serial monitor locks after exceeding threshold

I would add a serial.println within the while loops, like this:

(digitalRead(rightSwitchPin) == LOW) //keep going until limit switch reached

    {

      Serial.println("rightSwitchPin is low");

      stepper1.step(-1);  //move right

    }

    while (digitalRead(leftSwitchPin) == LOW) //keep going until limit switch reached

    {

      Serial.println("leftSwitchPin is low");

      stepper1.step(1);  //move left    

    }

I'm guessing that it's getting stuck in one of those loops.

Cheers,

-Nico

Yes! I added the "println" under the while, but it works just the same.

Thanks so much.

Keith

I just looked at the details of Stepper.step, and it looks like this block is not needed (taking 0 steps should do nothing)...

  else

  {

    stepper1.step (STOP);

  }

Maybe remove that block, in case that's causing the issue?

ps, from the code it looks like when sonarValue goes over 900, the stepper motor will go all the way right until the limit switch is hit, and then it will go all the way left until the limit switch is hit, and then it reads the sensor again, waits half a second, and repeats the process. Was that the intention?

Thank you.  After adding a println in each while statement, the sketch

works fine. Had some help here.

Keith

Keith

As Nico says ...

Not sure where your sketch is, but you read the sonarValue at the start of the loop, then don't read it again until you hit the limit switch.

The serial.println(sonarvalue) will always be the same until the switch limit is reached.

You can combine items in the If statement so that it becomes :-

void loop()

{

  sonarValue = analogRead (sonarPin);

  Serial.println (sonarValue);

  if (sonarValue >900 && digitalRead(rightSwitchPin) == LOW)   // below 900 and keep going until right limit

    {

        stepper1.step(-1);  //move right

        Serial.println (sonarValue);

    }

    if (sonarValue >900 && digitalRead(leftSwitchPin) == LOW)   //below 900 keep going until left limit

    {

        stepper1.step(1);  //move left

        Serial.println (sonarValue);

    {

}

This sketch (and the others) still has a problem .....

This will read the sonarPin and if less than 900 AND the limit switch isn't reached, will step -1.

Since the sonarValue is still less than 900 and the other limitswitch isn't reached, will step 1.

Basically it will go up one and back one.

Is this what you want or would you prefer it to go from one limit switch to the other while the sonarValue is below 900.?

obviously if the sonar value is greater than 900 its going to print flat out, so a delay/timer or something else is a good idea...

Mark

I think you nailed it, Mark Beckett.  The problem has nothing to do with the sensor at all.  It has to do with the fact that there is no secondary variable that REMEMBERS that the rightSwitchPin was HIGH just last go round.  The same thing goes for the leftSwitchPin.

Yes, thanks for the advise. I was playing with the switches and noticed

some positive behavior but didn't understand how to push it.

Yes, thanks for the advise. I was playing with the switches and noticed

some positive behavior but didn't understand how to push it.