Interface Python and Arduino With PySerial

by Hammock Boy

297K8225

Intro: Interface Python and Arduino With PySerial

Over the last few months I have learned how to program with Python. With one of the upcoming projects that I am working on it would be nice to have a computer’s display to view the data collected by a rover in real-time as well as crunch numbers while the rover completes its  mission. The rover will have an Arduino as a brain. What I found after some searching was pySerial. This is a really neat piece of software that allows Python to send and receive data much like the Serial Monitor does.

pySerial is available to download at


STEP 1: Installation

Once you download it open up Terminal and type in:

tar xfvz /Users/*Account*/Downloads/pyserial-2.6.tar.gz
cd pyserial-2.6
sudo python setup.py install


To make sure that everything installed correctly open up Idle and type in 'Import Serial'. If no errors appears then everything is good to go.

You can check the available ports with the line

ls /dev/tty.*

STEP 2: Program the Arduino

Now to test it out, upload the below sketch to your Arduino. I do not know how this will or will not work on Arduino clones.


void setup() {
Serial.begin(9600); // set the baud rate
Serial.println("Ready"); // print "Ready" once
}
void loop() {
char inByte = ' ';
if(Serial.available()){ // only send data back if data has been sent
char inByte = Serial.read(); // read the incoming data
Serial.println(inByte); // send the data back in a new line so that it is not all one long line
}
delay(100); // delay for 1/10 of a second
}

STEP 3: Program Idle

Next in Idle create a new window and create the below program.


from time import sleep
import serial
ser = serial.Serial('/dev/tty.usbmodem1d11', 9600) # Establish the connection on a specific port
counter = 32 # Below 32 everything in ASCII is gibberish
while True:
     counter +=1
     ser.write(str(chr(counter))) # Convert the decimal number to ASCII then send it to the Arduino
     print ser.readline() # Read the newest output from the Arduino
     sleep(.1) # Delay for one tenth of a second
     if counter == 255:
     counter = 32

Two things to keep in mind. To determine what serial port your Arduino is connected to look at the bottom right corner of your Arduino sketch. Whatever that is should be what is in quotes in line 3 of the Python program.

You can also change the baud rate in line 3 of the Python program and line 2 of the Arduino program as long as they stay the same.

Once you run the program it will print out the majority of ASCII characters. By first sending them to the Arduino, which will in turn send it back to the computer that Python then prints out.

21 Comments

chaymae0012 4 years ago

Hey guys, hope you're fine and safe.
So, I'm trying to make an obstacle avoiding robot, using camera, jetson nano, arduino and stepper motors. So, when I launch my python program for detection, my camera detects objects perfectly, but the motors doesn't move at all. Any help please!! Thank you

TTracer 6 years ago

This is great. I would like to have a certain digital output from my Arduino be the determining factor for my Tkinter/Python button to work. this program seems to be almost what I need. I have it set up so my Arduino Mega 2560 digital output #51 goes high or low if a relay latches or unlatches. I would like that high low information to tell the Tkinter/python button label to either change state.

any ideas?

MarZuqieR 7 years ago

how to use that data , for example control the servo

arianaolson419 7 years ago

This helped me a lot! However, there are a couple of pitfalls in the python script that could cause a major headache if not noticed:

1) You should always remember to close the serial port when you're done using ser.close()

2) There should be some way to exit out of the infinite while loop. The program is not very useful if it doesn't have a way to end. I ended my loop once count reached 255, but some other approach would work as well, perhaps watching for an end signal from the Arduino?

YaddyVirus 8 years ago

Hi there! Nice tutorial! I was wondering whether this could be used to interface between the Raspberry Pi and Arduino? I mean I want my RPi to trigger my Arduino to run its sketch depending upon some conditions, so I could simply check for those conditions on the RPi's python script and then send a variable to Arduino and it runs the script. Can this happen?

vtank11 9 years ago

Where on python does this get printed? I am running the python script and also opened up the serial monitor on Arduino. It reads "Ready" and that's about it. Nothing else seems to happen. Is there a serial monitor-type thing I need to open on IDLE? Please help me. I need to figure this out for my project ASAP.

urshur 8 years ago

Idle is a python IDE. Basically, what you write your python script in.

nfarrow 8 years ago

Note for Unix you might want to add this to the top of the code.
#!/usr/bin/python

vtank11 9 years ago

Where on python does this get printed? I am running the python script and also opened up the serial monitor on Arduino. It reads "Ready" and that's about it. Nothing else seems to happen. Is there a serial monitor-type thing I need to open on IDLE? Please help me. I need to figure this out for my project ASAP.

Katal 9 years ago

Thank you for the tutorial, it is really useful. Just one question: Is
it possible to reuse somehow Arduino libraries to interface Arduino
shields (gsm.h) from Python?

gothma 9 years ago

Excellent tutorial, just what I needed to start reading data from my 'Barometric Differentiation Engine'

Thanks

pauwy 9 years ago

Nice! it work for me, the only change I made was instead of

('/dev/tty.usbmodem1d11', 9600) I used (2) what is the COM3 port.

Thanks

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