Project Software

Introduction

The Holoseat project has three software elements. The first software element is the firmware running on the Holoseat controller. The second software element is the desktop configuration app. And the third software element is the test rig software (composed of more firmware and test execution software). This page covers each of these elements and the serial protocol between the Holoseat controller and the desktop configuration app.

Controller Firmware

The Holoseat controller firmware can be found in the SVN Repository. It runs on an Adafruit Feather and relies on the Bounce2 library for button debouncing. Its basic function is to detect pedal events from the sensor, use the timing of those events to determine the cadence (in RPM) and direction (forward or backward), and then send the walk command (generally by pressing the 'w' or 's' key) when the pedal speed is greater than the specified trigger cadence.

The default parameters for the firmware are stored in the holoseat_constants.h file so they will be available at start up without the need for a connection to the desktop configuration app. The desktop configuration app modifies the default values by updating the values of the corresponding constants in this file and then flashing updated firmware to the Holoseat controller. The following parameters have default values in the constants file.

Desktop App

tbd

Test Rig Software

tbd

HoloSeat Serial Protocol

The HoloSeat firmware has a serial protocol, the Holoseat Serial Protocol (HSP), to enable the desktop control application to modify all key parameters and to determine the current configuration of the Holoseat.

Protocol Commands

The HSP supports three commands. Each command is made up of a single upper case character indicating the statement type. One command, the (S)et statement, also takes an input string.

Protocol Messages

The HSP has two messages. One is a single character message similar to the commands and one is the HSP standard state message which is sent after initialization, in reply to a (Q)uery command, and as the serial logging message.

Protocol Usage

Always start a serial session by sending a Ready(?) command. If a (R)eady message is not received, wait and try again until a timeout is reached or a (R)eady message is received. Be sure to check the version string sent in the initial standard state message to ensure your app is compatible with the version of the HoloSeat firmware.

After you have initialized your connection, you can then use the (Set) and (Q)uery commands as necessary to control and observe the HoloSeat's state.