Video Games

EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Deamplify = function(container)
{
   EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.call(
      this, container, ALIGN_LEFT, SOUND_DEAMPLIFY_ICON);
   this.set_attributes();
   this.append();
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Deamplify.prototype = 
   new EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume;
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Deamplify.prototype.respond = function()
{
   this.audio.decrease_volume();
   EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.prototype.respond.call(this);
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Deamplify.prototype.update = function()
{
   if (this.audio.volume <= 0)
   {
      this.focused_opacity = this.unfocused_opacity;
   }
   else
   {
      this.focused_opacity = SOUND_CONTROLS_FOUCUSED_OPACITY;
   }
   this.set_opacity();
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Deamplify.prototype.toString = function()
{
   return "[object EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Deamplify]";
}

EVR.include("sound/controls/button/volume/Amplify.js");
EVR.include("sound/controls/button/volume/Deamplify.js");
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume = function(container, alignment, icon)
{
   EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.call(this, container, alignment);
   this.icon = icon;
   this.disable_selection();
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.prototype = new EVR.Sound.Controls.Button;
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.prototype.disable_selection = function()
{
   if (!!this.element)
   {
      var element = this.element;
      element.onselectstart = function() { return false };
      element.onmousedown = function() { return false };
   }
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.prototype.set_attributes = function()
{
   this.set_color(SOUND_BUTTON_BACKGROUND);
   this.set_proportions(SOUND_BUTTON_WIDTH, SOUND_BUTTON_HEIGHT);
   this.set_text();
   this.css.cursor = "default";
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.prototype.set_text = function()
{
   var font = SOUND_CONTROLS_FONT_FAMILY;
   var color = SOUND_CONTROLS_FONT_COLOR;
   var size = SOUND_CONTROLS_FONT_SIZE;
   EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.prototype.set_text.call(
      this, this.icon, font, color, size);
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.prototype.toString = function()
{
   return "[object EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume]";
}

EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Amplify = function(container)
{
   EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.call(
      this, container, ALIGN_RIGHT, SOUND_AMPLIFY_ICON);
   this.set_attributes();
   this.append();
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Amplify.prototype = 
   new EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume;
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Amplify.prototype.respond = function()
{
   this.audio.increase_volume();
   EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.prototype.respond.call(this);
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Amplify.prototype.update = function()
{
   if (this.audio.volume >= 1)
   {
      this.focused_opacity = this.unfocused_opacity;
   }
   else
   {
      this.focused_opacity = SOUND_CONTROLS_FOUCUSED_OPACITY;
   }
   this.set_opacity();
}
EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Amplify.prototype.toString = function()
{
   return "[object EVR.Sound.Controls.Button.Volume.Amplify]";
}

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN"
	  "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en">

  <head>
    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=utf-8" />
    <title>-</title>
    <style type="text/css">
      img
      {
        width: 480px;
        margin: 30px;
      }
    </style>
  </head>

  <body>
    <?php
      foreach (glob("*.png") as $ii => $file)
      {
         echo "\t<img src=\"$file\" alt=\"$ii\" />\n";
      }
    ?>
  </body>

</html>

var HEIGHT_RATIO = .375;
var STRIPE_HEIGHT = .7;
var STRIPE_PALETTE = ["#AA8ADE", "#916D10", "#F88C37"];
var STRIPE_DURATION = 420;
var CRAWL_STEP = .02;
var CRAWL_FRAME_DURATION = 150;
var DINING_HEIGHT = .2;
var TITLE_MIN_HEIGHT = 100;
var GLYPH_HEIGHT = .2;
var GLYPH_WIDTH = .008;
var GLYPH_LETTER_RATIO = .5;
var GLYPH_SHADOW_OFFSET = .75;
var TITLE_PALETTE = ["#d00000", "#b0b0b0", "#0000d0"];
var TITLE_FLASH_FRAME_DURATION = 880;
var TITLE_SHADOW_BRIGHTNESS = 60;
var TITLE_TEXT_BRIGHTNESS = 45;

BH = function()
{
    this.stripes_palette = STRIPE_PALETTE;
    this.stripes_shift = false;
    this.title_palette = TITLE_PALETTE;
    this.title_center_index = 0;
    this.setEventHandlers();
    this.setChildren();
    this.convertTitle();
    this.arrange();
    this.startFlash();
    this.startCrawl();
    this.startTitleFlash();
}

BH.prototype.setEventHandlers = function()
{
    var current = this;
    window.onresize = function() { current.arrange() };
}

BH.prototype.setChildren = function()
{
    this.harvester = document.getElementById("harvester");
    this.cabinet = document.getElementById("cabinet");
    this.feeder = document.getElementById("feeder");
    this.menu = document.getElementById("menu");
    this.blueprint = document.getElementById("blueprint");
    this.stripes = document.getElementById("stripes");
    this.crawl_right = document.getElementById("crawl-right");
    this.crawl_left = document.getElementById("crawl-left");
    this.dining = document.getElementById("dining");
    this.marquee = document.getElementById("marquee");
    this.title = document.getElementById("title");
}

BH.prototype.convertTitle = function()
{
    var title = this.title;
    var text = title.innerHTML;
    title.innerHTML = "";
    var ch, glyph;
    for (var ii = 0; ii < text.length; ii++)
    {
	ch = text.charAt(ii);
	if (ch != " " && ch != "\n" && ch != "\t")
	{
	    foreground = document.createElement("span");
	    foreground.className = "foreground";
	    foreground.style.zIndex = 1;
	    title.appendChild(foreground);
	    background = document.createElement("span");
	    background.innerHTML = ch;
	    background.className = "background";
	    background.style.zIndex = 0;
	    title.appendChild(background);
	}
    }
    this.glyphs = title.getElementsByTagName("span");
}

BH.prototype.arrange = function()
{
    this.clearStripes();
    var harvester = this.harvester;
    var harvester_w = harvester.clientWidth;
    var height = this.formatPx(harvester_w * HEIGHT_RATIO);
    harvester.style.height = height;
    var cabinet = this.cabinet;
    var feeder = this.feeder;
    var menu = this.menu;
    cabinet.style.height = height;
    feeder.style.height = height;
    menu.style.height = height;
    var cabinet_w = cabinet.clientWidth;
    feeder.style.width = this.formatPx(harvester_w - cabinet_w - menu.clientWidth);
    feeder.style.left = this.formatPx(cabinet_w);
    cabinet.getElementsByTagName("img")[0].height = cabinet.clientHeight;
    menu.getElementsByTagName("img")[0].height = menu.clientHeight;
    var win_h = window.innerHeight ? window.innerHeight : document.documentElement.clientHeight;
    var marquee = this.marquee;
    this.arrangeFeeder();
    this.arrangeTitle();
    this.addStripes();
}

BH.prototype.arrangeFeeder = function()
{
    var feeder = this.feeder;
    var images = feeder.getElementsByTagName("img");
    var range = feeder.clientHeight;
    var y, image;
    for (var ii = 0; ii < images.length; ii++)
    {
	image = images[ii];
	image.style.top = this.formatPx(parseInt((range - image.clientHeight) / 2));
	if (image.id == "crawl-left")
	{
	    var length = image.clientWidth;
	    image.style.left = this.formatPx(-length);
	    this.crawl_length = length;
	    this.crawl_step = parseInt(CRAWL_STEP * length);
	}
	else
	{
	    image.style.left = this.formatPx(0);
	}
    }
}

BH.prototype.arrangeTitle = function()
{
    var title = this.title;
    var range_x = title.clientWidth;
    var width = parseInt(GLYPH_WIDTH * range_x);
    this.resizeTitle();
    var range_y = title.clientHeight;
    var height = parseInt(GLYPH_HEIGHT * range_y);
    var shadow_offset = parseInt(GLYPH_SHADOW_OFFSET * width);
    var y = parseInt((range_y - height) / 2 - shadow_offset / 2);
    var glyphs = this.glyphs;
    title.style.fontSize = this.formatPx(GLYPH_LETTER_RATIO * height);
    var glyph_count = glyphs.length / 2;
    var width_all = width * glyph_count;
    var margin = (range_x - width_all) / (glyph_count + 1);
    var x = margin;
    var foreground, background, color;
    for (var ii = 0; ii < glyphs.length; ii += 2)
    {
	foreground = glyphs[ii];
	background = glyphs[ii + 1];
	foreground.style.height = this.formatPx(height);
	background.style.height = this.formatPx(height);
	foreground.style.lineHeight = this.formatPx(height);
	background.style.lineHeight = this.formatPx(height);
	foreground.style.top = this.formatPx(y);
	background.style.top = this.formatPx(y + shadow_offset);
	foreground.style.width = this.formatPx(width);
	background.style.width = this.formatPx(width);
	foreground.style.left = this.formatPx(x);
	background.style.left = this.formatPx(x - shadow_offset);
	x += margin + width;
    }
}

BH.prototype.resizeTitle = function()
{
    var title = this.title;
    var available = this.getWindowHeight() - this.marquee.offsetHeight - this.harvester.offsetHeight;
    var min_height = TITLE_MIN_HEIGHT;
    if (available > min_height)
    {
	title.style.height = this.formatPx(available);
    }
    else
    {
	title.style.height = this.formatPx(min_height);
    }
}

BH.prototype.getWindowHeight = function()
{
    if (typeof(window.innerHeight) != "undefined")
    {
	return window.innerHeight;
    }
    return document.documentElement.clientHeight;
}

BH.prototype.clearStripes = function()
{
    var stripes = this.stripes;
    while (stripes.firstChild)
    {
	stripes.removeChild(stripes.firstChild);
    }
}

BH.prototype.formatPx = function(measurement)
{
    return parseInt(measurement) + "px";
}

BH.prototype.addStripes = function()
{
    this.clearStripes();
    var stripes = this.stripes;
    var bound = this.cabinet.clientHeight;
    var height = parseInt(bound * STRIPE_HEIGHT);
    var sum = 0;
    var stripe;
    while (sum < bound)
    {
	stripe = document.createElement("div");
	stripe.innerHTML = "&nbsp;";
	stripe.style.height = this.formatPx(height);
	stripes.appendChild(stripe);
	sum += height;
    }
}

BH.prototype.startFlash = function()
{
    var current = this;
    window.setInterval(
	function() {
	    current.setStripeColors();
	}, STRIPE_DURATION);
}

BH.prototype.setStripeColors = function()
{
    var stripes = this.stripes.getElementsByTagName("div");
    var palette = this.stripes_palette;
    var palette_ii = this.stripes_shift;
    var color;
    for (var ii = 0; ii < stripes.length; ii++)
    {
	color = palette[palette_ii % palette.length];
	stripes[ii].style.background = color;
	palette_ii++;
    }
    this.stripes_shift = !this.stripes_shift;
}

BH.prototype.startCrawl = function()
{
    var current = this;
    window.setInterval(
	function() {
	    current.crawl();
	}, CRAWL_FRAME_DURATION);
}

BH.prototype.crawl = function()
{
    var right = this.crawl_right;
    var left = this.crawl_left;
    var length = this.crawl_length;
    var step = this.crawl_step;
    var right_x = parseInt(right.style.left) + step;
    var left_x = parseInt(left.style.left) + step;
    if (right_x >= length)
    {
	right_x = 0;
	left_x = -length;
    }
    right.style.left = this.formatPx(right_x);
    left.style.left = this.formatPx(left_x);
}

BH.prototype.startTitleFlash = function()
{
    var current = this;
    window.setInterval(
	function() {
	    current.flashTitle();
	}, TITLE_FLASH_FRAME_DURATION);
}

BH.prototype.flashTitle = function()
{
    var glyphs = this.glyphs;
    var glyph_count = glyphs.length / 2;
    var start = parseInt(glyph_count / 2) - 1;
    var center = start + 1;
    var palette = this.title_palette;
    var palette_ii = this.incrementIndex(this.title_center_index, palette);
    this.title_center_index = palette_ii;
    var color, shadow, text_color;
    for (var ii = 0; ii <= start; ii++)
    {
	color = new Color(palette[palette_ii]);
	shadow = new Color(color.getString());
	text_color = new Color(color.getString());
	shadow.changeBrightness(TITLE_SHADOW_BRIGHTNESS);
	text_color.changeBrightness(TITLE_TEXT_BRIGHTNESS);
	glyphs[ii * 2].style.backgroundColor = color.getString();
	glyphs[ii * 2 + 1].style.backgroundColor = shadow.getString();
	glyphs[ii * 2 + 1].style.color = text_color.getString();
	glyphs[(glyph_count - ii - 1) * 2].style.backgroundColor = color.getString();
	glyphs[(glyph_count - ii - 1) * 2 + 1].style.backgroundColor = shadow.getString();
	glyphs[(glyph_count - ii - 1) * 2 + 1].style.color = text_color.getString();
	palette_ii = this.incrementIndex(palette_ii, palette);
    }
    color = new Color(palette[palette_ii]);
    shadow = new Color(color.getString());
    text_color = new Color(color.getString());
    shadow.changeBrightness(TITLE_SHADOW_BRIGHTNESS);
    text_color.changeBrightness(TITLE_TEXT_BRIGHTNESS);
    glyphs[center * 2].style.backgroundColor = color.getString();
    glyphs[center * 2 + 1].style.backgroundColor = shadow.getString();
    glyphs[center * 2 + 1].style.color = text_color.getString();
    palette_ii = this.incrementIndex(palette_ii, palette);
}

BH.prototype.incrementIndex = function(index, list)
{
    index += 1;
    if (index >= list.length)
    {
	index = 0;
    }
    return index;
}

window.onload = function() { new BH() };

216.73.216.88

January 23, 2021♦

I wanted to document this chat-controlled robot I made for Babycastles' LOLCAM📸 that accepts a predefined set of commands like a character in an RPG party 〰 commands like walk, spin, bash, drill. It can also understand donut, worm, ring, wheels, and more. The signal for each command is transmitted as a 24-bit value over infrared using two Arduinos, one with an infrared LED, and the other with an infrared receiver. I built the transmitter circuit, and the receiver was built into the board that came with the mBot robot kit. The infrared library IRLib2 was used to transmit and receive the data as a 24-bit value.

fig. 1.1: the LEDs don't have much to do with this post!

I wanted to control the robot the way the infrared remote that came with the mBot controlled it, but the difference would be that since we would be getting input from the computer, it would be like having a remote with an unlimited amount of buttons. The way the remote works is each button press sends a 24-bit value to the robot over infrared. Inspired by Game Boy Advance registers and tracker commands, I started thinking that if we packed multiple parameters into the 24 bits, it would allow a custom move to be sent each time, so I wrote transmitter and receiver code to process commands that looked like this:

bit

name

description

time

multiply by 64 to get duration of command in ms

left

multiply by 16 to get left motor power

right

multiply by 16 to get right motor power

left sign

0 = left wheel backward, 1 = left wheel forward

right sign

0 = right wheel forward, 1 = right wheel backward

robot id

0 = send to player one, 1 = send to player two

flip

negate motor signs when repeating command

repeats

number of times to repeat command

delay

multiply by 128 to get time between repeats in ms

swap

swap the motor power values on repeat

fig 1.2: tightly stuffed bits

The first command I was able to send with this method that seemed interesting was one that made the mBot do a wheelie.

$ ./send_command.py 15 12 15 1 0 0 0 7 0 1
sending 0xff871fcf...

fig 1.3: sick wheels

A side effect of sending the signal this way is any button on any infrared remote will cause the robot to do something. The star command was actually reverse engineered from looking at the code a random remote button sent. For the robot's debut, it ended up with 15 preset commands (that number is in stonks 📈). I posted a highlights video on social media of how the chat controls turned out.

chat controlled robot ⚡ from cyber #nye 2077 #stream @Babycastles 🤖 #Robots #twitchtv #obs #Arduino #batteries pic.twitter.com/ohKWihpjYH
— the prototype was better (@diskmem) January 4, 2021

This idea was inspired by a remote frog tank LED project I made for Ribbit's Frog World which had a similar concept: press a button, and in a remote location where 🐸 and 🐠 live, an LED would turn on.

fig 2.1: saying hi to froggo remotely using an LED

😇 The transmitter and receiver Arduino programs are available to be copied and modified 😇

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