This is the description of the Java API bindings for the DC Brick. General information and technical specifications for the DC Brick are summarized in its hardware description.
An installation guide for the Java API bindings is part of their general description.
The example code below is Public Domain (CC0 1.0).
Download (ExampleConfiguration.java)
1import com.tinkerforge.IPConnection;
2import com.tinkerforge.BrickDC;
3
4public class ExampleConfiguration {
5 private static final String HOST = "localhost";
6 private static final int PORT = 4223;
7
8 // Change XXYYZZ to the UID of your DC Brick
9 private static final String UID = "XXYYZZ";
10
11 // Note: To make the example code cleaner we do not handle exceptions. Exceptions
12 // you might normally want to catch are described in the documentation
13 public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception {
14 IPConnection ipcon = new IPConnection(); // Create IP connection
15 BrickDC dc = new BrickDC(UID, ipcon); // Create device object
16
17 ipcon.connect(HOST, PORT); // Connect to brickd
18 // Don't use device before ipcon is connected
19
20 dc.setDriveMode(BrickDC.DRIVE_MODE_DRIVE_COAST);
21 dc.setPWMFrequency(10000); // Use PWM frequency of 10 kHz
22 dc.setAcceleration(4096); // Slow acceleration (12.5 %/s)
23 dc.setVelocity((short)32767); // Full speed forward (100 %)
24 dc.enable(); // Enable motor power
25
26 System.out.println("Press key to exit"); System.in.read();
27
28 // Stop motor before disabling motor power
29 dc.setAcceleration(16384); // Fast decceleration (50 %/s) for stopping
30 dc.setVelocity((short)0); // Request motor stop
31 Thread.sleep(2000); // Wait for motor to actually stop: velocity (100 %) / decceleration (50 %/s) = 2 s
32 dc.disable(); // Disable motor power
33
34 ipcon.disconnect();
35 }
36}
Download (ExampleCallback.java)
1import com.tinkerforge.IPConnection;
2import com.tinkerforge.BrickDC;
3import com.tinkerforge.TinkerforgeException;
4
5public class ExampleCallback {
6 private static final String HOST = "localhost";
7 private static final int PORT = 4223;
8
9 // Change XXYYZZ to the UID of your DC Brick
10 private static final String UID = "XXYYZZ";
11
12 // Note: To make the example code cleaner we do not handle exceptions. Exceptions
13 // you might normally want to catch are described in the documentation
14 public static void main(String args[]) throws Exception {
15 IPConnection ipcon = new IPConnection(); // Create IP connection
16 // Note: Declare dc as final, so the listener can access it
17 final BrickDC dc = new BrickDC(UID, ipcon); // Create device object
18
19 ipcon.connect(HOST, PORT); // Connect to brickd
20 // Don't use device before ipcon is connected
21
22 // The acceleration has to be smaller or equal to the maximum
23 // acceleration of the DC motor, otherwise the velocity reached
24 // callback will be called too early
25 dc.setAcceleration(4096); // Slow acceleration (12.5 %/s)
26 dc.setVelocity((short)32767); // Full speed forward (100 %)
27
28 // Use velocity reached callback to swing back and forth
29 // between full speed forward and full speed backward
30 dc.addVelocityReachedListener(new BrickDC.VelocityReachedListener() {
31 public void velocityReached(short velocity) {
32 if(velocity == 32767) {
33 System.out.println("Velocity: Full speed forward, now turning backward");
34 try {
35 dc.setVelocity((short)-32767);
36 } catch(TinkerforgeException e) {
37 }
38 } else if(velocity == -32767) {
39 System.out.println("Velocity: Full speed backward, now turning forward");
40 try {
41 dc.setVelocity((short)32767);
42 } catch(TinkerforgeException e) {
43 }
44 } else {
45 System.out.println("Error"); // Can only happen if another program sets velocity
46 }
47 }
48 });
49
50 // Enable motor power
51 dc.enable();
52
53 System.out.println("Press key to exit"); System.in.read();
54
55 // Stop motor before disabling motor power
56 dc.setAcceleration(16384); // Fast decceleration (50 %/s) for stopping
57 dc.setVelocity((short)0); // Request motor stop
58 Thread.sleep(2000); // Wait for motor to actually stop: velocity (100 %) / decceleration (50 %/s) = 2 s
59 dc.disable(); // Disable motor power
60
61 ipcon.disconnect();
62 }
63}
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.
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Creates an object with the unique device ID uid:
BrickDC dc = new BrickDC("YOUR_DEVICE_UID", ipcon);
This object can then be used after the IP Connection is connected.
| Parameters: |
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Sets the velocity of the motor. Whereas -32767 is full speed backward,
0 is stop and 32767 is full speed forward. Depending on the
acceleration (see setAcceleration()), the motor is not immediately
brought to the velocity but smoothly accelerated.
The velocity describes the duty cycle of the PWM with which the motor is
controlled, e.g. a velocity of 3277 sets a PWM with a 10% duty cycle.
You can not only control the duty cycle of the PWM but also the frequency,
see setPWMFrequency().
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Returns the velocity as set by setVelocity().
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Returns the current velocity of the motor. This value is different
from getVelocity() whenever the motor is currently accelerating
to a goal set by setVelocity().
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Sets the acceleration of the motor. It is given in velocity/s. An acceleration of 10000 means, that every second the velocity is increased by 10000 (or about 30% duty cycle).
For example: If the current velocity is 0 and you want to accelerate to a velocity of 16000 (about 50% duty cycle) in 10 seconds, you should set an acceleration of 1600.
If acceleration is set to 0, there is no speed ramping, i.e. a new velocity is immediately given to the motor.
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Returns the acceleration as set by setAcceleration().
Executes an active full brake.
Warning
This function is for emergency purposes, where an immediate brake is necessary. Depending on the current velocity and the strength of the motor, a full brake can be quite violent.
Call setVelocity() with 0 if you just want to stop the motor.
Enables the driver chip. The driver parameters can be configured (velocity, acceleration, etc) before it is enabled.
Disables the driver chip. The configurations are kept (velocity, acceleration, etc) but the motor is not driven until it is enabled again.
Warning
Disabling the driver chip while the motor is still turning can damage the
driver chip. The motor should be stopped calling setVelocity() with 0
before disabling the motor power. The setVelocity() function will not
wait until the motor is actually stopped. You have to explicitly wait for the
appropriate time after calling the setVelocity() function before calling
the disable() function.
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Returns true if the driver chip is enabled, false otherwise.
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Sets the frequency of the PWM with which the motor is driven. Often a high frequency is less noisy and the motor runs smoother. However, with a low frequency there are less switches and therefore fewer switching losses. Also with most motors lower frequencies enable higher torque.
If you have no idea what all this means, just ignore this function and use the default frequency, it will very likely work fine.
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Returns the PWM frequency as set by setPWMFrequency().
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Returns the stack input voltage. The stack input voltage is the voltage that is supplied via the stack, i.e. it is given by a Step-Down or Step-Up Power Supply.
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Returns the external input voltage. The external input voltage is given via the black power input connector on the DC Brick.
If there is an external input voltage and a stack input voltage, the motor will be driven by the external input voltage. If there is only a stack voltage present, the motor will be driven by this voltage.
Warning
This means, if you have a high stack voltage and a low external voltage, the motor will be driven with the low external voltage. If you then remove the external connection, it will immediately be driven by the high stack voltage.
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Returns the current consumption of the motor.
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Sets the drive mode. Possible modes are:
0 = Drive/Brake
1 = Drive/Coast
These modes are different kinds of motor controls.
In Drive/Brake mode, the motor is always either driving or braking. There is no freewheeling. Advantages are: A more linear correlation between PWM and velocity, more exact accelerations and the possibility to drive with slower velocities.
In Drive/Coast mode, the motor is always either driving or freewheeling. Advantages are: Less current consumption and less demands on the motor and driver chip.
The following constants are available for this function:
For mode:
BrickDC.DRIVE_MODE_DRIVE_BRAKE = 0
BrickDC.DRIVE_MODE_DRIVE_COAST = 1
| Returns: |
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Returns the drive mode, as set by setDriveMode().
The following constants are available for this function:
For mode:
BrickDC.DRIVE_MODE_DRIVE_BRAKE = 0
BrickDC.DRIVE_MODE_DRIVE_COAST = 1
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The SPITF protocol can be used with a dynamic baudrate. If the dynamic baudrate is enabled, the Brick will try to adapt the baudrate for the communication between Bricks and Bricklets according to the amount of data that is transferred.
The baudrate will be increased exponentially if lots of data is sent/received and decreased linearly if little data is sent/received.
This lowers the baudrate in applications where little data is transferred (e.g. a weather station) and increases the robustness. If there is lots of data to transfer (e.g. Thermal Imaging Bricklet) it automatically increases the baudrate as needed.
In cases where some data has to transferred as fast as possible every few seconds (e.g. RS485 Bricklet with a high baudrate but small payload) you may want to turn the dynamic baudrate off to get the highest possible performance.
The maximum value of the baudrate can be set per port with the function
setSPITFPBaudrate(). If the dynamic baudrate is disabled, the baudrate
as set by setSPITFPBaudrate() will be used statically.
Added in version 2.3.5$nbsp;(Firmware).
| Return Object: |
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Returns the baudrate config, see setSPITFPBaudrateConfig().
Added in version 2.3.5$nbsp;(Firmware).
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Returns the timeout count for the different communication methods.
The methods 0-2 are available for all Bricks, 3-7 only for Master Bricks.
This function is mostly used for debugging during development, in normal operation the counters should nearly always stay at 0.
The following constants are available for this function:
For communicationMethod:
BrickDC.COMMUNICATION_METHOD_NONE = 0
BrickDC.COMMUNICATION_METHOD_USB = 1
BrickDC.COMMUNICATION_METHOD_SPI_STACK = 2
BrickDC.COMMUNICATION_METHOD_CHIBI = 3
BrickDC.COMMUNICATION_METHOD_RS485 = 4
BrickDC.COMMUNICATION_METHOD_WIFI = 5
BrickDC.COMMUNICATION_METHOD_ETHERNET = 6
BrickDC.COMMUNICATION_METHOD_WIFI_V2 = 7
Added in version 2.3.3$nbsp;(Firmware).
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Sets the baudrate for a specific Bricklet port.
If you want to increase the throughput of Bricklets you can increase
the baudrate. If you get a high error count because of high
interference (see getSPITFPErrorCount()) you can decrease the
baudrate.
If the dynamic baudrate feature is enabled, the baudrate set by this
function corresponds to the maximum baudrate (see setSPITFPBaudrateConfig()).
Regulatory testing is done with the default baudrate. If CE compatibility or similar is necessary in your applications we recommend to not change the baudrate.
Added in version 2.3.3$nbsp;(Firmware).
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Returns the baudrate for a given Bricklet port, see setSPITFPBaudrate().
Added in version 2.3.3$nbsp;(Firmware).
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Returns the error count for the communication between Brick and Bricklet.
The errors are divided into
ACK checksum errors,
message checksum errors,
framing errors and
overflow errors.
The errors counts are for errors that occur on the Brick side. All Bricklets have a similar function that returns the errors on the Bricklet side.
Added in version 2.3.3$nbsp;(Firmware).
Enables the status LED.
The status LED is the blue LED next to the USB connector. If enabled is is on and it flickers if data is transfered. If disabled it is always off.
The default state is enabled.
Added in version 2.3.1$nbsp;(Firmware).
Disables the status LED.
The status LED is the blue LED next to the USB connector. If enabled is is on and it flickers if data is transfered. If disabled it is always off.
The default state is enabled.
Added in version 2.3.1$nbsp;(Firmware).
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Returns true if the status LED is enabled, false otherwise.
Added in version 2.3.1$nbsp;(Firmware).
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Returns the temperature as measured inside the microcontroller. The value returned is not the ambient temperature!
The temperature is only proportional to the real temperature and it has an accuracy of ±15%. Practically it is only useful as an indicator for temperature changes.
Calling this function will reset the Brick. Calling this function on a Brick inside of a stack will reset the whole stack.
After a reset you have to create new device objects, calling functions on the existing ones will result in undefined behavior!
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Returns the UID, the UID where the Brick is connected to, the position, the hardware and firmware version as well as the device identifier.
The position is the position in the stack from '0' (bottom) to '8' (top).
The device identifier numbers can be found here. There is also a constant for the device identifier of this Brick.
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Sets the minimum voltage, below which the UnderVoltageListener listener
is triggered. The minimum possible value that works with the DC Brick is 6V.
You can use this function to detect the discharge of a battery that is used
to drive the motor. If you have a fixed power supply, you likely do not need
this functionality.
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Returns the minimum voltage as set by setMinimumVoltage()
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Sets a period with which the CurrentVelocityListener listener is triggered.
A period of 0 turns the listener off.
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Returns the period as set by setCurrentVelocityPeriod().
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 BrickDC.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.
This listener can be added with the addUnderVoltageListener() function.
An added listener can be removed with the removeUnderVoltageListener() function.
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This listener is triggered when the input voltage drops below the value set by
setMinimumVoltage(). The parameter is the current voltage.
This listener can be added with the addEmergencyShutdownListener() function.
An added listener can be removed with the removeEmergencyShutdownListener() function.
This listener is triggered if either the current consumption is too high (above 5A) or the temperature of the driver chip is too high (above 175°C). These two possibilities are essentially the same, since the temperature will reach this threshold immediately if the motor consumes too much current. In case of a voltage below 3.3V (external or stack) this listener is triggered as well.
If this listener is triggered, the driver chip gets disabled at the same time.
That means, enable() has to be called to drive the motor again.
Note
This listener only works in Drive/Brake mode (see setDriveMode()). In
Drive/Coast mode it is unfortunately impossible to reliably read the
overcurrent/overtemperature signal from the driver chip.
This listener can be added with the addVelocityReachedListener() function.
An added listener can be removed with the removeVelocityReachedListener() function.
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This listener is triggered whenever a set velocity is reached. For example:
If a velocity of 0 is present, acceleration is set to 5000 and velocity
to 10000, the VelocityReachedListener listener will be triggered after about
2 seconds, when the set velocity is actually reached.
Note
Since we can't get any feedback from the DC motor, this only works if the
acceleration (see setAcceleration()) is set smaller or equal to the
maximum acceleration of the motor. Otherwise the motor will lag behind the
control value and the listener will be triggered too early.
This listener can be added with the addCurrentVelocityListener() function.
An added listener can be removed with the removeCurrentVelocityListener() function.
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This listener is triggered with the period that is set by
setCurrentVelocityPeriod(). The parameter is the current
velocity used by the motor.
The CurrentVelocityListener listener is only triggered after the set period
if there is a change in the velocity.
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.
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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.
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| Returns: |
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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:
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_VELOCITY = 1
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_ACCELERATION = 4
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_PWM_FREQUENCY = 6
BrickDC.FUNCTION_FULL_BRAKE = 8
BrickDC.FUNCTION_ENABLE = 12
BrickDC.FUNCTION_DISABLE = 13
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_MINIMUM_VOLTAGE = 15
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_DRIVE_MODE = 17
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_CURRENT_VELOCITY_PERIOD = 19
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_SPITFP_BAUDRATE_CONFIG = 231
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_SPITFP_BAUDRATE = 234
BrickDC.FUNCTION_ENABLE_STATUS_LED = 238
BrickDC.FUNCTION_DISABLE_STATUS_LED = 239
BrickDC.FUNCTION_RESET = 243
BrickDC.FUNCTION_WRITE_BRICKLET_PLUGIN = 246
| Parameters: |
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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.
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:
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_VELOCITY = 1
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_ACCELERATION = 4
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_PWM_FREQUENCY = 6
BrickDC.FUNCTION_FULL_BRAKE = 8
BrickDC.FUNCTION_ENABLE = 12
BrickDC.FUNCTION_DISABLE = 13
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_MINIMUM_VOLTAGE = 15
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_DRIVE_MODE = 17
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_CURRENT_VELOCITY_PERIOD = 19
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_SPITFP_BAUDRATE_CONFIG = 231
BrickDC.FUNCTION_SET_SPITFP_BAUDRATE = 234
BrickDC.FUNCTION_ENABLE_STATUS_LED = 238
BrickDC.FUNCTION_DISABLE_STATUS_LED = 239
BrickDC.FUNCTION_RESET = 243
BrickDC.FUNCTION_WRITE_BRICKLET_PLUGIN = 246
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Changes the response expected flag for all setter and listener configuration functions of this device at once.
Internal functions are used for maintenance tasks such as flashing a new firmware of changing the UID of a Bricklet. These task should be performed using Brick Viewer instead of using the internal functions directly.
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| Return Object: |
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Returns the firmware and protocol version and the name of the Bricklet for a given port.
This functions sole purpose is to allow automatic flashing of v1.x.y Bricklet plugins.
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Writes 32 bytes of firmware to the bricklet attached at the given port. The bytes are written to the position offset * 32.
This function is used by Brick Viewer during flashing. It should not be necessary to call it in a normal user program.
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Reads 32 bytes of firmware from the bricklet attached at the given port. The bytes are read starting at the position offset * 32.
This function is used by Brick Viewer during flashing. It should not be necessary to call it in a normal user program.
This constant is used to identify a DC Brick.
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.
This constant represents the human readable name of a DC Brick.