs that I program all have real time code debuggers. You can monitor your program line by line, both C code and ASM code. You can also single-step your code in slow motion and watch the bits move from one register to another if you enjoy watching paint dry.

You need to step up to the real programming world.
No not even that, I just wanted to visualize what's happening, but that's not practical, and I guess there's simulation software for some of these .....



If it was practical, I'd hook up my Arduino project, realtime, in a program like LTSpice, crossed with an Oscope, crossed with I guess a debugger thing too (I barely know arduino code yet)
 

danadak

Joined Mar 10, 2018
4,057
Is your application wireless as a goal ?

ESP8266, ESP32 is a good way of doing this if you are. Google "esp8266 client server example",
several videos on web.


Regards, Dana.
 

Alec_t

Joined Sep 17, 2013
14,280
If it was practical, I'd hook up my Arduino project, realtime, in a program like LTSpice, crossed with an Oscope, crossed with I guess a debugger thing too (I barely know arduino code yet)
Have you tried TinkerCAD (it's free)? That allows you to develop code for an Arduino Uno/AtTiny and debug/simulate its operation, including output display on LED/neopixel/LCD/Oscope/meter.
 

Thread Starter

DarthVolta

Joined Jan 27, 2015
521
No but thanks, I took a break from that stuff to repair my speaker system, them my main DMM broke, and then my hotair station cutout. The hotair station has an MCU and EEPROM, that at least seem to be working. At some point I want to "dump" the ROM and also the MCU's internal 32kB.

But not now, I just want to get it all back to working 1st. There's not much more to check, it could have been the mains voltage dropping, but if it was, why didn't it power back up ? I don't know if the MCU was in some safety mode and not powering on the LCD, and fan ? But I don't know how to read the ROM/MCU yet anyways......but I have a BusPirate, but not the understanding of it yet.
 
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