Helicopter animation using a Raspberry Pi

We are being encouraged by our leaders to practice social distancing and/or isolate ourselves where possible during this COVID19 crisis. To avoid going stir crazy while isolated in my home, I dug up an old project I have mulled over many times.

I would like to use a Pi to construct an helicopter animation. The best way to understand the goal of the project is let you take a look at the video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hl5--7g3jO0&t=112s

My first task is to build the light sequence. My light sequence is slightly different because it matches aviation specifications. There will be cabin lighting, landing lighting(front), position lighting (left/right/rear) and strobe lighting (top/bottom). All lights are either on or off with the strobes flashing when on. The lighting is being done with LEDs. Once I master the lights, I will integrate the audio and then tackle motor control. The Pi is responsible for running the whole show. I am looking to use python to accomplish the task. No, I am not interested in doing the project with an Arduino or in another programming language. Pi and python are my toolset. Hopefully I don't discover it is not possible.

What I am hoping for is some direction to developing the solution. I have no doubt this is programming 101 for many of you. I have much experience in programming. I have met and worked with people that have the skills to call themselves a programming. I am not a programmer.

The series of LED’s repeats the following sequence:

turn LED1 on solid

turn LED2 on flashing

turn LED3 on solid

turn LED4 on solid

turn LED4 off

turn LED3 off

turn LED2 off

turn LED1 off

cycle starts again.

My difficultly is creating the flashing LED within the sequence. I can turn all the LED's on and off. I can flash LED2 on its own. When I add flashing to the sequence LED2 flashes once and then the sequence continues with no more flashes. I require LED2 to flash continuous until it is turned off. I’m thinking I need to have a LED flashing routine (? another script) that is called in the parent script and continues to run (flash) until it is called to stop. I want to call it a fire and forget routine but that is my lack of programming terminology understanding.

I had this thought, write a code for a python module that flashes an led. Call the module in another python script giving it the pin number. The module should have a start and stop. Well that simple understanding of writing a module exceeds my knowledge. Since I'm not sure if what I am looking for is actually a solution, my research is proving difficult. If a module is what I need and you have a resource to assist in writing it, please let me know.

I'm not looking for someone to write the code but rather guide me to developing the code myself. Care to provide some insight into my helicopter animation COVID19 Isolation Project. There is no badge or points awarded, just a brain share. I look forward to your responses.

glennvanderveer over 5 years ago in reply to colporteur

Crap, so now we are both getting bitten in the ***... Stupid computers... Doing exactly what I tell them to do but never what I really want them to do. You would think that after all this time working as a programmer, I would be able to blink a simple LED when I want...
Give me a bit of time and I will come up with something that I will actually compile and do some basic testing on and then I will post it here for you...
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colporteur over 5 years ago in reply to glennvanderveer

I appreciate your assistance. I have an a semblance of code that generates the lights and the motor. It uses the gpiozero model suggested by beacon_dave . My last piece of the puzzle is audio using this code. It needs some cleanup to look pretty but I can generate light and rotor motion.

#!/usr/bin/python3
#
###########
#
#Description:light_sequence.py-script to start and stop four series of lights
# on helicopter simulation using GPIOZero to replace RPi.GPIO
#Date: Mar.23,2020
#Revision:2.0
#
###########


import time # provides various time-related functions
from gpiozero import LED, PWMLED # provides interface to input/output pins of the Pi
import random
import os


# setup GPIO
landing_light = LED(2)
cabin_light = LED(3)
position_light = LED(4)
strobe_light = PWMLED(27, initial_value = 0.1, frequency = 100)
motor_direction = LED(20)
motor_step = LED(21)




while True:
    #helicopter lights on sequence,cab_lit,stb_lit,pos_lit,lnd_lit
    print("cabin lights on")
    cabin_light.on()
    time.sleep(3)
    print("strobe lights on")
    strobe_light.pulse()
    time.sleep(3)
    print("position lights on")
    position_light.on()
    time.sleep(3)
    print("landing lights on")
    landing_light.on()
    time.sleep(3)
    print("rotor start")
    motor_step.blink(on_time=0.01, off_time=0.01)
    time.sleep(10)
    print("rotor stop")
    motor_step.off()
    # helicopter lights off sequence,lnd_lit,pos_lit,stb_lit,cab_lit
    print("landing lights off")
    landing_light.off()
    time.sleep(3)
    print("position lights off")
    position_light.off()
    time.sleep(3)
    print("strobe lights off")
    strobe_light.off()
    time.sleep(3)
    print("cabin lights off")
    cabin_light.off()
    time.sleep(3)