Software / API Bindings / Java / API Reference and Examples / Bricklets / Hall Effect Bricklet

Java - Hall Effect Bricklet¶

This is the description of the Java API bindings for the Hall Effect Bricklet. General information and technical specifications for the Hall Effect Bricklet are summarized in its hardware description.

An installation guide for the Java API bindings is part of their general description.

Examples¶

The example code below is Public Domain (CC0 1.0).

Simple¶

Download (ExampleSimple.java)

import com.tinkerforge.IPConnection;
import com.tinkerforge.BrickletHallEffect;

public class ExampleSimple {
    private static final String HOST = "localhost";
    private static final int PORT = 4223;

    // Change XYZ to the UID of your Hall Effect Bricklet
    private static final String UID = "XYZ";

    // Note: To make the example code cleaner we do not handle exceptions. Exceptions
    //       you might normally want to catch are described in the documentation
    public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception {
        IPConnection ipcon = new IPConnection(); // Create IP connection
        BrickletHallEffect he = new BrickletHallEffect(UID, ipcon); // Create device object

        ipcon.connect(HOST, PORT); // Connect to brickd
        // Don't use device before ipcon is connected

        // Get current edge count without reset
        long count = he.getEdgeCount(false); // Can throw com.tinkerforge.TimeoutException
        System.out.println("Count: " + count);

        System.out.println("Press key to exit"); System.in.read();
        ipcon.disconnect();
    }
}

Callback¶

Download (ExampleCallback.java)

import com.tinkerforge.IPConnection;
import com.tinkerforge.BrickletHallEffect;

public class ExampleCallback {
    private static final String HOST = "localhost";
    private static final int PORT = 4223;

    // Change XYZ to the UID of your Hall Effect Bricklet
    private static final String UID = "XYZ";

    // Note: To make the example code cleaner we do not handle exceptions. Exceptions
    //       you might normally want to catch are described in the documentation
    public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception {
        IPConnection ipcon = new IPConnection(); // Create IP connection
        BrickletHallEffect he = new BrickletHallEffect(UID, ipcon); // Create device object

        ipcon.connect(HOST, PORT); // Connect to brickd
        // Don't use device before ipcon is connected

        // Add edge count listener
        he.addEdgeCountListener(new BrickletHallEffect.EdgeCountListener() {
            public void edgeCount(long count, boolean value) {
                System.out.println("Count: " + count);
            }
        });

        // Set period for edge count callback to 0.05s (50ms)
        // Note: The edge count callback is only called every 0.05 seconds
        //       if the edge count has changed since the last call!
        he.setEdgeCountCallbackPeriod(50);

        System.out.println("Press key to exit"); System.in.read();
        ipcon.disconnect();
    }
}

API¶

Generally, every method of the Java bindings that returns a value can throw a TimeoutException. This exception gets thrown if the device did not respond. If a cable based connection is used, it is unlikely that this exception gets thrown (assuming nobody unplugs the device). However, if a wireless connection is used, timeouts will occur if the distance to the device gets too big.

Beside the TimeoutException there is also a NotConnectedException that is thrown if a method needs to communicate with the device while the IP Connection is not connected.

Since Java does not support multiple return values and return by reference is not possible for primitive types, we use small classes that only consist of member variables. The member variables of the returned objects are described in the corresponding method descriptions.

The package for all Brick/Bricklet bindings and the IP Connection is com.tinkerforge.*

All methods listed below are thread-safe.

Basic Functions¶

class BrickletHallEffect(String uid, IPConnection ipcon)¶

Parameters:	uid – Type: String ipcon – Type: IPConnection
Returns:	hallEffect – Type: BrickletHallEffect

Creates an object with the unique device ID uid:

BrickletHallEffect hallEffect = new BrickletHallEffect("YOUR_DEVICE_UID", ipcon);

This object can then be used after the IP Connection is connected.

boolean BrickletHallEffect.getValue()¶

Returns:	value – Type: boolean

Returns true if a magnetic field of 3.5 millitesla or greater is detected.

long BrickletHallEffect.getEdgeCount(boolean resetCounter)¶

Parameters:	resetCounter – Type: boolean
Returns:	count – Type: long, Range: [0 to 2³² - 1]

Returns the current value of the edge counter. You can configure edge type (rising, falling, both) that is counted with setEdgeCountConfig().

If you set the reset counter to true, the count is set back to 0 directly after it is read.

Advanced Functions¶

void BrickletHallEffect.setEdgeCountConfig(short edgeType, short debounce)¶

Parameters:	edgeType – Type: short, Range: See constants, Default: 0 debounce – Type: short, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 255], Default: 100

The edge type parameter configures if rising edges, falling edges or both are counted. Possible edge types are:

0 = rising
1 = falling
2 = both

A magnetic field of 3.5 millitesla or greater causes a falling edge and a magnetic field of 2.5 millitesla or smaller causes a rising edge.

If a magnet comes near the Bricklet the signal goes low (falling edge), if a magnet is removed from the vicinity the signal goes high (rising edge).

Configuring an edge counter resets its value to 0.

If you don't know what any of this means, just leave it at default. The default configuration is very likely OK for you.

The following constants are available for this function:

For edgeType:

BrickletHallEffect.EDGE_TYPE_RISING = 0
BrickletHallEffect.EDGE_TYPE_FALLING = 1
BrickletHallEffect.EDGE_TYPE_BOTH = 2

BrickletHallEffect.EdgeCountConfig BrickletHallEffect.getEdgeCountConfig()¶

Return Object:	edgeType – Type: short, Range: See constants, Default: 0 debounce – Type: short, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 255], Default: 100

Returns the edge type and debounce time as set by setEdgeCountConfig().

The following constants are available for this function:

For edgeType:

BrickletHallEffect.EDGE_TYPE_RISING = 0
BrickletHallEffect.EDGE_TYPE_FALLING = 1
BrickletHallEffect.EDGE_TYPE_BOTH = 2

BrickletHallEffect.Identity BrickletHallEffect.getIdentity()¶

Return Object:

Return Object:	uid – Type: String, Length: up to 8 connectedUid – Type: String, Length: up to 8 position – Type: char, Range: ['a' to 'h', 'z'] hardwareVersion – Type: short[], Length: 3 0: major – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255] 1: minor – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255] 2: revision – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255] firmwareVersion – Type: short[], Length: 3 0: major – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255] 1: minor – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255] 2: revision – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255] deviceIdentifier – Type: int, Range: [0 to 2¹⁶ - 1]

uid – Type: String, Length: up to 8
connectedUid – Type: String, Length: up to 8
position – Type: char, Range: ['a' to 'h', 'z']
hardwareVersion – Type: short[], Length: 3

0: major – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255]
1: minor – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255]
2: revision – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255]

firmwareVersion – Type: short[], Length: 3

0: major – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255]
1: minor – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255]
2: revision – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255]

deviceIdentifier – Type: int, Range: [0 to 2¹⁶ - 1]

Returns the UID, the UID where the Bricklet is connected to, the position, the hardware and firmware version as well as the device identifier.

The position can be 'a', 'b', 'c', 'd', 'e', 'f', 'g' or 'h' (Bricklet Port). A Bricklet connected to an Isolator Bricklet is always at position 'z'.

The device identifier numbers can be found here. There is also a constant for the device identifier of this Bricklet.

Listener Configuration Functions¶

void BrickletHallEffect.setEdgeInterrupt(long edges)¶

Parameters:	edges – Type: long, Range: [0 to 2³² - 1], Default: 0

Sets the number of edges until an interrupt is invoked.

If edges is set to n, an interrupt is invoked for every n-th detected edge.

If edges is set to 0, the interrupt is disabled.

long BrickletHallEffect.getEdgeInterrupt()¶

Returns:	edges – Type: long, Range: [0 to 2³² - 1], Default: 0

Returns the edges as set by setEdgeInterrupt().

void BrickletHallEffect.setEdgeCountCallbackPeriod(long period)¶

Parameters:	period – Type: long, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 2³² - 1], Default: 0

Sets the period with which the EdgeCountListener listener is triggered periodically. A value of 0 turns the listener off.

The EdgeCountListener listener is only triggered if the edge count has changed since the last triggering.

long BrickletHallEffect.getEdgeCountCallbackPeriod()¶

Returns:	period – Type: long, Unit: 1 ms, Range: [0 to 2³² - 1], Default: 0

Returns the period as set by setEdgeCountCallbackPeriod().

Listeners¶

Listeners can be registered to receive time critical or recurring data from the device. The registration is done with add*Listener() functions of the device object.

The parameter is a listener class object, for example:

device.addExampleListener(new BrickletHallEffect.ExampleListener() {
    public void property(int value) {
        System.out.println("Value: " + value);
    }
});

The available listener classes with inherent methods to be overwritten are described below. It is possible to add several listeners and to remove them with the corresponding remove*Listener() function.

Note

Using listeners for recurring events is always preferred compared to using getters. It will use less USB bandwidth and the latency will be a lot better, since there is no round trip time.

class BrickletHallEffect.EdgeCountListener()¶

This listener can be added with the addEdgeCountListener() function. An added listener can be removed with the removeEdgeCountListener() function.

void edgeCount(long count, boolean value)

Parameters:	count – Type: long, Range: [0 to 2³² - 1] value – Type: boolean

This listener is triggered periodically with the period that is set by setEdgeCountCallbackPeriod(). The parameters are the current count and the current value (see getValue() and getEdgeCount()).

The EdgeCountListener listener is only triggered if the count or value changed since the last triggering.

Virtual Functions¶

Virtual functions don't communicate with the device itself, but operate only on the API bindings device object. They can be called without the corresponding IP Connection object being connected.

short[] BrickletHallEffect.getAPIVersion()¶

Return Object:	apiVersion – Type: short[], Length: 3 0: major – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255] 1: minor – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255] 2: revision – Type: short, Range: [0 to 255]

Returns the version of the API definition implemented by this API bindings. This is neither the release version of this API bindings nor does it tell you anything about the represented Brick or Bricklet.

boolean BrickletHallEffect.getResponseExpected(byte functionId)¶

Parameters:	functionId – Type: byte, Range: See constants
Returns:	responseExpected – Type: boolean

Returns the response expected flag for the function specified by the function ID parameter. It is true if the function is expected to send a response, false otherwise.

For getter functions this is enabled by default and cannot be disabled, because those functions will always send a response. For listener configuration functions it is enabled by default too, but can be disabled by setResponseExpected(). For setter functions it is disabled by default and can be enabled.

Enabling the response expected flag for a setter function allows to detect timeouts and other error conditions calls of this setter as well. The device will then send a response for this purpose. If this flag is disabled for a setter function then no response is sent and errors are silently ignored, because they cannot be detected.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

BrickletHallEffect.FUNCTION_SET_EDGE_COUNT_CONFIG = 3
BrickletHallEffect.FUNCTION_SET_EDGE_INTERRUPT = 5
BrickletHallEffect.FUNCTION_SET_EDGE_COUNT_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 7

void BrickletHallEffect.setResponseExpected(byte functionId, boolean responseExpected)¶

Parameters:	functionId – Type: byte, Range: See constants responseExpected – Type: boolean

Changes the response expected flag of the function specified by the function ID parameter. This flag can only be changed for setter (default value: false) and listener configuration functions (default value: true). For getter functions it is always enabled.

The following constants are available for this function:

For functionId:

BrickletHallEffect.FUNCTION_SET_EDGE_COUNT_CONFIG = 3
BrickletHallEffect.FUNCTION_SET_EDGE_INTERRUPT = 5
BrickletHallEffect.FUNCTION_SET_EDGE_COUNT_CALLBACK_PERIOD = 7

void BrickletHallEffect.setResponseExpectedAll(boolean responseExpected)¶

Parameters:	responseExpected – Type: boolean

Changes the response expected flag for all setter and listener configuration functions of this device at once.

Constants¶

int BrickletHallEffect.DEVICE_IDENTIFIER¶

This constant is used to identify a Hall Effect Bricklet.

The getIdentity() function and the IPConnection.EnumerateListener listener of the IP Connection have a deviceIdentifier parameter to specify the Brick's or Bricklet's type.

String BrickletHallEffect.DEVICE_DISPLAY_NAME¶: This constant represents the human readable name of a Hall Effect Bricklet.