Page 1 of 24 12311 ... LastLast
Results 1 to 10 of 233

Thread: GCode: open source paintball gun board/software

  1. #1

    GCode: open source paintball gun board/software

    I'll try to keep this first post updated with important info to help people get started if they want to try it out.

    Edit: Code is live here: https://github.com/sumorai/GCode/

    Edit 2: Here's the post with the current schematic and parts list for what I'm using for testing.





    Original Post follows:

    I've been wanting to write my own board software for years now. I tried to get into it using PICmicro systems about 5 years ago, but found the experience to be frustrating and expensive. Fast forward a few years and Arduino comes along and it's perfect. I got some Arduino products for my birthday and started playing around with those in general. After playing with a few of their examples (involving blinking LEDs, buttons and debounce) I realized I could use this to finally write my own board code for a paintball gun. I spent some time over the next week and was able to get a preliminary version of my code working. I'm developing it using the Arduino Nano. I now have the Nano running with a microswitch and eyes from a Viking on a breadboard such that I can test the code. So far it just has semi-auto, uncapped for a firing mode. It has a programming mode similar to Tadao with a blinking multi-color LED (you hold the trigger down when it starts up to enter programming mode). It currently has programmable settings for debounce, mech debounce, dwell, loader/ball in place delay & fsdo/anti-bolt stick delay

    Currently I'm calling it GCode. (My name is Gabe, it's my code, and it's also a play on the use of a G code/count in paintball). I'll be posting the code on github (most likely) in a few weeks after I've gotten a board to work in my Viking and have play-tested it. The board I'm intending to use for that is the Femtoduino (with USB). I have one on the way.

    Here's the version history so far, so you can see where I'm at:

    // Version History
    // v0.0 - started 4/22/13
    //
    // v0.1 - full trigger & debounce logic
    // - programmable debounce & dwell
    // - semi-auto, uncapped only
    // - complete 4/28/13
    //
    // v0.2 - Rewrote debug code to use ifdefs
    // - added basic breakbeam eye input
    // - complete 4/29/13
    //
    // v0.3 - Added Mech Debounce
    // - Added Loader Delay
    // - Added FSDO Dwell
    // - complete 4/29/13
    //
    // v0.4 - Add ability to hold trigger to force a shot after 1/2 second
    // - Add ability to turn off eyes after holding trigger for 2 seconds
    // - Add code to check eye malfunctions
    // - complete 4/30/13


    v0.5, which I'm currently working on, will have full auto and ramping modes added. I'm in the process of redesigning the main operational loop that handles firing.

    The other things I intend to add in later versions are:

    - Configurable ROF caps (eyes on/off)
    - Auto-shutoff after a configurable amount of time
    - Dual solenoid support (for Excals)
    - A couple other little tweaks like blinking the LED when it's on instead of a solid light (like Tadao does) and blinking the eye LED instead of a solid light (until the trigger is held down) like the Droid board I have does
    - I need to spend some time playing around with how hardware interrupts on the Arduino boards work and see if I can make use of that
    - LCD support


    Threads without pictures suck, so here's some pics of the board:

    First time I played with it using the Blink example:


    Expanding to using a button:


    It's current state:
    Last edited by sumorai; 07-15-2013 at 10:03 AM.

  2. #2
    Insider Unfated33's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    Charlotte, NC
    Posts
    795
    Fascinating! (can't wait to really dig into this after work)

  3. #3
    Insider
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Posts
    1,182
    I have a couple Teensys here i'm doing pb related things with - I'd be happy to help

  4. #4
    Insider bronc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    San Francisco, CA and Göteborg Sweden
    Posts
    107
    That's awesome, reminds of of how I started too.

    What environment you writing it in? It's a 12 pin microcontroller?

  5. #5
    CAD Monkey skibbo's Avatar
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Milwaukee County, WI
    Posts
    1,059
    Supports Inception Designs
    I wish that my programming knowledge was better. Things like this are so cool. The size of that arduino board is ridiculous too.
    Team Akkadian Paintball Squad

    B.S. Mechanical Engineering UW-Platteville 2012

    Quote Originally Posted by neftaly
    Simon Stevens said that will be totally fine and nothing bad could ever happen. Ever.

  6. #6
    Quote Originally Posted by bronc View Post
    That's awesome, reminds of of how I started too.

    What environment you writing it in? It's a 12 pin microcontroller?
    I'm just using the standard Arduino development environment. Works like a charm.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by Lurker27 View Post
    I have a couple Teensys here i'm doing pb related things with - I'd be happy to help
    First I've heard of Teensy. I'll have to read up on that.

  8. #8
    Insider bronc's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2013
    Location
    San Francisco, CA and Göteborg Sweden
    Posts
    107
    The IDE is free, that's cool. Do they have a simulator at all - if we didn't happen to have a Nano board?

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by bronc View Post
    The IDE is free, that's cool. Do they have a simulator at all - if we didn't happen to have a Nano board?
    There's simuino, but I haven't tried it at all.

  10. #10
    I've got some Molex connectors ordered so I can hook up the Viking components easily for testing.

    Also, my Femtoduino board arrived yesterday. I haven't gotten a chance to use it yet because I cannot for the life of me find a micro usb cable. Gonna have to pick one of those up so I can try this thing out. It is tiny! Here's a pic comparing it. From left to right: Tadao Viking board, MacDev Droid board, Femtoduino, Arduino Nano:


Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •