Chapter 5 Challenges

Questions
1. What kind of electrical connection is a whisker?
A normally open, momentary, single-pole, single-throw tactile switch.
2. When a whisker is pressed, what voltage occurs at the I/O pin monitoring it? What
binary value will the digitalRead function return? If digital pin 8 is used to monitor
the whisker circuit, what value does digitalRead return when a whisker is pressed,
and what value does it return when a whisker is not pressed?
Zero (0) volts, resulting in binary zero (0) returned by digitalRead.
digitalRead(8) == 0 when whisker is pressed.
digitalRead(8) == 1 when whisker is not pressed.
3. If digitalRead(7)== 1, what does that mean? What does it mean
if digitalRead(7)== 0? How about digitalRead(5)== 1 and digitalRead(5)==
0?
digitalRead(7)== 1 means the right whisker is not pressed.
digitalRead(7)== 0 means the right whisker is pressed.
digitalRead(5)== 1 means the left whisker is not pressed.
digitalRead(5)== 0 means the left whisker is pressed.
4. What statements did this chapter use to call different navigation functions based on
whisker states?
This chapter used if, ifelse, and ifelse ifelse statements to evaluate whisker
conditions and call navigation functions.
5. What is the purpose of having nested if statements?
If one condition turns out to be true, the code might need to evaluate another
condition with a nested if statement.
Exercises
1. Write a routine that uses a single variable named whiskers to track whisker
contacts. It should store a 3 when no whiskers are contacted, a 2 if the right
whisker is contacted, a 1 if the left whisker is contacted, or 0 if both whiskers are
contacted. Hint: multiply the result by two.
Since digitalRead returns 1 or 0, your code can multiply digitalRead(5) by 2 and
store the result in the whiskers variable. It can then add the result of digitalRead(7)
to the whiskers variable and the result will be 3 for no whiskers.
2. Modify the loop function in Roaming With Whiskers so that it makes the BOE Shield-
Bot stop and not restart when both whiskers contact at the same time.
 In the if((wLeft == 0) && (wRight == 0)) block, remove the backward and turn Left
function and replace them with calls to servoLift.detach and servoRight.detach.
3. Add a function named pause to Roaming With Whiskers. It should make the BOE
Shield-Bot stay still for a certain amount of time.
void pause(int time)// Pause drive wheels{ servoLeft.writeMicroseconds(1500); //
Left wheel stay still servoRight.writeMicroseconds(1500); // Right wheel stay still
delay(time); // Maneuver for time ms}
4. Modify the loop function so that the BOE Shield-Bot stays still for 0.5 seconds
before backing up and turning.
Projects
1. Modify RoamingWithWhiskers so that the BOE Shield-Bot stops and makes a 4 kHz
beep that lasts 100 ms before executing its usual evasive maneuver. Make it beep
twice if both whisker contacts are detected during the same sample. HINT: Use
the pause function you developed in the Exercises section to make it pause
immediately after the tone starts playing. Also, a 0.2 second pause after the tone
call separates the 0.1 second tone from servo motion, or allows you to hear a
second tone.
2. Modify RoamingWithWhiskers so that the BOE Shield-Bot roams in a 1 yard (or 1
meter) diameter circle. When you touch one whisker, it will cause the BOE Shield-
Bot to travel in a tighter circle (smaller diameter). When you touch the other
whisker, it will cause the BOE Shield-Bot to navigate in a wider diameter circle.