Processing

For the Networking and Communication assignment I choose to explore Processing. As I was working for my final project on a 12 keys keyboard I thought to interface the keyboard with Processing to generate graphic effects while playing something.

As board I used a Satshakit. The keyboard is made using a breadboard to wich I connected a speaker.

The code for the microcontroller is aimed to handle the keyboard wich is made by a matrix crossing the colums and three rows. The code includes a file with al the pitches between C4 and B5. The notes are forming a C Major scale.

The keyboard

Communication

This assignment as been interesting mainly for two aspects. The first one is that I found an example of communication. After importing in Processing the Serial library the microcontroller and Processing are communicating throuhgh a serial communication.

The second interesting aspect has been to learn something about Processing. I found out it is an Object Oriented Programming language. This is why at the beginning of the code we have to create an object from Serial class. And of course it's been interesting to learn the basic of drawing shapes.

	import processing.serial.*;

Serial myPort;  // Create object from Serial class
int val=1;      // Data received from the serial port

color off = color(4, 79, 111);
color on = color(0, 255, 0);


void setup()
{
background (off);
stroke (255,0,0);
  size (500,100);
myPort=new Serial(this, Serial.list()[0],9600);
//println (Serial.list());
}

void draw(){
  int [] values = {0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0};
  
  if (myPort.available()>0) {
  val=myPort.read();
  println (val);
  }


if (values[val] == 0){
values [val-1]= 1;
}
else {
values [val] = 0;
}

 for (int i = 0; i <= 11; i++) {
   if (values[i] != 0)
     fill (on);
   else
     fill (off);
     
     rect (100+i*30,30,30,30);
 }


}

Examples

I used the same code for the microcontroller and experimented some variations in drawing shapes.

As first example I just made a row made by twelve squares filling with green in relationship with the note beeing played.

First experiment

As second example a made something like a starway made by squares.

Second experiment

As third example something a little bit more complex.

Third experiment