How did I build Arduino board visualization system

About me

I am Mostafa, an embedded control engineer who likes to apply theories into practical products and projects.

The problem I wanted to solve

Around 10 years ago, I tried hard to make java based GUI containing gauges that show values of external sensors (speed, temperature, position, etc...), because this can be so nice to be used in any research or industrial application. I found nice looking gauges but they were in java script!! Those gauges were ones for free by Bindows :
http://www.bindows.net/free_gauges/

I asked a lot how can I import java script code of gauges inside a java code, but it was in vain. I could not do it.

What is Arduino Uno connected to GUI gauges?

After long time, I gave it another try, and surprisingly, I found nice java library called "SteelSeries", which contains a group of nicely created gauges with ability to play with several parameters in them (like frame color, ticks, maximum value, etc...). This enabled me to have ability to show analog values on those gauges.

You may watch it working here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBTlaxVFTP4

Tech stack

I chose Netbeans IDE for developing java program, as I have been using it for around 10 years, so I am more used to it more than Eclipse. I have also chosen JArduino library to make the program asks about Arduino serial port in the beginning of the program, as there may be more than one Arduino board connected to computer. I use SteelSeries library for gauges creation as I have previously mentioned, and finally I used RXTX library to enable my java program to communicate in UART serial communicaton with Arduino board.

The process of building Arduino Uno connected to GUI gauges

I started by a skeleton code that I has been already tested for serial communication and then I added the gauges to GUI, then I made the bindings between the serial incoming data and what gauges are showing.

Key learnings

I learned that SteelSeries have group of superb gauges and I learned that there is big opportunity to use them in research and industry. There are times passed in my life that I hoped to have this knowledge!

Tips and advice

The advice is, you need always to move along step by step. Do not put codes that are using different kinds of libraries without testing each alone. Spaghetti code leads to Spaghetti results!

Final thoughts and next steps

The project now is ready to be used with industrial domain interested in revamping/upgrading/modifying some of their systems through a custom made GUI and a microcontroller based electronic system.

If you want a paid custom design for a similar software to fit your industrial/research application, or if you want to get paid sessions to learn how to do this, contact me here:

https://www.codementor.io/mostafasoliman

thanks!