1o1o1o1o1 - Arduino VS Flash

Arduino VS Flash

Doesn't Arduino VS Flash sound great!

Imagine.... you can make custom flash interfaces that control robotics and stuff, even, have a touch screen control panel on a wireless PDA in Flash and have it move sculptural forms from remote. [i did this once, see Cyber_Dolls].

The problem is Flash at the moment can't speak to serial and usb ports but it can speak through sockets, so we need an intermediate program - the serial server, to go between the two. You can make your own in PD or Max/MSP that communicates to Arduino through serial / usb and uses an XML socket to talk to flash. Or you can use a deicated serial port server that sits in the background and translates between the Arduino usb / serial port and an xml socket in flash. There are a couple available but i prefer to use the one below, its the same one i use for PICmicro vs Flash as well.

Here is a working example using very basic serial port functionality >

<Arduino board setup>

<Arduino code .pde - copy text to Arduino software>

int firstSensor = 0;    // first analog sensor
void setup()
{

Serial.begin(9600);
}
void loop()
{
    firstSensor = analogRead(0)/4;
    delay(10);
    Serial.print(firstSensor, DEC);
    Serial.print(0, BYTE);

delay (50);
}

<Screen shot of Flash>

<Flash .fla can be downloaded HERE>

you may have to jiggle the number to get better response depending on what sensors and resistors you are using.

<screen grab of serial server - which can be downloaded HERE>

<watch the bunny's mouth as the hands shadow covers the LDR>

Basic Procedure is this :
> Program your board with the code above
> Run the java serial server
> publish the flash movie

Obviously this is just the beginning for you to develop more complicated code.

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

There is also another solution which again uses a serial port server and also an action script .as class and a .pde for you Arudino board. His objects can be downloaded from the authors website >

http://www.progetto25zero1.com/b/tools/Arduino/

The above way assumes a certain about of understanding of both Arduino coding and ActionScript [I'm not so good at this]