At this year's OSCON, I attended an Arduino workshop (by Philip Lindsay with help from Brian Jepson) and in the process I wrote a simple Morse code transcoder for Arduino. Is it very useful? No. Is it fun to play with? I think so :-)
Assuming you know how to wire an Arduino board (e.g. hook up a button to D7 and a LED to D13) and you have access to the SDK, you can run this sketch to try it out (though I cannot be held responsible if this breaks/fries your board):
Code:
/* About: This is a simple Arduino-compatible "sketch" that is meant to do two things:
* 1) Convert ASCII chars from the serial port to Morse Code by flashing an
* LED (connected to digital pin 13)
* 2) Interpret presses on button (connected to digital pin 7) as Morse Code
* inputs and send as ASCII chars to serial port
* Author: Aleksandar Gargenta, Marakana
* License: Apache License, Version 2.0
* Disclaimer: This is my very first Arduino sketch, so expect bugs :-)
*/
#define DOT_DURATION 200 // Duration of a Morse Code "dot" (in milliseconds)
#define DASH_DURATION DOT_DURATION * 3 // Duration of a Morse Code "dash" (in milliseconds)
#define SIGNAL_GAP DOT_DURATION // Gap between dots/dashes of a single letter (in ms)
#define LETTER_GAP DOT_DURATION * 3 // Gap between two letters (in milliseconds)
#define WORD_GAP DOT_DURATION * 7 // Gap between two words (in milliseconds)
#define LED 13 // The digital connector port to LED anode
#define BUTTON 7 // The diginal connector port to the button
#define DOT 1 // DOT identifier
#define DASH 2 // DASH identifier
#define NONE 0 // Neither DOT nor DASH
boolean buttonWasPressed = false; // Indicator of whether button was pressed in the last cycle
long lastTimestamp = 0; // Last recorded timestamp (used for mesuring duration)
byte inputSignal[5]; // Input signal buffer
int inputSignalIndex = 0; // Index into the input signal buffer
void resetInputSignal() { // Reset the input signal buffer and index
inputSignal[0] = NONE;
inputSignal[1] = NONE;
inputSignal[2] = NONE;
inputSignal[3] = NONE;
inputSignal[4] = NONE;
inputSignalIndex = 0;
}
void setup() {
pinMode(LED, OUTPUT); // Set the LED output
pinMode(BUTTON, INPUT); // Set the button input
digitalWrite(LED, LOW); // Turn off the LED
Serial.begin(9600); // Init the serial port
resetInputSignal(); // Reset input signal buffer
}
// return true if s0-s4 match input signal
boolean matchInputSignal(byte s0, byte s1, byte s2, byte s3, byte s4) {
return ((inputSignal[0] == s0) &&
(inputSignal[1] == s1) &&
(inputSignal[2] == s2) &&
(inputSignal[3] == s3) &&
(inputSignal[4] == s4));
}
// convert input signal to letter or ? if not found
char currentInputSignalToLetter() {
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DASH, NONE, NONE, NONE)) { return 'A'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DOT, DOT, DOT, NONE)) { return 'B'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DOT, DASH, DOT, NONE)) { return 'C'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DOT, DOT, NONE, NONE)) { return 'D'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE)) { return 'E'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DASH, DOT, NONE)) { return 'F'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, DOT, NONE, NONE)) { return 'G'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT, NONE)) { return 'H'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, NONE, NONE, NONE)) { return 'I'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DASH, DASH, DASH, NONE)) { return 'I'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DOT, DASH, NONE, NONE)) { return 'K'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DASH, DOT, DOT, NONE)) { return 'L'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, NONE, NONE, NONE)) { return 'M'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DOT, NONE, NONE, NONE)) { return 'N'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, DASH, NONE, NONE)) { return 'O'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DASH, DASH, DOT, NONE)) { return 'P'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, DOT, DASH, NONE)) { return 'Q'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DASH, DOT, NONE, NONE)) { return 'R'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DOT, NONE, NONE)) { return 'S'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE)) { return 'T'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DASH, NONE, NONE)) { return 'U'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DOT, DASH, NONE)) { return 'V'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DASH, DASH, NONE, NONE)) { return 'W'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DOT, DOT, DASH, NONE)) { return 'X'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DOT, DASH, DASH, NONE)) { return 'Y'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, DOT, DOT, NONE)) { return 'Z'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DASH, DASH, DASH, DASH)) { return '1'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DASH, DASH, DASH)) { return '2'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DOT, DASH, DASH)) { return '3'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT, DASH)) { return '4'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT)) { return '5'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT)) { return '6'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, DOT, DOT, DOT)) { return '7'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, DASH, DOT, DOT)) { return '8'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, DASH, DASH, DOT)) { return '9'; }
if (matchInputSignal(DASH, DASH, DASH, DASH, DASH)) { return '0'; }
return '?';
}
// turn on the LED for the specified duration in milliseconds
void showLightForDuration(long duration) {
digitalWrite(LED, HIGH);
delay(duration);
digitalWrite(LED, LOW);
}
// show signal (DOT or DASH) via LED
boolean showSignal(byte dotDashNone) {
switch(dotDashNone) {
case DOT:
showLightForDuration(DOT_DURATION);
return true;
case DASH:
showLightForDuration(DASH_DURATION);
return true;
default:
return false;
}
}
// show letter from signals (DOTs and DASHes) via LED
void showLetterForSignals(byte s0, byte s1, byte s2, byte s3, byte s4) {
if (showSignal(s0)) {
delay(SIGNAL_GAP);
if (showSignal(s1)) {
delay(SIGNAL_GAP);
if (showSignal(s2)) {
delay(SIGNAL_GAP);
if (showSignal(s3)) {
delay(SIGNAL_GAP);
showSignal(s4);
}
}
}
}
delay(LETTER_GAP);
}
// show letter from byte via LED
void showLetter(byte letter) {
if (97 <= letter && letter <= 122) { // if a-z
letter -= 32; // map to A-Z
}
switch(letter) {
case 'A': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DASH, NONE, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'B': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DOT, DOT, DOT, NONE); break;
case 'C': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DOT, DASH, DOT, NONE); break;
case 'D': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DOT, DOT, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'E': showLetterForSignals(DOT, NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'F': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DASH, DOT, NONE); break;
case 'G': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, DOT, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'H': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT, NONE); break;
case 'I': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, NONE, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'J': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DASH, DASH, DASH, NONE); break;
case 'K': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DOT, DASH, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'L': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DASH, DOT, DOT, NONE); break;
case 'M': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, NONE, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'N': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DOT, NONE, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'O': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, DASH, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'P': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DASH, DASH, DOT, NONE); break;
case 'Q': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, DOT, DASH, NONE); break;
case 'R': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DASH, DOT, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'S': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DOT, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'T': showLetterForSignals(DASH, NONE, NONE, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'U': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DASH, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'V': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DOT, DASH, NONE); break;
case 'W': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DASH, DASH, NONE, NONE); break;
case 'X': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DOT, DOT, DASH, NONE); break;
case 'Y': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DOT, DASH, DASH, NONE); break;
case 'Z': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, DOT, DOT, NONE); break;
case '1': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DASH, DASH, DASH, DASH); break;
case '2': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DASH, DASH, DASH); break;
case '3': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DOT, DASH, DASH); break;
case '4': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT, DASH); break;
case '5': showLetterForSignals(DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT); break;
case '6': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DOT, DOT, DOT, DOT); break;
case '7': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, DOT, DOT, DOT); break;
case '8': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, DASH, DOT, DOT); break;
case '9': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, DASH, DASH, DOT); break;
case '0': showLetterForSignals(DASH, DASH, DASH, DASH, DASH); break;
case ' ': delay(WORD_GAP); break;
default:
Serial.print("Don't understand [");
Serial.print((char) letter);
Serial.print("]");
showLightForDuration(50);
delay(50);
showLightForDuration(50);
delay(50);
showLightForDuration(50);
}
}
void loop() { // loop forever
long currentTimestamp = millis(); // get the current timestamp
long duration = currentTimestamp - lastTimestamp; // get elapsed time
if (digitalRead(BUTTON) == HIGH) { // if the button is pressed
if (!buttonWasPressed) { // if the button was previously not pressed
buttonWasPressed = true; // remember the button press
digitalWrite(LED, HIGH); // turn on the LED
lastTimestamp = currentTimestamp; // record the time of the button press
if (duration > LETTER_GAP) {
Serial.print(' ');
}
} // end of if (button was not pressed)
} else { // the button is not pressed
if (buttonWasPressed) { // the button was just released
if (duration < DOT_DURATION) { // if the button was pressed for up to DOT cutoff
inputSignal[inputSignalIndex] = DOT; // remember the current signal as a DOT
} else { // if the button was pressed for longer than DOT cutoff
inputSignal[inputSignalIndex] = DASH; // remember the current signal as a DASH
}
inputSignalIndex++; // advance the index to the input signal buffer
digitalWrite(LED, LOW); // turn off the LED
buttonWasPressed = false; // consume previous button press
lastTimestamp = currentTimestamp; // record the time the button was released
} else { // the button was not just released
if (inputSignalIndex > 0) { // if there is data in the input signal buffer
if (duration > SIGNAL_GAP || inputSignalIndex >= 4) { // if we have a complete letter
Serial.print(currentInputSignalToLetter()); // parse the letter and send it via serial
resetInputSignal(); // reset the input signal buffer
}
}
} // end of else (button was not previously pressed)
} // end of else (button is not pressed)
if (Serial.available() > 0) { // if there is data availalbe on the serial port
showLetter(Serial.read()); // read the next byte and output it as morse code via LED
}
} // end of loop
You can also download Morse code transcoder for Arduino.
Any feedback is welcome :-)